From Bishop Robert
Click on this link to access a short order of service that can be used at home whilst the Churches are closed.
We pray for everyone connected with this epidemic, especially the Healthcare workers who are striving to keep this epidemic under control.
Due to the widespread affect of the current Coronovirus outbreak the Liturgies at St. Paul’s are cancelled for the next two weeks -22nd March and 29th March.
This includes the Wednesday Liturgies.
The Annual Meeting due to be held on 29th is postponed until a future date.
ALL CONCERTS booked in St. Paul’s are cancelled until the end of March when we will make an assessment of the situation.
To find out if services are resuming on April 5th please check our website and Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanAthens/
@AthensAnglican
PLEASE NOTE that all CONCERTS at St Paul’s have been cancelled by their Organisers with immediate effect. This is in line with Government Policy.
Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook pages for further information and for details of when the concerts will re-commence. We apologise to everyone for their disappointment and pray that these measures will be effective in helping to eradicate the virus so that we can welcome visitors to St Paul’s once again.
St. Paul’s Anglican Church response to the Coronavirus
At public worship:
We will follow Government directives about any church closures. The Wednesday Liturgy is suspended for the next few weeks anyway.
If St. Paul’s has to close, and no worship can be provided there will always be a weekly sermon posted on the website – in printed form, and where possible, a voice recording. You can access these also on Facebook.
There is a very good ‘Daily Prayer’ app that you could download for free, and you will get Anglican Morning and Evening Prayer provided. It is very simple to use.
At home you might set aside time each day for some quiet reflection and prayer. Keep in touch with the elderly and in particular any known to you who live alone. At present shops that deliver food can stay open.
Pray for one another, and all who are suffering worldwide from this virus – including those whose livelihoods are affected eg. tourism
www.anglicanchurchathens.gr https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanAthens/
@AthensAnglican
The Right Reverend Dr. Robert Innes, Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, known to us as Bishop Robert, arrived in Athens on Tuesday 18th February, accompanied by his wife Helen. On the Tuesday evening they attended a reception at the new Swedish Centre in Plaka hosted by Father Bjorn and subsequently visited Holy Trinity, Corfu and St. Andrew’s, Patras.
In Athens they attended a formal dinner for the leaders of several denominations, scholars and academics. This was hosted by H.E. Kate Smith, British Ambassador to Greece. During the visit Bishop Robert met with His Beatitude Geronomis, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, and presented him with a specially commissioned icon of Father Sofronios of Essex who, as a monk from Mount Athos, travelled to England and founded a monastery there. A visit to Hestia Hellas, the centre for migrants and refugees suffering from trauma which is supported by St. Paul’s, also took place.
Wednesday 12th February saw the inauguration of the new Swedish Centre as the venue for our Community Connect coffee mornings. The address is Sotiris 7, Plaka, beside the lovely little Church of the Metamorphosis and very near to St. Paul’s. The building is traditional in many ways, with sturdy wooden staircases between floors and windows with wooden surrounds overlooking Plaka’s streets. About 50 people were present to catch up with news after the Christmas break, celebrate St. Valentine’s Day and enjoy the Vassilopitta, blessed by Father Leonard. As usual, Anne and her helpers did sterling work, setting up in new surroundings and working out what went where. The atmosphere was cosy and welcoming and we once again felt that we were in a little bit of Sweden.
Dear friends
Through our Facebook and Web pages we’d like to thank you all for the beautiful ornament which you so kindly presented to us on our last day at St Paul’s.
It has been our pleasure and an honour to serve the community and in turn we thank you for the warmth and friendship that has been extended to us. We believe that you will be a hard act to follow as we look for a new Church Community to belong to.
Your statue now has pride of place in our sitting room and will serve as a constant reminder of our time in Athens as well as a tug on our heartstrings to come back to Greece where we have both left a little piece of our hearts.
Please share this with anyone who might not be able to view this as we extend to them and to you all our sincere thanks.
With love from Nigel and Caroline xxx
“It is always very moving to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, there is so much to see and experience and learn together. St Jerome said: ‘Five gospels record the life of Jesus. Four you will find in books and the one you will find in the land they call Holy. Read the fifth gospel and the world of the four will open to you”
Organised by McCabe Pilgrimages, an organisation who has been running these tours for many years, the trip will entail a 6 night stay at the Golden Walls hotel in Jerusalem visiting many Biblical and Historical sights such as The Mt of Olives, Bethlehem, The Via Dolorosa and the Dead Sea.
Thereafter a Three night stay at the Ron BeachHotel by the Sea of Galilee with visits to places associated with Jesus’ early life and ministry.
For more information and full details of the programme please click here
This Sunday’s 10.15 Liturgy will be a Christingle Service and we hope many families will attend. For those who have not attended a Christingle service before here are some details about what it’s all about:
The symbolism of Christingle
Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story:
The orange represents the world
The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Christ
The four cocktail sticks represent the four corners of the earth
The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations,
The lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.
It is traditional at a Christingle Service to bring along a present for underprivileged children and this year we will be collecting new toys for Hestia Hellas.
From traditional to contemporary, there is something for everyone to enjoy at St Paul’s this December.
Our festive Christmas singalong on Sunday 8th December, is a hit with the whole family with songs both old and new and traditional carols being sung all washed down with warm mulled wine and Panetone. Fr Leonard conducting “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is the real highlight of the evening. There will be a 5€ entry charge for those aged 16yrs+ and a retiring collection. Arrive early to obtain a seat!
Our Choral Evensong with the Scola Cantorum takes place on 22nd December and the traditional service of Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve brings a more reflective side to the season.
There will be no Singalong Messiah this year, but save your voices for next December – we’ll be back!
Check out St Paul’s Calendar here for full details of dates and times
