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A WONDERFUL A WONDERFUL A WONDERFUL CELEBRATIONCELEBRATIONCELEBRATION
ALCUI NEWS
NEWS AND VIEWS FROM SAINT ALCUIN OF YORK THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING CHURCH IN TOURAINE
Number 10 July 2016
Heroes of the Faith 2 Fr John writes 2
The Young Ones 3 Our Duty and our Joy 3
Organisation Matters 4 Goodbye and God Speed 4
The Great Day 5 Synod by the Sea 9
Younger Readers 9 Bishop’s Blog 10
ON OTHER PAGES
see pages 5, 6, 7, 8 & 10see pages 5, 6, 7, 8 & 10see pages 5, 6, 7, 8 & 10
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FR JOHN WRITES
Except the Lord build the house
W ITH OUR INAUGURATION CELEBRATIONS OVER, IT IS
NOW TIME FOR US TO COME BACK DOWN TO EARTH AND RESUME OUR NORMAL LIFE. It seems significant that this comes at the beginning of ’Ordinary Time’ in the Church, the green season. The season of growth without any special festival.
I find large special services very inspiring. But it would become boring if we had them all the time. You can’t have Christmas every day—much though I suspect most children would disagree with me.
‘The trivial round, the common task, Would furnish all we ought to ask’
wrote the Victorian hymn writer John Keble. We mostly live life in all its ordinariness. So it is too with our life together in the Church. We are called to live the Gospel in ordinary everyday circumstances, not just as something special.
And so we begin as the new chaplaincy of St Alcuin of York in Touraine. The razzmatazz is over. Having geared ourselves up for the big occasion, having been bathed in such gloriously positive publicity, it is now time for us to be known by our fruits.
How do we proclaim the gospel in Touraine when we are a small Church celebrating in a different language? What should our ministry be? How should we consolidate and grow to assure the future of St Alcuin’s? These are just some of the questions which will face us in the coming months and years.
We need not be daunted by the task which lies before us. We know that God has been with us in our beginnings and that, if we are faithful to him, he will be true to his promises and never fail or forsake us.
Father John
WHO’S WHO
PRIEST IN CHARGE The Revd John Neal [email protected] 02 47 64 07 92
CHURCHWARDENS Mrs Deirdre Lewis [email protected]
Mr Barry Williams [email protected]
HEROES OF THE FAITH
Gregory the Great Teacher of the Faith
G regory was born in 540, the son of a Roman senator. As a young
man he pursued a governmental career, and in 573 was made Prefect of the city of Rome. Following the death of his
father, he resigned his office, sold his inheritance, and became a monk. In 579 he was sent by the Pope to Constantin-ople to be his representative to the Patriarch. He returned to Rome in 586, and was himself elected Pope in 590. At a time of political turmoil, Gregory proved an astute administrator and diplomat, securing peace with the Lombards. He initiated the mission to England, sending Augustine and forty monks from his own monastery to re-found the English Church. His writings were pastorally oriented. His spirituality was animated by a dynamic of love and desire for God. Indeed, he is sometimes called the 'Doctor of desire'. For Greg-ory, desire was a metaphor for the
journey into God. As Pope, he styled himself 'Servant of the servants of God' -- a title which typified both his person-ality and ministry. He died on 3rd Sep-tember 604.
AT THE HEART OF OUR LIFE
THE EUCHARIST
7.00 pm on the 1st Sunday of the Month
in the Protestant Temple 32 rue de la Préfecture, Tours
(tram: Nationale; bus: Gare Vinci)
11.00 am
with Junior Church on the 4th Sunday of the Month
in the Parish Church of St Michel Le Bourg, Savigny-en-Véron
All Welcome
THE ST ALCUIN CALENDAR Our worship in the coming months
July 3rd Trinity 6 7.00 pm Sung Eucharist Tours 24th Trinity 9 11.00 am Sung Eucharist Savigny
August 7th Trinity 11 7.00 pm Sung Eucharist Tours 28th Trinity 14 11.00 am Sung Eucharist Savigny
September 4th Trinity 15 7.00 pm Sung Eucharist Tours 25th Trinity 18 11.00 am Sung Eucharist Savigny
October 2nd Trinity 19 7.00 pm Sung Eucharist Tours 23rd Trinity 22 11.00 am Sung Eucharist Savigny
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IT IS OUR DUTY AND OUR JOY
The third of a series of four articles about the shape of the Eucharist
THE YOUNG ONES
One of the great twentieth century advances in liturgical the-ology in the West has been the rediscovery—never lost in the East—of the centrality of thanksgiving in this, our principal act of worship.
If you get the opportunity, compare the Prayer of Consecra-tion in the Book of Common Prayer with one of our modern Eucharistic Prayers. It was one of the features of the medieval and reformation periods that things were almost exclusively centred on the crucifixion of Jesus. Now—as did the early Church—we have a much more rounded view of what we thank God for. Not only is the paschal mystery seen as a whole, the resurrection as well as the crucifixion, but we thank God too for his creation and his loving care throughout all ages.
Here is an example from one of the new prayers, this one more in the Eastern style: You are worthy of our thanks and
praise,
Lord God of truth,
for by the breath of your mouth
you have spoken your word,
and all things have come into being.
You fashioned us in your image
and placed us in the garden of your delight.
Though we chose the path of rebellion
you would not abandon your own.
Again and again you drew us into your covenant of grace.
You gave your people the law and taught us by your
prophets
to look for your reign of justice, mercy and peace.
Beautiful. So much to give thanks for.
But we don’t just give thanks over the bread and wine: we set it apart to be God’s holy food. We ask God to send his Holy Spirit that broken bread and wine outpoured
may be for us the body and blood of
your dear Son.
We repeat Jesus’ words at the Last Supper and go on to ally ourselves with his suffer-ing, death and resurrection: So, Father, we remember all that Jesus
did,
in him we plead with confidence his
sacrifice
made once for all upon the cross.
Bringing before you the bread of life and cup of salvation,
we proclaim his death and resurrection
until he comes in glory.
Is it any wonder that another name for this prayer is the Great Prayer, as it lifts us up to the very throne of God?
H OW THE YOUNGERS MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE TREATED IS OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE IN THE LIFE OF EVERY CHURCH. Gone, thank goodness are the days when
they were just seen as getting in the way of adult worship. We seek to meet their needs, as we seek to meet the needs of older people, too.
At the moment our concentration of younger people is at Savigny-en-Véron, where we have come up with two solu-tions.
Awarded their crosses by Bishop David
at our official inauguration Eucharist in Tours on 22nd May, the two older boys, Louis and Merovée, have started their ministry as Altar Servers. This is an im-portant task, which does so much to enhance the smooth running of the ser-vice.
It is a fact that younger worshippers can find the scripture readings and sermon (oh, no!) boring. So it is important that
we have age-related Ministry of the Word for them.
The younger children now gather round the table in the sacristy for teaching and crafts. They remain part of the worship-
ping community as their activity is nor-mally based on the same bible passages as those of the adult service.
At the Offertory they return: it is right to give thanks and praise all together.
I F THANKSGIVING IS AT THE HEART OF OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE, SO IT IS THE VERY ES-SENCE OF THE EUCHARIST. Indeed, the word itself—the preferred name for the celebration in
many different Churches—comes from the Greek word to thank.
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WHAT FRIENDS HAVE WRITTEN
ABOUT OUR INAUGURATION
Je suis heureux que mon calice ait pu servir à notre rapprochement oecuménique. Mgr François du Sartel, Curé of Tours Cathedral, who kindly loaned us his personal chalice
Many thanks for the weekend which was most inspiring for me. You are off to a very good start indeed. Bishop David
Mon mari et moi avons été très touchés par la célébration du 22 mai. Florence Lusetti, pasteure of the Église reformée
Congratulations! You were in my thoughts and prayers, even if I couldn't be with you! Gwyneth Cairns, pastor of the Communauté Re-Naissance
GOODBYE AND GODSPEED
‘C HRÉTIENS EN DIALOGUE’ IS AN ECUMENICAL GROUP OF
CHURCH LEADERS IN TOURS WHICH GATHERS ONCE EVERY TWO MONTHS. A faithful member for a number of years has been Marie Teinturier who has provided the link between that group and the radio sta-tion RCF Touraine, where she has pro-duced a monthly ecumenical pro-gramme.
Over the two years since our inception Marie has been a good friend to St Al-cuin’s, not only in the amount of ‘air time’ she has given us, but also by tak-ing part in our worship, notably by les-son reading at our carol services in Tours.
She and her husband, Guy-Noël, have now decided it is time to leave their home in urban St-Pierre-des-Corps for a small village in the Deux Sèvres. We thank her for her support of our young community and wish them both God’s blessing in their new life in the country.
LOVE
What does love look like?
It has the hands to help others.
It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy.
It has eyes to see misery and want.
It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.
That is what love looks like.
St Augustine of Hippo
GOING IN THE PEACE OF CHRIST
N o sooner had the Dismissal been said at Savigny on 24th April,
than the church emptied immediately. No convivial conversation around a glass of wine that day. The reason? The annual cycle race ‘La Roue Tourangelle’ was just about to start from nearby Beaumont-en-Véron and was due to pass through the village en route to Tours. A quick getaway was called for if we didn’t want to get caught up in it all.
THANK YOU
T hat our Inauguration was such a success is entirely due to the im-
mense amount of teamwork that went into it. Our photo gallery gives some idea of the number of people in-volved—the welcome team, Carolyn and Eira; servers, Louis and Merovée; Alix, Deirdre, Zelda and the choir; offi-cial photographer, Steve; the dispensers of ’grape juice’, Roger and Steve; Roger who organised lunch; and, of course, so many of you who brought nibbles. Thank you to you all.
ORGANISATION MATTERS
I f worship is the shop window of a Church, its administration
is a vital ingredient in stocking that window.
It is quiet, efficient administration which ensures that the wheels of the Church turn smoothly. In the Church of England we operate by the ‘Church Representation Rules’ which provide for how we discuss together our plans and policy.
It starts with the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, when people are elected to positions of responsibility in the community. So, on 26th April, St Alcuin’s elected Deirdre Lewis and Barry Williams as Churchwardens and Carolyn Dehnel, Elspeth Eggleton, Roger Lewis, Lesley Neal and Zelda Savornin to join them on the Chap-laincy Council. Carolyn and Roger have taken on the extra task of Secre-tary and Treasurer.
At this our first official annual meeting, there were two items of official busi-ness we were obliged to do. Firstly, we had to trigger our registration with the Préfecture, using the diocesan tem-plate. The other matter was to agree our protocol for safeguarding vulner-able people. Again we used the dioce-san material.
Meetings of the Council will be held four times a year and will seek to en-sure the welfare of each of our worship centres as well as the strategic planning of the chaplaincy (parish) as a whole.
We are in the early stages of our life. We have much to explore and learn together as we consolidate and grow.
Our guiding principle will not be to pursue our own interests, but to try to work for everyone.
In this our first priority will be to seek to grow in numbers and in faith, giving us a firm foundation for the future. But not least among our discussions will also be the finances of our Church as we establish what will be our future needs, both in terms of our day-to-day expenses and to provide for mission and growth. We will also learn how to be good stewards of the resources we have.
Please pray for your Council as we begin our work in your name.
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A hint of nervousness?
Louis and Merovée in their new
albs
Sharing experiences
Pasteure Florence, Deacon Frances, Fr John and Bishop David
It’s the way I tell them
Bishop David being interviewed by Marie Teinturier
A collar of clerics
Bishop David, Monseigneur Aubertin and Fr John
THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES
memories of the Inauguration
Ladies in Waiting
Eira and Carolyn ready to greet worshippers
Saturday
afternoon
Waiting for the off
Alix at the organ console
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O praise ye the Lord!
Part of the choir organised by Deirdre and Zelda
THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES
memories of the Inauguration
God’s Holy Things
for God’s Holy
People
Making Eucharist
Sharing the word
Bishop David’s sermon
Hearing the word
Bishop David’s sermon
Holy Water Play
Bishop David sprinkles the
congregation
I swear by almighty God
Fr John takes the oaths
The Churchwardens are sworn in
Barry and Deirdre making their declarations
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Wow! That was serious
Merovée and Louis
I’ll just get on with my work
Oscar concentrating
THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES
memories of the Inauguration
I’m proud of my big brother
Aliénor and Merovée
Smiles all round
A family photo
Now thank we all our God
Lusty singing of the funal hymn
The beginning of a ministry
Louis is awarded his cross
Go in peace
Bishop David prepares to pronounce God’s blessing
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Good company
Good food Good wine
Comic songs Comic stories
Good fun
The
Vin
d’Honneur
THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES
memories of the Inauguration
The
Celebration
Lunch
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Technically it is a business meeting, as re-quired by the Church of England, and busi-ness was indeed done.
The main thrust of the meeting, as always, was the special theme. This year it was the topical subject of “Migration and Refu-gees”.
Two very inspiring speakers came to share their experiences, Max McClellan and Doris Peschke. Max has worked with our Anglican Church in Greece, seconded by Us (formerly USPG) to assist Fr Malcolm Bradshaw in Athens in efforts to address the needs of refugees in that country. Doris is the General Secretary of the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), an ecumenical agency of the Churches in Europe, and a body which provides much needed advice and support to our own diocese.
The work of the keynote speakers was supplemented by bible
studies from Dr Richard Briggs of Durham University, who led us through the Old Tes-tament books of Jonah and Daniel, which tell of two Israelites in foreign countries.
We were privileged to have Bishop David with us throughout the Synod during which he admitted a Reader (Licensed Lay Minis-ter) into his ministry.
There was one sad note at the Synod when the Ven Ian Naylor, who has been a good friend to St Alcuin’s, both at Tours and Savigny, told us he was stepping down as Archdeacon at the end of September.
All work and no play? Not at all. There was much time for socialising over the odd glass or two—and, of course, the fiendish Quiz Night.
Now it is time to look forward to next May.
FOR OUR YOUNGER READERS
A picture to colour
SYNOD BY THE SEA St Jacut-de-la-Mer: 18th—21st May 2016
T HE ANNUAL SYNOD OF THE ARCHDEACONRY OF FRANCE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE AWAITED WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION. This year’s was no exception when over 100
Anglicans in France, lay and clergy, gathered in an abbey on the beautiful Breton coast.
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It was a joyful occasion, cele-brated in the Protestant Temple in Tours. The music was splendid from a largely francophone choir, and the organ music very fine in-deed.
The new parish has two worship centres, one in the Protestant Temple in Tours and another in l’Eglise St. Michel in Savigny-en-Véron. Since both Roman Catholic and Protestant build-ings are used by the parish, it was fitting that the Eucharist was attended by the Pastor of the Eglise Protestante and the
Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours, our two major Church part-ners in the area. A Baptist pastor, a good friend of St Alcuin's, from a nearby Eng-lish speaking independent Church also attended, mak-ing the opening celebration truly ecumenical.
The first Anglican services in Tours were actually 200
years ago, but there has been no Church of England activity for close to a century. Under Fr Neal's leadership, the Church is now organised again, and poised to serve English speaking Christians in the Touraine. The vision of the parish is to be a serving community, as the parish website eloquently puts it :
“A Church is a community which exists for others. So, when we come in through the door, it is expressly to go out again to our eve-
ryday lives and relationships. The proclamation of scripture, the consecration of bread and wine, our receiving Holy Com-munion, all lead to the climax of our worship—the Dismissal: “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
“Our service to Our Lord is by service to our neighbour. When we pray for others in the Eucharist, it is so that we may put our concern into action. We are God’s agents in helping to bring that abundant life which he wills for all people, especially to those so obviously without it: the poor, the
lonely, the sick.
“Need—lack of abundant life—can take many forms, physical, emotional, spiritual. We can be ready to respond to need, whatever it is, by action, by word or by the Christ-like character others look for in us.”
It is wonderful to witness yet another new community in the Diocese. The service ended and the fellowship continued, in true French style, with the vin d'honneur!
Tours is the city of St Martin, and this year the city celebrates the 1700th anniversary of the saint's birth. He is one of the most popular saints in Europe. There are around 3,000 parishes dedicated to him, including the oldest Church in Canterbury (where St Augustine bap-tised King Æthelberht of Kent) and the famous St Martin-in-the-Fields in Lon-don.
St Alcuin of York, our new parish's patron, was an Englishman and scholar, who became one of Charlemagne's closest advisors, and who later lived at Marmoutier Abbey which was founded by St Martin. St Al-cuin died in 804 in Tours.
During the parish visit, the Archbishop of Tours Bernard-Nicolas Jean-Marie Aubertin and I had a meeting during which we discussed how our two Churches are linked back in history, holding both St Martin and St Alcuin in
common.
Fr John also ar-ranged for me to give a radio in-terview during which we dis-cussed the role and the extent of the Church of England's work on the continent of Europe, and in particular our ecumenical vocation.
A NOTHER NEW PARISH HAS OPENED IN THE DIOCESE IN EUROPE. The Church of St Alcuin of York in Touraine was formally inaugurated on 22nd May, and its priest-in-charge, the Revd John Neal, licensed
to this post. Churchwardens were admitted to their office, and significantly, two young acolytes received crosses as they began their own work of serving at the altar. The active involvement of youth in the services is a key strategy of Fr John.
Scary organ pipes at
the Temple
BISHOP’S VIEW WHAT BISHOP DAVID WROTE IN HIS BLOG
- with his choice of pictures
Another new parish of the Diocese in Europe:
St Alcuin of York in Touraine
