Autumn 2014 2 Consecration in Canterbury
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THE E UROP E AN A NGLICAN C ANT E RBURY C ONS E CRATION A PPLAUS E F OR O UR N E W B ISHOP M OR E T HAN A S INGL E T OPIC G E N E RAL S YNOD R E PORT P RI E STLY T RIO O RDINATIONS I N C OLOGN E A G RI M M em ORIAL A UTU M N 1 9 1 4 R emem B E R E D S WISS S KI S E RVIC E 1 5 0 Y E ARS W ITN E SS europe.anglican.org No.63 AUTUMN 2014 2 CONSECRATION IN CANTERBURY THE E UROP E AN E UROP E AN , E CU me NICAL AND E NCOURAGING A NGLICA N B ISHOP R OB E RT ’S The Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe The Rt Rev Robert Innes F IRST ST E PS The Suffragan Bishop in Europe The Rt Rev David Hamid Postal address: Diocesan Office Tel: +44 (0) 207 898 1160 Email: [email protected] The Diocesan Office 14 Tufton Street, London, SW1P 3QZ Tel: +44 (0) 207 898 1155 Fax: +44 (0) 207 898 1166 Email: [email protected] Diocesan Secretary Mr Adrian Mumford Appointments Secretary Miss Catherine Jackson Finance Secretary Mr Nick Wraight Diocesan Website www.europe.anglican.org Editor and Diocesan Communications Officer The Rev Paul Needle and boys voices together, and with the Postal address: Diocesan Office backing of trumpeters they did justice to Email: the old German hymn Praise to the Lord, [email protected] the Almighty, the King of creation. Tel: +44 (0)7712 463806 The introduction to the service was Friends of the Diocese printed in French as well as English, Secretary: Rev Canon Arthur Siddall lessons were read in German and Email: It started with a fanfare and ended [email protected] Dutch and the Lord’s Prayer was said with spontaneous applause in a multitude of native languages. Rev Design “It’s the sort of thing the Church of Augustine Nwaekwe, Priest-in-Charge of Adept Design, Norwich England does well” was a comment after Ostend in Belgium but formerly at Holy Printer the consecration of Rt Rev Robert Innes Trinity, Brussels, served as deacon – a task Colchester Print Group, Attleborough as Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe in a two he described as a “high and unexpected Distribution hour service at Canterbury Cathedral honour”. Others taking part included CoDEStorm plc on 20th July. And it certainly was – well Katharina von Schnurbein, Advisor to the planned and choreographed and reflecting President of the European Commission the uniqueness of the diocese. Visitors and Monseigneur Johan Bonny, the had travelled across the diocese and from Roman Catholic Bishop of Antwerp in further afield for the occasion. the presence of senior representatives of A series of processions emerged from other churches with whom the diocese is the cloisters and moved to the West in partnership. door of the Cathedral shortly before Suffragan Bishop David Hamid and the service. Robes of bishops and the Bishop of Oxford stood each side of visiting clergy and diocesan dignitaries the new diocesan to present him to the Front cover picture: blew in the breeze which also flapped Archbishop and commend him for the Joyful singing as the choir of Canterbury the otherwise unruffled wigs of the office. Bishop Robert then made his vows Cathedral process at the start of Bishop Chancellor and Registrar. The Cathedral and commitments before he was ordained Robert’s consecration service in July. choir was 60 strong, augmented for the by the company of bishops. You can find the choir in a different setting on page 8 of this edition! first time with the combination of girls He was presented with a Bible APPLAUSE GREETS BISHOP ROBERT 3 E UROP E AN , E CU me NICAL AND E NCOURAGING TH E C HURCH IN E UROP E An excerpt from the Bishop of London’s B ISHOP R OB E RT ’S sermon at Bishop Robert’s consecration The history of the Diocese of Europe has witnessed to an important element in the tradition of the Church of England. While seeking the health and F IRST ST E PS coherence of the whole of society we are averse to aggressive proselytism among Christians of other confessions. In most places in Continental Europe we are small minority and are glad to be in partnership with other Christians. We are grateful for the welcome presence of Katharina von Schnurbein and Bishop Bonny of Antwerp who symbolise this partnership. There is more than enough work for us all to do. But while the Diocese in Europe continues to offer a Chaplaincy to expatriates as it has done for hundreds of years, there are new missionary opportunities as the face of the Christian community in our continent changes radically. At Holy Trinity Brussels, for example, the congregation comes from at least 30 different countries ranging from diplomats to refugees. About 30% are from Africa. The description of the challenges confronting the new bishop rightly emphasises the need “to explore and develop a fresh vision for numerical growth, mission and witness”. Our friends are possibly aware of a degree of Euro-scepticism in political circles in this country. The Church can hardly claim a special expertise in the detailed operation of the single market but we are part of Europe geographically and culturally and we rejoice in our partnership with fellow Christians in serving our continent. Europe as a concept may seem very old. The Greek 2 euro piece very appropriately bears the image of Europa astride the bull, the disguise adopted by Zeus to seduce the maiden. But Europa in the myth had a and, after everyone had shared in Phoenician father, some say he was the King of Tyre and the place whither Communion, at the end of the service she was borne by her divine lover was Crete. By the time of the Homeric he was presented with his pastoral staff – Hymns, the term “Europe” was used only for Central Greece. “Europe” a sign of his new commitment. like Proteus has continually changed its shape and character. We should The occasion offered some extra recognise how new Europe is in its present form after the cataclysms of the interest to a BBC television crew years 1914-1989. Thomas Masaryk described the Europe of these years who are working on a three part as “a laboratory atop a vast graveyard”. Our present situation is not the documentary on the life of the result of any historical inevitabilities but just one of the possible outcomes, Cathedral, to be aired later this year and and thanks to American help one of the more fortunate outcomes of the which is likely to draw attention to the protracted 20th century European civil war. Diocese in Europe. Our task, it seems to me, is not to attempt to find a European identity At the end of the service, the organ in any common mediaeval past but to be active partners in identifying strains of Widor’s Toccata were drowned and asserting the resources of the Christian faith as a foundation for the by spontaneous applause as Bishop common values and principles of this new Europe. The bishop’s role is Robert processed out of the building, crucial. He is a knot in a net which extends throughout the whole world newly ordained and commissioned to and which connects the apostles, those who first ventured out into the serve this unique and fast growing part deep to let down their nets for a catch with our own time. As bishops our of the Church of England. He will talents may not be as outstanding as many of those who play other parts be inducted in the Cathedral of the in Christian music making but our role is to keep the orchestra and the Holy Trinity in Gibraltar in September chorus faithful to the score and to balance the whole, so that together we with other services of welcome in the can make a glorious symphony. pro-cathedrals of Malta and Brussels My last word is to Robert himself with great affection and confidence. during the Autumn. He takes with him If I have learnt anything after well over twenty years of episcopal service the commission of the Archbishop of it is that the bishop must always be first and foremost a disciple with the Canterbury to “Keep watch over the beginner’s mind. As responsibilities increase so must the commitment to whole flock in which the Holy Spirit has prayer. As it says in Acts 20, we must keep watch over ourselves and then appointed you shepherd. Encourage the we shall be equipped to keep watch over all the flock of which the Holy faithful, restore the lost and build up the Spirit has made us an overseer. May God bless you richly, my brother, in body of Christ.” this new ministry. 4 READERS AROUND THE DIOCESE TRAV E L TRIALS TE ACH A R E AD E R PATI E NC E Nigel Spencer, who serves as a Reader in the Anglican Church, Basel in Switzerland is pictured in his “Lawrence of Arabia” outfit as he learns valuable lessons about patience. He writes; “I am currently stuck in Northern Turkey by a car breakdown (an overheated engine on our Pajero caused by a failed thermostat), almost 4,000km from our home close to Basle. “This is a ministry trip in connection with my role R E AD E RS G E T E V E RYWH E R E – as Region Director for Eurasia with TeachBeyond, an E V E N AT SYNOD ! international Christian NGO involved in transformational education projects in around 40 countries worldwide.