By Ricky, on January 7th, 2015 Prague © Ricky Yates
Since the beginning of this new year, aided by the ‘Forward Planner’ in my new Church Book & Desk Diary 2015, I’ve been looking ahead at what is in store for me and what I want to achieve in the coming year. In the past, I’ve frequently not been the best at forward planning, so with the new year comes a determination to do better.
In particular, I’ve been trying to decide when I can and want to take my annual leave, allowing for Easter and Christmas when I have to be in Prague, weddings at which I have agreed to officiate, and the Eastern Archdeaconry Synod and the ICS Chaplains Conference, at which my attendance is expected. By the end of this week, I want to have something firmly booked and begin organising cover for . . . → Read More: Looking ahead into 2015
By Ricky, on October 3rd, 2014
St. Clement’s Anglican Episcopal Church, Prague © Ricky Yates
As I explained at the end of my post about the 2013 Eastern Archdeaconry Synod, the Prague Anglican Chaplaincy volunteered to host the 2014 Synod meeting. It was held last week between Thursday 25th – Sunday 28th September and I have to say that I’m still recovering from the experience!
In agreeing to host the Synod meeting in Prague, I wanted to overcome two issues. Firstly, long-standing Synod members had told me that when the Synod had last met in Prague, during the time of my predecessor, it had been held in a suburban hotel and attendees had felt rather isolated from the heart of the city. Secondly, when being solely based in a hotel, for example as we were in Izmir in 2009 and Athens in 2012, . . . → Read More: The 2014 Eastern Archdeaconry Synod in Prague
By Ricky, on April 7th, 2014 Rev’d John Barker outside Christ Church, Vienna following his ordination as priest © Ricky Yates
On the evening of Sunday 30th March, I had the privilege of attending and participating in the ordination as priest, of my friend and ministerial colleague, John Barker. The ordination service took place at Christ Church, Vienna and meant that for the first time in my life, I was part of two services, on the same Sunday, in two different countries.
John was originally a licensed Reader in the Diocese of Durham and since his work for the European Commission brought him to continental Europe, he has helped in the Anglican Chaplaincies of Warsaw and Bucharest. I first met John in September 2008, at the Eastern Archdeaconry Synod meeting in Corfu which I attended, a week before moving from Oxfordshire to Prague. At that point, John had just moved from Bucharest to Skopje . . . → Read More: Ordination in Vienna
By Ricky, on January 1st, 2014
Prague Castle from Charles Bridge © Ricky Yates
On the first day of 2014, it seems good to think and write about the year ahead and what it might have in store for Sybille and I, for the Anglican congregations in Prague and Brno that I lead, and for the wider Czech Republic. What follows is what I’m currently contemplating, but as always, God might have other ideas 🙂
New leadership of State and Church
It does appear that, more than two months after elections at the end of October, the Czech Republic will once again, shortly have a properly functioning government which is able to command a majority in the lower house of parliament. It will be a three-party coalition, with Bohuslav Sobotka, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (CSSD), as Prime Minister.
However, one can never be sure, especially as all ministerial . . . → Read More: 2014 – The year ahead
By Ricky, on September 29th, 2013
St. Columba’s House, Woking © Ricky Yates
As I wrote in my previous post, rather than being hosted by one of the Chaplaincies within the Eastern Archdeaconry, our 2013 Synod meeting, took place at St. Columba’s House, a Conference and Retreat Centre in Woking, Surrey, England, between Thursday 19th – Sunday 22nd September. Here is the post about the Synod meeting itself, as promised at the end of my previous rant about the profusion of unnecessary notices.
From my point of view, having the Synod meeting at Woking did mean it was relatively easy to travel to. I flew Prague – London Gatwick and return, using that well-known low cost airline one of my Church Council members has christened ‘SqueezyJet’, leaving Prague at lunchtime on Thursday and arriving back home in the middle of Sunday evening. The flights both ways, departed . . . → Read More: The 2013 Eastern Archdeaconry Synod
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