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Sunday 5th September, 11:00
Sung Eucharist and Sunday School, followed by Coffee Hour.
Wednesday 8th September, 16:00-18:00
Meet Ricky, the Chaplain at the Communio Centre, Karoliny Svetle 21, Prague 1 (opposite of the Rotunda of the Holy Cross) for a Chat, Tea, Coffee and / or Cookie / Biscuit
18:00-18:30
Evening Prayer at the Communio Centre, Karoliny Svetle 21, Prague 1 18:30-19:30
Informal Bible Study at the Communio Centre, Karoliny Svetle 21, Prague 1
Sunday 12th September, 11:00
Sung Eucharist and Sunday School, followed by Shared Fingerfood Lunch.
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This message will be relatively short as I have unfortunately succumbed to the same cold/flu that kept Sybille away from Church last Sunday. Currently I am helping keep the manufacturers of paper tissue in business judging by the amount I’m going through constantly drying my runny nose!
Firstly, a big ‘Thank you’ …….
……to everyone who made last Sundays Service of Lessons & Carols such a great success, including
* Gerry & all the members of the choir.
* Bob MacGregor for his two solos
* Michal Novenko on the organ
* All those who read the lessons
* Everybody who responded to my appeal & helped provide refreshments
* Gerry for making the mulled wine & Sybille for making the hot apple juice
* Marshall, Fred & Marty who did the bulk of the washing up.
For many of you, last Sunday was your last Sunday (if you’ll forgive the tautology) as you will be travelling off to various far-flung parts of the world including Australia, South Africa, the UK, the US and probably others I’ve forgotten. My best wishes, both for the outward journey & in due course, a safe return to Prague. For those of you who will be in Prague over Christmas and the New Year, a quick reminder of our services.
Sunday 20th December at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
There will be Sunday School led by Lyle Frink and Coffee Hour following the service.
Christmas Eve at 11.30pm – Midnight Eucharist
Christmas Day at 11am – Family Eucharist
Sunday 27th December at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Feast of St. John
There will be NO Sunday School or Coffee Hour following the service
Sunday 3rd January at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Second Sunday of Christmas
Sunday School will resume & there will be Coffee Hour following the service
Wednesday 6th January at 7pm – Eucharist for the Feast of the Epiphany
This is an experiment. As Epiphany or Twelth Night falls right in the middle of the week, I thought to myself, “Why not hold a service?” So I’m going to! Following the service, there is an open invitation from me to as many as would like to join Sybille & I for a meal at a nearby bar-restuarant and have a little Twelth Night party.
Meet the Chaplain on Tuesdays in Prague city centre
Health permitting, I will continue to be available for a chat + coffee or tea & biscuits, next Tuesday between 4pm and 8pm at
Communio Centre
Karolíny Svĕtlé 21 (nearly opposite the Rotunda of the Holy Cross)
Prague 1
Karolíny Svĕtlé itself lies between Charles Bridge and Národní třída. The only time in that four hour slot I won’t be there is between 6pm and about 6.45pm when I shall be across the road in the Rotunda of the Holy Cross attending the Old Catholic Eucharist in an effort to improve my liturgical Czech! Why no drop by?
Best wishes
Ricky
The Papal Apostolic Constitution allowing groups of Anglicans or Ex-Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church –Part 2
Introduction
In my first paper on this matter that I wrote last week, I concluded that relatively little would happen as a result of Pope Benedict’s initiative and described it as ‘much ado about nothing’. It would appear that the leader writer in the ‘Church Times’, the most widely read weekly Anglican newspaper in England, agrees with me. Last Friday he wrote,
‘On the Anglican side, the view appears to be gaining ground that, for those people who have been petitioning Rome repeatedly and insistently, the time for persuading them to stay passed some time ago. The issue for them has ceased to be how to fit into the Anglican set-up, but whether the Pope’s offer meets their desires. Just how many of these petitioners there are remains to be seen, of course. When those in “irregular marriage situations”, and those who were formerly Roman Catholics, and those who have difficulty accepting the Roman Catholic Catechism in its entirety, and those who object to the removal of lay people from government are excluded from the figures, there might well be fewer than expected’.
Anglicans receiving communion at a Roman Catholic mass
In view of what I wrote, several people raised with me the question of whether Anglicans should/can take communion at a Roman Catholic mass. The official Roman Catholic position is that only communicant Roman Catholics are allowed to receive communion at an RC mass. Only in very extreme circumstances can an exception be made. However, whilst that is the official view, the reality on the ground is often quite different.
As some of you may have experienced yourselves, if you ask a Roman Catholic priest whether as a communicant Anglican or as a communicant member of another Christian Church, he will admit you to receive communion, the answer quite often is “Yes”. Some will say “No”, upholding the official line. But many others, providing one can express some understanding of ‘real presence’ in the Eucharist, will happily allow you to receive. Sybille and I have a Roman Catholic priest friend in Spain who is a paid-up member of Opus Dei, who would be quite upset if we didn’t receive at a mass at which he was the celebrant!
About twenty-five years ago, an agreement was reached between the Anglican Church and the French Roman Catholic Bishops Conference. This allows for Anglicans in France, if because of distance they cannot regularly attend an Anglican Chaplaincy, they may with the agreement of the local Roman Catholic priest, receive communion from him. Quite how this squares with the official RC position emanating from Rome, I’m not sure!
Roman Catholics receiving communion at an Anglican Eucharist
Let me also take the opportunity to address this issue about which I’m also asked about from time to time.
The wording in our service booklets, which is the official wording of the Anglican Diocese in Europe, states quite clearly;
‘We invite to receive Holy Communion, all baptised persons who are communicant members of other Churches which subscribe to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and who are in good standing in their own Church’.
Therefore, communicant Roman Catholics are always welcome to receive communion when attending St. Clements, as I know many regularly do.
Of course, the official Roman Catholic position is that lay Roman Catholics shouldn’t, as the Roman Catholic Church does not recognize the validity of Anglican orders which therefore means that the sacrament is not valid! Once again however, the reality on the ground is quite different.
When I am asked by lay Roman Catholics whether they may receive communion in a service where I am the celebrant, I always draw their attention to the wording that appears in our service booklets. I usually also add that, “Whilst the Pope would not approve of you doing so, I suspect that God would!” It is then up to the conscience of the individual concerned.
At the recent Clergy Pastoral Conference in Cologne, I was talking to a female Anglican priest who works in a non-stipendiary capacity in one of the Chaplaincies in France. Her Chaplaincy, like many in France, uses Roman Catholic Churches for their services with the agreement of the local Roman Catholic hierarchy. She told me that, she has celebrated the Eucharist in a joint bilingual service with Roman Catholics, and has had local Roman Catholic priests receive communion from her and in turn, the priests then encouraged their laity to do the same.
The Anglican Chaplain in Barcelona has also told me a similar story. During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, he and his congregation attend a mass in the nearby Roman Catholic Church where they are all invited to receive communion. Then later in the week, the Roman Catholic priest and his congregation attend a Eucharist at the Anglican Church where the priest and his flock all also happily receive communion. The Anglican Chaplain did ask his Roman Catholic colleague how he got away with doing so, knowing what the official position of the RC Church is. The priest’s response was, “Rome is a long way away!”
Rome to Canterbury
One thing I did mean to mention last week but forgot to do so.
Much is made by the sensationalist end of the media, about the number of clergy and laity who might ‘go over to Rome’ as a result of this recent papal initiative. As I’ve previously said, I believe it will be very few for the reasons I outlined and as extremely well expressed in the ‘Church Times’ leader article I quoted above. However, what the press hardly ever mentions is the traffic that comes the other way – those who travel ‘from Rome to Canterbury’.
Over the twenty years of my public ministry, I’ve known many Roman Catholics who have happily worshipped as Anglicans. I am aware of quite a number within the current St. Clement’s congregation. Some do take the formal step of being received into the Anglican Church but many do not. It is now perfectly possible to remain a lay Roman Catholic but be on the Electoral Roll of an Anglican Church or Chaplaincy. Anglicans are quite inclusive!
Whilst doing some internet research, I was particularly pleased to find a recent speech by Bishop Tom Butler, the Anglican Bishop of Southwark, to the first meeting of his newly elected Diocesan Synod. Commenting on the publication of the Papal Apostolic Constitution, he remarked that there has always been movement between the two Churches and that his own diocese had been well-served by several clergy who were former Roman Catholic priests.
How many former Roman Catholic priests are now working as clergy within the Anglican Church is a figure it seems no one can come up with. But within the Church of England alone it is probably at least two hundred at an educated guess. It may well be more. Some come across because of wanting to be married. Others do so because they cannot accept aspects of Roman Catholic doctrine or ecclesiology. But unlike any who ‘go over to Rome’, who the Pope insists must be ‘re-ordained’, (in reality as far as the official line of the Roman Catholic Church is concerned, ordained for the first time), those priests who travel ‘from Rome to Canterbury’ are just received into the Anglican Church. They do receive some training in Anglican ways but their original ordination and previous public ministry are regarded as being totally valid.
Ricky Yates – 20th November 2009
The paper I wrote and circulated last week regarding the Papal Apostolic Constitution, provoked the best response I’ve ever had to a Midweek/End-of-Week Message. Thank you to all who took the trouble to write an email in reply or who have sought me out to talk about what I wrote. Every response has been positive (for which I’m most thankful!), either thanking me for explaining the whole thing to them, agreeing wholeheartedly with what I had written, or asking perfectly legitimate questions that arose out of what I had written.
I have tried to respond individually to all those who asked questions. However, some people raised similar issues which probably also crossed the minds of others who didn’t get around to writing and asking. Therefore, attached is another Word document, ‘Papal Apostolic Constitution Part 2′, with some further reflections and answers to issued raised with me.
Several other things briefly….
Children receiving Communion before Confirmation
I wrote about this in a previous Midweek Message. If there are any other parents, beyond the ones who have already spoken to me, who would like their children included in forthcoming preparation classes, please would they get in touch with me ASAP. If anyone wants to discuss this with me first, then please also get in touch.
Confirmation
Bishop Geoffrey, the Anglican Bishop in Europe, will be making a pastoral visit to Prague on the weekend of 1st & 2nd May 2010. He will be happy to conduct a Service of Confirmation on the Sunday morning should I have any suitable candidates. I do know of one candidate & would be very happy to hear from any others who might be interested. Preparation classes will be organised early in the New Year.
Lessons & Carols – Sunday 13th December at 6pm
Gerry Turner is organising a Choir to sing a few appropriate choral pieces at this service as well as to support the congregational singing of carols. If you are interested in being part of the Choir, please get in touch with Gerry by email, turner.gerald@gmail.com ASAP as he wants to organise a few rehearsals in advance of the service.
New Welcomers & Intercessors
We could always do with more people who would like to join the team of those who act as Welcomers at our services &/or who would be willing to lead intercessions. Training for both roles will be given. For Welcomers it will be on-the-job training by initially working alongside one of the experienced members of the existing team. For prospective intercessors, I will be holding a Intercessors Workshop shortly for both new and existing Intercessors. If you could help in either of these roles, please get in touch with me.
And finally for this week…..
As some of you know, near the end of February both Sybille & I have our respective birthdays. They fall two days, but ‘a few’ years, apart. On Friday 26th February 2010, our joint ages will total 100. Therefore on that evening we are going to hold a 100th Birthday Party. Hence, there will be an open invitation to all would like to help us celebrate. This is just an early warning about the date – more details will follow. If you would like to help Ricky & Sybille celebrate their joint 100th birthday, make sure you are in Prague and keep the evening of Friday 26th February 2010 free. If you need a babysitter for the evening, book them now.
This Sunday 22nd November at 11am – Sung Eucharist followed by Coffee Hour.
Best wishes
Ricky
The Papal Apostolic Constitution allowing groups of Anglicans or Ex-Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church
Introduction
On Tuesday 20th October 2009, it was announced that Pope Benedict was establishing an Apostolic Constitution which would provide a canonical structure allowing groups of Anglicans and Ex-Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. There were two new concepts contained within this announcement. The first was that provision was being made for a whole group to become part of the Roman Catholic Church. Previously this has always been on an individual basis. The second was that such a group would be allowed to continue to maintain some form of Anglican identity.
This announcement was made both in Rome and, somewhat more surprisingly, at a joint press conference in London given by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols and the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. The text of their joint press statement can be found here on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.
At the time of this announcement, the text of the proposed Apostolic Constitution was not available. This was only published on Monday 9th November 2009 – the English version can be found here.
The joint press statement
One of the things that annoyed me and many others about the joint press statement was the Roman Catholic Church being described as purely the ‘Catholic Church’. The word ‘catholic’ means ‘universal’. It is with that meaning that we declare when we recite the Nicene Creed, “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church”. The official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church is that it alone is the ‘Catholic Church’ whereas Anglicans see themselves as being ‘…..part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church’. The joint press statement could easily be seen as the Anglican Church agreeing with Roman Catholic ecclesiology which I’m sure was not the intention of Archbishop Rowan.
The timing of the announcement
It is quite clear to me that Archbishop Rowan had little forewarning of this announcement from Rome. Although the plans for the Apostolic Constitution had been underway since June or July this year, he was only told about it a few days before it was due to be announced. This can quite clearly be seen in the text of his letter to all Church of England Bishops and to the Primates of other Churches that form the Anglican Communion. You can find a link to this letter on the same page as the joint press statement on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.
It is my belief that, in agreeing to a joint press statement and joint press conference with the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Archbishop Rowan was being extremely generous. One should never really question someone’s generosity but I would say that Archbishop Rowan was being generous almost to a fault.
The origin of the Apostolic Constitution
It is extremely important to note from where within the Roman Curia the Apostolic Constitution has originated. It is the work of the ‘Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith’ rather than the ‘Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity’. The ‘Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith’ was of course, previously known as ‘The Inquisition’ and used to be headed by the current Pope when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. It would appear that the ‘Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity’, headed by the very ecumenically minded Cardinal Walter Kasper, has been completely sidelined and ignored in this whole matter.
It is quite clear that it will be the ‘Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith’ that will take this whole matter forward. In the commentary that accompanied the publication of the text of the Apostolic Constitution there is the clear statement that, “The competence of erection has been given to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith”. Not surprisingly, this rather interesting use of the English language has been the source of some amusement amongst various commentators!
How many Anglican clergy and congregations will take advantage of the Apostolic Constitution?
No one knows the answer to that question but, in my opinion, it will be very few. The Apostolic Constitution may well appeal to some groups of ex-Anglicans; i.e. those who for various reasons have already left the Churches that form the Anglican Communion. However, the largest of these groupings, the so-called ‘Traditional Anglican Communion’, who are one of the groups who have made approaches to Rome, are led by a twice-married former Roman Catholic priest, who would be totally ineligible to minister under the published terms of the Apostolic Constitution!
The main reason that I think very few Anglican clergy and congregations will take up the provision of the Apostolic Constitution is because the official Roman Catholic position with regard to Anglican orders and practice has not changed. Whilst the Roman Catholic hierarchy will acknowledge the validity of an Anglican baptism, they will not recognise the validity of anything else. Therefore, any lay people who go across to Rome will need to be re-confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church.
For priests and bishops the same will apply. Not only will they need to be re-confirmed but also have to be re-ordained. In other words, they will have to deny the validity of their entire past ministry. They will have to accept that every Eucharist they have ever celebrated was an invalid sacrament! Whilst the idea is allow whole groups to transfer, when it comes to clergy who are married, then the Constitution clearly states that each one will only be considered on an individual basis.
Even the concept of maintaining some form of Anglican identity will have little appeal. Mention is made of maintaining the use of some parts of the Anglican liturgy, provided that Rome has first given its theological approval. However, the very Anglo-Catholic congregations who just might be tempted by what is on offer are usually ones who already use the English RC Missal in total breach of Anglican Canon Law!
Mainstream Roman Catholic reaction
From what I know from past conversations with Roman Catholic laity, and from various things that I have heard in recent days, much of the mainstream Roman Catholic laity are not particularly happy about this Apostolic Constitution. Any survey of them will reveal a sizeable majority believing that their priests should be allowed to marry and that women should be ordained. Most do not believe that the Pope is infallible and you can clearly see by the average size of their families that most happily also ignore papal teaching on birth control. Therefore, they are not very keen to receive an influx of new members who will quite clearly take a far more conservative position, especially with regard to the ordination of women.
In Conclusion
When the dust settles, I fully believe that this whole matter will be ‘much ado about nothing’. Headlines declaring that at least 400,000 Anglicans will cross over to Rome are written by journalists who know little about Church affairs and are purely looking for a sensationalist story. The ‘competence of erection’ that has been given to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith may well be remembered more for the interesting use of the English language than for any lasting change wrought on either Anglican Communion or the Roman Catholic Church.
Ricky Yates – 12th November 2009
In the past two or three weeks, a number of the St. Clement’s congregation have been asking me questions about the recent papal announcement regarding an Apostolic Constitution which would allow Anglican clergy & laity, and some former Anglican clergy & laity, to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Some have wanted my help to understand what Pope Benedict has announced. Others have been asking for my honest opinion of what has been announced. Therefore, attached to this email is a two-page Word document which sets out my understanding of the announcement, together with my considered opinion as to what will actually happen as a result of it.
I am well aware that some of you reading this email, will not even know what I’m talking about. Yesterday, I attended the monthly meeting of English-speaking Priests/Ministers/Pastors generously hosted by the Augustinian Community at Malostranske Namesti. When Father William Faix, the English-speaking RC Priest mentioned the Apostolic Constitution and the reaction of some of the members of his congregation to it, at least one of the American Pastors of the Free Evangelical Congregations here in Prague, didn’t have a clue what Father William was talking about!
Otherwise, I look forward to seeing many of you again this Sunday at 11am at St. Clements for our Sung Eucharist followed by Coffee Hour.
Best wishes
Ricky
It was lovely to be back at St. Clements last Sunday after being absent from Prague for the three previous Sundays.
Sunday, 8th November 2009
This coming Sunday, I hope many of you will join us at 11am for our Sung Eucharist for the Third Sunday before Advent. It will be followed by Coffee Hour over the road/street and up the lift/elevator of Klimentská 18 to the third floor. Yes – the lift/elevator has finally been renovated to 2009 safety standards as we discovered last Sunday for the first time. I’m always somewhat disappointed by the relatively small number of people who come on to Coffee Hour after our Sunday service. As I have often said previously, worship should be both vertical (between me & God), but also horizontal (between me & my Christian brothers & sisters). Coffee Hour allows us to share fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters and compliments our worship in Church.
As many of the Brits in the congregation will know, this coming Sunday will be kept as Remembrance Sunday in Britain, being the nearest Sunday to 11th November, Armistice or Remembrance Day and which is kept as Veterans Day in the USA. I have asked Angela Hitchen, who is leading our intercessions on Sunday, to include appropriate prayers.
A reminder to Church Council members that we have a Church Council Meeting following Coffee Hour. Agenda & papers will follow shortly once I’ve completed this message!
A Small Request
On this Sunday and the other three remaining Sundays in November, there will be a simple survey form which I would ask you to complete – one per household. The survey is completely anonymous and is for the benefit of our Diocesan Synod as it seeks ways to offer the best form of pastoral care for the clergy & people of the Diocese in Europe. This survey should have been done in October but somehow Prague (together with several other Chaplaincies), got missed off the mailing list. If you are in Church on more than one of the remaining Sundays in November, (which I hope many of you will be!), please only complete the form once.
Congratulations……
…..to Ryan & Maria Brown on the birth of their daughter Aemilia. She was born at 18.32 on Wednesday 4th November and is a sister to big brother Sebastian. Aemilia weighed in at 3.5 kg and was 49cm long at birth. According to Ryan’s note to me, Maria and the baby were doing fine but he was a bit of a wreck!
Change of Tram
On Tuesday 3rd November, Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy/Prague Integrated Public Transport changed tram routes and numbers once more. Therefore, if you are planning to visit the Chaplaincy flat or coming to the Thursday Night Study Group, you now need the Number 8 Tram to Podbaba, not the Number 20. From my point of view, it does now mean that I can get to Church without having to change trams at Vítezné námestí.
Christmas at St. Clements
In last weeks End-of-week Message, I did announce that our annual service of Lessons and Carols will be on Sunday 13th December at 6pm and that hopefully this will be before any of you disappear to your respective home counties (or the chalupa!) for the Christmas break!
For those of you who will be in Prague over Christmas, there will be Midnight Eucharist on Christmas Eve starting at 23.30. On Christmas Day, there will be a Family Communion starting at 11.00.
And finally……
In last weeks End-of-week Message, I mentioned about the pass that is available for those over 60, for the integrated public transport system, which allows half price travel and that it is available to anyone, regardless of nationality, on production of your passport as proof of age and the completion of the appropriate form. I should have said that this is for those aged between 60 and 70. Once you are over 70, you can travel for free. As I also said last week and as others have said to me since, whilst this might not apply to you because you are under 60, it could apply to parents or older relatives and friends who come to visit you.
Best wishes
Ricky
We are back safely!
We returned to Prague on Tuesday afternoon after our 4,500 mile/7,200 km journey through 12 countries. I will report on the meeting of the Archdeaconry Synod to your Church Council when it next meets on Sunday 8th November. However, if you are at all interested in what Sybille and I have been up to, then I hope to publish a series of posts on my personal blog www.rickyyates.com over the coming days. The first one should be there later today.
We were able to spend a couple of hours with John & Jane Dinnen late on Tuesday afternoon/evening before safely delivering them to the airport for their flight back to Ireland. They expressed how much they had enjoyed themselves whilst here in Prague and were very appreciative of the warmth of welcome they had received from many members of the congregation. They also claimed that Oscar our cat, had been a very good host!!!!
This Sunday 1st November – All Saints Day
Please join us at 11am for our Sung Eucharist. There will be Sunday School for the children, this week led by Sue Anderson, and refreshments will follow the service. I’m really looking forward to being your celebrant and preacher this Sunday as we give thanks for the lives of all the saints. It is good to look back over our own lives and remember all those who have helped us on our Christian journey. I encourage you to do just that between reading this email and Sunday morning and then in our worship, give thanks to God for each of them, especially those who have gone on before us.
The coming week……
…..sees the resumption of all our normal midweek activities.
Monday 2nd at 7pm in the bar-restaurant U Slabé vůle, Revoluční 21, alongside the Dlouhá trída tram stop, Czech conversation with Gerry Turner. Come for a meal (the food is excellent & very reasonably priced) or just a drink (0.5l Staropramen is only 25Kč) and improve your spoken Czech.
Tuesday 3rd at 8.15am at Bohemia Bagel, Masná 2, near Old Town Square, the Breakfast Study Group will resume meeting. We are small but not exclusive! Why not join us for breakfast, study & discussion.
Thursday 5th at 7pm, the Thursday Study Group meets at the Sue Anderson’s flat. Enjoy a light supper with a glass or two of wine or soft drink, followed by a study & ending with a short time of prayer. End time is 9.15pm. The group will be continuing their current series of studies in Mark’s Gospel. New members are always very welcome.
Sue’s flat is in the same complex as the Chaplaincy flat. Take Tram 20 to it’s terminus at Podbaba. Continue in direction of the tram for 250m to bus stop Ve struhách (routes 107,116, 147, 160 from Dejvická); turn left just beyond the bus stop & Staropramen 24 hr bar into Pod Pat’ankou. Turn left immediately before the disused railway bridge and the block of flats in front of you is the one you need. Go to the stairway on the right and ring the bell marked ‘Anderson’. If you need more help to find it ring Sue on 731 178 731. It is helpful for catering arrangements to let Sue know if you are planning to come.
Looking ahead….
Our annual service of Lessons and Carols will be on Sunday 13th December at 6pm. Hopefully this will be before any of you disappear to your respective home counties (or the chalupa!) for the Christmas break!
And finally……
For any of you who are over 60 years of age. Are you aware that you can get a pass that allows you to buy half priced season tickets on the Prague integrated transport system? You will need two passport photos and a small form completed, together with your passport to prove your age. The initial photocard costs either 20 or 30 Kč and then for example, a monthly season ticket costs 250 Kč rather than the normal 550 Kč. Contrary to what one or two people have told me, you do NOT have to be a Czech citizen. My sister, who is British and was 61 at the time she visited me in August, successfully got her pass. And at my suggestion, John and Jane Dinnen did the same.
John & Jane and also my sister, got theirs from the ticket office at the Dejvická Metro Station. But I understand you can also apply at other major stations such as Můstek. With the pass, you can also get into a number of other attractions such as Troja Chateau and Prague Zoo for the large sum of 1 Kč! For the under 60s, it is well worth knowing about if you have parents or older relatives visiting you.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on Sunday.
Ricky
This is the last St Clement’s Midweek/End-of-week message I shall be sending out until sometime around 28th-30th October for reasons that most of you should know already & which are explained in greater detail below.
This Sunday 4th October 2009
A reminder that our service this coming Sunday starts one hour earlier at 10.00. This is because it is our annual joint service with our host congregation, the Českobratrské Cíckve Evangelické – Czech Evangelical Brethren. On this occasion we will be using their form of service but I will be preaching. Writing the sermon is my next job after finishing this message! Please don’t get caught out by the earlier start time and arrive for the end of the service! There will be a joint Sunday School for the children and Veronika Snytrova-Newkirk will go out with the St Clement’s children to help any of them who are not bilingual.
Then we are away……….
As I explained in an earlier Midweek Message, Sybille and I will be away from Prague for most of the rest of October. We plan to leave on the morning of Monday 5th October in order to drive to Izmir, Turkey to attend the annual residential synod of our Eastern Archdeaconry. This takes place between Thursday 8th – Sunday 11th October. Then, following the synod meeting, we will be taking the remaining part of our annual leave and plan to be back in Prague on the evening of Tuesday 27th October.
However, you will not be alone……….
As I have also explained in an earlier Midweek Message, for most of the time that we are away you will have a locum Chaplain, Rev’d John Dinnen from Northern Ireland, accompanied by his wife Jane. Longer standing members of St. Clement’s will remember John Dinnen as your first locum Chaplain in April-May 2008, immediately following the retirement of my predecessor, John Philpott. On that occasion, Jane could not come with John as she was still teaching. She too has now retired and I know they are both looking forward very much to their time with you in Prague. They are arriving on the evening of Thursday 8th October and will be returning on the evening of Tuesday 27th October. We hope to be back in time to meet up with them for a few hours on Tuesday 27th before they leave.
John will be your preacher and celebrant at 11.00am Sung Eucharist on Sundays, 11th, 18th & 25th October. I know it is a long way away but may I point out that Sunday 25th October is the date when the clocks all across Europe go back one hour. Here in Prague, Central European Summer Time (CEST) will end and the country will revert to Central European Time (CET). If you forget, you will arrive one hour early for the service!
Contacting your Locum Chaplain
If you need to contact John Dinnen whilst Sybille and I are away, please either ring the Chaplaincy Flat landline 233 310 266 or email the locum chaplain . If you send an email the chaplain during the period 5th-27th October, you will get an ‘Out of Office Auto Reply Message’ saying that we are away & to do what I’ve just written in the previous sentence!!!!
Midweek Activities in week beginning Sunday 4th October
Monday 5th at 7pm in the bar-restaurant U Slabé vůle, Revoluční 21, alongside the Dlouhá trída tram stop, Czech conversation with Gerry Turner. Come for a meal (the food is excellent & very reasonably priced) or just a drink (0.5l Staropramen is only 25Kč) and improve your spoken Czech.
Tuesday 6th Because the Breakfast Study Group is now quite small & both Chris Lacey & I are away for a good part of October, there will be no meeting of the group until Tuesday 3rd November.
Thursday 8th at 7pm, the Thursday Study Group meets at the Sue Anderson’s flat at 7pm. Enjoy a light supper with a glass or two of wine or soft drink, followed by a study & ending with a short time of prayer. End time is 9.15pm. The group will be looking at Chapter 4 in their current series of studies on Mark’s Gospel. New members are always very welcome.
Sue’s flat is in the same complex as the Chaplaincy flat. Take Tram 20 to it’s terminus at Podbaba. Continue in direction of the tram for 250m to bus stop Ve struhách (routes 107,116, 147, 160 from Dejvická); turn left just beyond the bus stop & Staropramen 24 hr bar into Pod Pat’ankou. Turn left immediately before the disused railway bridge and the block of flats in front of you is the one you need. Go to the stairway on the right and ring the bell marked ‘Anderson’. If you need more help to find it ring Sue on 731 178 731. It is helpful for catering arrangements to let Sue know if you are planning to come.
Sue cannot host the Thursday Study Group on the following two Thursdays (15th & 22nd) but meetings will almost certainly take place in the Chaplaincy flat on those two evenings. Confirmation of venue will be in the Sunday Bulletin on Sunday 11th October.
Children receiving Communion
A reminder of what I wrote two weeks ago, particularly the last paragraph……….
Normal Anglican practice is for children/young people to start receiving Holy Communion once they have received the rite of Confirmation. I would normally want prospective confirmees to be at least 11/12 years old before starting preparation for Confirmation. However, as I am sure many of you are aware, several other major Christian denominations admit much younger baptized children to receive Holy Communion, most notably the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and also the Old Catholic Churches. In recent years, this has also become the practice in parts of the Anglican Church and there are now appropriate regulations governing how this should happen should it be the wish of a particular congregation to do so.
Following the request from a small number of parents, your Church Council has resolved to make application to Bishop Geoffrey, the Anglican Bishop of Europe, for permission to admit baptized children to Holy Communion before Confirmation within our Chaplaincy. I have no reason to doubt that this request will be approved not least because the Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic, under whose joint jurisdiction we come, already does this.
Before any baptized children are admitted to receive Holy Communion, they along with their parent(s), will need to have attended a short course of preparation. I envisage this happening later this year with the first children being formerly admitted around Christmas. In the meantime, if there are other parents besides those who have already spoken to me, who would like their child(ren) to be prepared for admission, please do speak with me or drop me an email. Likewise, if anyone has any questions about this matter, please do speak with me or a member of your Church Council.
And finally…………..
Your Church Council are having an Away Day tomorrow between 10am and 4pm to reflect on our Mission Statement and think about how well or otherwise we are fulfilling it and what we might do better or differently in the future. Please pray for us, either before you go to bed this evening or at some point during tomorrow morning.
Best wishes
Ricky
After a gap of four weeks – welcome to the resumed St. Clement’s Midweek Message.
The reason for the gap has almost entirely been due to Sybille & I being on holiday & away from Prague for two and a half weeks. We returned safely last Wednesday 22nd evening and it was good to see so many of you still in Prague at this present time, at our Eucharist last Sunday morning. Many people last Sunday were kindly enquiring about our holiday. We did have a wonderful time and if you want to know more, then you are welcome to visit my blog www.rickyyates.com where I’m currently writing about it & have posted a few photos. I’ll post some more material over the next few days.
Sunday Worship in August
There will be a Sung Eucharist at 11am each Sunday during August. As I mentioned last Sunday when preaching, having had the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 from the beginning of the Gospel of John chapter 6 which was the Gospel Reading last Sunday, over the next four Sundays, the Gospel Reading will be the successive parts of John chapter 6 which records Jesus’ discourse that follows that miracle including his declaration that ‘I am the Bread of Life’. I would encourage you to read the whole chapter (yes all 71 verses!) in advance of our worship this coming Sunday.
There will be no Sunday School during August but children will still be most welcome and the ‘Rug Rats’ provision will be available as normal at the back of Church. It was lovely to have nine children present last Sunday morning. Likewise, there will be no Coffee Hour during August either but instead cool drinks will be served at the back of Church after the service. My thanks to all those who have signed up to help serve the cool drinks. We are now covered for this coming Sunday morning but, the last time I looked, there were still some gaps for Sundays later in the month. Please may we have a few more volunteers?
Sunday School and Coffee Hour will resume on Sunday 6th September.
Thursday at 7pm
Our midweek meeting for supper, fellowship, study & prayer will resume next week on Thursday 6th August at 7pm at the Chaplaincy flat. The topic for study is yet to be decided and if any of the regular attendees has a burning issue they would like us to consider then please get in touch. New attendees are always welcome – just drop me a line if you are planning to come as it helps with catering arrangements.
Some good news
My predecessor as Chaplain John Philpott, has recently been in email contact with me. He is currently providing holiday cover at St. Michaels, Paris. In response to my enquiry regarding his health he writes saying, “I’m pleased to say my health is holding up in the rather stickier atmosphere of Paris and we are walking many kilometres”.
With my prayers & best wishes wherever you are at this present time
Ricky
PS My email list to which I send out this Midweek/End of Week Message, grows week by week. Most people tell me how much they appreciate receiving it. However, if anyone wishes to be deleted from the mailing list, please let me know & I will unsubscribe you.
I need to get this Midweek Message out quickly as I have to get to work on the Order of Service for our worship this coming Sunday. Therefore, may I remind you …..
Sunday 20th September at 11am
We will be joined by Bishop Dušan of the Old Catholic Church, together with his Prague congregations, for a Eucharist to mark the ninth anniversary of the signing of the covenant between our two Churches on Sunday 17th September 2000. There will be no Old Catholic services in Prague that Sunday as Bishop Dušan has asked everyone to come to worship at St. Clements. So I hope our own congregation will also turn out in force. The service will be half in Czech & half in English but with an Order of Service in both languages so everyone can follow what is being said.
The service will be followed by a Bring & Share Picnic in the nearby park between the Church & the Vltava. Please bring sufficient food and drink for yourself (selves) together with enough for one other person. Please also pray for fine weather!!!!! Currently, the weather forecast from the BBC is saying it will be sunny with a highest temperature of 24 degrees.
Week beginning Monday 21st September…..
A reminder, as explained in last week’s Midweek Message, that I will be away from Prague from Monday 21st – Friday 25th September inclusive, attending the Diocese in Europe Clergy Pastoral Conference in Köln, Germany. The conference will be only the second time ever that all the clergy from our scattered diocese have come together in this way. The first occasion was four years ago. This year’s conference has the title ‘Entertaining Angels: Hospitality as Mission’. There is a varied and interesting programme being laid on which I’m looking forward to as well as the opportunity to meet colleagues from Madeira to Moscow and Tangier to Trondheim, such is the far-flung nature of our Anglican Diocese.
BUT……. our midweek activities will continue without me. Therefore…..
Monday 21st at 7pm in the bar-restaurant U Slabé vůle, Revoluční 21, alongside the Dlouhá trída tram stop, Czech conversation with Gerry Turner. Come for a meal (the food is excellent & very reasonably priced) or just a drink (0.5l Staropramen is only 25Kč) and improve your spoken Czech.
Tuesday 22nd at 8.15am, the Breakfast Study Group meets in Bohemia Bagel, Masná 2, near Old Town Square. We have just begun studying the Letter to the Hebrews from the New Testament. The ‘Breakfast Special’ is only 89Kč which includes a bottomless mug of coffee.
Thursday 24th at 7pm, the Thursday Study Group meets at the Sue Anderson’s flat at 7pm. Enjoy a light supper with a glass or two of wine or soft drink, followed by a study & ending with a short time of prayer. End time is 9.15pm. The group have begun a new series of studies on Mark’s Gospel. New members are always very welcome.
Sue’s flat is in the same complex as the Chaplaincy flat. Take Tram 20 to it’s terminus at Podbaba. Continue in direction of the tram for 250m to bus stop Ve struhách (routes 107,116, 147, 160 from Dejvická); turn left just beyond the bus stop & Staropramen 24 hr bar into Pod Pat’ankou. Turn left immediately before the disused railway bridge and the block of flats in front of you is the one you need. Go to the stairway on the right and ring the bell marked ‘Anderson’. If you need more help to find it ring Sue on 731 178 731. It is helpful for catering arrangements to let Sue know if you are planning to come.
Another reminder from last week’s Midweek Message……
Tuesdays at 7pm???????
In response to what I wrote three weeks ago about another Midweek Study Group meeting on a different night in a different location, I’ve had the offer of a venue in the centre of Prague with Tuesday evening as a possible meeting night. Apparently Pizza is available next door so there would be no problem with food. Would this suit you? Want to know more? Then please email me. If there is sufficient interest, then we’ll try & get something started.
Children receiving Communion
Normal Anglican practice is for children/young people to start receiving Holy Communion once they have received the rite of Confirmation. I would normally want prospective confirmees to be at least 11/12 years old before starting preparation for Confirmation. However, as I am sure many of you are aware, several other major Christian denominations admit much younger baptized children to receive Holy Communion, most notably the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and also the Old Catholic Churches. In recent years, this has also become the practice in parts of the Anglican Church and there are now appropriate regulations governing how this should happen should it be the wish of a particular congregation to do so.
Following the request from a small number of parents, your Church Council has resolved to make application to Bishop Geoffrey, the Anglican Bishop of Europe, for permission to admit baptized children to Holy Communion before Confirmation within our Chaplaincy. I have no reason to doubt that this request will be approved not least because the Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic, under whose joint jurisdiction we come, already does this.
Before any baptized children are admitted to receive Holy Communion, they along with their parent(s), will need to have attended a short course of preparation. I envisage this happening later this year with the first children being formerly admitted around Christmas. In the meantime, if there are other parents besides those who have already spoken to me, who would like their child(ren) to be prepared for admission, please do speak with me or drop me an email. Likewise, if anyone has any questions about this matter, please do speak with me or a member of your Church Council.
Finance
In view of what I wrote earlier in the year and the subsequent updates since that time, a number of people have recently asked me about the current state of our finances. The situation at the end of August, as reported by our Treasurer Peter Broster to last Sunday’s meeting of the Church Council, is as follows.
Our income January 1st – 31st August was just over 700,000 Kč. As is clearly stated on the weekly Bulletin, we need an income of 25,000 Kč each week to cover our running costs. Therefore, regarding those first eight months of the year as 28 weeks, our income really needed to be 880,000 Kč for that period. Putting it in another way, between now and the end of the year, we need to raise a further 600,000 Kč in order to break even.
The good news is that our income this year is well ahead of where it was this time last year. But then last year, we had a very serious excess of expenditure over income received which cannot be allowed to continue. My thanks as always, to all of you who do give so generously to support St. Clements, either by regular standing order or through the weekly dated envelopes scheme. If you are new to St Clements and would like to know more about the best way you can support St. Clements financially, then please get in contact with either Peter Broster our Treasurer, brosterscz@yahoo.co.uk , or to me.
Best wishes
Ricky
PS There will be no Midweek Message next week as I will be in Köln and without ready access to email and the internet!
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