Convocation Newsletter
Pre-Convention Issue
October 2018
|
|
A Newsletter for Members and Friends of the Convocation of
Episcopal Churches in Europe
|
|
This is a monthly convocational newsletter.
|
|
Please keep the Convocation in your prayers in the coming week...
In just a few days we will come together in convention to meet, worship, deliberate and to elect a new Bishop in Charge of the Convocation.
In preparation for this meeting we encourage the whole Convocation to pray. We ask that the delegates - lay and ordained - pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they discern who God is calling to serve with us. We ask for all your prayers for our four nominees and their spouses. And we ask that you pray for the delegates,and for the Bishop who presides over Convention.
H
ere is the special Convocation prayer:
O God, we pray for the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe as we discern and elect a Bishop to serve your people, build up your Church and proclaim boldly the Gospel to the world. Send us, we pray, an apostle who is a wise counsellor, a merciful pastor, filled with your joy and grace. May your servant have the abundant gifts needed to lead your flock and the strength and courage to administer them. And may we renew and rededicate our lives to your will and service. All this we pray in the Name of our Great High Priest and Servant of the servants of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
|
CONVOCATION CONVENTION
Election of the new Bishop in Charge
(and other Convocation business)
Waterloo BE, October 18-21, 2018
|
|
will be hosted by All Saint's Church in Waterloo, Belgium,
from October 18 to 21, 2018.
The Convention sessions will be held in various rooms of All Saints Church
(for those last minute registrations)
The primary business of convention will be in the
Election of a New Bishop in Charge
.
Lay delegates
from all of the Parishes and organized Missions,
lay members of the Council of Advice
,
and
all canonically-resident clergy
of the Convocation are eligible to vote for Bishop. See special website:
here
In addition to this, we have the following elections:
- Council of Advice (elect two in each order for a two-year term, and one in the lay order to complete a two-year term)
- Disciplinary Board (elect two in each order for a three-year term)
- Observers to the Synod of the Church of England’s Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe (elect one in each order for a three-year term)
The three laypeople on Council whose terms expire this year are eligible for re-election, but the two clergy members are not. All four members of the Disciplinary Board whose terms expire are eligible for re-election.
See biographies of Nominees submitted so far
here
Other Convention events and business will include:
- Bishop's Address
- Presentation and approval of the 2019 Budget
- Assemblée générale of the Convocation Association 1901
- Reports of Convocation commissions and grant recipients
- Other business as determined by the Bishop and Council of Advice
The final agenda and schedule of convention is
here
Convention will convene in the Nave of All Saints Church on Thursday, October 18 at 2:15 p.m., and the Eucharist will be Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
At the opening and closing Eucharists of Convention this year, we would like to have
banners from each Convocation congregation or institution
in procession.
Then during the Convention itself, the banners will be placed all around our worship space. You do NOT need to bring a stand for it — as we will have special hooks to hang the banners on the walls, so they won’t need to be on stands. We will also have some extra dowels on hand so that those of you who are flying won’t need to transport a pole; we’re trying to make this festive, not inconvenient!
Please welcome members of the
Bishop's Council
of Church of England's Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, including Bishop Innes and Bishop Hamid, who will be with us on Thursday for the Convention Eucharist and the Clergy and Spouses Dinner on Thursday evening.
|
|
Election of the Bishop in Charge
|
|
President/CEO, CARAVAN, appointed mission partner with The Episcopal Church, based out of the greater Chicago area, Illinois, USA
|
|
Rector, Saint John’s Church, Newtonville, Massachusetts, USA, and Director, Amherst College Press
|
|
Rector, All Saints’ Church, Brooklyn, New York, USA
|
|
Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Portland, Maine, USA
|
|
This site includes:
- Videos of the Town Halls in Paris, Munich, and Rome here
- Biographical, individual videos and other information about the nominees. Click on the nominee's name to get to the personal video and other information.
- The Convocation Profile, which was developed by the Bishop Search and Nomination Committee, both in an on-line and a downloadable form.
- It also includes other information about the Convocation, which will assist persons who are interested in the bishop search process, including a description of the Convocation Parishes and Missions.
- The Bishop Search has engendered great interest in the Episcopal Church and elsewhere in the Anglican Communion.
|
|
Upcoming Convocation Events
|
|
UPCOMING
CONVOCATION EVENTS
- October 16-18: COMB, Waterloo, Belgium
- November 16-18: Youth Leaders Training Event
- February 2-3: Visitation at St. James in Florence, Italy
- February 4-7 Clergy Retreat
- February 16-17: Visitation at All Saints in Waterloo, BE and the Walloon Missions
- March 7-9: CAECG in Bonn, Germany
|
|
- March 12-15 House of Bishops
- March 29-31 Spirituality Retreat - Tutzing, Germany
- April 5: Farewell Service and Soirée for Bishop Whalon at the Cathedral in Paris
- April 6: Ordination and Consecration of the new Bishop in Charge at the Cathedral in Paris
- May 3-5: APL "Experiencing the Holy" in Augsburg, Germany
- May 30 - June 2: Ascension Weekend Youth Events
- September 4-7: CAECG Meeting
- September 12-14): Council of Advice Meeting
- September 17-20 House of Bishop Meeting
- October 17-20: 2019 Convocation Convention - Geneva, Switzerland
|
|
Recent Events in the Convocation
|
|
Celebration of New Ministries
|
|
|
|
New Vicar at St. Boniface in Augsburg, Germany
|
The Rev. Lutz Ackermann
was instituted as Vicar of St. Boniface in Augsburg on Sunday, September 16.
The Rt. Rev. Pierre Whalon
, Bishop in charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe presided. Lutz, a native of Bavaria, joins us from the Anglican Church of Southern Africa where he and his wife served for 20 years. Please welcome Lutz and wife Frauke (also a priest) to the Convocation.
|
|
We welcome
the Rev. Edda Wolff
, who is the Interim Minister at Christ the King in Frankfurt. Edda was ordained Deacon on June 30, 2018 in Oxford. She is completing a PhD in theology at Cambridge University, and also completed her priestly formation at Westcott House. She has transferred into the Convocation from the Church of England and will be ordained priest in due course. Please welcome Edda and her husband Charles Ledbetter to the Convocation. She was instituted on September 9 by
The Rev. Dr. Hannes Engelhardt
at the request of the Bishop. Fr. Engelhardt serves as one of Deacon Wolff's mentors.
|
|
I
nterim at Christ the King, Frankfurt, Germany
|
|
Reconsecration of Santa Maria a Ferrano
|
|
The Reconsecration of Santa Maria a Ferrano Chapel took place on Saturday, October 6th.
|
I
n 2017, Santa Maria a Ferrano became an affiliated institution of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. It is also a member of the Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers.
The Romanesque church of Santa Maria a Ferrano, as it stands today, is about a thousand years old - the first written document mentioning Santa Maria dates 1080. Most likely it was founded by a religious order from Florence that received the lands from a local, feudal lord in order to bring culture and agriculture to the then backward and remote “Florentine mountains”.
The church, dedicated to “Santa Maria”, houses a fresco (late 15th century, in a fragile state of conservation) depicting Mary nursing the child Jesus and two saints standing to the right and left of her. The church today is used for liturgy, prayer, meditation, gatherings and artistic performances.
The main farm house and side-buildings of 300 square meters were added in the 16th century, when the church was no longer the religious center of the area. The surrounding lands of aproximately 18 acres were cultivated until 1962, when the last farmer, working in “mezzadria” - a medieval form of sharecropping - left Santa Maria. At that time the church was deconsecrated.
In 1980 a German sculptor bought Santa Maria to create an international summer art academy. Over a five year period the buildings and grounds were restored by volunteers, art students from northern Europe. Santa Maria has since then hosted artists, art students and Waldorf /Steiner schools for study periods of stone-carving, painting, music, dance and the Florentine Renaissance.
In 1990 the property was taken over by a German foundation. Activities continued in somewhat diminished form. The Rev. Thomas Müller - priest in the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe and part of the original group of students that restored Santa Maria in the early 80’s - was asked to take over management in 2005. He expanded the program to include spiritual retreats and increased initiatives involving the local community.
In 2009 the then owner of Santa Maria donated the property to an Italian non-profit set up by Thomas, Santa Maria a Ferrano onlus,. Since then course offerings have expanded both in arts and crafts and in the area of religion and spirituality. A new phase of restoration also was initiated with the complete renewal of the roof of the main house.
Santa Maria is located at 620 meters in the hillside 30 km east of Florence. It is a place of great natural beauty, strength and simplicity. Its essential, historical and spiritual nature provide an ideal environment for people from all walks of life to return to fundamental questions and perspectives on life. We welcome all who seek to know and better understand themselves, God, each other and the world
With the reconsecration of the chapel, it is hoped that Santa Maria can continue to expand its ministry as a place of prayer, encounter, and refreshment for Episcopalians-Anglicans, people of faith, and seekers from Europe and beyond.
|
|
|
Religious Order received by the Bishop
|
|
Professed members of the Order meet with Bishop Whalon before the October 11 ceremony.
|
Poster advertising Bishop Whalon's visit
|
Bishop Whalon planting an olive tree
|
The (Arch)Deacons' Bench
Archdeacons Walter Baer and Maria Vittoria Longhitano
|
The Episcopal flag on display for the first time in a church in Southern Italy, in the chapel given to the Order and the Episcopal Church
|
|
Christiana Fraternitas, an Ecumenical Religious Order based in Taranto, Italy
|
After a long and deliberate discernment process, with much prayer, and lengthy discussions with
The Ven. Maria Vittoria Longhitano, Archdeacon for Italian Language Ministry
in the Convocation and with
Bishop Whalon
, the
Ecumenical Religious Order Christiana Fraternitas
applied to
Bishop Pierre Whalon
for recognition and oversight. The
decree
recognizing Christiana Fraternitas and assuming oversight was issued by the Bishop on July 20, 2018. The ecumenical order has 10 professed members and about 60 associated members.
On the Feast of St. Phillip, Deacon and Evangelist, October 11, 2018, the Dean of the Order,
Antonio Perrella,
was installed as Abbot in a ceremony presided over by Bishop Whalon. This was also Bishop Whalon's first official Visitation to the Order. The Order and the Bishop have begun the process of having Christiana Fraternitas recognized as a religious order in the Episcopal Church by the House of Bishops Committee on Religious Orders.
Abbot Perrella and members of the community are also beginning to form an Episcopal Mission in Taranto, which will be housed in a former British military chapel which was built during World War I. The chapel has been given to Christiana Fraternitas and the Convocation by the Taranto municipality, for use by the Order and the Episcopal Church.
The Ecumenical Order
Christiana Fraternitas
is a highly regarded institution in the Taranto/Apulia region and includes as advisors prominent members of Roman Catholic, Waldensian, Orthodox, and Protestant clergy and lay leaders.
|
Interior of Taranto Chapel
|
News Conference with local media at the Villa Pantaleo
|
Chapel exterior with newly planted olive tree
|
|
Convocation Events in November...
|
|
Vocational Discernment Weekend
Friday through Sunday,
November 9-11, 2018
Centre Culturel St. Thomas Strasbourg, France
Led by Brother Samuel, SSF
Friar of the Society of St. Francis
Br Samuel SSF has been an Anglican Franciscan friar for the past 44 years, living at several different Franciscan houses over that period. Today he lives with brothers in the East End of London where the Society of St Francis is committed to working amongst those on the margins of society. In the steps of St Francis, he has a delight in and care for creation and seeks a sensitive engagement with Muslims. He also undertakes chaplaincy work and teaching at St Mellitus College in London and is guide to a number of people who are exploring a vocation to religious life.
For information check out the COMB site
here
or contact:
God calls every Christian to ministry. God’s call comes to us in different ways.
God equips us and helps us fulfil our call. God calls us to a variety of ministries:
to Lay ministry in our parish, in our community;
in our work place; in the mission field; in vowed religious life -
to Ordained ministry: deacon...priest...bishop.
Come and explore. Come and begin to discern, to learn, to pray.
|
|
EpiscopalEurope Youth Leader Retreat
Friday through Sunday,
November 16-18, 2018
Cenacle Retreat Center
Geneva, Switzerland
Meet and share ideas with other youth leaders from across Europe. Practical mini-workshops on skills for youth ministry, plus everyone plan to share one thing in your own bag of tricks. Good food, fun & chance to support each other in this ministry. Subsidized by the Convocation so cost is low!
For more information see
flyer
|
|
Mission Sunday will Advent I: Dec. 2, 2018
|
|
The Council of Advice has designated the
First Sunday of Advent
as
Mission Sunday
. This will replace the Day of Pentecost. A special offering is taken and designated to a mission or area of need designated by the Council of Advice.
This year's Convocation Mission Sunday offering will go to the
Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico.
(This is for both this past Pentecost and for Advent 1.) The entire island was devastated by hurricane Maria in the last year. The Episcopal Church in Puerto Rico has been greatly involved in the recovery effort, even when government assistance was lagging. The diocese owns many hospitals on the island, which have been instrumental in the relief effort.
The Diocese of Puerto Rico, one of the most vibrant and generous dioceses in the Episcopal Church, has been severely impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, leaving the island largely without power, gas, water, and communications. In addition, many thousands are homeless or in precarious conditions.
The Diocese of Puerto Rico has always shown enormous leadership in reaching out to assist others in disasters such as recent earthquakes in Ecuador and neighboring hurricane-struck Caribbean Islands. They had been in the process of sending medical aid to other islands impacted by Hurricane Irma when they were themselves hit by Hurricane Maria.
The offering taken in our various congregations on Advent Sunday will be sent from the Convocation Office to the relief efforts in Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico.
|
|
Check out an on-line sermon from:
Sermons from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
|
|
|
A la radio : le Magazine Anglican
Le « Magazine Anglican », animé par Laurence Moachon, paroissienne de la Cathédrale de la Sainte Trinité à Paris.
À propos du Magazine Anglican :
Depuis septembre 2012, Laurence Moachon présente le 4e samedi du mois, le Magazine Anglican. Avec l’objectif de faire mieux connaître la tradition anglicane au public français, elle traite de sujets d’actualité culturelle, historique, liturgique ou ecclésiologique dans la Convocation et la Communion Anglicane.
ÉCOUTEZ OU TÉLÉCHARGEZ LE MAGAZINE ANGLICAN sur :
|
|
Read the latest on what's going on in the wider church
and much more....
|
|
"Go forth for God; go to the world in peace; be of good courage, armed with heavenly grace, in God's good Spirit daily to increase, till in his kingdom we behold his face."
Hymn 347 - Holy Eucharist; Music: Litton
|
|
The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe | 23 avenue George V, 75008 Paris, France
+33 (0) 1 53 23 84 06 | office@tec-europe.orgl | www.tec-europe.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
