Lent programme 2017

During Lent everyone is invited to take part in a series of breakfast time meetings before the service on Sunday mornings.  The theme is:
The Psalms: Songs of Faith and Doubt.
On Ash Wednesday, 1 March 2017 at 19.30h there will be a service of Holy Communion for the start of Lent at the Chaplaincy flat, 15 rue d’Austerlitz, which will be followed by a simple supper.
You will find all the details of St. Alban’s Lent Programme here:

Lent Programme 2017

Saturday 18 March: Evening of Music for CASAS at Munsterhof

CASAS ( Collectif d’accueil pour les solliciteurs d’asile à Strasbourg) is one of the local organisations which St. Alban’s has been supporting for very many years.  Thanks to the practical and expert support of CASAS many members of our congregation who arrived in Strasbourg as refugees have been granted asylum and found their place in French society. CASAS has existed for over 30 years, but since the introduction of new asylum legislation in 2016 many of its state subsidies have been cut (see  http://www.casas.fr/appel-a-solidarite-mai-2016/ for further details.)
We know at first-hand how important the work of CASAS is; we feel it is vital to do what we can to ensure that it continues to exist.  Therefore St. Alban’s is activating its impressively diverse creative potential to raise funds for the organisation.  St. Alban’s charitable organisation, ACAS,   invites everyone to an Evening of Music for CASAS on Saturday 18 March 2017 at 19.00h at the Munsterhof, 9 rue des Juifs, Strasbourg.   Entrance is free, finger food and drinks are on sale, and donations are requested. All proceeds from the Evening will be donated to CASAS.

Annual Chaplaincy Meeting Sunday 26 March 12.00h

After the morning service on Sunday 26 March the Annual Chaplaincy Meeting will be held in the Centre Mounier next door to the church.  This is the occasion on which reports of the previous year’s activities are presented and elections are held.  This year we will be electing churchwardens, archdeaconry synod representatives and chaplaincy council members.  Please consider carefully whether you could be to be a candidate for any of these positions, and which church members you would like to nominate for election.  In the coming weeks there will be nomination forms available at the back of church: each nomination needs to be proposed and seconded.

In order to vote at these elections and to be elected your name needs to be on the electoral roll of the chaplaincy. If you are a regular member of St. Alban’s congregation  it would be a good idea if  you were on the roll. This brings no obligations, but does entitle you to be nominated, and above all to vote at the elections. Electoral roll forms are available at the back of the church, and if you’re not sure whether or not you are on the roll you can check  the list of members displayed on the notice board.   The application forms should be given to Churchwarden Anny Samuels, deadline for new entries on the electoral roll is 12 March 2017.

Liebfrauenberg Weekend 31 March – 2 April 2017

Weekend retreat on the topic of “The Gift of Uncertainty”
Leader: Brother Luke Fox, Mucknall Abbey, nr. Worcester, England.

Liebfrauenberg, a former pilgrimage site and monastery , is a retreat centre surrounded by woods on a hill with wonderful views near Woerth in northern Alsace.  Every springtime in Lent members of the Anglican chaplaincies of Strasbourg, Heidelberg and Stuttgart meet here for a study and recreational weekend.    As well as study and discussion of the given topic there is time to enjoy the company of friends and to make new ones, to worship together, walk in this beautiful area and enjoy rest and relaxation.  All are warmly invited to come and join in.  Children are always welcome.

This year our leader is Brother Luke Fox from Mucknell Abbey near Worcester in England, a contemplative Benedictine community for men and women which is part of the Church of England, and he has chosen to talk about uncertainty and thanksgiving.

The weekend starts with supper on the evening of Friday 31st March at 6.30pm and finishes at teatime on Sunday 2 April at about 3pm.  It is possible to come for just part of the time if you cannot make it for a whole weekend. If there are four or more children coming there will be a programme especially for them.  And on Saturday evening there is a long-standing tradition of visiting the local village for “tarte flambée”.  Please note that this year the Eucharist on Sunday will be held early on the Sunday afternoon.

Our leader

Brother Luke writes: “My name is Luke Fox. I am 29 years old and was born and raised in Wales. I studied theology at the University of Wales, Lampeter from 2006-2009. Upon leaving university I spent some time working in a variety of roles for a residential management company before spending a brief period travelling around Europe. I entered Mucknell Abbey as an Alongsider (someone who lives alongside the community without formally becoming a member) in 2011 at the age of 23. After nine months as an “Alongsider” I then entered the novitiate, this lasted 3 years. I then moved on to become a junior professed member of the community. I am now approaching the end of my time as a junior professed member of the community and considering whether to take life vows of stability, obedience and conversion of life, in the community, or to leave and pursue a different path.

The Subject

The focus of the retreat will be on the experience of uncertainty in our lives and the gifts that can emerge from engaging, not fleeing, from that uncertainty. We will spend time reflecting prayerfully on scriptural stories that relate episodes in which characters encounter uncertain times and situations in their lives, and hopefully find correlations with our own lives and the contexts in which we find ourselves. By seeking to ponder the place of uncertainty in our lives we will seek to discover if it offers to us gifts of God’s grace for which we can be thankful.

Practicalities

Every effort is made to keep costs as low as possible. The cost is all inclusive with full board.

Adults                                     75 euros each day

Young people 13 -17              54 euros each day

Children 4 – 12                       40 euros each day

Children under 4                    no charge

If you find the price too high please speak to the local Strasbourg organisers, John and Diane Murray. Please use the booking form (see link below) and let the organisers know by 15 March. john.murray67@googlemail.com

Booking form Liebfrauenberg 2017  Email to:  john.murray67@googlemail.com

For more information about Liebfrauenberg see  http://www.eglise-autrement.com/

Mucknall Abbey also has its own website: http://www.mucknellabbey.org.uk/