NEWS
Le 16 septembre, le chapelain-président a eu le plaisir d'assister à la cérémonie officielle des Fêtes de Wallonie au Théâtre Royal de Namur. Entre une bonne musique et une réception délicieuse, trois discours percutants sur l'avenir démocratique de la Wallonie sont prononcés par André Frédéric (président du Parlement wallon), Elio Di Rupo (ministre-président de Wallonie) et Mme Malu Dreyer (ministre-présidente de Rhénanie-Palatinat).
Le 12 septembre, le chapelain-président a représenté le Comité central à une réunion du Conseil consultatif supérieur des cours philosophiques (CCSCP - Enseignement.be - Le Conseil consultatif supérieur des cours philosophiques), organe qui permet aux convictions reconnues d'assurer une liaison fréquente avec le gouvernement de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, l'autorité de tutelle des cours de religion dans les écoles publiques francophones de Belgique. Cette réunion est présidée par Mme Caroline Désir, ministre de l'éducation de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles : tous les participants se sont accordés à dire que la réunion a été constructive et positive.
On 12 September, the Chaplain-President was honoured to represent the Central Committee, Bishop Robert and Holy Trinity Brussels at Mgr Luc Terlinden's second enthronement in ten days. Having been consecrated bishop and enthroned in the archbishop's cathedra in Mechelen on 3 September, Mgr Terlinden was then enthroned in his other cathedral, St Michel & St Gudule in Brussels. An enormous congregation attended a service of music and joy to welcome Brussels' new archbishop with enthusiasm and style.
On 9 September, the Chaplain-President was honoured to represent the Anglicans of Belgium at the royal mass to commemorate the anniversary of the death of King Baudouin, which occurred by tragic surprise on 31 July 1993. The mass was celebrated in the royal parish of Notre-Dame de Laeken by Mgr Luc Terlinden, the new archbishop of Malines-Brussels, accompanied by Mgr Noël Treanor (the papal nuncio to the EU) and Mgr Franco Coppola (the papal nuncio to Belgium), in the presence of the King and Queen, as well as of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. King Baudouin was much loved and respected in the English-speaking world: it is a breach of British royal protocol for the Sovereign to attend the funeral of another head of State, but Queen Elizabeth broke this protocol to attend King Baudouin's funeral, so deep was their mutual friendship.
On 8 September, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, spoke to the annual meeting of the Council of Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Germany, meeting in Frankfurt, on the subject: "Defending democracy: the role of the Churches in the democratic process within the EU".
On 8 September, the Chaplain-President appeared on the 18:00 news on LN24 Belgique to discuss the policies of the new King Charles III one year following his accession to the British throne on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth.
The Central Committee congratulates the Suffragan (Assistant) Bishop of the Diocese in Europe, The Rt. Revd David Hamid, on the announcement of his retirement (effective 29 Feb. 2024). For more than 21 years, Bishop David has blessed the diocese with his service to the Gospel, especially in the areas of ecumenism and ministry training. We wish Bishop David and Colleen every blessing as they look forward to this new season in their lives & ministry.
On 3 September, the Chaplain-President and Bishop Robert were privileged to represent the Anglican Church in Belgium at the consecration and enthronement of Mgr Luc Terlinden as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and Primate of Belgium, in the Catholic cathedral in Mechelen/Malines. Mgr Terlinden's previous post was Vicar-General of the Diocese of Mechelen-Brussels, where the Chaplain-President had contact with him on the organising committee for the centenary of the Malines Conversations between Catholics and Anglicans (Centenary Commemoration – Malines conversations group - because of the covid pandemic, these centenary celebrations have been postponed until 2025). Mgr Terlinden is a noted expert on the philosophers John Henry Newman (1801-1890, an Anglican priest before becoming a Catholic cardinal) and Charles Taylor (b.1931, both an Anglican and a Catholic). The Central Committee rejoices in Mgr Terlinden's consecration and looks forward to working closely with him for the good of the people of Belgium.
The Central Committee has noticed that for the first time since Anglicanism was recognised by the Belgian State in 1870, not a single one of the 20 Anglican clergy and lay-readers salaried by the Ministry of Justice is registered as a British citizen. Our parishes are growing and in good heart, and they are increasingly staffed by non-British clergy and lay-readers. We nonetheless deplore this evidence of the steady distancing between the UK and Belgium which the Withdrawal Agreement (2020) and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (2021) have triggered since they came into force, a distancing which in no way corresponds to the extremely warm relations enjoyed between Belgium and Britain since Belgium's independence in 1831.
On 28 August, the full Central Committee office team - Chaplain-President, Secretary-General, Second Secretary and Communications Secretary - met to plan our next few weeks of work. It was good to be back in the office!
On 21 July, the Chaplain-President was privileged to represent the Anglicans of Belgium at the festivities connected with the National Day, first at the Te Deum in the Catholic cathedral in Brussels in the presence of the King and Queen, then at the traditional lunch offered by the Foreign Minister for those in public life.
From 16-20 July, the Chaplain-President was excited to participate in a new initiative of Bishop Mark's (The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe), a summer school organised at the Universiteit Utrecht for students interested in knowing more about the Anglican tradition. Fifteen students came to this inaugural week, where a variety of eminent Anglican commentators lectured on various topics, where worship was experienced using a variety of Anglican liturgies and where impeccable hospitality was offered at St Gertrude's Old Catholic Cathedral. The Chaplain-President lectured on Anglican ethics, Anglican sacramental theology, Anglican social teaching and Anglicanism in Europe. We hope that this summer school becomes an annual event in the European Anglican calendar.
On 7 July, the Chaplain-President, as guest-professor in KU Leuven, met with one of his PhD students, Nathan Ngoy, to discuss the next stages in the 2023-24 KU Leuven Theo Teams project on the relationship between President Mobutu and Cardinal Malula which the Chaplain-President is coordinating and for which M. Ngoy will be the academic assistant. A diverse team of 8 researchers will use their expertise and learning to analyse the turbulent relationship between the President of DRC-Zaïre and the Cardinal-Archbishop of Kinshasa, hopefully to tease out possible pointers for interconvictional dialogue in Africa and Europe today.
On 6 July, the Chaplain-President, as stipendiary guest-professor in systematic theology, was delighted to be present at the graduation ceremony and the faculty dinner for the Faculteit Theologie en Religiewetenschappen KU Leuven. Both events were fine occasions to hear the Dean, Prof Bénédicte Lemmelijn, give excellent speeches praising the students and the teachers of the faculty. A reception followed the graduation, allowing students and staff to mingle and talk. The dinner included PhD students with teaching responsibilities in the faculty, allowing a fair bit of supervision work to be conducted during a superb meal!
On 2 July, the Chaplain-President was honoured to represent the Central Committee at the farewell service for the Reverend Canon Dr Paul Vrolijk, Canon Chancellor of Holy Trinity Brussels since 2015. Paul preached at a service in which many colleagues, including the Reverends John Wilkinson, Annie Bolger, Jean-Bosco Turahirwa, Charles Kabera and Jack McDonald, were pleased to stand with Paul as he bade farewell to his Holy Trinity Brussels family. A lavish and varied parish lunch followed the service. We wish Paul and his lovely family all good things and Godspeed as they move on to new challenges, and we delight that they are set to remain in Brussels for a time.
The Revd Catriona Laing writes:
'Dear Colleagues,
I am delighted to let you know that Mishleen and Marian have arrived safely in Belgium and are beginning to settle into their new lives in Leuven. They are the two sisters from Syria who our churches are supporting through the Humanitarian Corridors scheme and at St Martha & St Mary’s, we are incredibly grateful for the generous support of the Anglican chaplaincies in Belgium.
As you will all appreciate, being able to speak the language is one of the first steps to the integration process and Mishleen and Marian are very keen to start learning Dutch. They have already picked up a few words and are enthusiastic to learn more! In order to follow classes offered by the city or the university in Leuven, they need to be registered with Stad Leuven, which will take several more weeks. In the meantime, we would like to organise private lessons for them, just to help get them started on their Dutch.
To that end, we are seeking donations from churches across our deanery. If any of you, or your congregation members would like to make a donation specifically towards the cost of Dutch classes, we would be extremely grateful. Please mark Humanitarian Corridors Dutch Lessons in the description of your online payment. If you’d like more information about any of this, feel free to contact Catriona Laing, Chaplain of St Martha & St Mary’s.'
If you, your church or someone you know would like to contribute to this project, please transfer the donation to the ACBL asbl/vzw bank account:
Bank: BNP Paribas Fortis
IBAN: BE25 0018 8280 7382
BIC:GEBABEBB
* Please be sure to include the message: “Humanitarian Corridors support”
On 27 June, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, attended a full Article 17 dialogue at the European Parliament, on the subject of the religious and philosophical implications of the European Single Market. The Chaplain-President was able to table a key question during the dialogue about how the Single Market conforms or does not conform to each conviction's body of social ethics. Many thanks to Dr Nicola Censini, the European Parliament's coordinator for Article 17 Dialogue, for organising such a captivating and popular session.
Le 26 juin, a présidé le chapelain-président une réunion du groupe de recherche universitaire Cares Brussels (caresbrussels.org). Il a pu annoncer à cette occasion le succès de sa demande de bourse auprès du fonds Theo Teams de la KU Leuven pour un projet académique qui porte sur les relations entre le président Mobutu et le cardinal Malula au Congo-Zaïre. Les conversations à caractère afropéen sont importantes pour le Comité central dans le contexte d'un anglicanisme belge qui s'africanise de plus en plus.
Een nieuwe 2de secretaris van het Centraal Comité.
Un nouveau 2e secrétaire du Comité central.
The Central Committee of the Anglican Church in Belgium is pleased to welcome Rebecca Breekveldt as 2nd Secretary, as of 1 August 2023.
Het Centraal Comité van de Anglicaanse Eredist in België is blij om Rebecca Breekveldt te verwelkomen als 2de secretaris vanaf 1 augustus 2023.
Le Comité Central du Culte Anglican en Belgique a le plaisir d'accueillir Rebecca Breekveldt au poste de 2e secrétaire, à partir du 1er août 2023.
Rebecca is an active member at St. Martha & St. Mary's, Leuven and she has been involved in the local team to welcome 2 refugees as part of the Humanitarian Corridors programme. Rebecca currently works as a freelance translator and copywriter. Her languages include: English, Dutch, Spanish, French and German. Rebecca is a self-confessed 'third culture kid' who has lived in many different countries but now calls Belgium home. We are thrilled that she has accepted this position.
Rebecca is actief in de parochie St. Martha & St. Mary's te Leuven. Ze is ook betrokken bij het lokale team voor de opvang van 2 vluchtelingen in het kader van het Humanitarian Corridors-programma. Rebecca werkt tegenwoordig als zelfstandige vertaler en copywriter. Haar talen zijn: Engels, Nederlands, Spaans, Frans en Duits. Volgens Rebecca is ze een 'derde-cultuur-kind' die in verschillende landen heeft gewoond maar nu België haar thuis noemt.
Rebecca est une membre active de la paroisse St. Martha & St. Mary's, à Louvain, et elle a participé à l'équipe locale qui a accueilli deux réfugiées dans le cadre du programme Couloirs Humanitaires. Rebecca travaille actuellement comme traductrice et rédactrice indépendante. Ses langues sont : l'anglais, le néerlandais, l'espagnol, le français et l'allemand. Rebecca se définit elle-même comme une "enfant de la troisième culture" qui a vécu dans de nombreux pays, mais qui se sent aujourd'hui chez elle en Belgique.
Rebecca will help with the administration of Anglican churches in Belgium, stipends & pensions, visas, and more. Her regular office days will be Mondays and Wednesdays + teleworking. As of 1 August, you can reach Rebecca at: admin@anglican.be
Rebecca zal helpen met de administratie van Anglicaanse kerken in België, wedden en pensioenen, visums en nog meer. Haar vaste werkdagen zijn maandag en woensdag + telewerken. Vanaf 1 augustus kun je Rebecca bereiken op: admin@anglican.be
Rebecca aidera à l'administration des églises anglicanes en Belgique, aux salaires et pensions, aux visas, et plus encore. Ses jours de travail habituels seront les lundis et mercredis + télétravail. A partir du 1er août, vous pourrez joindre Rebecca à : admin@anglican.be
On 25 June, the Central Committee was out in force at St Martha and St Mary's Anglican Church Leuven to license Sarah Jones as a lay reader in the Church of England. The Chaplain-President, as the former chaplain in Leuven who was initially responsible for Sarah's training, the Vice-President - as the current chaplain in Leuven responsible for Sarah's training, the Secretary-General - as Area Dean of Belgium and Luxembourg and Bishop’s Commissary responsible for licensing Sarah in the Diocese in Europe, and Rebecca Breekveldt - the newly-appointed 2nd Secretary were all present for the occasion, which was followed by a lovely coffee-hour in the sunshine outside the Pauscollege, where the Anglican parish holds its morning services. Welcome, Sarah: we look forward to experiencing your ministry of preaching, teaching and pastoral care in the years to come!
