Chaplaincy of Aquitaine

Latest news

Praising the Lord this winter, enjoying Christian fellowship

Winter here in Aquitaine has been changeable, with snow storms, rain, and glorious sunshine. God's faithful love is unchanging, and we give thanks for being able to gather for worship in so many places, finding hope in the Bible and strength in Christian fellowship.

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Wishing Rev'd Liz a blessed retirement

At the Christmas Carol service at Doudrac on Sunday 18th December, this delightful gathering was also an occasion to present Rev'd Liz Morris with flowers, a card, and cheque for 900 €, with thanks and appreciation for her years of dedication and service as Assistant Chaplain, as she steps down from admin responsibilities into a phase of semi-retirement with her husband Richard. Liz will still be able to officiate services from time to time, here in Aquitaine and elsewhere in the Diocese in Europe. We wish her and Richard many happy adventures ahead!

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Christmas Carols throughout the Chaplaincy

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Harvest Celebrations giving thanks for the Lord's goodness

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4: 4-6)

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Remembering Queen Elizabeth in Aquitaine

Following her death, special Services of Prayer and Reflection were held throughout the Chaplaincy, remembering Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, praying:

Gracious God, we give thanks for the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth, for her faith and her dedication to duty. Bless the world as we mourn her death and may her example continue to inspire us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“...In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also”.

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Wonderful summer concerts at Monteton

On Friday and Saturday 15th and 16th July, we were treated to two wonderful concerts given by The Becket Consort, a professional chamber choir from the UK, led by the Monteton choir leader's elder son George Inscoe, currently an assistant organist at Norwich Cathedral. These talented young singers of The Becket Consort gave of their time and expertise freely, in order to raise funds for our Chaplaincy and its charities and we are supremely grateful to them. Both concerts were well attended by both French and English. Many thanks to all those involved in the events.

 

Félibrée Célébrations in Eymet - 3rd July 2022

The Félibrée, or ‘Fête des Félibres du Périgord’ is the annual celebration of the traditions and language of Occitanie and after two years of waiting, Eymet was finally able to go ahead and host the 101st celebration of this kind. Since 1903, on the first Sunday of July, the Félibrée (felibrejada in Occitan) is celebrated in a chosen town of the Périgord and Eymet was selected as the town for 2020. Unfortunatly the pandemic meant the event had to be put on hold until it could finally take place this summer. The festival atmosphere of the weekend was helped by the glorious weather and the good humour of the many people who came along.

On the Sunday morning of the Félibrée, our Chaplain Tony was invited to take part in the Catholic Mass that was celebrated in the park of the Chateau in the centre of Eymet. Around 300 people attended the Mass that was celebrated, partly in the Occitan language by Abbé Christian Dutreuilh from the cathedral in Périgueux. Tony was asked to read the Gospel (seen in the photo), thankfully in French, which was then also read in Occitan. The invitation to take part in this important event shows the strong ecumenical links between the Chaplaincy, other faith groups and local communities.

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Gatherings to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee

Such joy to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, and join with communities around the world praying and giving thanks for Her Majesty's long reign.

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Pentecost and early summer services

What a blessing to be able to celebrate Pentecost in so many of our churches, and joy to welcome back summer visitors!

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Allelulia, Christ is Risen!

We give thanks for so many glorious Easter services! Beginning at sunrise, several worship services were held throughout the Chaplaincy, to celebrate our Risen Lord, Allelulia!

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Holy Week worship services throughout Aquitaine

We were blessed to be able to gather for worship during Holy Week, including Palm Sunday processions in Monteton and Eymet, Evening Prayers at Bertric Burée, Maundy Thursday Holy Communion in Siorac, Good Friday prayers in Bordeaux...

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Richard Blomley from ICS visits Bordeaux

We were glad to welcome our dear friend from ICS, Richard Blomley, who, with his wife Denise, visited the church in Bordeaux. Saturday the Committee met with Richard and Tony for a meeting at the Presbytery, followed by lunch on the terrace, during which we discussed and planned for the future of mission in Bordeaux. The following day Richard led a Family Communion church service in Talence on Sunday afternoon, featuring a talk that Barry Gardiner gave on "Caring for Creation", with the distribution of insect hotels and packets of seeds, with Tife as his assistant.

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Sunday worship service live stream from Bordeaux

Our church is always ALIVE and now also LIVE! The Chaplaincy is very connected, and the Bordeaux Church is contributing to this by taking the step of going LIVE.

At our home at the Temple in Talence we are blessed with the welcome and support we have received from our Protestant friends. Last year there was an upgrade to some of the facilities including access to the internet, and we were warmly invited to use the new equipment. We are delighted to now be able to live stream our Sunday Services and to our surprise it all works remarkably well!

If you would like to worship on a Sunday afternoon, you would be welcome to join us live (using the links below) on your phone, tablet or computer, it is very easy, come and see!

Click here to visit the Bordeaux Church youtube page for the link to view, and please subscribe!

 

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022

We were blessed to gather for ecumenical services again this year, after so many services last year were cancelled due to the pandemic. The theme was: "We saw a star in the East, and we came to worship him" - "Nous avons vu son astre à l'Orient et nous sommes venus lui rendre hommage" (Matthew 2:2)

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Christmas Carol services throughout Aquitaine - 2021

What joy to gather at many of our churches to tell the story of the birth of Christ through Readings and Carols. We are grateful to all the musicians and choir members, and all who made these events possible.

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