Droit et religions avec l'UCLouvain

Ce mardi 5 juillet, le Chapelain-Président et M. Eric Sibomana (Coordinateur de l’aumônerie carcérale) ont eu la joie de recevoir le Dr Léopold Vanbellingen, chercheur en Droit à l’UCLouvain. Auteur d’une thèse sur le la neutralité religieuse en milieu entrepreunarial, il se consacre à présent à l’étude des mécanismes juridiques sous-tendant les relations entre l’Etat et les convictions reconnues en Belgique.

Conference of European Churches (CEC)

The CEC met on June 29 around theologians and members of the Ukrainian clergy in order to hear the political and spiritual difficulties encountered by the people attacked since February 2022 by Russia, but also to hear proposals on the theological reading of this political news. The question of the role of religion in public and political debate was at the center of the discussions.

Couloirs humanitaires / Humanitaires Corridors

Le 23 juin, le Chapelain-Président a participé à une réunion interconvictionnelle autour de la question des “Couloirs humanitaires”dans la salle paroissiale des Riches-Claires à Bruxelles. Présidé par Sant’Egidio, ce groupe se réunit régulièrement afin de prodiguer de l’aide à plus de 250 réfugiés syriens, chrétiens ou non.

Op Juni 23, de Kapelaan-Voorzitter nam deel aan een interconventionele bijeenkomst rond de kwestie van “Humanitaire Corridors” in de parochiezaal van Riches-Claires in Brussel. Deze groep, voorgezeten door Sant’Egidio, komt regelmatig samen om hulp te bieden aan meer dan 250 Syrische vluchtelingen, al dan niet christenen.

St Martha and St Mary Leuven

On 3 July, the Chaplain-President visited St Martha and St Mary Leuven to participate in the first celebration of Holy Communion by the curate, the Revd Sarah-Jane King, who had been ordained priest the day before in St John's Gent by Bishop Robert. This was a very joyful occasion, followed by brunch in a local café. The preacher was the Revd Simon Tyndall, formerly chaplain of St Paul's Tervuren (and a descendant of William Tyndale). Both of the priests in the parish are women and the parish has a special ministry towards the students of KU Leuven and ETF Leuven.

Ordinations in Gent

On 2 July, the Chaplain-President and the Vice-President participated in four ordinations held in St John's Gent (where the Vice-President is the chaplain). Bishop Robert performed the ordinations. Three of the candidates work in Benelux: the Revd Jonathan Halliwell (whose training was based at Holy Trinity Brussels and who is a former student of the Chaplain-President at KU Leuven) will serve at St John & St Philip Den Haag; the Revd Mark Hafkenscheid will serve at St Mary's Rotterdam; the Revd Sarah Jane King will continue to serve at St Martha & St Mary Leuven. The Revd Glen Ruffle will return to serve at St Andrew's Moscow as soon as the political situation there allows.

Goodbye and thank you, Jo Jan!

30 June was the Revd Jo Jan Vandenheede's final day at work as the Secretary. Jo Jan has stewarded the passage since 2019 from a volunteer part-time Central Committee to our current full-time professional Central Committee, with three permanent full-time posts of Chaplain-President, Secretary-General and Second Secretary. All parts of the Central Committee's work have been improved and placed on a more secure and professional footing by Jo Jan's constant hard work, for which the Chaplain-President, Vice-President, Member and Second Secretary are unreservedly grateful. An informal breakfast was held in HTB on 30 June, with laughter and good cheer the order of the day. We wish Jo Jan all good things as he moves on from the Central Committee to commit to his PhD studies full-time.

High Mass for the 9th anniversary of Pope Francis' election

On 29 June, the Chaplain-President was honoured to attend, along with other ecumenical and diplomatic guests, a solemn mass to celebrate the 9th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as Bishop of Rome. The mass was celebrated by Cardinal De Kesel, Mgr Franco Coppola (the Papal Nuncio to Belgium and Luxembourg) and the entire Catholic episcopate of Belgium in Notre-Dame des Grâces Brussels, and was followed by a delightful reception for the diplomatic corps and ecumenical guests hosted by the Nuncio in the parish gardens.


Soutenance à la FUTP Bruxelles

Le 22 juin, le chapelain-président a présidé le jury devant lequel son propre étudiant, M. Pacôme Konseibo (Burkina Faso), défendit son mémoire de master intitulé : "La Cène dans les célébrations en virtuel du culte protestant en contexte du covid-19 : sens et pratiques", un sujet très pertinent à la fois pour la recherche académique et pour la vie des Eglises dans notre contexte post-pandémique.


Growing relationship between FPTR Brussel and the Universität Paderborn

On 16 June, the Chaplain-President, as hoogleraar kerkgeschiedenis, took part in a meeting between the academic staff of FPTR Brussel and representatives of the Institut für Evangelische Theologie, Fakultät für Kulturwissenschaften at the University of Paderborn (Germany), with a view to forging new and deep links in the area of research in religious diversity in modern Europe.

University prize at KU Leuven

On 16 June, Mr Matt McNicoll, who formerly sat on the parochial church council of St Martha and St Mary Leuven, received a university prize from KU Leuven for his advanced master's dissertation: "François I and Reformation: towards a Theological Paradigm, 1515-1535", which was supervised by the Chaplain-President. The dissertation was judged the best master's or advanced master's thesis in medieval, Renaissance or Reformation studies. Warm congratulations to Matt for this success and the best of luck for his PhD at KU Leuven on Henry VIII, also supervised by the Chaplain-President!

Evadoc AGM

On 17 June, the Chaplain-President attended the annual general meeting of Evadoc, the Protestants-Evangelisch Archief- en Documentatiecentrum, on which he sits in his capacity as president of Belgian Anglicanism (Evadoc | Protestants-Evangelisch Archief- en Documentatiecentrum ). The AGM was held after lunch at ETF Leuven. There is extensive practical contact between Evadoc and the Anglican parishes in Belgium.

Les anglicans et les autres convictions reconnues célèbrent une année de formation avec Emouna/ Anglicanen en de andere erkende erediensten vieren een vormingsjaar met Emoena

Ce 15 juin a eu lieu, au Club Prince Albert, la journée de conclusion de la deuxième édition de l’année d’études organisée par Emouna (https://www.emouna.be/) pour les animateurs spirituels émanant des courants convictionnels reconnus en Belgique. Deux anglicans ont eu l’occasion de présenter leurs travaux, préparés en groupes avec des représentant d’autres convictions et visant l’accompagnement spirituel des citoyens dans leur vie quotidienne ou face aux épreuves de l’existence. Birte Day a contribué à développper un outil d’accompagnement du deuil en pleine pandémie. Egbert van Groesen a quant à lui participé à un projet de livre de recettes culinaires visant à spiritualiser nos vies quotidiennes.  

Deze 15 juni vond plaats, in de Club Prince Albert, de slotdag van de tweede editie van het studiejaar georganiseerd door Emoena (https://www.emouna.be/)voor spirituele animatoren die voortkomen uit de erkende erediensten in België. Twee anglicanen kregen de kans om hun werk te presenteren, bereid in groepen met vertegenwoordigers van andere religies en levensbeschouwelijks en gericht op de geestelijke begeleiding van burgers in hun dagelijks leven of in het licht van de beproevingen van het bestaan. Birte Day heeft bijgedragen aan de ontwikkeling van een hulpmiddel voor het ondersteunen van rouwverwerking te midden van een pandemie. Egbert van Groesen heeft voor zijn deel meegewerkt aan een culinair receptenboek project gericht op het vergeestelijken van ons dagelijks leven.

Birte Day

Birte Day

Anglican professors at KU Leuven speak to English students

On 15 June, Professor Hector Patmore and the Chaplain-President (who are both Anglican priests) spoke to students at Ripon College Cuddesdon, one of the largest seminaries in the Church of England (Welcome to Cuddesdon | Ripon College Cuddesdon (rcc.ac.uk) ), about their experiences as professors in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at KU Leuven (Faculteit Theologie en Religiewetenschappen (kuleuven.be) ). The session was recorded so that other students unable to be present might also explore the idea of doctoral study in Leuven.

Diocesan Synod of the Diocese in Europe 2022

For the first time since 2019 (because of the coronavirus pandemic), the diocesan synod of the Diocese in Europe met at the Kardinal-Schultehaus in Cologne in the first week of June (Diocesan Synod - Diocese in Europe (anglican.org) ). The Chaplain-President was present as the diocese's Living in Love and Faith advocate (Living in Love and Faith | The Church of England ). During synod, Bishop Robert commissioned the Revd Dr Catriona Laing (priest-in-charge of St Martha and St Mary Leuven) as assistant dean of women's ministry in the diocese, alongside Canon Debbie Flach (chaplain of Christchurch Lille) as dean of women's ministry (Diocese appoints Dean and Assistant Dean of Women's Ministry - Latest News (anglican.org) ). The synod was a very happy time of friendship and community after the privations and sufferings of the pandemic.