The Church of England General Synod welcomes Archbishop Terlinden

In 2025, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussel, Luc Terlinden named the Chaplain-President, Jack McDonald as a special advisor to the Belgian Roman Catholic Church on the topic of synodality. In July 2026, Jack accompanied Archbishop Luc and Koen Jacobs at the General Synod of the Church of England which took place in York. An interview was carried out by the Church Times on the learning between the two historic Christian denominations which appeared in a podcast form.

Here is a link from the media in the Netherlands about the ecumenical exchange.

Here is a link from the media in Germany.

Archbishop of Mechelen attends the General Synod of the Church of England

From 10 to 12 July, the Chaplain-President accompanied Mgr Luc Terlinden, Archbishop of Mechelen and Brussels, and Deacon Koen Jacobs, Mgr Terlinden's ecumenical officer, to the July sessions of the General Synod of the Church of England, traditionally held in the University of York and hosted by the Archbishop of York. Mgr Terlinden had been invited to General Synod by Archbishop Stephen following the Centenary Conference of the Malines Conversations last year, where it was Archbishop Stephen who was invited to Mechelen by Mgr Terlinden. Mgr Terlinden gave a well-received address to General Synod (56m25s) celebrating the Malines Conversations. Mgr Terlinden and Deacon Koen spent the whole weekend in York, meeting Archbishop Sarah, Bishop Robert and several of the staff at Lambeth and Bishopthorpe Palaces, having breakfast with Archbishop Stephen at Bishopthorpe Palace and attending the magnificent Sunday Eucharist in York Minster. We are delighted that Mgr Terlinden received such a warm welcome in York and that he was able to tell the story to an English audience of the Belgian origins of the modern Anglican-Catholic dialogue which is so precious to us and a sign of hope to the worldwide Church.

Here is a link to a blog in Flemish by Archbishop Terlinden’s Ecumenical Officer, Koen Jacobs.

Summer School - English Cathedral Music

On Thursday 9 July 2026, the Interim-Principal of the AIB gave a lecture making the case that the 21st Century is the Golden Age of Anglican worship music as part of the 1-week intensive course on Anglican/English Cathedral Music at the University of Utrecht Summer School. In the afternoon, Emilie Bels, who has been instrumental in setting up a Anglican Music Centre as part of the AIB’s scope of work, gave a presentation ‘Performative Outreach or inclusion? A critical reflection on cathedral schools singing programmes’. Such courses are an important part of the development and training for Anglican ministry in Belgium.

Understanding Anglican Ministry in a Belgian context

On Monday 6 July, the Second Secretary was invited to attend a meeting of the Chaplaincy Council of Holy Trinity Brussels to explain to incoming members how the legal and administrative structures required for the effective running of a government-recognised church relate to one another.

While a Chaplaincy Council has no legal standing under Belgian law, the Church of England requires every parish to have one. Rebecca explained the different legal structures that must exist within a recognised parish in Belgium and how these work alongside the governance structures required by the various Anglican canonical authorities. Council members found it very helpful to understand what their role is in considering and promoting the mission and vision of Holy Trinity and how their discussions can inform and support the work of the administrative legal bodies.

This type of session forms part of one of the training pathways offered by the Anglican Institute in Belgium (AIB): to provide training and practical resources to parish administrators. The programme is designed to equip those serving in administrative roles to carry out their responsibilities efficiently and faithfully, while ensuring compliance with Belgian law.

Ordinations at Holy Trinity

On Sunday 28th of June, the Pro-Cathedral of Holy Trinity Brussels hosted the ordination service in which six people were ordained as deacons and one was ordained to the priesthood. The Chaplain-president Jack McDonald, who is also a Canon Theologian at the Pro-Cathedral, attended the service and was deeply encouraged to see so many people answering this call to ordained ministry: "When we consider the youth, energy and commitment of these new clergy from Austria, the Netherlands, India and Norway, it brings hope for the future to the Christian Church in general and to the Anglican Church in Europe in particular."

Despite the unusually warm weather, it was a joyous occasion, with many of the ordinands’ friends and families having travelled from across the continent to be there.

We continue to pray for all those ordained:

Andrea Bianchi to serve as Assistant Curate at Christ Church, Vienna 

Corinne de Klerk to serve as Assistant Curate at St Andrew’s Church, Zurich 

Katherine Fortier to serve as Assistant Curate at St John’s & St Philip’s, The Hague 

Eirik Gjerlow, to serve as Assistant Curate at St Edmund’s, Oslo 

Tollin Thumra to serve as Assistant Curate at Christ Church, Amsterdam 

Dominik Viehoff to serve as Assistant Curate at City Kirche, Vienna 

Owen Prewett to continue to serve as Assistant Curate at St Alban’s, Copenhagen

Staff departures at Holy Trinity, Brussels

Despite an unusually warm summer’s day on Monday 22 June 2026, the staff and clergy at Holy Trinity, Brussels, as well as some friends, family, and members of the Central Committee office who work in the same building, enjoyed a lovely lunch in the courtyard to say goodbye to Canon John Wilkinson and Phlilp Milton.

John and Susie Wilkinson came to Holy Trinity in 2014 and will be retiring in the summer. John is one of the longest serving clergy in the Diocese in Europe and he will continue to serve as Area Dean of Belgium and Luxembourg in a non-stipendiary capacity.

Philip is a long-time member of Holy Trinity, Brussels. He is a trained Reader in the Church of England as well and has been coordinating the Children and Youth Ministry and its many volunteers for the past two years. Philip is a Godly Play trainer and looks forward to working in education.

The Central Committee gives thanks for their service, hard work and commitment to Anglican ministry in Belgium and we wish them success and many blessings in all they do in the future.

Chaplain-President greets a new decade

On Tuesday 16 June 2026, the Central Committee and its staff, as well as the team from Church House at Holy Trinity, Brussels, gathered at the office of the (CofE) Bishop of the Diocese in Europe to celebrate that the Chapalin-President reached a milestone birthday. There was singing. There were prayers of gratitude. There was joy and laughter. Most importantly, there was cake… and a lot of it! Congratulations, Prof. McDonald, many happy returns of the day.

L’aumônerie anglicane carcérale accueille une nouvelle aumônière bénévole

L’aumônerie anglicane carcérale se réjouit de la première journée de travail de Madame Billie Hanne en tant qu’aumônière bénévole, récemment nommée par le Ministre de la Justice.

Nous avons eu la joie de l’accueillir au sein de l’établissement pénitentiaire de Haren, ce lundi 15 juin 2026. Cette première journée lui a permis de découvrir concrètement sa nouvelle mission auprès des personnes détenues et de rencontrer plusieurs membres de l’équipe d’aumônerie.

Moment particulièrement encourageant : Madame Billie Hanne a pu participer au culte célébré dans la section des hommes, partageant ainsi un premier temps de prière, de communion fraternelle et d’écoute avec les détenus.

Avec cette nouvelle nomination, l’effectif des aumôniers anglicans œuvrant dans les établissements pénitentiaires s’élève désormais à six personnes. Nous rendons grâce à Dieu pour ce renfort précieux qui contribuera à l’accompagnement spirituel des personnes privées de liberté.

« À Dieu soit toute la gloire pour les ouvriers qu’il nous envoie dans sa moisson » (Matthieu 9.38).

Nous confions le ministère de Billie Hanne à la grâce de Dieu et prions pour qu’elle soit abondamment bénie dans cette mission de service, d’écoute et d’espérance.

Central Committee Board meeting

On 10 June, the Central Committee Board met for its quarterly meeting at Holy Trinity Brussels. These meetings are a chance for Chaplain President Jack McDonald, vice-president Eric Sibomana and Grace West to receive updates from the Central Committee office and AIB Registrar, and to discuss Anglican ministries in Belgium, ongoing projects, and finances.

Yesterday’s meeting also included a small celebration for the Chaplain President’s 60th birthday!

Visiting parishes

The Secretary-General feels blessed to be invited to visit Anglican parishes across Belgium. In some small way, leading or preaching at these services can be a tangible reminder of the larger Anglican family across the nation, in Europe and around the world. It is an honour to meet so many people who care deeply about Anglican ministry from every corner of the country.

On Sunday 31 May 2026, the morning started by leading the service at St. George’s, Ieper on Trinity Sunday. Then, in the afternoon, there was another service for the Anglican mission congregation in Kortrijk who use the Bidkapel in the Sint-Janskerk.

On Sunday 7 June 2026, the morning started by worshipping at St. John’s Anglican Church in Gent and then preaching at Evensong for the patronal festival of St. Boniface, Antwerp, which was followed by a lovely party in the garden.

It is truly inspiring to experience the unity of the Anglican family in Belgium, while also treasuring the diversity of its people and their ways of worshipping.

AIB Academic Advisory Board

Twice a year, the AIB Academic Advisory Board meets with the AIB and Central Committee staff to receive updates about the progress being made and plans for the future. The Anglican church in Belgium is blessed to have such a high proportion of excellent scholars to provide guidance as the AIB continues to grow and carve out training opportunities for Anglican ministry in Belgium and beyond. On Wednesday 3 June 2026, the AIB Board met in the theological library of KU Leuven thanks to Prof. Patmore.

latest FIDIF meeting

On Tuesday 2 June 2026, the Central Committee hosted the latest meeting of the Federal Interconvictional Dialogue in Belgium (FIDIF) at Holy Trinity, Brussels. The meeting was chaired by Isabel Detavenier, the new President of the United Protestant Church (EPUB/VPKB) and the Second Secretary serves as secretary of the meeting as well. The agenda items were far ranging to include the latest events in terms of dialogue with the Ministry of Justice, the Federal government and opportunities for future events to support those in need in our society.

140 years of Holy Trinity Brussels

From the 29th to the 31st of May, Holy Trinity Brussels celebrated its 140th anniversary in the current building with a ‘weekend away at home’ festival. The programme included concerts, picnics, a quiz night, craft moments and guest speakers such as Bishop Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, Revd Rachel Summers and Chris de Fortis.

On Sunday, the Chaplain President took part in the 2 PM service at which Bishop Lusa presided and preached. His sermon centred on three points related to how the Church interfaces with the world today: humility, hospitality and hope.

Levensbeschouwelijk onderwijs update

Beste vrienden en voorstanders van interconfessioneel onderwijs,

Allereerst wil ik iedereen bedanken die zijn steun en solidariteit heeft betuigd aan het anglicaanse godsdienstonderwijs in Vlaanderen en aan onze leerkrachten, leerlingen, scholen en hun gezinnen. Ook dank aan iedereen die heeft deelgenomen aan de Actiedag op 20 mei in Brussel.

Goed nieuws!!! Gisteren werd bekendgemaakt dat de regering op dit moment niet zal doorgaan met de voorgestelde hervormingen van het interconfessionele onderwijs. Hier zijn enkele links met meer informatie:

Nieuwsflits Erkende Instantie & Thomas: Geplande hervorming levensbeschouwelijke vakken op 1 september 2026 geschrapt

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2026/05/28/hervorming-levensbeschouwelijke-vakken/

Aan alle collega’s en sympathisanten

De afspraak - donderdag 28 mei 2026 om 20:35 | VRT MAX

Voorlopig geen hervorming levensbeschouwelijke vakken: "Dankbaar, anders dreigde complete chaos" | VRT MAX

We hopen dat dit betekent dat onze leerkrachten en leerlingen kunnen genieten van een rustig einde van het semester en uitkijken naar meer verrijkend onderwijs in september. Houd hen alstublieft in uw gebeden.

Als u, of iemand die u kent, geïnteresseerd is om ARE-leraar te worden, neem dan contact op met zuster Julian

Oost, west, kerk best

Na een week vol met vergaderingen gaat de secretaris-generaal regelmatig voor in de viering ergens in het land. Op 31 mei 2026 is de dag begonnen bij St. George’s Memorial Church te Ieper en dan in de namiddag bij de anglicaanse missiekerk in Kortrijk die de Sint-Janskerk bidkapel gebruikt voor de eredienst. In beide plekken hebben wij de zondag van de Drievuldigheid gevierd.

CAGO vzw AGM

Op woensdag 27 mei 2026, hebben de kapelaan-voorzitter, secretaris-generaal en tweede secretaris, plus de studiecoördinator van het anglicaanse instituut in België de algemene vergadering van het vzw Comité voor Anglicaans Godsdienstonderwijs bijgewoond. Afgelopen jaar was een moeilijke periode voor alle erkende instanties en ook voor CAGO waar de al beperkte financiële middelen van de Vlaamse overheid niet voldoende zijn om de kosten van de instantie te dekken. Tegelijkertijd zet de overheid meer druk op de leerkrachten en inspecteurs.

Levensbeschouwelijk onderwijs in gevaar

Op 20 mei 2026 namen een aantal anglicanen deel van een actie tegen de voorgestelde hervorming van de Vlaamse minister van onderwijs wat levensbeschouwelijk onderwijs betreft. De bedoeling van de minister is om €100 mil. te besparen. Dit zal meer dan 1000 leerkrachten hun jobs eisen en impact hebben op meer dan 30,000 leerlingen en hun gezin. Deze actie werd georganiseerd samen met de andere erkende levensbeschouwingen in Vlaanderen en de vakbonden.

58 years of Sant Egidio in Belgium

On Sunday May 10th, the Chaplain President attended a service to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the community of Sant Egidio in Belgium. The service was celebrated in a packed OLV-ter-Rijkeklaren Church in Brussels. Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, spiritual advisor to Sant’Egidio, presided over the celebration. He emphasized: “In a diverse metropolis like Brussels, our presence and our genuine solidarity with the poor are more important than ever.”