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 …
2nd Sunday before Advent Remembrance Sunday Luke 21;5-19 One of the saddest things about growing old is that short term memory starts to fade, though one can often recall events that happened years ago with total clarity, while being totally unable to remember where you left the keys you had in your hands two minutes …
3rd. Sunday before Advent Luke 20;27-38 The Reflections using Luke’s gospel will end with the final Sundays before Advent. This Gospel has given us a syllabus on the meaning and cost of discipleship. The passage for the week is just one of the five battles Jesus faced before his trial. In its context it follows …
All Saints Tide Would you like to be a saint? The whole idea of sainthood arouses very mixed feelings for most of us. Saints are OK, but they’re better at a distance than close at hand: even that gentlest of saints, like St. Francis of Assisi, the one whom they called a second Christ, could …
The 19th Sunday of Trinity Luke 18;9-14 C. S. Lewis reflects on St. Luke’s parable of two men at prayer in the Temple in his own tale of a ghostly coach trip in which tourists are taken by a well respected social worker to visit heaven and hell. The coach first stops in heaven and …
The 18th Sunday of Trinity Luke 18;1-8 Jesus told the disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. Luke’s gospel tells us, with a hint in the closing words of our reading, that the disciples had been expecting instant answers to prayer, and were getting disillusioned when they didn’t get …
The 17th Sunday of Trinity Luke 17;11-19 Christians should think regularly about the word “mercy”. It is not only used frequently in Scripture but is especially used traditionally in worship, although possibly less so now in modern services. Mercy is a theme in many of this month’s gospel readings. In Luke chapter 17 we read …
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 April
The International Catholic Bishops Conference (ICBC), video conference.
12-14 May
Altar blessing and celebrations, St. Vincent of Lérins mission, Rožňava, Slovakia.
3-5 August
Theological Conference at Gran, Norway.
5-6 August
20th Anniversary Celebration of St. Michael's Church, Fredrikstad.
17-20 August
Celebration to mark the retirement of Bishop Emeritus Roald Nikolai by the German Adinistration, hosted by the Abbey of St. Severin, Kaufbeuren, .
Upcoming
An episcopal visit is planned to take place in the UK in October.
Ongoing
Scheduled video conferences with the local administrations.