You are invited to join us for our regular worship at any of our weekly services.

For those of you who are able, all our churches are operating Sunday services as normal. Full details of the weekly eucharist can be found at this page – https://costablanca-anglicanchaplaincy.org/churches-and-services-3/.

Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be broadcasting their now regular communion service on Fr. Rodney’s Facebook page. It will be “streamed” live on Sunday at 10am Spanish time (9am BST) and then available all day on Sunday, to join at your leisure. As always both the live broadcast and the recording will be available on the following page – https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940. If you are not ready or not able to join us in one of our churches this is a wonderful way to share our worship.

In all our churches we are committed to abide by the regulations; sanitation, social distancing, mask wearing and personal sanitising on entry. We continue to keep a record of attendees for track and trace purposes if needed.

And remember to tune in to Fr. Marcus for his live Sunday radio programme, between 6pm and 8pm, Spanish time, on Pure Gold FM. You can listen on the radio on 94.1 FM. Or on your computer, tablet or phone join through the listen live button on https://puregold.fm/.

Ascension Day

Good Morning My Friends, and a very happy Feast Day to you all.

I love this old language for the collect for Ascension Day

Grant, we beseech thee, almighty God,
that like as we do believe thy only-begotten Son
​our Lord Jesus Christ
to have ascended into the heavens;
so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend
and with him continually dwell,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Praying that in heart and mind we may ‘thither ascend’ and continually dwell with Christ. It encourages me to think of us reaching up to our full potential, of being bigger or greater than we are, of becoming even more ‘one’ with Christ. It takes me out of myself and away from my ego, and humbly plants my soul in the embrace of the Risen, Ascended and Glorified Christ.
The Gospels tell us that After the ascension the disciples 

‘Worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; ⁵³and they were continually in the temple blessing God. 

From Easter day onwards the disciples not only rejoiced in the presence of the risen Lord, but actually saw him in various places and at different times. The women saw him in the garden, the disciples on the Road to Emmaus found that he walked with them, and they recognised him in the breaking of the bread. Jesus had appeared in the room to the 10 disciples, and a week later to the 11 when Thomas was with them. Jesus shared a meal with them by the Sea of Galilee. He walked and talked with Peter and John, and finally he is with them on the mountain of the ascension.

In a sense the disciples were learning that he was with them wherever they went, and whatever they were doing. But what about everyone else?
Things are about to change.
Jesus enters the cloud, which represents the hidden glory and hidden presence of God, who is unseen, yet forever near. In returning to the Father Jesus leaves their sight, but not their presence.
Matthew’s Gospel this in its final words. ‘And remember I am with you always, to the end of time.’

The change that comes about is at the heart of our faith, and it allows us to explore that intimate relationship that even now we are able to have with Christ. He is not confined to time or space, but made real for us whatever we do and wherever we go,

In the play The Trial of Jesus by John Masefield the wife of Pilate is asked ‘Do you think he is dead?’ to which she replies ‘No lady, I don’t’
‘Then where is he?’

‘Let loose in all the world.’

The Feast of the Ascension is necessary as it bring to a conclusion the earthly ministry of Jesus, and opens the  way for our experience of his constant and abiding presence.

So, our hearts and minds dwell with him wherever he goes.
Soon we wil be celebrating the Feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit which gives power to you and I to Build the Kingdom in this place. It will have extra significance for us this year as we celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the Chaplaincy of the Holy Spirit Costa Blanca. 
Between now and then (23^rd) we will be alongside the disciples as they waited and prayed.
They knew that Jesus had promised something, The Holy Spirit, The Comforter, but at that moment they didn’t really know what to expect.
Sometimes what Jesus sends us, and what we expect are very different things, and there are times when we can’t see God at work, because we are looking for what we expect, and not being open to his grace. So, my Friends, during this coming week may I ask you to take seriously this time of waiting – with hearts and minds open to whatever God has in store for us both as individuals, and for us as a Chaplaincy. The future, by its very nature is a mystery, and our plans only serve to make him laugh. But whatever we think, and wherever we go we know that God is good, that he hears our prayers, and we are truly blessed by his gifts and his grace. I have it on good authority that he has a wonderful future in mind for this Chaplaincy, and that he is especially fond of you. Let us pray that we humble ourselves and do his will.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

As ever,

Fr Marcus

Here is the link to today’s uplifting video from Fr. Marcus, which anticipates tomorrow’s wonderful Feast of the Glorious Ascension. Enjoy. https://youtu.be/utjDwRHXtQA

All about Brexit webinar: Diputación de Alicante & the British Embassy – 20 May 2021

On Thursday 20 May at 10.30 CET the Diputación de Alicante will be running a webinar on Zoom for UK nationals living in Spain who have questions related to Brexit. The webinar will be a chance for you to put your questions to Juan de Dios Navarro, the Diputado de Residentes Internacionales, from the Diputación de Alicante as well as Sarah-Jane Morris, British Consul General and Lorna Geddie, Regional Consular Policy Officer on behalf of the British Embassy. Simultaneous Spanish-English translation will be available throughout the event.

To register for the webinar, please sign up at the following link:

https://diputacionalicante.zoom.us/…/WN_mmc8yA1bTG…

This is an external event being run by the Diputación de Alicante.

Good Morning My Friends,

The sun is shining and that in itself brings joy – but once again we have mixed emotions floating around.

At present Sandra and I should be in the UK with our family, but the flights were cancelled for the 5^th time, and quarantine is still in place, so we are missing them dreadfully.
But we are hearing good things about progress in the UK, and an easing of restrictions there, so that has lifted our spirits. However, Spain is on the Amber list, which means quarantine will still be in place, so slowly slowly.
But then we get conflicting messages here. The state of Alarm came to an end, and there were big celebrations in a number of cities, but I don’t think the end of the state of alarm means that things are OK at all. There is more freedom of movement across boundaries which in turn raises levels of anxiety in those areas where are Covid cases are very low. So, I for one am going to remain cautious and careful.
Having said that my natural disposition is one of hope and joy, and my initial response to everything is that ‘It will be fine!’, and I haven’t lost that, so just to remind you – All shall be well.

Talking about emotions, this whole process has been really hard for everyone. I am conscious that many of the things that we used to take for granted, during which we could have expressed our feelings to loved ones, friends, our priests or indeed strangers, have not been available to us. We have not had the opportunity to ‘Share’ as normal. Plus the constant outpouring of news about Covid cases, talks of Waves and Variants, and Reactions has in itself been enough to bring folk down. Pandemic Blues are a real concern, and we do feel for all who are struggling at this time.
But things are getting better. Capacity for our churches is now 75%. We can gather in groups of 10, we can stay out later, the vaccine role out is doing well, The Valencia Region has very very low cases, and I have got a new shirt with pictures of Bob Marley on it. I thought I would just throw that in there!

If, you would like to talk with someone, our clergy are always happy to listen, so please do not hesitate to get in touch. Our hope is that no one feels alone through all of this.

Now, on a slightly different tack, but still about emotions, which is where I began. I have some emotional moments of my own coming up. I am soon to celebrate 40 years since my Ordination as a Priest! I hope to be getting the hang of it soon. Plus I have a biggish birthday coming up.
As you may know, Sandra and I love to walk, and for my birthday Sandra has arranged for us to walk the Camino del Rey. It is not long, but it is incredibly high. You walk along a little plank with a sheer drop of about a million miles right next to you! And I am scared of heights – so bad that if I wear thick socks I get a little queasy. But we are really keen to do it.

So, I asked my friend David, who knows about these things, to give me some exercises to do to help with my vertigo. And he came up trumps. ‘Look at scary pictures of being up high, and sing your favourite hymn until the feeling passes’. I can do that, so been having a go morning and evening, in my mind blaring out ‘All things Bright and beautiful’ as I look at pictures of the Camino del Rey. Cracked it. So, I thought all was well.

But then he said, OK, ready for stage two. 
I didn’t know there was a stage two. We are booked to go this Friday on a high ropes course near Parcent – where I have got to climb up amongst the top of very tall tress being held up by a piece of string! And then walk along wobbly planks and bits of wire suspended right up in the sky!
David said, ‘You will be fine, and you will hear the birds singing around your head, and the tuneful sounds of your favourite hymn!
So, that is booked.

But then he said about stage three!!!!

I am still just about coping with looking at the pictures. But stage three is going actual mountain climbing at Toix West, which is near the 3 tunnels coming into Calpe. We shall do this at the end of May. With an official and experienced proper guide who knows what he is doing, climbing 100 feet up a mountain – and then abseiling down again! What is going on? I have only got short little legs! I am not sure what that has got to do with it, but it makes things feel higher!

But I will not be alone. My lovely Sandra is coming with me, as are David, and Lynda from church.
David and Sandra will be fine, but Lynda, like me, has a healthy concern for heights and this will be a huge challenge to the both of us.

So here is the thing. As Lynda and I are pushing our boundaries, a few folk have suggested we try and get some sponsorship for the Chaplaincy. Like every other group of charity, the Chaplaincy has struggled huge financial losses during the pandemic, and we have not been able to do our regular fund raising activities. 
If you feel you would like to sponsor either of us, then please get in touch either via marcusronchetti@yahoo.co.uk or speak with someone at church, and any donation will be really gratefully received. The sponsorship is for the High Ropes and the Climbing and Abseiling on the Toix, but not for the Camino as this is a treat from Sandra for my birthday, and we are doing this together for our own pleasure.

I am so pleased that David is helping me, and I am convinced that this experience will mean that when Sandra and I do the Camino del Rey, we will enjoy it without as much of the fear as I would otherwise have had.

I have to stick with, and trust my own words ‘It will be fine!’

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

Fr Marcus                                                                          

Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be broadcasting their now regular communion service on Fr. Rodney’s Facebook page. It will be “streamed” live on Saturday at 7pm Spanish time (6pm BST) and then available all day on Sunday, to join at your leisure. As always both the live broadcast and the recording will be available on the following page – https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940. If you are not ready or not able to join us in one of our churches this is a wonderful way to join our worship.

For those of you who are able, all our churches are operating Sunday services as normal. Full details of the weekly eucharist can be found at this page – https://costablanca-anglicanchaplaincy.org/churches-and-services-3/.

In all our churches we are committed to abide by the regulations; sanitation, social distancing, mask wearing and personal sanitising on entry. We continue to keep a record of attendees for track and trace purposes if needed.

And remember to tune in to Fr. Marcus for his live Sunday radio programme, between 6pm and 8pm, Spanish time, on Pure Gold FM. You can listen on the radio on 94.1 FM. Or on your computer, tablet or phone join through the listen live button on https://puregold.fm/.

Good Morning My Friends, and welcome to my Thursday thoughts.

It is another singing day. On Sunday we will all share our beautiful rendition of

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine:
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God;
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blessed;
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

I have a number of stories to tell concerning this one. In a previous parish we had a lovely man called ‘Born again Bill’. Had had a very strong and lively faith, which he loved to share, and you will see why this hymn reminds me of him.
Whenever he was asked ‘How are you?’ he would reply ‘I’m saved and assured of it brother, saved and assured of it!’

It was heartfelt, but on occasions it might seem a little too much. So I changed my greeting one day to ‘Hi Bill, are you well?’ and he said, and I love this, ‘I’m saved and assured of it which is better than well!’ Bless him.

This hymn, for me has the perfect balance of assurance and humility. Our faith would be pretty thin if we didn’t feel that we were included in the consequences of Jesus’ resurrection, and our place in the Kingdom of heaven. Indeed at a funeral service we say the following

God our creator and redeemer,
by your power Christ conquered death
and entered into glory.
Confident of his victory
and claiming his promises,
we entrust N to your mercy
in the name of Jesus our Lord,
who died and is alive
and reigns with you,
now and for ever.

Notice that we ‘Claim his promises’, not in a demanding way, but because we trust in his amazing grace.

Our relationship with Jesus unfolds during this him.
We begin with this sense of assurance, and acknowledgement that Jesus is ours. The mine is both personal, but because we sing together it is corporate as well. Then we immediately move on to the idea of a ‘foretaste’ of the divine glory. This is to do with both the Eucharist being a foretaste of the Kingdom of heaven, but also the idea of singing, which looks forward to us being part of the great heavenly choir. Make no mistake about it, we are glory bound!

Salvation, Spirit and Sacrifice are Jesus’ story played out for us, and our response is to sing
‘This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Saviour all the day long’. How can we not sing the praises of God when we reflect on all that he does for us.

Perfect Submission and perfect delight seem like a pretty powerful juxtaposition. The truth, and we know it, is that true delight comes from trying to follow the will of God rather than doing our own thing. We sing our hearts out about the joy and delight that is found in faith. It is not to do with being weak or timid, but rather a bold expression that the message and teaching of Jesus is absolutely the best. In fact it leads us into a sense of rapture, and the angels come with messages of love. This is glorious, and so we burst into song again.

Perfect submission, all is at rest, leads us straight to St Augustine’s phrase ‘Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you’. We rest in the love and presence of Jesus, and we feel happy and blessed – we get lost in his love. And so once again we sing our hearts out with the chorus.

This is one of those hymns during which we can abandon our inhibitions, and let it all flow out, because we will be singing like we are already in heaven.

I don’t use the language that Born again Bill did, but I might try the following response next time I am asked if I am well.

‘I am loved by God more than I can imagine, which is better than well!’

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

Fr Marcus

A message from our reader, Stephen Carden –

I delivered these much needed supplies to the Franciscans today.  Would you kindly put a thank you on the blog?  It’s a magnificent effort.

There may be more to come.  Perhaps you could say that the appeal runs until the 6th June. People don’t have to bring a bag full,  just pop something extra in their trolley when shopping and bring it to church.

Many thanks,

Stephen

Chaplaincy Warden, Diana Pringle has forwarded the following update from the British Embassy –

The following is a statement from the British Embassy dated 28th April 2021.

“We know that some of you have been having difficulties getting TIE appointments in Alicante province. The Spanish authorities have confirmed to us that they have opened up TIE appointments for UK Nationals in the following areas:

*Alicante Campo de Mirra (as well as continuing in the Ebanistaria office)

*Benidorm

*Torrevieja

Appointments in Elche should be available shortly.”

Appointments are still booked in the same way as always, via the online portal here: https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/icpplus/index.html When you select the option¨POLICIA  EXP. TARJETA ASOCIADA AL ACUERDO DE RETIRADA CIUDADANOS BRITANICOS Y SUS FAMILIARES (BREXIT)” the available offices will appear on a drop-down menu and you can select the office that is best for you. Appointments will only appear where there is availability. So, if your chosen office does not have any availability at the time you look, you can either choose another available office or try again at a later date.

Good Morning My Friends,

‘Ecstasy and Mysticism’ and words that without fail excite the minds of those seeking a religious purpose in their lives, and for many they seem to be the experience of others. But in our prayers today we remember St Catherine of Siena, a teacher of the faith, a mystic, an activist and a Doctor of the Church.

It is said that she is one of 25 children born of her mother, many of whom didn’t survive into maturity.
From an early age she wanted to devote herself to God, but this was against the will of her parents.

As a child Catherine was so merry that the family gave her the pet name of “Euphrosyne”, which is Greek for “joy” 

It is thought that she had her first ‘Vision’ of Christ when she was about 6 years old. She had another when she was seven, when, on her way home with her brother after visiting a married sister, she saw a vision of Christ in Glory seated with Peter, Paul and John. From then on she vowed to give her whole life to God.

Later on she joined a tertiary or 3^rd order Dominican Order which means she was associated with the Order, but did not live inside the Convent, but followed Dominican Spirituality.

When Catherine was sixteen, her older sister Bonaventura died in childbirth; already anguished by this, Catherine soon learned that her parents wanted her to marry Bonaventura’s widower. She was absolutely opposed and started a strict fast. She had learned this from Bonaventura, whose husband had been far from considerate but his wife had changed his attitude by refusing to eat until he showed better manners. Besides fasting, Catherine further disappointed her mother by cutting off her long hair as a protest against being overly encouraged to improve her appearance to attract a husband.
This pattern of fasting came to influence her throughout her life, and may had had an impact or her religious experiences and ecstasies.

Catherine rejected both the path of marriage and motherhood, and the path of ‘Taking the veil’ and becoming a nun, but created her own path between the two living an active and prayerful life.
She soon found herself teaching others about Spirituality, and when having ecstasies or visions she would often dictate her experiences or ideas. 

One of the most unsettling was her vision of her becoming spiritually married to Christ. This on its own is fine, but her experience involved the receiving of a wedding ring made from Jesus’ foreskin! When asked later where her ring that she gave to Christ was, she said it was invisible! (This is too much information for me)

Her most famous work is The Dialogue of Divine Providence.  It is a dialogue between a soul who “rises up” to God and God himself.

The monastic idea of a cell is the place you go to in order to retreat and commune with God in silence. It is where you experience heaven. Catherine used this idea to formulate a part of her spirituality as she teaches us to ‘Build a cell within your mind from which you need never flee’. I her own inner cell she made people close to her into representatives of Christ, or the Blessed Virgin, or the Apostles, and in so doing was able to serve them humbly.

She would constantly give away her food or clothing to those who were in need, and this generated both tensions within her family, and delight amongst those she served. She wanted nothing for herself, and eventually spent some time living on the Eucharist alone! Looking forward to the table laid for her in heaven where she could eat with ‘Her real family’.

She had another vision where Christ calls her out of her spiritual nature of being withdrawn, and to enter the world, which she did, so that she could care for the ill and the poor.

Catherine developed into a hugely wise and well respected Spiritual Leader who influencedPopes and paupers. She could converse on every level, and loved the idea of a simplicity of faith. She describes God in her work, ‘the Dialogues’, as a “sea, in which we are the fish”, the point being that the relationship between God and man should not be seen as man contending against the Divine and vice versa, but as God being the endless being that supports all things.

I like the simplicity and beauty of this on so many levels, particularly that idea that God is there, we don’t need to search for him, just accept that we are in his presence.

Catherine died on 29^th April 1830 at the age of only 33. She had founded convents, inspired thousands, influenced the development of the church, called for reform of the clergy, written hundreds of letters, some well know prayers, and of course her book.
She is remembered in the Church of England with what is called a lesser festival, which means appropriate to a local church.

The collect 

God of compassion,
who gave your servant Catherine of Siena
a wondrous love of the passion of Christ:
grant that your people may be united to him in his majesty
and rejoice for ever in the revelation of his glory;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

There are always wonders to behold with those who have eyes to see.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

Fr Marcus