Reflections from Bishop Robert attending the funeral of Pope Francis“We said farewell to a great pope, an inspirational leader of Christians throughout the world and an exemplary disciple of Jesus Christ. Many members of the Catholic church told us how grateful they were for the presence and support of ecumenical friends and guests. For me and for us it was a huge privilege, a unique moment of Christian togetherness and an unforgettable event in the 21st century history.”Bishop Robert was part of a small delegation from the Anglican Communion to be invited to the funeral of Pope Francis. He shares his reflections on the moving event here.Safeguarding updateThe Diocesan Safeguarding Team are holding the latest Chaplaincy Safeguarding Conference on 29th May starting at 16.00 hrs BST, 17.00 CEST and at 18.00 EEST. An invitation will be sent to all our chaplaincy safeguarding and assistant safeguarding officers, who may extend this invitation to chaplains, church wardens and council members. Environmental survey - take ten minutesWith your help, we have been able to share money from the National Church of England grant scheme to help local chaplaincies with eco projects. As last year, it is now time to collect a brief update so we can keep tailoring the programme based on your needs.Please complete this survey by mid MayElection for General Synod representative Following the sad death of Clive Billenness in February, an election is now being held to fill the vacant place for a representative from the Diocese in Europe in the house of laity at the Church of England General Synod. Full details can be found here and any questions should be sent to election@europe.anglican.orgOrdinations 2025We are blessed to have six people being ordained deacon and eight being ordained priest this Petertide. All the details about the services can be found in this document. Please RSVP in good time where requested.Thy Kingdom ComeThy Kingdom Come is a global ecumenical prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray for more people to come to know Jesus. What started in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayerFind out how your chaplaincy can get involvedOur churches and crises of our time How do we as churches care for refugees and creation?The Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council (AOCICC) is researching how we as churches are responding to two major issues of our time: caring for refugees and caring for creation. This survey asks whether and how your congregation is affected by and taking action on these issues, and which resources you use.The AOCICC will summarize the key findings of the survey and share them with the respondents and participating churches. Thank you for giving 10-15 minutes of your time to complete this survey. Your contribution will be very valuable.Please complete the survey hereChildren and Young People next sessionHead of Children and Youth Revd Iain Bendrey writes: Our next Children and Youth Network Meeting is on May 27th.We will be joined by Kate Irvine from Bible Reading Fellowship who will be sharing about the Parenting Courses that they have developed.Many chaplaincies I visit ask about how they can support parents in teaching their children about faith, so this is the perfect opportunity to find out more.Please pass this date onto anyone who works with children, young people or families, and if they are not part of the Children and Youth Network tell them to get in touch with me iain.bendrey@europe.anglican.orgDiocese in Europe Communications NetworkJoin our growing network of people responsible for communications in your chaplaincies. We meet each month on Zoom for an hour to support each other and share information. If you are interested in joining, please contact us at communications@europe.anglican.orgOur next session is on Thursday May 8th when we will be discussing Thy Kingdom Come.Refugee network If you have projects in your chaplaincy that work with refugees, you may be interested in our monthly Refugee Network call. We meet to share updates, knowledge and prayer for each other across our diocese.Meetings are on Zoom at 13.00 CET the first Thursday of every month. Email communications@europe.anglican.org for the invitation.
The Diocese in Europe is holding a service of Evening Prayer for Pope Francis and all who mourn. Join us this Thursday April 24th at 18.00 CET/17.00 BST on Zoom. This will be a chance for us to come together to pray and reflect. Everyone is invited to join.The service will be led by Bishop Robert.Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81981390710?pwd=wCZSDux1jXCVxk2wxaGORsLCBaCZPQ.1If you have any questions, please send them to communications@europe.anglican.orgPlease also read the message that was published by Bishop Robert on the Diocese web site: Pope Francis, Rest in Peace.
Holy Week (the seven days from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday) Good Friday - April 18th7.30pm - a special Praise and Prayer meeting to mark the Passion of Jesus, at the home of Christopher and Marie-Céline, 31 rue Madame Muller, 77210 AvonEaster Day - April 20th We will be having two special services to celebrate the most important day in the Christian calendar:Sunrise ServiceThis will be held at Mont Aigu in the Forest of Fontainebleau. We’ll meet in the nearest car park (please ask Ory for details) at 6.30am and walk together up to Mont Aigu. There we will have a very simple service to welcome Easter, and share refreshments. Friends from L'Église réformée will be with us.Easter CommunionAt 10.30am we’ll have our Easter Day communion service, which will include a baptism, a wonderful symbol and celebration of the new life we have in Christ. Individual prayer on Sundays I wonder if sometimes you arrive at St Luke’s, feeling heavy with a concern for someone you care about, and a desire to pray for them with the support of someone else? Or perhaps during the service you sense God speaking to you in a particular way which leaves you feeling that you’d really like to pray with others? We’d like to respond to such needs by offering the opportunity to pray with two members of the church who form a small prayer team. It will be offered immediately after the end of the service, at the back of the chancel behind the altar table, offering some privacy, and complete confidentiality. If you’d like to do this, please simply come up and explain what you’d like prayer for, and the two people will be delighted to pray with you. ‘Celebrating Nicaea’ - a Lent Course As I’m sure you’re aware by now, 2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, from which emerged the first version of the statement of belief which we call the Nicene Creed. To mark this special year the Diocese in Europe, of which we are a part, is using Lent to focus on the meaning and significance of the Creed. A five-session course will give us the opportunity to study it and so understand better the words which we say regularly and which are an enduring source of unity in the worldwide church. Before each session it would benefit you to do a small amount of preparation which you will find here: Celebrating Nicaea Lent Course | Diocese in EuropeScroll down to the bottom of the page, click on ‘Participants’ materials' and download the preparation for all 5 weeks. Donald, our Chaplain, will be running the course on five Tuesday evenings: March 11th, 18th, 25th, April 1st, 8th, starting at 8pm at Leigh Montillot’s house: 34 avenue Charles de Gaulle, Barbizon.It would be wonderful if as many of us as possible were able to do the course, and discover afresh the faith which holds us togetherPraying as St Luke’sOne of the most important initiatives to come out of our consultation, which Donald spoke about on Sunday 19th January, is an opportunity for us to gather to pray as a church. Christopher and Marie-Céline have kindly offered their home (31 rue Madame Muller, 77210 Avon) as a venue. Our first meeting will be on the evening of Friday 28th February at 7.30pm. Everyone is very welcome. Lent lunches Lent Lunches are a time for fellowship during the Lenten Season, centred around a simple meal of soup, cheese, and bread. Thanks to all our volunteers who have signed up to host a Lent Lunch this year. Lent Lunch dates, starting at 12noon: March 13 (chez Barbara & Deigan Morris) March 20 (chez Jackie Shellard with co-host Judy King-Gilles) March 27 (chez Annabel & Daniel Pouget) April 3 (chez Avril & François Bateman) April 10 (chez Bente & Paul Evans) Kindly let your hosts know at least 48 hrs before the date if you will be attending so they can have the time to prepare the necessary quantities of food. ConfirmationDonald is planning on running a group for those who would like to be confirmed, or who would like to find out more about confirmation, starting after Easter. If you’d be interested in joining, please talk to Donald or email him: chaplain.stlukesfontainebleau@gmail.comLeading intercessionsOne of the important parts of our Sunday services are the prayers of intercession, led by a member of the congregation. We are so grateful that we have people in our church who do this so well. Perhaps you feel you would like to lead intercessions, but would like some guidance? Whether you’re an ‘old hand’ or would like to be involved please come to an informal evening session which Donald will be hosting on Wednesday 19th March at 7.30pm, rue Aristide Briand.
Excerpt from the Diocese web site : Celebrating Nicaea Lent CourseOne of the key part of our celebrations, which will take place throughout the year, is a specially commissioned Lent Course, written by another of our chaplains, Dr Donald McFadyen (Chaplain at Fontainebleau). You can find out more about the course here.This is what Donald had to say about his experience of writing the course:'When I began serving as Chaplain of St Luke’s, Fontainebleau Iast Easter, I hadn’t given a thought to 2025 being the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, still less that Nicaea, now called Iznik in Turkey, was in our Diocese. For me, that link changed the Council from feeling distant in time and space, to being something to which I was connected like never before. I was therefore delighted to be asked to put together a special Lent course for the Diocese to celebrate this special anniversary. It’s been exciting to work with a small team, sharing ideas of how the Nicene Creed inspires us. I hope the energy of our discussions has been transferred into the course materials, and that if you choose to do the course, as leader or participant, you will gain a fresh understanding of the Creed's power to kindle faith, bring unity and inspire our mission in God’s world. Studying the Creed demands much from us, but gives back far more. Please join in, as together we see afresh the faith which holds us together.'Bishop Robert writes of the course;“I warmly commend the Lent Course Celebrating Nicaea which has been specially commissioned and written for chaplaincies in our diocese to use in 2025. Please do consider engaging with the course in your Chaplaincy this Lent. As we are all conscious of the pressures of secularism, 2025 is a unique opportunity to join in celebrating with the global church the marvellous and mysterious faith we share in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
