What to know what is happening or has happened at St. Clement’s? Here is a Calendar of Events with a calendar of the current month as well as event details plus links for your calendar. Details for each event listed are updated as and when they are decided or become known. There is also a short past events section with key events in St. Clement’s recent history.
Calendar of Events for April 2024
M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 5pm – Second Bimonthly Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer 1662 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 |
Calendar of Events for April 2024
Friday 26th April 2024 at 7pm – Second Bimonthly Online Prayer Meeting. The Scriptures tell us that there are several reasons to pray. Saint Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians, says “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” So join us online twice a month in order to be able to to share this wonderful, uplifting experience with us. Please contact the Jiye (Jen) Shin at ulaanpassau@gmail.com for further details including login for this second session of the month.
Sunday 28th April 2024 at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Readings: Acts 8:26-40 where we hear the story of Philip and the Ethiopian; 1 John 4:7-21 where the Evangelist compares God’s love to ours. Holy Gospel: John 15:1-8 where Jesus tells us that he is the Vine, we are the Branches and God is the Gardener. Hymns: #756 Ye servants of God (Hanover), #114 Come down, O love divine (Down Ampney), #642 The God of Abraham praise (Leoni), #428 Love divine, all loves excelling (Blaenwern). If you would like to practise the hymns beforehand, you will find them and many others at www.hymnary.org. Click here for a copy of the Bulletin for this service.
Sunday 28th April 2024 at 1pm – Annual Church Meeting. Do you feel drawn to participate in the spiritual life of St. Clement’s but are not yet on the official Electoral Roll? If you wish to be included on it please either contact the Rev’d Nathanial on chaplain@anglican.cz or our 2024 Electoral Roll Officer Alexander Rupert Felsing on electoralroll@anglican.cz. If you feel further called to become a Member of our Church Council, you will first need to be on the Electoral Roll. If you are unsure whether you are already on it, you can find a copy of the current Electoral Roll pinned to the notice board at the back of the church as well as a sheet for nominations to the Council for the Election of the Council for 2024-2025 at the ACM. The ACM will be held in the church after Sung Eucharist on Sunday the 28th of April 2024 and all those on the Electoral Roll are warmly invited to attend.
Tuesday 30th April 2024 at 6pm – St. Clement’s Eastertide Bible Study. Come and join us for Bible Study this Eastertide on the first floor at Klimentská 18. Our theme this year is “From Easter to Pentecost – why are we so sure Jesus rose from the dead?” We spend 30 minutes eating together before moving on to the Bible Study itself, so if you are interested in knowing more about this theme please join us every Tuesday. If the main door is locked please press the bell labelled ”kancelář” and we will buzz you in!
Calendar of Events for May 2024
Wednesday 1st May 2024 at 5pm – Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer 1662. Following on from the success of our April Evening Prayer services from the Book of Common Prayer 1662 we will now be holding them bimonthly on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Remember, there are no hymns and no sermon in Evening Prayer, and the service is easy to follow. Come and join us for this intensely uplifting experience in the company of other devotees of timeless language and spirituality of the Book of Common Prayer.
Friday 3rd May 2024 at 7pm – 1st St. Clement’s Bimonthly Online Prayer Meeting. The Scriptures tell us that there are several reasons to pray. The tragically short-lived Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple (in office 1942-1944) famously said “When I pray, coincidences happen. When I don’t, they don’t.” So join us online twice a month in order to be able to share this wonderful, uplifting experience with us. Please contact the Chaplain at chaplain@anglican.cz for further details including login for this, the first session of the month of May.
Sunday 5th May 2024 at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Sixth Sunday of Easter. Readings: TBA. Holy Gospel: TBA. Sermon: TBA.
Tuesday 7th May 2024 at 6pm – St. Clement’s Eastertide Bible Study. Come and join us for Bible Study this Eastertide on the first floor at Klimentská 18. Our theme this year is “From Easter to Pentecost – why are we so sure Jesus rose from the dead?” We spend 30 minutes eating together before moving on to the Bible Study itself, so if you are interested in knowing more about this theme please join us every Tuesday. If the main door is locked please press the bell labelled ”kancelář” and we will buzz you in!
Sunday 12th May 2024 at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Readings: TBA. Holy Gospel: TBA. Sermon: TBA.
Tuesday 14th May 2024 at 6pm – St. Clement’s Eastertide Bible Study. Come and join us for Bible Study this Eastertide on the first floor at Klimentská 18. Our theme this year is “From Easter to Pentecost – why are we so sure Jesus rose from the dead?” We spend 30 minutes eating together before moving on to the Bible Study itself, so if you are interested in knowing more about this theme please join us every Tuesday. If the main door is locked please press the bell labelled ”kancelář” and we will buzz you in!
Wednesday 15th May 2024 at 5pm – Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer 1662. Following on from the success of our April Evening Prayer services from the Book of Common Prayer 1662 we will now be holding them bimonthly on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Remember, there are no hymns and no sermon in Evening Prayer, and the service is easy to follow. Come and join us for this intensely uplifting experience in the company of other devotees of timeless language and spirituality of the Book of Common Prayer.
Sunday 19th May 2024 at 11am – Sung Eucharist for Whitsunday – Pentecost. Readings: TBA. Holy Gospel: TBA. Sermon: TBA.
Sunday 26th May 2024 at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the First Sunday after Pentecost – Trinity Sunday. Readings: TBA. Holy Gospel: TBA. Sermon: TBA.
Sunday 26th May 2024 after Church – 2024 St. Clement’s Annual Church picnic. Join us to share food and enjoy the late spring weather at the 2024 St. Clement’s church picnic in Lannova Park a few yards from the church. Bring your food and drink (and some extra for others if you can!) for a wonderful time of sharing and conversation (you can leave it at the back of the Church during the Service).
Friday 31st May 2024 at 7pm – Second St. Clement’s Bimonthly Online Prayer Meeting. The Scriptures tell us that there are several reasons to pray. The Scriptures tell us that there are several reasons to pray. The tragically short-lived Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple (in office 1942-1944) famously said “When I pray, coincidences happen. When I don’t, they don’t.” So join us online twice a month in order to be able to share this wonderful, uplifting experience with us. Please contact the Jiye (Jen) Shin at ulaanpassau@gmail.com for further details including login for this, the second session of the month of May.
Looking ahead
Friday 7th June 2024 at 7pm – St. Clement’s Summer Film Night. There is nothing quite like meeting up for popcorn and soft drinks, before settling down to watch a good family film. We will be holding our very first St. Clement’s film night in the hall at Klimentská 18, and it promises to be a fun event for all the family! There is no entry charge but we will be charging for the popcorn and drinks, all in aid of St. Clement’s. The film will start at 7pm, entrance will be from 6.30pm. If the main door is locked please press the bell labelled ”sal” and we will buzz you in!
Selected Past Events
Wednesday 10th April at 5pm – Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (1662). The origins of Evening Prayer date back to Christian and Jewish prayers at the end of the day and the shape of Evening Prayer was first set by the great Reformation Martyr Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in the first Book of Common Prayer (1549), based on the Catholic offices (daily services) of Vespers and Compline. Our inaugural Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (1662) was well attended with standing room only and gave us the opportunity to participate in an intense, timeless act of worship that has entranced Anglicans by its simplicity and uplifting language for over three and a half centuries.
Sunday 24th March 2024 at 1pm – 2024 Grand Auction in aid of St. Clement’s. We came together after our Palm Sunday service for a spirited 2024 Grand Auction which raised over 25,000 Kc for St. Clement’s. Great fun was had by all and we would like to thank both all those who kindly donated such a cornucopia of items for auction as well as those who bid (and sometimes won!) items to take home with them.
Thursday 18th January 2024 at 6pm – Young Adult Group Meeting. At our fourth Young Adult meeting , we met at the first floor of Klimentská 18 and talked about our experiences and understanding of baptism under the light of Jesus’s baptism in the Gospels.
Saturday 6th January 2024 at 6pm – Organ concert at St. Clement’s by Professor Michal Novenko. We are immensely privileged at St. Clement’s to have Professor Michal Novenko as our regular organist. Professor Novenko has been a Professor of Improvisation at the Prague Conservatoire since 1990 and has performed at many major international organ festivals. He is indubitably one of the most accomplished organists in Prague, if not Europe. On the 6th of January 2024 Professor Novenko treated us to some of the very best pieces from his repertoirs, including Brahms, Handel, Bach, Smetana and Dvořák as well as an example of his own magnificent improvisation skills. During the concert we were treated to a short but truly remarkable performance by the Choir of Hatfield College, University of Durham, who were on a choir tour to Prague. If you missed it, you can hear a recording of the full concert here.
The Choir of Hatfield College, University of Durham after the Organ Concert on 6th January 2023
Friday December 22nd 2023 at 6.30pm – Ukrainian Carol Service. Having looked forward all year to this memorable event we spent an unforgettable evening of heavenly voices and timeless music from Ukraine together with all our Ukrainian friends.
Sunday 10th December 2023 after Church. This year once again a group of St. Clement’s parishioners undertook the annual trip to Brno to support the Brno Congregation and attend their Christmas Lessons and Carols Service at 1700. We were wonderfully received by Lea and Brno congregation and look forward to seeing them again very soon!
Our intrepid visitors to Brno!
Wednesday December 6th 2023 at 6.30pm – St. Clement’s Church Christmas Fundraiser Concert. We had a packed Church for our first Choir Fundraising Concert, which raised over CZK 13,000 on the night, a spectacular result. We enjoyed timeless Christmas classics and sang along with the St. Clement’s choir to our favourite Christmas Carols, all in aid of a good cause, our work at St. Clement’s. Music included “O Holy Night”, the Ukrainian classic “Carol of the Bells”, and the majestic “Hallelujah Chorus”, and many others. Hopefully this will become a firm favourite in our Church calendar, and all thanks are due to the Choir and the Musicians taking part.
Tuesday 28th November 2023 at 6.30pm – “Preparing For Advent” Taizé Service. Our second Taizé service was a joyous celebration of advent in the Taizé tradition with sung and chanted prayers, meditation, a period of silence, liturgical readings, and icons.
Sunday 26th September 2023 – Licensing of Rev’d Nathanial Nathanial and Reader John Noonan. It does not seems like 5 years since Nathanial joined us, but it is. As such he required re-licensing, and we were happy to welcome our Archdeacon back for the Service. In addition we were overjoyed to welcome back John Noonan as our Reader after a (short) retirement, and an added bonus was to see the Rev’d Lea Williams visiting us from Brno! Here is the team assembled after the Service. From left to right the Rev’d Lea Williams, the Rev’d Nathanial Nathanial, our Archdeacon the Venerable Dr Leslie Nathaniel, and Reader John Noonan.
Tuesday October 3rd 2023 – Young Adult Group Inaugural meeting. At our first St. Clement’s Young Adult Group meeting, we talked about different faces of Jesus Christ, looking at artworks from various cultures around the world. With homemade food to foster the spirit of sharing with our neighbours, we considered and discussed our individual relationships with Jesus as well as the Triune God. The date of the next meeting is to be announced. For more information, visit our Instagram or contact us via email at youngadult@anglican.cz
Thursday 28th September 2023 – One day Spiritual Retreat in Oko. With the invaluable help of Debby Nichols we organised a one day Spiritual Retreat in Okoř, to the North West of Prague, where we spent a wonderful, uplifting day discussing what faith means to us and meditating on the words and deeper meaning of Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
We would like to thank Debbie from the bottom of our hearts for organising this wonderful day of contemplation and reflection in such beautiful surroundings.
The Participants at this year’s Spiritual Retreat during a break
Wednesday September 6th 2023 at 6.30pm – Evensong (1662 BCP) followed by a concert by the Durham University College Chapel Choir. We were privileged to host the University College Chapel Choir from Durham University in the UK. University College, known lovingly as “Castle,” is the oldest of Durham University’s Colleges and was founded in 1837, shortly after the foundation of the University itself in 1832. The College is fortunate to possess two historic chapels: the Norman Chapel dating from the 11th Century and the Tunstall Chapel, established in the 1540’s, which was used by the Prince Bishops of Durham as their private chapel. The Choir is an auditioned ensemble of sixteen choral scholars and is regarded to be one of the finest choirs in the North East of England. The Choir has a busy schedule, leading weekly services of Evensong, Eucharist and Compline in Durham Castle’s two chapels as well as numerous special services, concerts, recordings and tours. On the 6th of September Evensong at St. Clement’s using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer was followed by a remarkable concert including choral works by Thomas Tallis, Henry Purcell, William Byrd, Charles Wood, Charles Villiers Stanford, and Ralph Vaughan-Williams.
Sunday June 18th 2023 at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Second Sunday after Trinity and visit of the Sheffield University Chamber Choir. On the 18th of June we welcomed the Sheffield University Chamber Choir to St. Clement’s and were thrilled to hear their wonderful voices raised with ours in praise. The Sheffield University Chamber Choir sings a wide array of sacred and secular music, ranging from the music of the 16th to the 21st century. This talented group of singers has gone from strength to strength under new conductor Matthew Warbis, including a joint concert with the English Touring Opera in Spring 2022. At our Sung Eucharist service they treated us to a wonderful rendition of the Motet “Beati Quorum Via” (Sir Charles Villiers Stanford) during Communion. You can find out more about the Chamber Choir here and you can follow their Facebook profile here.
The Sheffield University Chamber Choir after the service at St. Clement’s on Sunday June 18th 2023
Sunday June 11th 2023 at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the First Sunday after Trinity and visit of the Munich English Choir. We very much enjoyed the visit of the quite excellent Munich English Choir to St. Clement’s and were privileged to have such a talented group of amateur and semi-professional singers raising their voices with us in praise. Founded by Stephen Norton in 2010, the choir now has about 32 members. When Stephen Norton passed away unexpectedly in 2020, the members decided to continue the work of the choir in order to honour his work and spirit of. In 2021 Dr Nick Ukiah was appointed Choirmaster and he now shares his inspiration and commitment to English choral music with choir and listeners alike. We were treated to wonderful renditions of music as follows: Introit – O Thou the Central Orb (Charles Wood); Sanctus – Sanctus from Requiem (Gabriel Fauré); Communion anthems – Ave Verum (Sir Edward Elgar); God So Loved the World (Sir John Stanier); Closing anthem I Was Glad (Sir Hubert Parry). You can find out more about the Munich English Choir at https://www.facebook.com/MunichEnglishChoir. in the words of Nick Ukiah: “Personally, the trip was a highlight of my year and I have heard from many in the choir that they fell the same. It was a tremendous joy to be able to visit your church and, of course, Prague.”
The Munich English Choir after the service at St. Clement’s on Sunday June 11th 2023
Sunday May 14th 2023 at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Sixth Sunday in Easter. We were particularly honoured to have worshipping with us Bishop David Hellington Kodia, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Bondo, Kenya, who was visiting Prague. You can find out more about Bishop Kodia and the Diocese of Bondo here. Bishop Kodia was kind enough to give a small talk during the service, having been introduced after the sermon. He described how he had been studying in Prague in 1990. He was a newly ordained priest, over from Kenya – and he was witness to Prague in chaos. Anglican worship was confined to services once a month at the British Embassy with an elderly chaplain visiting from the Embassy in Vienna. Bishop Kodia took matters into his own hands and asked the authorities where a small congregation could worship (there were only 5 – 3 Africans and 2 Europeans!). The authorities told him to look at the dozens of churches were had been closed under the regime… some of them had been closed so long that the keys had been lost. Eventually, however, he met someone from the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB), our host congregation today, and he was told about St Clement’s. He remembers approaching it, and – when it was unlocked – immediately thinking ‘this is just right’….. so worship began, just the 5 to start with, and the seed for our congregation today was sown… Please find the bulletin for this service here.
Bishop David Hellington Kodia during his talk on Sunday May 14th 2023 at St. Clement’s.
Sunday May 7th 2023 at 11am – Special Sung Eucharist for the Fifth Sunday in Easter and the Coronation of King Charles III. A very special Coronation Day was had by all, starting with a service with readings from the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 7, describing the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, and the first Letter of Peter, about how we are all living stone, part of God’s spiritual house, and a Chosen People called out of the darkness into the light. The Gospel reading was John 14:1-14 where Jesus comforts the Disciples and tells them that he is the way to God. Musical inspiration came in the form of hymns such as “Fight the good fight”, “Jesu, lover of my soul”, “Come down, O Love divine”, and a throaty “Guide me, O thou great Redeemer” (Cwm Rhondda), all chosen for their connections to King Charles III as Supreme Governor of the Church of England (and thus its Head). The service was followed by a Coronation Picnic in Lannova Park.
Sunday April 16th 2023 at 11am – Celebration of Ukrainian Orthodox Easter.
In this special Sung Eucharist we celebrated Ukrainian Orthodox Easter together with our Ukrainian friends. Our adapted service included dual language hymns, a traditional reading in Ukrainian of a text by St John Chrysostom known as the “Paschal Sermon” (with the English translation then read out by the Chaplain), and a musical rendition of the Lord’s Prayer in Ukrainian (Отче наш or “Otche Nash”) during Communion. Not only was it wonderful to enjoy the wonderful sounds of Ukrainian words and music, but it was a joyous opportunity to deepen yet further the links to our Ukrainian friends and express our ongoing admiration and support for them!
Sunday 2nd April 2023 – St. Clement’s annual auction
The annual auction has quickly become a staple in our calendar and great fun is had by all who attend and bid! This year we raised over 21,000 CZK from more than 40 items which were auctioned for our ministry, so thank you for being so generous, both in donating and in bidding. The donation of a video projector has opened up all sorts of wonderful possibilities, including St. Clement’s film nights! Watch this space!
Wednesday February 22nd 2023 at 6pm – Ash Wednesday ‘Taizé’ Service
This past Ash Wednesday we marked the beginning of Lent with a “Taizé” service. Taizé is an ecumenical monastic community located in Taizé, France, founded in the 1940s. A Taizé worship service involves sung and chanted prayers, meditation, a period of silence and liturgical readings. There is no sermon. Many came to experience this revealing and novel way to approach God. You can find out more about Taizé here. We enjoyed the following Readings: Joel 2. 1-2 and 12-17; Psalm 51. 1-17; the Holy Gospel was John 8. 1-11 and you can find the Order of Service here.
December 14th 2022 – St. Clement’s Carolling Evening
As every year (with a short Covid interruption!) an intrepid group from St. Clement’s braved the cold and snow, gathering to walk the centre of Prague, carolling!
A wonderful evening was had by all, and we even got to sing inside the British Embassy, which was a particular pleasure, since Ambassador Nick aArcher and his wife Erica are due to leave Prague in January 2023. We look forward to the new incoming Ambassador continuing the tradition of inviting joyous St. Clement’s singers into the wonderful Thun Palace that houses the Embassy.
Carolling in the British Embassy
Eastern Archdeaconry Synod – 20th to 23rd October 2022
St. Clement’s forms part of the Eastern Archdeaconry of the Anglican Diocese in Europe, and our Archdeacon is The Venerable Doctor Leslie Nathaniel. You can find out more about the Diocese’s Archdeacons here. The Eastern Archdeaconry Synod 2022 was held right here in Prague from the 20th to the 23rd October 2022 at the Wellness Hotel Step, where the theme of the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity” was taken forward (you can find out more about the WCC here). The Reverend Nathanial and Stephen Weeks, one of our Churchwardens, introduced St. Clement’s and the history of Anglicanism in Prague to the attendees,
after which there were discussions on the worrying situation in Ukraine as well as time spent looking at the WCC theme via Bible Study sessions, as well as examinations of Interfaith issues, Environmental Justice issues and Racial Justice issues. Key Safeguarding and Anti-bullying policies were also discussed.
The Synod finished on Sunday with a Sung Eucharist worship service at St. Clement’s with a Sermon and Confirmations by our Bishop, the Right Reverend Doctor Robert Innes.
