News

Last year saw some health problems among the brothers. Wilfred fell and broke his leg which resulted in him being in a home for the elderly and finally in his death a few weeks ago. Simon has also been ill in hospital with acute pancreatitis. He is still undergoing tests as to why it happened He says he does not recommend it as a way of losing weight This means that David has been very occupied in holding the fort.

The beginning of 2007 found us still surrounded by workmen extending our balcony. It was finished early in the year and is now big enough to seat twenty people and has been very useful for our Sunday lunches. Even on the 2nd December we were able to have lunch outside in the sunshine.

We are continuing to use some of the money we got from the sale of the land to make more improvements. For the comfort of ourselves and our guests we have installed mosquito netting and in the sitting/dining area reversible air conditioning. Our favourite painter and decorator has just finished painting most of the rooms in the house as well as the windows and shutters on the outside. .This was quite an upheaval but it has helped us to throw away things we have not used for years and to enable us to re-hang the pictures which were put up rather randomly.

Our animal friends are all still with us. Faine is now seventeen. She tends to go around talking to herself but otherwise seems to be in good health. She is very patient with Alto who tends to take her by the leg or fur. It is all well meant and she seems very fond of him and sometimes curls up with him. Nicolas on the other hand has a love hate relationship. He gets chased up the stairs but it is all meant to be fun. When he has had enough he turns round and swears.

Alto and Cécile continue with their education. In June they gained a diploma, Cécile had to do a written paper whilst Alto exhibited his practical skills. Unfortunately he still steals when the opportunity arises but he also knows a number of other tricks. He is very obedient when out walking. He takes a course in agility and can jump over hurdles as well as any of the bigger dogs. He loves the gangplank is an expert at the slalom and is making progress on the seesaw.

This term he has started eurhythmics. This involves doing slalom under Cécile’s legs, walking backwards, walking in circles, shaking hands and adopting an attitude of prayer all to music. He has a way to go before he is as efficient at dance as Boobah who is a Newfoundland. Agility is not Boobah’s sphere, but he is doing a course in life saving! Newfoundlands are amazing swimmers and are used on the beach by lifesavers. I don’t think we will make it to Cruffts, but we both enjoy ourselves.

Our day-to-day life continues much the same. We have had a number of visitors to stay and our usual Sunday services. Harvest Festival saw over thirty people in the congregation. Our friends Lizzie and Alan were here and Lizzie organised the meal with the help of a team of cooks and also made a wonderful flower arrangement. Cecile has also conducted two weddings and a funeral. One wedding in the ecumenical church at Port Grimeau and the other in a garden overlooking the sea.

In January on the Feast of the Epiphany, we had a thanksgiving Service for Bérengère and Alastair who celebrated 40 years of marriage. They were hoping that the priest who married them at Saint George’s Paris – Roger Greenacre, who is now at Beaulieu near Nice- would be able to conduct the service but he was not able to come so Cécile was delighted to be standing in. There were about forty people at the service, many of whom were the family members.We all enjoyed an excellent buffet lunch afterwards.

On Christmas Day we had the usual Eucharist, with a good attendance, followed by lunch. Stuart conducted a brain-teasing quiz which was held between courses. In the course of the meal Father Christmas gave out gifts.

Our Visitor, Bishop Edward Holland spent a few days with is in July. We always enjoy his visits. He was able to celebrate the Eucharist in our chapel on the anniversary of his consecration as a Bishop. Our second Bishop friend to arrive was Bishop Dominic of Monmouth. Some of you will know that he spent a few years as a brother in C.G. A. and has remained our friend ever since.

This year was the fiftieth anniversary of Cécile’s profession as a Sister, first in West Ogwell and then in C.G.A. It was also the tenth anniversary of her ordination. Deacon in January and priest in June. We decided to have a combined celebration on the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15th, which happens to be a Bank Holiday in France. About sixty people came to the service, which was held in the garden on a beautiful sunny day. Leslie Wright and Peter Massey, who are also Anglican priests and June Boyce Tillman who was then a deacon assisted at the con-celebrated Eucharist.

Afterwards a number of the regular congregation joined us for lunch at the restaurant “Relais du Lac” which those of you who have visited will know. They excelled themselves and provided and excellent lunch- a prawn dish to start, breast of duck for the main course and a calorie filled chocolate desert. The next day Cécile and Dominic took out a Pedalo and Lake Saint Cassien. Unfortunately there was no photographer at hand to record this momentous adventure.

Our priest friend Peter Massey who came over from Ireland a few years ago has now completed his house with three small flats for visitors. Many of his guests come from England and Ireland to enjoy the peace of his lovely house and the Provencal countryside and weather. He also has groups of local people, some who belong to a bereavement counselling group and others who meet together for prayer. We were able to give him some money to enable him to build a chalet in the garden where visitors can go for a quiet time and or prayer. We usually refer to it as the prayer shed but that does not do justice to what it really is.

Every second Sunday of the month his guests are joined by a number of people for a time of prayer, followed by a bring and share lunch. Some just join us for lunch! This meets a real need for people who live too far away to go to the nearest Chaplaincy at Saint Raphael. This is also true of course for many of the people who worship in our chapel. This is especially the case in the summer when the traffic to the coast is horrendous.

Recently another priest arrived from Ireland and is living in the village of Seillon about ten kilometres from Montauroux. Some years ago the chaplain from Cannes held occasional services in Seillon But some of the regulars moved away and the services lapsed. Some are hoping that the Rev Bernadette might be able to restart this tradition. This all depends of course on her being given permission to officiate in the diocese. There are now three women priests in the region, the third being in Marseille and is beginning outreach in the Gard.

Whilst on the subject of women priests, I must mention a recent conference which I attended in the ecumenical centre at Bossy near Geneva in October. About twenty out of twenty five women priests attended at which the speaker herself a priest and wife of the suffragan Bishop of Petererborough led some stimulating and enjoyable sessions. Bishop Geoffrey came for twenty-four hours and was able to give some input and an opportunity of individual priests to talk with him. He hopes to be with us on Ascension Day 2009 to help us celebrate twenty years’ ministry in France. When I was ordained priest ten years ago there were three women priests and a deacon, in total. Things have certainly moved on in the intervening years.

Jean and I both visited England twice. I went for the dedication of the new “barn” at Lamacraft. This is a great asset to the Brothers as the new building can accommodate much larger groups. It has facilities for making drinks and lunches whilst upstairs is a comfortable “quiet room”. My second visit to England was to assist at the ordination to the priesthood of June Boyce Tillman. June, who is a professor of music at Winchester University, has been a regular visitor to Prasada for at least sixteen years. She has written some Hymns especially for us and done some story telling in our chapel: – Hilda, Headgear, Julian of Norwich and others. She is popular with our Sunday congregation, and two of them, as well as myself were at the ordination at Southwark Cathedral. It was an impressive service I was surprised to see our Bishop David and the Archbishop of York among the Assistants. They had both come to assist at the ordination of Sister Anita of the Sisters of the Church. The weather proved to be fine and June was radiantly happy.

Although we have lived in France for eighteen years and our command of the language has improved, we felt we would like to extend out skills. So we attended a course with Créa Langue near Moustier Saint Marie. There were students from many different countries. French was spoken all the time and there were many interesting workshops. There were opportunities to visit the local area. At the end of the course we were given an assessment on our progress. The course was held in a former monastery surrounded by woods and hills and lavender fields. As we were there in July we were able to see the lavender at its best.

Jean continued over the weekend to join in a visit to Aix en Provence and a study of art and Cézanne. My course finished with a weekend at the Avignon Festival. We saw one main show, which I didn’t like very much, but I enjoyed several fringe items, Including “the Prophet “. We also meet to speak French with a group of French, English Belgian and Danish people.

Future Services

Maundy Thursday 6p.m. Memorial of the Last Supper; Simple meal and Eucharist with Maundy Thursday Ceremonies.

Good Friday 11a.m. Good Friday Liturgy

Easter Day 10.45 a.m.Sung Eucharist with Baptism in the Chapel of Saint Bartholomew Montauroux.

Cécile C.G.A.