By Ricky, on June 3rd, 2012
With Rev'd Dr Karen Moritz on Pentecost Sunday © Ricky Yates
The Feast of Pentecost, (historically known in the UK as ‘Whit Sunday’), marking the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first disciples as described in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, is the third most important festival of the Christian Year. Only Easter and Christmas are seen as being more significant.
Yet in my experience of Christian ministry, most people tend to regard it as being little more than an ordinary Sunday. Therefore this year at St Clement’s, at the helpful suggestion of a few members of the regular congregation, we decided to do a number of different things to try to stress the significance of the festival and make it both memorable and enjoyable at the same time.
Pentecost Sunday is always fifty days after Easter Day and is . . . → Read More: Pentecost in Prague
By Ricky, on April 13th, 2012
My pottery paten and chalice that I use for celebrating the Eucharist in Brno © Ricky Yates
When I was Rector of the Shelswell Group of Parishes in North Oxfordshire, quite frequently on Sundays, I would officiate at three services during the day – and occasionally at four. Certainly on Easter Day, I would always celebrate the Eucharist three times during the morning, in three different Churches, at 08.00, 09.15 and 10.45.
One of the joys of being the Anglican Chaplain in Prague, is normally only having one service to take each Sunday. And because our Ceskobratrské Církve Evangelické host congregation meets for worship at 09.30 each Sunday, our Sung Eucharist cannot begin until 11.00.
However, having held the first ever English-language service of Lessons and Carols in Brno last December, since the New Year, I am now travelling there to officiate . . . → Read More: Easter Day worship in Prague and Brno
By Ricky, on January 26th, 2012
From l. to r; Mgr Joel Ruml, Archbishop Dominik Duka, Bishop Dušan Hejbal leading the Ecumenical Service © Aleš Cejka and used with his permission
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes place each year in the northern hemisphere, between 18th -25th January. On the evening of Monday 23rd January, Sybille and I, along with three other members of the St. Clement’s Anglican congregation, attended the main service held in Prague to mark this important week.
This Ecumenical Service was held in Kostel sv. Vojtecha, a large modern Church attached the Roman Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University. It was led by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Prague, Dominik Duka and the preacher was Mgr. Joel Ruml, the Moderator of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, (by far the largest Protestant Church in the Czech Republic), who is also the Chair of the Czech Ecumenical . . . → Read More: Ecumenical Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
By Ricky, on November 28th, 2011
The Advent Ring in St. Clement’s Church with the first candle lit for Advent Sunday © Ricky Yates
Yesterday was Advent Sunday which marks the beginning of the Church Liturgical Year. Contrary to what the manufacturers of Advent calendars believe, Advent only occasionally begins on 1st December. Instead it begins four Sundays before Christmas Day. With Christmas Day this year falling on a Sunday, (which is every clergyperson’s delight!), it means that this year, Advent begins on the earliest date possible and lasts a full four weeks.
In preparing for worship last week, I was particularly struck by the opening words of the Collect for Advent Sunday, “Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light….”. It is a reminder of one of the great themes of the Advent season – darkness and light, and . . . → Read More: Advent Sunday
By Ricky, on May 22nd, 2011
With Rev’d Dr. Karen Moritz outside St. Clement’s Church on Sunday 1st May 2011 © Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus
In recent months it has been a great privilege to have another lady called Karen join the St. Clement’s congregation. She is not to be confused with Karen the TEFL teacher, who has been the subject of several of my previous blogposts and who now lives in Istanbul, but remains a very regular and faithful commenter here. Nor is she to be confused with Czech/Australian Karen, who helped us with adopting Sam the dog. Nor is she Karin, (note the slightly different spelling), who has also previously worshipped at St. Clement’s, currently lives on the Greek island of Paros and, from time to time, also leaves comments here.
This latest Karen is the Rev’d Dr. Karen Moritz, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). . . . → Read More: Welcome to another Karen
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