You are receiving this message either because your email address was on a list given to me by my Churchwarden Alan Schmidt, of what he called ‘Functioning Parish email addresses’, or because I’ve met you during the six weeks Sybille & I have been in Prague & you’ve given me your email address in order that I may contact you.
Apologies
….to several people who didn’t receive my first ‘Midweek Message’ last week, either because I was given the incorrect email address or simply because you were missing off the list. If you hear of a member of the St Clement’s congregation who is not in receipt of my weekly email & would like to be, please get them to email me chaplain (at) anglican (dot) cz with their request to be added. Equally, if you want to be removed from my circulation list, then please let me know too.
My other note of apology is to say that, once again, this is an ‘End-of-week Message’ rather than a ‘Midweek Message’. I do hope in future, to get something out on Wednesday or Thursday rather than on Friday.
Thanks
* To all those people who responded so positively, both by email & verbally, to my first attempt at a Midweek Message last week. I will always welcome feedback, both positive & negative.
* To everyone who came on Tuesday morning to my Institution & Licensing Service. Special thanks to Churchwarden Peter Morpus & Church Council members Mark Newkirk, Veronika Šnytrová & Gerry Turner for all their help in making things go smoothly, to Marshall Johnson our Sacristan, and to Caroline Studdert for masterminding refreshments afterwards.
* To Amanda Neill, for her complimentary remarks about my haircut last Sunday morning! She was the only person to comment on the fact that I had negotiated the difficult hurdle of telling a Czech hairdresser for the first time, how I wanted my hair cut!
The Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic
Because, both for ecumenical and legal reasons, St Clements functions as the English-speaking Congregation of the Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic as well as being part of the Church of England’s Diocese in Europe, my Institution and Licensing Service was taken jointly by Bishop Dušan of the Old Catholic Church & by Patrick Curran, our Anglican Archdeacon from Vienna. Those of you who were there will know that the Old Catholics turned out in force to support me, which is indicative of their desire to make the relationship work and to build on the covenant between the two Churches, signed in 2000. They are also keen on taking photographs of various events and posting them on their website. If you visit www.starokatolici.cz and, from the menu on the left, click on ‘Fotogalerie’, then scroll down to the last entry, 30.10.2008 Farnost anglicky hovoricich – ustanoveni noveho farare (14 fotek) and click on it, and scroll down again, you will see thumbnail photographs from last Tuesday’s service. You can then click on the thumbnails for larger versions.
This weekend – All Saints & All Souls
Saturday 1st November is All Saints Day & Sunday 2nd November is All Souls Day. We shall be reflecting on both of these Church observances in our worship at 11am on Sunday, using the readings set for All Saints Day as the Revised Common Lectionary allows us to do. We shall also, for the second Sunday running, have a baptism within the Eucharist. The child to be baptised and welcomed into the family of the Church, is Michael Charles Godwin. His parents, Jason (British) and Lucie (Czech) Godwin were married at St. Clements by my predecessor Canon John Philpott. Michael is their first child.
Church Council
The Church Council will be meeting after Coffee Hour on Sunday. We would value your prayers as we grapple with a variety of issues that St Clements faces, not least the need to become more financially self-sufficient. Also, two of the Council members will be away for a good chunk of November; Mark Newkirk in his homeland of the USA and Gerry Turner, spending time with his frail 98 year old mother in the UK. Please remember them both in their travels and the other Council members, as they carry additional responsibilities.
A personal request
Finally, a personal request. Can anybody recommend a repairer of domestic appliances, preferably one who speaks some English? Our dishwasher has declined to work since its arrival from England. We think the heating element may have gone but we are not sure. Your new Chaplain is already getting fed up of having to wash up by hand! Any recommendations gratefully received.
Best wishes
Ricky
