ADVENT QUIET DAY 2011: We had a prayerful Quiet Day jointly with members of St Michael's Paris at the Versailles house of Les Diaconesses de Reuilly an ecumenical protestant, female order. The addresses presented St John of the Cross' The Dark Night of the Soul, as we prayed through our waiting upon God in Advent, facing the darkness in the hope and faith that the Light will never be overcome, our participation in the movement of self-emptying by Christ, and letting go of our control to be shaped by the Divine. The addresses were given by Fr Richard and Fr John Moore from St Michael's. This work together builds on our joint celebration of the Feast of the Ascension in 2011, and the joint course led by Fr Richard and Fr John on T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets.
Our Christmas Market (Bazaar) was very succesful this year, going beyond the sum raised in the last two years and so continuing to make a significant contribution to financing the life of the Church. Thanks to Sylvie Shaw and the teams of people who made it all possible. This year the Bazaar was decorated with new signs made by Jenny Lloyd for the stalls that added to the ambience.
Congratulations to the seven confirmands who were baptised and confirmed on the Feast of Christ the King in November, by Bishop Stephen Pedley.
On Sunday 16th October, at the Parish Eucharist the Revd Dr Alan Piggot, was our preacher:he was the Priest-in-Charge of St Mary if Eton, Hackney Wick, until he was asked by the Bishop of London to work with Archdeacon Bob Jackson to re-examine church growth and mission within the diocese. He is also involved in the planning for the merger between the three West Yorkshire dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield. His doctoral research was on the Modernist Anglo-Catholic movement of Cambridge, whose testament was the 1926 Essays Catholic and Critical. Fr Alan said of the Gospel Matthew 22.15 - 22: "Jesus tells us to acknowledge the force of convention but recognise its limits as well. It is when we lose sight of this, when we think that there is perhaps something enduringly real about human political or economic structures that we come adrift. For our belief is that God stands over all this.....and it is He who determines, as our maker and redeemer, what is in truth good, and lasting, and real."
We had a blessed Parish Retreat at Le Bec-Hellouin Abbey at the end of October with wonderful weather and good direction from Fr Thomas Seville, CR, who came over from Mirfield to be with us. The reatreat united people from our three congregations: St George's Anglophone, St George's Malagasy and the Caen Chaplaincy. Fr Thomas talked of the example of the Prophet Elisha.
We are sad to announce that Canon Roger Greenacre DD, former Chaplain of St. George's from 1965 to 1975, died on 29th July. He was 80. During his time at St George's, Fr Greenacre was Co-Chairman of French ARC (Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue) from its foundation in 1969. In 1996 he published a book, "The Catholic Church in France. An Introduction". A Sung Requiem Mass for Fr Roger was held at St George's onThursday 15th September. There was also be a Sung Requiem at Chichester cathedral Friday 23rd September. For those who do not know Fr Roger's work their is an interview with him you may read.
Fr Richard has returned from his visit to Angola iin July. He is supervisor of the ALMA Mission & Ministry Programme in the Anglican Diocese of Angola (www.almalink.org)
He led a training conference on 'Integral Mission'. Read his pre-visit sermon. See photos from the visit by clicking here.
St George's has founded a group constituted by members of both congregations anglophone and malagasy, to strengthen the relations between our two communities and have a common mission link with the Anglican Church in Madagascar. Click here to find out more.