Reflection for Septuagesima Sunday Matthew 20;1–6 and Matthew 5;13–20. This reflection was provoked by a message from my National Health Service. “Take care of your mental health with free therapy.” Mindfulness and mental health are a preoccupation today along with keeping exercised and eating the right food! Important as these are, it no longer recognises …
Blessed are those who thirst for righteousness Matthew 5;6 Reflections at the end of January The atmosphere of Christian worship changes from January to February. It begins with the feast of “Candlemas” or the Meeting of the holy family and the child Jesus with Simeon and Anna in the Temple is one of the most …
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity John 17;20-23 Does Christian Unity matter? It was William Temple, one of the more helpful Archbishop’s of Canterbury who said, “I believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and regret that it does not exist.” If the Christian faith is about wholeness, about breaking down barriers, about …
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord John 1;29-34 Psalm 42 speaks of a soul thirsting for God which may help our thinking as we journey with the themes of the Epiphany season. Very few people have ever experienced real thirst, but our ancestors certainly did not take water for granted. This year however, …
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord John 1;1-14 Epiphany is one liturgical drama. It begins with the Lord’s birth, but is followed by unique revelations step by step, until Lent. No single part of the drama can embrace the full truth of the proclamation that God had become man – that light had entered …
The Holy name of Jesus Luke 2;15-21 One of the great moments for a parent is the choosing of names for our children, frequently before they are born. Having chosen the name of each child we watch the name and personality become intertwined. Then one of the great gifts the child can do is to …
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord John 1;1-14 Writing a homily for Christmas is made more difficult by the many homemade ideas that people cling to that are unreliable and have little to do with the truth of the incarnation that the Church first received from the Apostles. There are are at least three …
The Fourth Sunday of Advent Matt 1;18-25 I had a shock during the week. No, it wasn’t anything like the post arriving before mid afternoon, but something of a quite different order. I had occasion to be in the local main car dealers, and got talking to the young woman receptionist. And she casually mentioned …
The Third Sunday of Advent Matt 11;2-11 Two figures prepare us for the coming of Jesus Christ. They are St. John the Baptist, the “voice crying in the wilderness”, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, through whom the Word was made flesh. These two figures frequently are represented either side of the entrance to the sanctuary …
The Second Sunday of Advent Matt 3;1-12 “Prepare the way for the Lord” cried John the Baptist. While thinking about preparing, my mind turned to school inspectors, from a body known in the United Kingdom as OFSTED. Although their approach is more measured these days, it is not so long since news of an OFSTED …
Advent Sunday Matt 24;37-44 The writer Rod Dreher begins his book The Benedict Option with these words: “No one saw the flood coming.” This theme matches the gospel passage of St. Matthew that opens the new liturgical year on Advent Sunday recalling Noah and the need for preparedness. Noah was a man who lived by …
Sunday before Advent, Christ the King Luke 23;33-43 In six months, Britain will witness the coronation of the new King Charles III. Few will realise that the ceremony is not just a pageant, but is rooted in the kingship of the compassionate Christ of the Christian tradition. We however are fortunate to have a dramatic …
Bishop Roald Nikolai Flemestad remains Bishop Delegate of the Union of Scranton for Europe also after the transfer of the Nordic Catholic Diocese of Scandinavia to his successor Bishop Ottar Mikael Myrseth. He will then continue to give episcopal oversight to the work and mission of the Nordic Catholic Church in Continental Europe and the United Kingdom.
The Bishop's Seal and Motto
Per timorem Domini et
sancti Spiritus consolationem.
The Bishop's Calendar
15 January
Annual Member Meeting, Martinuswerk (Germany), video conference.
9-12 February
Theological conference of the Union of Scranton: "God be in my thinking - The intellectual background of the secularization", Mainz, Germany.
18 February
Clergy meeting of the Nordic Catholic Church in Scandinavia, Oslo.
24-25 March
Talks with The Mission Province, Oslo.
20-23 April
Clergy meeting in Spain, location tbd.
24 April
The International Catholic Bishops Conference (ICBC), video conference.
12-14 May
Episcopal visitation and Church Event, St. Vincent of Lérins mission, Rožňava, Slovakia.
3-5 August
Theological Conference at Gran, Norway.
Upcoming
Episcopal visitations in France, Germany and the UK during the autumn.
Ongoing
Scheduled video conferences with the local administrations.