In this part of the world where there are few priests and with the permission of her bishop, Cira has baptized more than 1,300 children and adults. That the Catholic Church has a presence and can accompany people in these communities is largely due to the efforts of women like Ciria who have braved all manner of weather to travel by boat or to set up camp sites in communities where they travel along dirt roads by auto.
Category: Blog
They’re servant leaders, serving the purposes of Christ and serving God’s people by roping them in to the task at hand. Sometimes that means challenging the church quite forcefully. Sometimes the temple needs to be cleared.
IT WILL be the work of a moment for your diary to get filled up. Protect the essentials at all costs: time for God; time for your family; and time for your ongoing training. You may now look different in your clerical collar, but, to your family, you are still husband or wife, Mum or Dad.
May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
“Our deepest call from our creator, and from our teacher and friend Jesus, is to be with suffering and be with people who are marginalized. There’s some wonderful mystery in that, around encountering the divine there.”
These stunning photos were of images taken by the Webb Telescope. What completely caught me by surprise was how deeply spiritual this experience was. Every time I closed my eyes one of the images danced across my vision and over that weekend, I spent quite a bit of time immersed in the immensity of the presence of God they opened me to. Reflecting on those images resulted in a new spiritual practice for me that I wanted to share with you.
It must be clearly stated that Deacons, while being communicant members of congregations, having a liturgical ministry and dovetailing with the work of presbyters, are primarily a task force at the disposal of the Bishop, for work, most of which is out in the world. They have their proper place in a diocesan rather than a congregational strategy of mission. They are a pioneer corps rather than auxiliaries to share the load of existing intra-congregational ministries
It is very important to describe the role of Distinctive Deacons in terms of what they are and what they do: and not in terms of ‘status’ or what they can’t do.
Let me be to You, as a brush is to a painter, worthless without You, but capable of transforming the human heart by the power of Your mercy.
“Every survivor of modern slavery has a different story but we have found they are usually super keen to work and get involved and be part of the community. They love being part of a team and particularly appreciate learning to bake, one-to-one with our volunteers. The café is a caring and nurturing environment and I think that makes a difference to the survivors.”
CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons 