Welcome to Belgium, Reverend Stephen!

On Saturday the 28th of September, the Second Secretary was pleased to be able to attend the licensing service for the Revd. Stephen Graham to Saint Boniface, Antwerp.

Bishop Norman Banks presided and the Archdeacon of North-West Europe, the Ven. Sam van Leer, preached and presented the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe’s licence. During the service, Revd. Stephen was warmly welcomed by the parish and the service was followed by refreshments in the chapel.

The Central Committee also wishes the Revd. Stephen many blessings as he begins this new stage of his ministry and we wish him all the best as he settles into life in Belgium.

Visit of Pope Francis to Belgium #2

On 29 September, the Chaplain-President and the Vice-President were thrilled to attend as guests of honour the Papal Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in a packed King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, in the presence of the King and Queen and many members of the Royal Family. The atmosphere was lively and festive among the 38,000 people who attended this culmination of the papal visit to Belgium, which saw him meeting the King and Queen, representatives of Belgian public life, representatives of KU Leuven and UCLouvain (sister Catholic universities which celebrate their 600th anniversary in 2025), and also some of the victims of clerical sex abuse in the Catholic Church. The Papal Mass had two prominent themes: first was the formal beatification of Blessed Ana de Lobera (called Anne of Jesus), a Carmelite nun and friend of Teresa of Avila who died in Brussels in 1621: Anne of Jesus was a mystic, a visionary for European unity and the foundress of Carmelite houses in Paris, Pontoise, Dijon, Leuven, Mons, Brussels, Antwerp and Krakow; the second theme, reinforced by the Gospel reading from Mark 9, was the need for the Church to root out those who are a cause of scandal to children and the vulnerable, and the Pope's sermon did not mince its words on this occasion about sexual abuse by clergy, to repeated applause from the crowd. The festive occasion was followed by a lunch in the stadium for the clergy and guests in attendance. The Central Committee records its special thanks to Archbishop Luc and to Bruno Spriet, the new Secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Belgium, whose immense hard work for this visit has resulted in a triumph for all concerned.

Visit of Pope Francis to Belgium #1

On 27 September, the Chaplain-President was thrilled to represent the Anglicans of Belgium and Bishop Robert at a reception held by the King for those in public life in Belgium at the Palais de Laeken in honour of Pope Francis' visit to Belgium from 27 to 29 September. The King, the Prime Minister and the Pope all made insightful and interesting speeches about the significance of the papal visit, with particular accents on the desperate need for peace in Ukraine and in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon, and on the ongoing scandal and shame of clerical sexual abuse occurring in the Church. The frankness and candour of the speeches was both remarkable and helpful. The speeches were preceded by breakfast and followed by a reception at which the chefs de culte were able to catch up, share news and discuss relevant topics with others in public life.

La rentrée à la FUTP Bruxelles

Le mois de septembre voit la reprise des cours universitaires après les grandes vacances. Le 24 septembre, le chapelain-président, en sa qualité de professeur d'histoire moderne à la FUTP Bruxelles, avait le plaisir de débuter son cours "L'Eglise au siècle des Lumières" devant une classe variée d'étudiants venus de l'Europe et de l'Afrique.  Au programme ? Galilée, Voltaire, la Révolution française, Napoléon, la façon dont le christianisme influençait les Lumières européennes et la modernité - un programme tout à fait crucial pour les Eglises d'aujourd'hui.

Anglicaans godsdienstonderwijs

Op dinsdag 24 september ontving het bureau van het Centraal Comité met genoegen het bestuur van het Comité Anglicaans Godsdienstonderwijs in België (CAGO), dat verantwoordelijk is voor de organisatie van het Anglicaans godsdienstonderwijs in Vlaanderen en Brussel, in Holy Trinity Brussels. Het was een productief gesprek over de huidige stand van zaken en over de komende ontwikkelingen in het nieuwe academiejaar.

Ichtus Vlaanderen: Hoop

Op 21 september 2024 heeft de secretaris-generaal lezing gedaan voor jonge leiders van Ichtus Vlaanderen die kwamen samen voor een weekend opleiding in Wommelgem. Ichtus is aanwezig bij verschillende universiteiten van Vlaanderen om studenten te steunen en een veilige plaats bieden om hun vragen over het christelijke geloof te stellen. Hun jaarthema is ‘Hoop’ en de titel van de lezing was: ‘Waarom de toekomst van de kerk beter is dan haar geschiedenis’ met nadruk op 5 belangrijke karakteristieken van Gen Z (1997-2012). Bedankt aan de organisatie.

Durven denken

De opening van het academische jaar is al van start bij de Universiteit van Gent waar de secretaris-generaal de ceremonie heeft bijgewoond namens het Centraal Comité. De burgemeester van Gent sprak over de universiteit als het kloppende hart van de stad. Er waren toespraken van een aantal studenten. Twee daarvan studeren op het UGent campus in Vietnam wat bijzonder is en bracht een internationale blik op deze gelegenheid. De lezing van rector Rik Van De Walle ging over een aantal moeilijke onderwerpen zoals conflict in Palestina, polarisatie in ons land en de lerarentekort in het onderwijs. Natuurlijk na de ceremonie kunnen de studenten hun feest beginnen te bouwen. Wij wensen alle studenten, professoren en medewerkers van de Belgische hoge scholen en universiteiten een veilig, vreedzaam en vreugdevol jaar toe.

The Filipino Anglican community welcomes the Chaplain-President

On 15 September, the Chaplain-President was delighted to attend a Holy Communion service in Tagalog, celebrated by the Revd June Mark Yanez, our assistant chaplain at St Boniface Antwerp. The service was followed by a delicious meal cooked by the Filipino parishioners. Our photos include one of the Chaplain-President, the Revd Stephen Graham (the new senior chaplain at St Boniface Antwerp) and the Revd June Mark Yanez - they have helpfully arranged themselves in order of size!

Welcoming the new British ambassador to Belgium

On 9 September, the Chaplain-President was delighted to represent the Anglicans of Belgium to welcome the new British ambassador to Belgium, Ms Anne Sherriff.  The wonderful contemporary music during the soirée was provided by the band of the Grenadier Guards, who were founded in Bruges in 1656. The Grenadier Guards have notably fought for Belgian liberty on Belgian soil in the Napoleonic Wars and in the Two World Wars, underlining the enduring friendship which exists between Belgium and Britain. Guests from Anglican parishes of Holy Trinity Brussels, St Paul's Tervuren and St John's Gent were also present. The soirée was a fine occasion to renew friendships and to offer the services and wisdom of Belgian Anglicans to the new ambassador as she begins her role.

Celebrating World Fair Play Day

On September 5th, 2024, the Secretary General and the Second Secretary attended an event at the Hôtel de Ville in Brussels to celebrate the 5th World Fair Play Day. This event was organised by the City of Brussels together with the organisations responsible for creating World Fair Play Day: Panathlon Wallonie-Bruxelles, the European Fair Play Movement, the International Committee for Fair Play, and Panathlon International.

The programme included speeches that highlighted the importance of fair play, not only in sports, but in all areas of society. The ceremony culminated with Ms. Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, receiving the 2nd "Fair Play for Peace Award" by the European Fair Play Movement on behalf of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for their 2022-2026 Sport Strategy “More Than a Game”.

Bishop's Certificate award ceremony

On 4 September, the Chaplain-President was pleased to attend the online diploma ceremony of "Walking together in Faith", the Diocese in Europe Bishop's Certificate course, which enables parishioners in the diocese to learn more about the Christian faith and the Anglican way of living it. Sixteen people from across the Diocese in Europe - including someone from Holy Trinity Brussels - were given their certificates online by Bishop Robert (the physical certificates will be sent by post). The course leader, Dr Clare Amos, invited Jack to attend because he had been involved in the planning stage of the course. The course is free-standing but is also an ideal preparation for training to be a lay reader in the Church of England.

Archbishop Noël Treanor, Papal Nuncio to the EU (1950-2024)

The Central Committee was deeply saddened to hear the news of our friend Noël Treanor's sudden and unexpected death on 11 August. The Chaplain-President was honoured to represent Archbishop Justin and Bishop Robert at Archbishop Noël's funeral at Notre-Dame du Sablon in Brussels on 16 August, where he was also invited to speak about the close friendship between Archbishop Noël and Anglicans in Ireland and Brussels. Our pictures show Archbishop Justin, Bishop Robert and Archbishop Noël at a meeting at COMECE on 14 February organised by the Chaplain-President in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs: Archbishop Noël was always a firm friend of ecumenism, of peace, of reconciliation between divided communities in Ireland. We remember him with deep affection and we are grateful that he was our friend. Requiescat in pace ut resurgat in gloria.

Wishing you a restful summer!

We are pleased to inform you that the Central Committee office will remain open during August, although we will be operating on summer hours. Should you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact secretary@anglican.be.

Our entire team will resume regular office hours on September 1st.

We wish you a delightful and restful summer break, and we look forward to meeting again in September.

Pendant le mois d’août, le bureau du Comité central restera ouvert, avec un horaire d'été. Si vous avez des questions, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter à l'adresse suivante : secretary@anglican.be.

Toute l'équipe reprendra ses activités le 1er septembre.

Nous vous souhaitons d'agréables et reposantes vacances d'été, et nous nous réjouissons de vous retrouver après la rentrée.

Graag informeren wij jullie dat het bureau van het Centraal Comité open blijft gedurende augustus, met zomeropeningstijden. Mocht u vragen hebben, aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen via secretary@anglican.be.

Het hele team zal weer aan de slag gaan op 1 september.

Wij wensen iedereen een prettige en ontspannen zomervakantie en kijken ernaar uit om elkaar in september weer te zien.

Farewell to Sunny Hallanan #2

Further to our blog of 3 July, the Chaplain-President was delighted to attend the final celebrations of the Revd Sunny Hallanan, Rector of All Saints' Waterloo, on 28 July. Sunny is retiring to be with her family in the United States and her last service in Waterloo was a heartfelt and warm celebration of the parish's dynamism and faithfulness, followed by a delicious lunch served in a local parishioner's garden. Farewell and Godspeed, dear Sunny!

Fête Nationale / Nationale Feestdag 2024

On 21 July, anniversary of the coronation of Léopold I, first King of the Belgians, in 1831, the Chaplain-President was honoured to represent the Anglicans of Belgium, first at the Te Deum in the National Cathedral in the presence of the King and Queen, then at the traditional lunch for the diplomatic corps offered by the Foreign Minister, Mme Hadja Lahbib, in the glorious Palais d'Egmont in Brussels. Jack much appreciated an occasion to meet the other chefs de culte, and noted that the Foreign Minister's speech contained a clear commitment to Belgium as a country of democracy, human rights and the rule of law - a trio of defining qualities which Jack often defends in his roles both as Chaplain-President and as Bishop's Adviser for EU Affairs.

Bon vent à Eric Ghysselinckx #2

Le Comité central a déjà dit son "au revoir et bonne chance" à M. Eric Ghysselinckx, ancien chef du service des cultes et des convictions au SPF Justice, à l'occasion de son départ à la retraite (voir notre blog du 26 octobre 2023). Le 9 juillet, le chapelain-président a eu le plaisir d'assister à la célébration parallèle organisée par le Consistoire Israélite de Belgique à la Grande-Synagogue de Bruxelles, présidée par maître Philippe Markiewicz et le baron Julien Klener. M. Ghysselinckx a été honoré de la médaille du Consistoire Israélite en signe de son soutien constant et de son amitié depuis 40 ans. La célébration a été suivie d'un high tea.

Meeting on Migration at CofE General Synod Fringe

On 6 June, the Chaplain-President, acting as Bishop Robert's advisor for EU affairs, contributed to a meeting at the Fringe of the General Synod of the Church of England (which meets at the University of York for its July sessions) on "United beyond Borders: Migration and Movement", organised by our friends and partners in the USPG, who help the Diocese in Europe with cutting-edge refugee projects in Athens, Kiev, Calais and Brussels. Jack's presentation was entitled "Sahel-exit: Migration to Europe from West Africa", in which he explained how political tensions in French-speaking West Africa are fuelling both increased migration across the Mediterranean and the appalling treatment of migrant workers in the chocolate industry in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Jack and the General Secretary of USPG, the Revd Dr Duncan Dormor (who used to be colleagues as Cambridge University deans of chapel), look forward to continuing this conversation with a view to practical action to help migrant workers in the Gulf of Guinea.

Anglican prison chaplain training

On 3 July, the entire Anglican prison chaplaincy team met at Holy Trinity Brussels for a training-day organised by the new Anglicaans Instituut België/Institut Anglican de Belgique, which now has the obligation to organise training for our prison chaplains. Our team of Egbert van Groesen, Grace West, Charles Kabera and coordinator Eric Sibomana were joined for the first time by two new volunteer recruits, Charles and Balthazar. Morning Prayer and Bible study was followed by sessions on the legal aspects of prison chaplaincy and reflections from the experienced chaplains on the rationale of prison ministry and how Anglican prison chaplains may be of service to the entire prison community. The day ended with Holy Communion in church and lunch provided by Holy Trinity's Community Kitchen.