Visit by the Anglican Filipino community to two Catholic churches in Mechelen

On 17 January, the Chaplain-President, Secretary-General and Second Secretary, together with the Revd June Mark Yanez (St Boniface Antwerp) and several members of the Anglican Filipino community in Antwerp, Brussels and Leuven, were delighted to visit two Catholic churches in Mechelen-Sint-Katelijne-Waver: the Goede-Herderkerk and the Sint-Augustinuskerk. Our visits were guided by our good friends Mgr Steven Wielandts (Vicar-General of the Catholic diocese of Mechelen-Brussels) and Deacon Koen Jacobs (the officer responsible for ecumenism in that diocese) and of course members of the kerkraad in each of the churches. Exploratory discussions are taking place about the possibility of organising an Anglican mission in Mechelen oriented towards the substantial Anglican Tagalog-speaking community in Belgium. As always, we were humbled by the warmth of our Catholic brothers and sisters' welcome to us, and we hope and pray for warm ecumenical friendships in the future.