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The Malta Anglican

The magazine of the Anglican Church in Malta and Gozo


April 2017
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The Bishop in Europe:


The Right Reverend Dr. Robert Innes

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

BISHOPS EASTER MESSAGE 2017

Purity of heart is to will one thing, said the Danish theologian Soren
Kierkegaard. I write these words near the beginning of Lent, a season in
which we try even more seriously than usual to order our desires under
the overarching desire for God. Since our desires are continually
stimulated, manipulated and exploited by powerful forces in the world,
Lenten disciplines of even moderate asceticism are strongly counter-
cultural and have seldom been more valuable in promoting true spiritual
life.

It has been a particular delight for me that the daily lectionary this Lent
has us reading through the prophet Jeremiah. Few other biblical
characters exemplify such a single-minded longing after God and his
purposes. For 40 years, Jeremiah faced the political situation of his day
with utter realism. He helped his people navigate their way through one
of the most disturbing times in their history the huge discontinuity and
disruption marked by exile in Babylon. Against the false prophets, who
disseminated an easy message of business as usual, Jeremiah is
unflinching in proclaiming that God is faithful, but that a very different kind
of hope and a so far unimagined future lie on the other side of a painful
judgement. I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, to give
you a future and a hope. You will seek me and you will find me when you
seek me with all your heart. (Jer. 29:11).

Jeremiah provides a suggestive backdrop to Easter. In his book Outside


Eden Finding Hope in an Imperfect World, Peter Fisher counters the
idea that Easter is an exercise in mere wish fulfilment. We have plenty of
evidence to suggest that the disciples who followed Jesus were
expecting that, having given up homes, fishing businesses and so on,
they would be rewarded with a relatively smooth path to greatness in the
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kingdom of God. They had, we know, been in the habit of discussing the
various positions of honour they could expect. But Jesuss death seemed
to be the unexpected end of their hopes. And Jesuss resurrection - a
new spiritual body - was quite outside the rational categories that had so
far been available to them. So the shape of the hope that opens up before
the disciples on Easter Day is quite different from anything they had
previously known. And, not surprisingly, the new resurrection order
dramatically changes the character and capacities of the disciples too.

For most of us, Easter Sunday morning is epitomised by the reading of


St. Johns account of Mary Magdalene meeting her risen Lord in the
garden. I have been struck, in re-reading this text, by the repeated
turning of Mary. She is the first to see the empty tomb. After running
away in fright, she returns with Peter and the other unnamed disciple.
Having seen the empty tomb, the others depart, but Mary remains,
standing weeping outside the tomb. When the gardener engages her in
conversation she turns around and sees Jesus, though without
recognising him. It is in the face to face conversation between them, and
in particular when Jesus speaks her name, Mary, that she recognises
the risen Lord.

Rowan Williams comments (in Resurrection Interpreting the Easter


Gospel): She, the one who had turned, again and again, in ever-
dwindling hope, now finds that hope answered. Turning, over and again,
to the name, the figure, the recollection of Jesus, even when it can only
seem abstract and remote, issues at last in knowing with utter clarity that
it is still he who calls us into our unique identity. It is in turning, metanoia
or conversion (or re-conversion) that we find Jesus and are found by him.
Thus Mary finds a new future and a new hope.

Easter 2017 greets an uncertain and fearful European continent. The


achievements of the post-war decades are being radically questioned.
The story of smooth progress towards an ever-more prosperous, liberal
and globalised future is being angrily protested against. Yet we dont
know what could replace it. The European Commission has published a
White Paper that offers five very different scenarios, and both Protestant
and Catholic Churches are holding conferences on The Future of
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Europe. There is, as yet, little in the way of genuinely convincing and
inspiring ways forward. We feel ourselves to be in a kind of Holy
Saturday, with old hopes having gone and a new vision yet to crystallise.

If that is our situation, we can take courage from Jeremiah, who assures
his readers of a future and a hope that lie, not in the immediate present,
but on the other side of exile. For Christians, faith is the assurance of
things hoped for and the conviction of things not yet seen (Hebrews
11:1). And so, in the purposes of God, Easter bursts upon us in
unexpected ways with the promise of a future that we cannot yet specify.

Whatever the vagaries of human history, the seasons of the natural world
are a tangible reminder of the faithfulness of God. Each year, the flowers
grow and the trees blossom. As I write this, my daffodils are just starting
to show the first yellow of Spring. I am reminded that amidst the sad
Lamentations of Jeremiah (which are traditionally read on Good Friday),
the prophet can nonetheless declare: The Lords compassions never
fail, they are new every morning: Great is your faithfulness!

In closing, I want to thank all our clergy and lay people who will be
involved in the preparation and conduct of worship for Holy Week and
Easter. I wish insight and skill especially to those who will be
endeavouring to communicate the Easter message in ways that will
connect with regular churchgoers and visitors alike. I hope and pray that
people will turn to meet the risen Lord in the welcome and worship we
offer.

I wish you all a blessed and joyful Easter.

+Robert Gibraltar in Europe


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Some words from St Johns Gospel;

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his
Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its Saviour. [John Chapter 3 verses
16-17]

The Good News of the Gospel. The Gospel is as St Paul says in Romans 1:16,
the power of God for salvation. To understand Pauls meaning, we may use
another term. Paul speaks in Acts [20:24] of the gospel of the grace of God.
What is this grace. Grace is not a thing a heavenly gas, a pseudo-substance,
which can be passed to and fro or pumped down pipelines. The word grace id
a shorthand way of speaking about God himself, the God who loves totally and
unconditionally, whose love overflows in self giving in creation, in redemption,
in rooting out evil and sin and death from his world. [Tom Wright] Pauls gospel
reveals God is all grace, all love.

In Passiontide, Holy Week and Easter we are invited to look anew at the
meaning of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the
demonstration of Gods grace.

What has all this to say about the meaning of our lives today? As this article
is written the terrorist attack in London has just happened. In Africa men,
women and children are dying of hunger. It is a famine partly brought about
by war. Many of the victims are innocent bystanders.

What has the gospel of grace to say about all this?


It is revealed in the message of Easter.

Easter is an invitation to face the darkness to stare into the empty tomb where
death is supposed to be an end. The resurrection does not deny the power of
destruction or evil. The resurrection looks it in the eye and goes beyond it to
a new life. Easter surprises us with the whispered hint that there is more to life
than death and there is more to death than destruction.

Fr. Ian Rutherford CMP


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Letter from Bishop Mario Grech to Fr Simon.


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GOING INTO DETAILS:

Bishop Knights Crozier Part 2:

Bishop Knight and the Corpus Connection

We know that we have Bishop Knights Crozier in our possession but who exactly was
this man? His complete name was Henry Joseph Corbett Knight. He was born on 22nd
June 1859 in a poor clerical family, the son of the Rev. John Lister Knight. In 1911 he
became the 6th Bishop of Gibraltar and remained in this position until 1920 when he died
in Hitchin (Hertfordshire) at the age of 61.

He is physically described as an ascetic and cadaverous in appearance. In fact according


to Patrick Bury, a fellow and Warden at Leckhampton, the undergraduates had
nicknamed him Lazarus.

According to Geoffrey Rowell, while the young 19 year old was at St. Catherine , he led
the austere life of a model reading man. He slept in an attic on the Library staircase,
without a fire except in the coldest weather; and nothing ever kept him for an hour from
his allotted time of daily reading.

But where do the paths of Bishop Knight and Corpus Christi cross? It was after becoming
Rector of Marnhull and Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of Salisbury that Henry Joseph
Corbett Knight returned to Cambridge as a Fellow of Corpus Christi (thus the Knight-
Corpus connection} where he remained until his elevation to the Episcopate.

(to be continued. Part 3 - Omar Ramsden and Alwyn Carr: The Silversmiths)

_______

Additional reading of possible interest

The Diocese of Gibraltar: a sketch of its history, work and tasks ... With map and
illustrations Unknown Binding 1917 by Henry Joseph Corbett Knight

The Temptation of Our Lord; considered as related to the ministry and as a revelation of
His person by Henry Joseph Corbett Knight
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This is a free 89 page e-book which I acquired from


the Biblical Archeology Society and which I would
like to share with members of the congregation who
might be interested in archaeology in general or
specifically in biblical archaeology.

The Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) was founded in 1974 as a nonprofit,


nondenominational, educational organization dedicated to the dissemination
of information about archaeology in the Bible lands.

If you would like for me to forward it to you, just send me an e-mail at


maryjdeg@gmail.com

Table of Contents
Introduction
How Jewish Was Jesus Galilee? by Mark A. Chancey
Ports of Galilee: Modern drought reveals harbors from Jesus time by Mendel
Nun
Why Jesus Went Back to Galilee by Jerome Murphy-OConnor
Jesus Baptism: Three Views
Did Jesus Replace John the Baptist?
The Galilee Boat2,000-Year-Old Hull Recovered Intact by Shelley
Wachsmann
Dating the Pottery from the Galilee Boat Excavation by David Adan-Bayewitz
How Old Is the Galilee Boat? by Israel Carmi
Synagogue Where Jesus Preached Found at Capernaum by James F. Strange
and Hershel Shanks
Has the House Where Jesus Stayed in Capernaum Been Found?: Italian
archaeologists believe they have uncovered St. Peters home by James F.
Strange and Hershel Shanks
How to Read the Plans
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CORRIE TEN BOOM ( 1892 to 1985 )

'The Hiding Place' is a shocking story of what had happened to Corrie ten
boom and her family when they had sheltered Jews during WWII in their
native Holland. Stories of the concentration camps and what happened
in them had slowly penetrated into ordinary society by the 70's. Corrie's
book, published in 1971, did not dwell on the horrors, but they were real
enough. Her story was about the day to day walk with Christ that she
and particularly her sister experienced in these brutal work camps and
flea-ridden overcrowded dormitories. With their miraculously
preserved Bible they managed to share faith and encouragement with
their fellow prisoners. Betsy died there from disease and
exhaustion. Later Corrie was released. She was 52. After the War and
her convalescence Corrie was called by God to a ministry of forgiveness
and reconciliation. She travelled within Holland and Germany and then
tramped the world with the message.

Romkje Fountain, as a young woman, was Corrie's secretary. She gives


presentations about Corrie and the lessons she has learned from
her about forgiveness and trust in God through difficult times. She has
been invited to speak to us in Malta.

The venues are: the Evangelical Baptist Church, 227 Kungress


Ewkaristiku, Mosta on Palm Sunday, April 9th at 7.30.
Contact 99321321 or m2m@activebox.net;

Tuesday, 11th April, 11 a.m. Manresa Retreat House , Gozo. Lunch


available for 17.50. Please inform by April 7th.
Contact elizianmalta@gmail.com or pilgrimpugh@hotmail.com:

6.30 p.m. at St Andrew's Church, South St, Valletta.


Contact kim.hurst@methodist.org.uk.

Elizabeth Lochhead
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More Words of Wisdom!

Old age and a life on my own brings many opportunities - perhaps too
many to lie as the poet did in vacant or in pensive mood. Its not of
daffodils by the lakeside that my thoughts wander, but to the early years
of my life, with my family in England.

Each Saturday I would be given my precious pocket money of sixpence,


with the kindly advice to save it, as many a mickle makes a muckle.
Temptation was too great, however, and I never managed a muckle!
These days I look at the money in the large glass bottle in the undercroft
where we save coins to save our church, They seem to grow, but never
enough! The muckle does get counted though and I pity the kindly
volunteer who has to count and carry all that money to the bank!

What joy when I started work and received my first salary, Money to
spend! By the end of the month though, it was time to draw in my horns
as my wise old mother used to advise! Even today, I gaze at the array of
colourful potted plants that the little shop at the end of my road has on
display outside, and I have to say to myself time to draw in your horns,
Margaret!

Over the happenings, the ups and downs of my


life, the words come back into my mind Never
believe anything of what you hear and only
believe half of what you see. My mothers
wisdom can still be of help today!

Margaret de Maria

Editors Word
Dear Readers, I have several articles that have been submitted and not
included, I apologise if yours is one. Rest assured that I will publish them
at the first opportunity.
Aileen
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Services and Liturgical Dates for April


Saturday 01 Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, Teacher of the Faith, 1872

Sunday 02 The Fifth Sunday of Lent


Holy Trinity 09:30 Sung Mass
Pro-Cathedral 11:00 Sung Mass

Monday 03 Pro-Cathedral 11:00 Mass

Wednesday 05 Gozo 11:00 Mass

Friday 07 Holy Trinity 09:30 Mass

Sunday 09 Palm Sunday


Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran Pastor, Martyr, 1945
Holy Trinity 09:30 Sung Mass
Pro-Cathedral 11:00 Sung Mass

Monday 10 William Law, Priest, Spiritual Writer,1761


Pro-Cathedral 11:00 Mass

Tuesday 11 George Augustus Selwyn, first Bishop of New Zealand, 1878

Wednesday 12 Gozo 11:00 Mass

Friday 14 Holy Trinity 09:30 Mass

Sunday 16 Easter Day


Isabella Gilmore, Deaconess, 1923
Holy Trinity 09:30 Sung Mass
Pro-Cathedral 11:00 Sung Mass

Monday 17 Pro-Cathedral 11:00 Mass

Wednesday 19 Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr,1012


Gozo 11:00 Mass

Friday 21 Anselm, Abbot of Le Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury, Teacher of the


Faith,1109
Holy Trinity 09:30 Mass
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Sunday 23 The Second Sunday of Easter


George, Martyr, Patron of England, c.304
150th Anniversary Celebration of Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity 11:00 Sung Mass

Monday 24 Mellitus, Bishop of London, first Bishop at St Pauls, 624


Pro-Cathedral 11:00 Mass

Tuesday 25 Mark the Evangelist

Wednesday 26 Gozo 11:00 Mass

Thursday 27 Christina Rossetti, Poet, 1894

Friday 28 Peter Chanel, Missionary in the South Pacific, Martyr, 1841


Holy Trinity 09:30 Mass

Saturday 29 Catherine of Siena, Teacher of the Faith,1380

Sunday 30 The Third Sunday of Easter


Pandita Mary Ramabai, Translator of the Scriptures, 1922
Holy Trinity 09:30 Sung Mass
Pro-Cathedral 11:00 Sung Mass
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The Journey (of a Lifetime) through Africa. Chris Linskill.

The Return.

Chapter 1.

Our return route would indeed be different, passing


through different tribes and countries. We did not
know if we would encounter easier driving conditions,
or even worse ones, nor did we know what sort of
roadside incidents we would meet.

On the way in (in Niger) we had rescued two


policemen who had overturned their brand new
Range Rover when one wheel had hit a small concrete
frontier post. I suppose this was the frontier they
were patrolling. They had been sitting under a tree for
3 days till we happened to arrive and took them to
their base, no doubt for rather disagreeable explanations!

In the Chad desert we had supplied a French couple with more petrol that they
needed, and urgently advised a wheel repair at the next garage, still some
distance away.

In the Congo we had visited a cheerful village dance, and on crossing the
Equator had celebrated with some fellow travellers and locals, as tradition
demands. Such had been the incidents of the journey to Uganda by this route,
but we could not guess what awaited us on our different route home.

We would also be passing from countries where Christianity is only about two
centuries old, to some, like Ethiopia and Egypt, where the Church dates back to
the first century AD. (Mark the Evangelist was Bishop of Alexandria, and
vigorous evangelisation spread from there, and continued to do so for
centuries.)

Moving through Kenya we found it, on the whole, the leader of East Africa in
agriculture, commerce, and improvement of communication. Many miles of
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roads were properly levelled and drained, even if years would probably go by
before they were surfaced with tarmac.

On the way in we had visited a friend from our home church of Saint Matthew's,
Sheffield, who was a teacher in Homa Bay,on the shores of Lake Victoria. He
had a neat bungalow with a garden, and the town was pleasant and quite
developed. (Now having about 8 hotels!) Clearly Kenya was moving on, despite
its very large and non too prosperous population of many different tribes.

We began our move northwards after buying supplies and carrying out some
routine vehicle maintenance. We were soon at Lake Nakuru, admiring the
1,000s of pink flamingos feeding in the lake. The next day we passed the famous
Thompson's Falls, a cascade of 200 feet, which is most impressive. The
countryside was rapidly becoming mountainous, with the peak of Mount
Kenya(5,199m.), (17,000 feet), rising above the bamboo forests.

We drove as high as tracks allowed up the mountain and parked the Landrover
and continued to climb on foot as high as we could to get the best possible
view of the summit. We estimated we had reached about 13,000 feet, but saw
it was clear a full ascent was a lengthy and difficult endeavour and would have
needed specialized climbing equipment.

We spent the night on the mountain,and awoke to find the landscape covered
in frost! The engine would not start, so we coasted downhill till it did!

Leaving Nanyuki for Isiolo I found a rather bad haircut, but also found I could
buy Spanish wine in the town. Now we were heading into the more arid region
of northern Kenya, the Marsabit desert. I think the spruce and neat town of
Marsabit was largely due to various missions, long established there.

The desertic region stretched up to Moyale on the Ethiopian border. Trees were
few, but I did see the only elephant on the whole trip eating from one!

We passed the frontier posts routinely, which were well organised,and started
up the not very well organised Ethiopian roads!
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The monthly Mothers Union meeting was


held at the PBH on Monday 20th March.
Faith in action is the theme for the Mothers
Union this year. To highlight some examples of faith in action by women the
works of the following were briefly reflected upon.
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) A pioneer of modern nursing, she became
famous during the Crimean War for highlighting the appalling conditions,
including poor sanitation and hygiene, in which wounded soldiers were
treated.
Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845) This prominent Quaker was horrified by the
conditions for women and children in Newgate Prison and campaigned for
more humane treatment of prisoners, as well as starting a society where
volunteers visited the poor to provide help and comfort
Catherine Booth (1829-1890) With her husband, she demonstrated her
Christian faith by offering practical support to people in need on the streets in
Britain, founding the Salvation Army in 1865.
Gladys Aylward (1902-1970) A working class Londoner, who started life as a
housemaid, she became a missionary in China, renowned for leading over a
hundred Chinese orphans to safety.
Josephine Butler (1828-1906) An outspoken social reformer, she established
houses of rest to help prostitutes rebuild their lives and campaigned against
child prostitution and human trafficking, as well as being a prominent exponent
of equal education rights for women.
Edith Cavell (1865-1915) A qualified nurse, she saved the lives of soldiers from
both sides in the First World War and helped 200 Allied soldiers escape from
German-occupied Belgium, for which she was arrested, tried for treason and
sentenced to death.
Mary Sumner (1828-1921) She identified the need for women to be supported
in their role as mothers and from small beginnings in the parish of Old
Alresford, founded Mothers Union which has grown into a worldwide Christian
organisation.
Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) Along with members of her family, she helped
many Jewish people escape the Nazi holocaust in the Netherlands during the
Second World War and was imprisoned for her actions.
Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) Along with members of her family, she helped
many Jewish people escape the Nazi holocaust in the Netherlands during the
second world war and was imprisoned for her actions.
It was sobering to note that many of these issues are still issues today.
See the separate notice about the car boot sale!
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Dates for your Diary


Upcoming Cathedral events
15 April 2017 Holy Saturday Summer Field School Choir
07 May 2017 EU Christian Forum
09 May 2017 EU Christian Forum 18.00 Choral recital by Capella
Sanctae Catherinea
Holy Trinity
Spring Fayre,
Saturday 8th April in Bishops House
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We will be doing a car boot sale on Sunday 7th May


.Any items of suitable bric- a- brac are requested for the stall and be given to any
member or call Susan on 79074152

Gozo News

It has been another quiet month on Gozo. We celebrated Shrove Tuesday late in
February with a well-attended pancake lunch and seven of us are attending the Lent
course which is being ably led by Susan Warner. We are meeting in a different home
each week where we do the study and then share a simple meal. We are finding Meg
Warner's book "Abraham" thought provoking, engendering some interesting
discussions.
Mothering Sunday (on a Wednesday) was celebrated during the Mother's Union
Corporate Communion and our thanks go to Val Turner for the beautiful freesia posies
we all received. We are looking forward to Holy Week and our Easter services and all
the Easter processions in the villages on Gozo.
We were pleased to make a contribution of 500 to the English-speaking Catholics, who
also use the Seminary Chapel, towards buying two new air conditioners. We are ever
grateful that we are able to hold our Wednesday services there.

Judith Pugh, Churchwarden

Pancake Day

Shrove Tuesday we had a pancake fest at Bishops


House. We ate our fill of pancakes ably prepared by
Dagmar and served be John.

More than 80 pancakes were freshly cooked to order


and the last as tasty as the first. Washed down with
wine, tea and coffee.

We all had a great time and raised 160.00 for Chaplaincy Funds.

Big thanks to Dagmar and John I am looking forward to next year already!
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Chancellor of St Pauls Pro Cathedral

The Reverend Canon Simon Godfrey, SSC


The Lodge, Independence Square, Valletta VLT1535
21225714 79913561 Anglican@onvol.net
Chaplain based at Holy Trinity Church
Vacant
Reader
Vacant
St Pauls Pro-Cathedral
Chaplaincy Warden Mr Clive Bennington 2133 6769
Churchwarden Mrs Bernice Caruana 2147 0630
Organist Dr Hugo Agius Muscat 2141 1995
Sec. Friends of St Pauls Mr Simon Walker 2141 5887
Holy Trinity Church
Chaplaincy Warden Mrs Maureen Fava 7921 0116
Churchwarden Mrs Ursula Smith 9926 3572
Organist Mr Tony Camilleri 2180 2096
Sec. Friends of HT Mrs Mary De Gruttola 9921 0620
Our Lady of St George, Gozo
Chaplaincy Warden *Mrs Judith Pugh 7986 6367
Archdeaconry Representatives marked * and including Mrs Judith Buttigieg and Ms Kyoko Zhang
Chaplaincy Council:
Vice Chairman Mr Clive Bennington 2133 6769
Hon. Secretary Mr Paul Tillbrook* 9906 5616
Hon. Treasurer Mr Dean Bucknell 9980 7653
Electoral Role Officer Mrs Aileen Grech 7904 8509
Safeguarding Officer Mrs Margaret Weaver 2138 1773
Magazine Editor Mrs Aileen Grech 7904 8509

Disclaimer: The opinions and views of expressed in this magazine


are not necessarily those of the chaplaincy

Picture front cover: CLIPARTFEST

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