Ricky – Page 27

A snowy Sunday and Monday in Prague and Dresden

On Sunday 17^th January 2016, I conducted worship in two different countries, something I shall now be doing quite regularly in 2016 on the third Sunday of each month. At 11.00, I celebrated the Eucharist and preached at St Clement’s Anglican Church in Prague. Then at 18.00, I led a service of Evening Prayer in the Frauenkirche, Dresden.

St Clement's Church, Prague in the snow © Ricky Yates — St Clement’s Church, Prague in the snow © Ricky Yates

Over the weekend, we had a further serious snowfall, so this was the scene that greeted me as I arrived outside St. Clement’s, waiting for our host Czech Protestant congregation to finish their service. It was still snowing when I took the photograph.

From the second week in January, through to around the second or third week of March, Prague enters what I always refer to as the ‘non-tourist season’. It is the time when you can walk around some of the popular historic sights in Prague, without being run over by hordes of visiting tourists. However, tourists are a great boon to us as a Church as, on most Sundays, the congregation is boosted numerically by visitors. Some of them also contribute quite generously to the collection. But for the second Sunday running, we had no visitors at all in the congregation – I knew everybody by name. Clearly we are in the ‘non-tourist season’!

We were therefore, a slightly smaller congregation than usual, with the weather and winter ailments, preventing some people from attending. But nearly all those who did come were very un-Anglican – they sat together in the front pews! Being regulars, they knew where the limited under-pew heating is most effective 🙂

After warming up at Coffee Hour and enjoying post-service refreshments in the hall across the street in Klimentska 18, I then headed off on a short three-stop tram journey to Praha hlavní nádraží (Praha hl.n.) – Prague main railway station, in the company of my friend and ministerial colleague, Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz. I had invited Karen to be the preacher at the January English-language Anglican Evening Prayer service in the Frauenkirche, in advance of her leaving Prague in the next few months.

Upon arrival at Praha hl.n., I immediately checked the departures board, to see whether the platform number for our train to Dresden Haupbahnhof (Dresden Hbf), was displayed. Unfortunately there was no platform number but instead, a note that departure would be delayed by thirty minutes. The train was coming from Budapest and presumably had experienced problems with the adverse weather conditions en-route.

Sitting on the station concourse, constantly scanning the departures board, I increasingly began to panic that we wouldn’t make it to the Frauenkirche on time. Finally, we were summoned to platform six, and the train that was meant to set out at 14.27, departed just after 15.00. Fortunately, there were no further delays between Praha hl.n. and Dresden Hbf. Instead, we actually made up nearly ten minutes of the delay. Following a three-stop tram journey and then a five minute walk, we safely arrived at the Frauenkirche, just after 17.30.

I knew from reading the Frauenkirche website, that between Monday 11th – Saturday 16 January, the Church had been completely shut down, to allow a variety of repair and maintenance tasks to be carried out, as well as a very thorough cleaning of the interior. Apparently, this happens every year, during a quiet week in January. Having been admitted by the verger, I immediately smelt the wood stain with which the wooden floor under pews, had been treated. Sitting on the dais for the service, I noticed how bright and sparkling the rededos was, behind the altar 🙂

I had been told back in July, that numbers attending the Anglican service in winter, could be quite low, around 35-40, for exactly the same reason as in Prague – it being the ‘non-tourist season’! But when I did a rough head count, during a musical interlude within the service, I arrived at a total of just over sixty. They looked somewhat scattered, but then the main body of the Church will seat in excess of three hundred people. It made me realise that my figure of around one hundred attending the service last September, may well have been an underestimate.

With Rev'd Dr Karen Moritz in the Frauenkirche © Ricky Yates — With Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz in the Frauenkirche © Ricky Yates

I have to say that I felt a lot less nervous leading the service last Sunday evening, than I did on my first outing last September. I really felt I had begun to build a bit of a rapport with some of the regular attendees. It was also a pleasure to hear Karen preach as she spoke about ‘The Foolishness of the Cross’, based on the Biblical text from 1 Corinthians 1. 18-31. We posed for this picture, under the pulpit, following the end of the service.

With members of the congregation in the neighbouring Bierstube © Gary Hohenstein — With Karen Moritz and members of the congregation in the neighbouring Bierstube © Gary Hohenstein

After getting dis-robed, Karen and I accepted an invitation to join a few of the congregation for a drink in a nearby Bierstube, the Augustiner an der Frauenkirche I ordered ein großes Bier, assuming I would get a 0.5l glass, in contrast to ein kleines Bier, a 0.3l glass. Much to everyone’s amusement, what arrived was ein sehr großes Bier, a one litre glass 😀 Evidence in this photograph.

The Lutheran Parish Church of St John, Bad Schandau © Ricky Yates

After staying overnight in Hotel Martha, I had hoped to get some photographs of snowy Dresden in daylight, especially as the sky cleared and the sun came out as we were finishing our breakfast. But catching the correct trams to get back to Dresden Hbf in time for our train back to Prague, took greater priority. However, we were treated to some spectacular views on our train journey home, which I was able to capture.

Soon after leaving Dresden, the railway line follows the valley of the River Elbe as it cuts through an area of sandstone mountains known as the Sächsische Schweiz – Saxon Switzerland. The mountains form the natural border between Germany and the Czech Republic. On the Czech side, the mountains are known as the Ceské Švýcarsko – Czech or Bohemian Switzerland. The name for the area was created by two Swiss artists, appointed to the Dresden Academy of Art in the second half of the eighteenth century. They believed the area to be very similar to their homeland in the Jura region of Switzerland.

Just after passing through the spa town of Bad Schandau, the train came to an unscheduled halt, which allowed me to get this photograph of the Lutheran Parish Church of St John, Bad Schandau.

When we did continue, once a long freight train had passed by in the other direction, we moved very slowly onto the other track, to pass a broken down freight train blocking our track. This is what enabled me to take the following three photographs. Whilst this caused us to be fifteen minutes late getting back to Prague, on this occasion, I wasn’t complaining 🙂

Snow-covered field by the River Elbe © Ricky Yates — Snow-covered fields by the River Elbe © Ricky Yates

Sächsische Schweiz and the River Elbe © Ricky Yates

Seeing this area, covered with snow and glistening in sun, has made me add Sächsische Schweiz and Ceské Švýcarsko to my ever-lengthening bucket list of places I would like to visit and explore.

Winter has come to Prague

The 'Carly' in the snow © Ricky Yates — The ‘Carly’ in the snow © Ricky Yates

With arrival of the New Year has also arrived some serious winter weather. We have had snow – plenty of it, and it is still snowing this evening as I write. The last time we saw snow like this was three years ago in early 2013.

Since the winter 2012-2013, we have had two very mild ones. The winter of 2013-2014 was particularly mild with many Czech ski resorts suffering because a lack of snow and warm temperatures. Last winter was a few degrees colder, but here in Prague, we really only had some snow showers and any snow that did settle, soon melted. But the weather of the past few days has been much more reminiscent of our first five winters in Prague, since moving here in September 2008.

The first snow started falling during the last hour of 2015. It was quite magical to be standing outside with some dog owning neighbours that we have got to know, drinking Bohemia Sekt, celebrating the arrival of the New Year, with fireworks going off and snowflakes falling.

That first snowfall soon melted the next day. But over weekend that followed, temperatures rapidly dropped. Driving into Church for our Eucharist on the morning of Sunday 3^rd January, the thermometer in my car gave the temperature as being -4°C. For the first time this winter, I wore my fleece under my cassock-alb, whilst officiating at St. Clement’s 🙂 Then when driving over the Vysocina to Brno in the afternoon, the temperature registered as being -8°C and there was some lying snow on the eastern side of the highlands, and in Brno itself.

The serious snow we now have in Prague, started falling around lunchtime on Monday 4^th January. From time-to-time it has stopped snowing for a few hours, but then resumed. And whilst it isn’t now as cold as on Sunday night, the temperature is yet to really get above 0°C.

The weather forecast is that it will finally stop snowing later this evening with the promise of temperatures rising to just above freezing point in the next few days. So for how long we will have lying snow now, is debatable. But it does seem that for the first time in three years, we are going to have a proper Central European winter.

Two Ecumenical events from November 2015

November 2015 was quite an ecumenical month. Not only did I sit through a nearly two hour meeting in Dresden, conducted predominantly in German and attended by various German Protestant ministers and theologians, I also attended two important services in Prague, conducted in Czech.

On 21^st November, I was an ecumenical guest of the Ceskobratrská církev evangelická/Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren – the main Czech Protestant Church. The service was to bid farewell to the Moderator and Synodal Council of the Church for the past six years, and to welcome and formally install their successors who had been elected a few months previously. The service was held in Salvátor Church in central Prague which is effectively the ‘Protestant Cathedral’.

Whilst the whole two-and-a-half hour service was in Czech, because of having guests from other countries, there was a simultaneous translation service offered in English and German for parts of the it and I was also given a printed translation into English, of the new Moderator’s sermon. There were inevitably one or two rather ‘interesting’ interpretations. The most notable was when the new Synodal Council members, were asked a series of questions to each of which they had to answer, affirming their commitment to their new roles. But what should have been ‘I commit myself’, was interpreted as ‘I oblige myself’!

One very nice bonus arising from this event was that most international guests attending the service, were in Prague for the whole weekend and were therefore looking for somewhere to worship on Sunday morning. So my good friend Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz, brought several fluent English-speakings guests, to our 11.00 Eucharist the next day.

Monika, Petra & Martin with Bishop Dušan following the Ordination Service © Ricky Yates

The following Saturday morning, 28^th November, I attended a Eucharist held in the Old Catholic Cathedral of Sv Vavrince on Petrín Hill, Prague, during which Bishop Dušan Hejbal ordained three new deacons – including two women! From left to right they are, Monika Johanka Mádlová, Petra Baslová & Martin Kovác.

Whilst the whole service was in Czech, I am now quite familiar with the Old Catholic liturgy, not least because it is quite similar to ours, and so was able to join in fairly well. And like us, the Old Catholics stand to sing their hymns, unlike the Czech Protestants who do so sitting, something I always find very strange.

With Martin following his ordination as deacon © Ricky Yates

Following the ordination service, I posed for this photograph with Martin. He is Slovak but has done his academic studies in Prague and is also a fluent English-speaker. So I may well invite Martin to ‘deacon’ at St Clement’s on one Sunday in 2016.

All those things in the second half of 2015 that got missed

Before 2015 comes to an end, I want to try and write, at least briefly, about all those things that happened in the second half of this year, but which never got the blog post they deserved – a combination of my own ill health and the excessive heat we experienced during the summer months. It will take two posts, so here is the first. And the second has now been written and published.

July

Newly renovated statue of Jan Hus in Staromestské námestí/Old Town Square, Prague © Ricky Yates

Monday 6^th July marked the 600^th anniversary of Jan Hus, the early Czech Church reformer, being burnt at the stake in Konstanz on 6^th July 1415. As I have previously explained, during the past two hundred years, Czech people have tended to celebrate Hus as a political and cultural hero. His opposition to church control by the Vatican gave strength to those who opposed control of Czech lands by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He preached and wrote in the Czech – language is the main factor in Czech national identity. Even the Communist regime tried to claim Hus as a proto-communist!

Joel Ruml, Moderator of the Evangelical Church of Czech Bretheren speaking at the Ecumenical Service © Ricky Yates — Joel Ruml, Moderator of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren speaking at the Ecumenical Service © Ricky Yates

The sermon being given in a debate format by Bishop Dušan Hejbal of the Old Catholic Church & Romana Cunderlíková of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren © Ricky Yates

Therefore it was pleasing to see the main non-Roman Catholic Churches take the lead in organising events in Prague over a long weekend 4^th – 6^thJuly, to mark the 600^th anniversary of Hus’s martyrdom. They took place on two stages erected either side of the newly renovated statue of Hus in Old Town Square, culminating in an open air Ecumenical service celebrating the life and teaching of Hus and broadcast live on Czech radio. It was good to see and hear Hus being commemorated for who he really was, with his spiritual legacy being reclaimed and proclaimed.

Cardinal Vlk bringing a personal message from Papa František/ Pope Francis © Ricky Yates

The other pleasing aspect were the efforts made by the Roman Catholic Church, to finally acknowledge their own history and responsibility for the death of Hus. Cardinal Vlk, the now retired, but still active, former RC Archbishop of Prague, spoke at the service, bringing a personal message from Papa František/ Pope Francis. At the end of his address there was applause, showing appreciation for the conciliatory nature of the message.

Yours Truly with Very Rev’d John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral © Sybille Yates

On the morning of Friday 10^th July, I attended, along with Lea Williams, the last part of the Fifth Conference of representatives of the Cross of Nails Community in Central and Eastern Europe which was being held in Prague that week. The conference ended with a Festive Service at which the Dean of Coventry Cathedral, Very Rev’d John Witcombe, gave a address on the theme, ’75 Years of Peace Efforts by Coventry Cathedral – Turning enemies into friends’. Following the service, we were all invited to lunch at the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Prague’s dining hall where this photograph was taken.

With the Choir of Little St Mary's, Cambridge, UK © Melissa Guiliano — With the Choir of Little St Mary’s, Cambridge, UK © Melissa Guiliano

On the morning of Sunday 26^th July, we had the pleasure of the Choir of Little St. Mary’s, Cambridge, UK, enhancing our worship at our Sung Eucharist. Like previous visiting choirs, they very much enjoyed the excellent acoustics of the Church building, as well as the splendid organ. During their visit to Prague, they had a group photograph taken in each of the places where they sang. Therefore following worship, the choir posed on the chancel step, along with their travelling supporters, and insisted that I be in the middle of the photograph 🙂

August

The first half of August was dominated by my hospitalisation with a pulmonary embolism, about which I did manage a blog post of explanation. However, I was very pleased to eventually be given clearance by my GP, to spend Tuesday 18^th – Monday 24^th August, walking with Sybille in Germany, from Görlitz to Kamenz, along the first part of Der Ökumenische Pilgerweg. That week has to have its own blog post or posts, even if it isn’t written and published until early 2016.

As I explained in the post about my hospitalisation, one consequence is that I have had to retire from playing cricket. I have therefore donated all of my cricket kit – batting pads and gloves, wicket-keeping pads, gloves & inners, along with my box 🙂 , to the Prague Barbarians Cricket Club, for whom it has been my privilege to play for the past six summers. In turn, Terry the club captain, kindly organised a dinner in my honour to mark my retirement, attended by a number of my playing colleagues.

September

On each of the first two Saturdays of September, I conducted a wedding. In both cases it was British male marrying Czech female.

On Saturday 5^th September, I conducted the wedding of Paul and Michaela, the couple who own and run Sansho, the dégustation restaurant where Sybille and I celebrated our joint birthdays earlier this year. Their wedding took place in the grounds of Trojanuv mlyn, Tiche udoli, a peaceful rural location just within the Prague city boundary. Unlike in England and Wales, outdoor weddings are permissible under Czech marriage law.

Michaela & Paul making their marriage vows to each other © Sybille Yates

From L to R: Aleš, Jana (Michaela's Mum), Paul, Michaela, Yours Truly © Sybille Yates — From L to R: Aleš, Jana (Michaela’s Mum), Paul, Michaela, Yours Truly © Sybille Yates

Using the liturgical texts that I gave her, Michaela had an attractive Order of Service produced, the cover matching their wedding invitations. Michaela’s brother Aleš, kindly helped me with the liturgy, enabling Michaela to make her vows in Czech whilst I helped Paul make his in English. Meanwhile, the very supportive congregation, sat on straw bales, surrounded by trees to witness the ceremony. It does have be said that I heard numerous, ‘It’s about time too’ comments, from friends and family, very pleased that Paul and Michaela had finally tied the knot 🙂

On Saturday 12^th September, I conducted the wedding of Charles and Radka, a couple who I first met at the beginning of 2015, when they started worshipping at St. Clements, having just got engaged. Whilst Charles is a baptised and confirmed Anglican, it was a wonderful to hear Radka profess Christian faith and to baptise her as an adult, during our Easter Day Eucharist earlier this year.

Their wedding took place in Kaple Nalezeni sv Križe, Malé Cicovice, adjacent to the Penzion where they held the reception following their marriage service. Malé Cicovice lies north-west of Prague, not far from Kladno. On this occasion, Renata and Eva, two friends of Radka, helped her make her vows in Czech, whilst I did likewise for Charles in English.

The interior of Kaple Nalezeni sv Križe in advance of the wedding © Ricky Yates	Paperwork ready for signing, including the magic stamp 🙂 © Ricky Yates
The newly married couple with family & friends © Ricky Yates	Kaple Nalezeni sv Križe as seen from Penzion v Polích © Ricky Yates

Whilst we didn’t sing any hymns, I drove Larry Leifeste and his wife Celieta, from Prague to the wedding venue, so Larry could play the ancient chapel organ to provide music before the service, for the entrance of the bride, and for the happy couple leaving at the end of the service. It did make for a most enjoyable occasion, helped by some warm and sunny weather.

Between Thursday 24^th – Sunday 27^th September, I attended the 2015 meeting of the Eastern Archdeaconry Synod, which this year took place in a Roman Catholic conference centre, just outside Zagreb in Croatia. In past years, each Archdeaconry Synod meeting has had its own blog post, but in 2015……

Three highlights from this year’s meeting were:

1) Our long-standing and long-suffering Archdeacon Patrick Curran, formally stepped down as Archdeacon of the East and thus ceased to be ‘venerable’ 🙂 I’ve never seen Patrick so relaxed – he was very much demob happy 🙂 Patrick was presented with an icon of St Cyril & St Methodius by the Chaplaincies of the Archdeaconry, and with a framed map of Europe, together with an ‘interesting’ bottle, by Bishop Robert.

Bishop Robert making a presentation to retiring Archdeacon Patrick Curran © Ricky Yates

Patrick and his wife Lucille with the icon, framed map & 'interesting' bottle © Ricky Yates — Patrick and his wife Lucille with the icon, framed map & ‘interesting’ bottle © Ricky Yates

In his place, we formally welcomed our new ‘free-standing’ Archdeacon, Colin Williams. Colin is now half time Archdeacon of the East, and half time Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe. But unlike Patrick, who remains Chaplain of Christ Church, Vienna and oversees the daughter congregations in Klagenfurt, Ljubljana, Zagreb and Yerevan, Colin has no responsibility for a particular chaplaincy, hence he is deemed ‘free-standing’.

2) During our Sunday morning Eucharist, Janet Berkovic, who brilliantly organised the Zagreb Synod meeting, was licensed as a Reader by Bishop Robert. Janet has led the small Zagreb Anglican congregation for many years, under the long distance guidance of Patrick from Vienna.

Danijel & Janet Berkovic with Bishop Robert © Ricky Yates

Janet, with Bishop Robert & her & my new Archdeacon Colin Williams © Ricky Yates

Three years ago at our Synod meeting in Athens, Jack Noonan was licensed as a Reader to serve the Prague Chaplaincy. It was during that licensing service that the Holy Spirit spoke to Janet saying she should also offer herself to train as a Reader, something Patrick had been suggesting to her for several years. So she is now licensed as ‘Reader-in-charge of Zagreb’, but still under Patrick’s jurisdiction. An additional highlight under the Berkovic heading, is that Janet’s Croatian husband Danijel, a Hebrew scholar, gave us three brilliant expositions of the Psalms, particularly bringing out things that are so easily ‘lost in translation’.

3) On the afternoon of Sunday 27^th September, after a tour of central Zagreb, we were invited to coffee and refreshments at the new headquarters building of the Croatian Roman Catholic Bishops Conference. Here we met the chairman of their ‘Ecumenical Committee’, together with one of their bishops. Whilst our Zagreb Anglican congregation use Roman Catholic premises for their services, the Anglican congregation is not recognised as a ‘Church’ in Croatia – they function as a ‘voluntary organisation’.

Therefore having Bishop Robert with us made quite an impact, most notably when he spoke, with Danijel Berkovic translating. I still remember the look of total surprise on the face of the RC bishop, when Bishop Robert said he was responsible for just over three hundred Anglican congregations scattered across Europe. With only seeing one little congregation of English-speaking Anglicans in Zagreb, they had no idea of the size of the Church of England in continental Europe, let alone the wider Anglican Communion.

Bishop Robert and the Croatian RC Bishop with Janet interpreting © Ricky Yates

Frauenkirche update

Recently, I’ve had various questions and enquiries about my involvement with the regular monthly English-language Anglican Evening Service held in the Frauenkirche, Dresden. So I thought it was time for an update, particularly now I’ve finally finished writing here about our October Polish adventure.

My previous post in early October, explains the background to the regular monthly English-language Anglican Service and how I was asked to take future responsibility for it. One important update to what I wrote then, is that Gustav, the husband of Rev’d Dr Irene Ahrens, who I mentioned as being seriously ill, sadly died on 30^th September 2015, something I didn’t discover until four weeks after the event.

As I mentioned in that post, having led the service and preached on Sunday 20^th September, I wasn’t expecting to be in Dresden again until early December. However, on Thursday 29^th October, I suddenly got an email inviting me to an evening meeting only five days later, to plan all the evening services, including the Anglican ones, for the first four months of 2016. Deciding that it would be best to be there to avoid things being decided on my behalf, I cancelled what I was meant to be doing in Prague, and booked a train ticket.

Therefore on the evening of Tuesday 3^rd November, I sat through a meeting lasting nearly two hours, conducted predominantly in German. I should add that all the other attendees were German Protestant ministers & theologians. Need I say more 🙂 To be fair, I did understand a good deal of what was being said, but struggled to respond in grammatically correct German. Sybille had firmly said that I should go to the meeting alone, as it would improve my German 😀

When an answer was directly required of me, Pastor Sebastian Feydt did always ask me in English. Probably the funniest moment was when he asked in German, ‘Was ist Palmsonntag auf Englisch?’ ‘Palm Sunday’, I responded, and everyone laughed.

The tradition at the Frauenkirche is that the evening services follow a set theme over a series of weeks. The English-language Anglican Services are not regarded as an exception, but rather as part of the agreed theme. Therefore, whilst on the first three Sundays of January 2016, including the Anglican Service on Sunday 17^th January, there is no set theme, from Sunday 24^th January – Sunday 20^th March inclusive, the theme is to be ‘Das Kreuz verbindet’ – ‘The cross connects’ or, ‘We are connected by the cross’.

The idea is that each service will focus on one of the numerous crosses that are within the Frauenkirche. On Sunday 21^st February, I have been specifically asked to preach about the ‘Cross of Nails’ that connects the Frauenkirche with Coventry Cathedral. My theme will be reconciliation and my text 2 Corinthians 5. 18 – ‘All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation’. What a wonderful opportunity but also a great challenge. I will also have the joy of preaching on Palmsonntag Abend – Palm Sunday evening.

'Building bridges, living reconciliation, strengthening faith' © Ricky Yates — ‘Building bridges, living reconciliation, strengthening faith’ © Ricky Yates

I always enjoy my Dresden visits, not least because the Frauenkirche authorities kindly organise and pay for me to stay overnight at the nearby Hotel Martha. On my early November visit, I was particularly struck by this banner displayed outside the Church. For those who cannot read German it says, ‘Building bridges, living reconciliation, strengthening faith’. A pretty good mission statement for any Church!

As explained in my earlier post, when I was next expecting to be in Dresden, was on the evening of Sunday 6^th December. For reasons that I’m still trying to fathom, in December, the English-language Anglican Service gets moved from the third Sunday, to the first Sunday of the month. This causes me problems, as the monthly Brno service is also normally held on the first Sunday evening of each month. This year, I sent my Reader Jack Noonan off to Brno, to conduct their Service of Lessons and Carols, where he promptly had the biggest congregation we’ve had in Brno since beginning services there, four years ago. I obviously need to get him to officiate in Brno more often 🙂

The evening service in Dresden was also one of Lessons & Carols at which my Diocesan Bishop, Rt Rev’d Dr Robert Innes, was the preacher. It was his first visit to Dresden and the Frauenkirche. At the end of the service, just before we gave a great rendition of ‘O come all ye faithful’ and Bishop Robert gave the Blessing, there were two presentations made by Pastor Holger Treutmann.

The first of these was to Rev’d Dr Irene Ahrens, to thank her for her ten years of overseeing the English-language Anglican Service. After she had spoken in reply, it was my turn to be introduced as the new coordinator. As well as welcoming me and thanking me for taking on this task, I was given two gifts which you can see in the title photo of this post.

The book is a beautifully illustrated history of the Frauenkirche from 1726, when building commenced, right through to the consecration of the re-built Church in 2005. Reading it has both improved my knowledge of German Church history, as well as giving me a wonderful insight into the design of the interior and how it illustrates Lutheran theology and ecclesiastical understanding. The circular box contained some most delicious sächsische Schokolade. I love the way the creator of the chocolates is a Schokoladenmanufaktur – all one word 😀

Rev'd Dr Irene Ahrens, young Argentinian couple & Yours Truly © Ricky Yates — Rev’d Dr Irene Ahrens, young Argentinian couple & Yours Truly © Ricky Yates

Following the service, I stood at the Church door with Irene, as we bid farewell to the congregation. I wanted a photo of myself with Irene but in the end, the only reasonably decent photo I got was this one with an Argentinian couple who regularly attend the service and have recently had a baby. The prominent scab on my left cheek is from where I was treated with liquid nitrogen by my dermatologist, four days previously. It has now healed.

Dresden Christmas Markets adjacent to the Frauenkirche © Ricky Yates

After bidding farewell to everybody, Bishop Robert and his wife Helen, together with Irene & I, were all invited to a splendid evening meal, hosted by Pastor Holger Treutmann in the adjacent Coselpalais restaurant. After a much needed good night’s sleep at Hotel Martha, I enjoyed briefly exploring some Christmas market stalls as I made my way to the Hauptbahnhof and my return journey to Prague on Monday morning.

The next English-language Anglican Evening Services in the Frauenkirche will be on 17^th January, 21^st February and 20^th March, all starting at 18.00. The details can also be found in both English and German, on the Frauenkirche website.