Bishop Robert writes in his latest blog:

'On Pentecost Sunday 2025 the Anglican Chaplaincy of Aquitaine celebrated its 200^th anniversary. The Chaplaincy is today large and vibrant with 13 worship centres covering an area famously described as the size of Wales. 

The Chaplaincy traces its roots back to 1825, when HM Consul General H. Scott in Bordeaux called a meeting of all local British families to discuss the need for an English-speaking Anglican church. From this meeting, a new chaplaincy was born and its first Chaplain, Thomas St. John Quin, was appointed by the Consul in the same year. 

The Chaplaincy has seen particular growth since the 1970s, with new church centres being set up in response to a growing English-speaking population in a Region sometimes known as La Petite Angleterre. In 1991, the Toulouse Chaplaincy (Midi-Pyrenées) was created, and in 1999, the Chaplaincy of Poitou-Charentes was separated from the Chaplaincy of Aquitaine. These two new chaplaincies were established with support from ICS, an agency which has been a longstanding source of partnership and encouragement for Aquitaine. 

Our morning service for Pentecost was the first act of worship in a day of events to celebrate ‘Aquitaine 200’. We met in the magnificent Abbaye de Sainte-Ferme, with the support of the Mayor, who joined us for the service. The large church was full, with congregants joining from across the chaplaincy. We were led by an excellent choir with fine organ accompaniment. It was an inspiring occasion. 

Pentecost 2025 was also the opportunity for the licensing of a new Chaplain, The Reverend John Bavington. Born and raised in Pakistan, John has served in contexts ranging from majority Muslim to rural private school chaplain. He comes to us having previously been Area Dean of Bradford. His knowledge of Urdu was immediately put to use in offering welcome to two young men who had arrived in France from Afghanistan. 

Aquitaine Chaplaincy has 7 licensed lay ministers, 17 congregational worship leaders and 16 clergy with Permission to Officiate. In any month there can be a total of 34 different acts of worship. 

In my sermon, I expressed thanks to all who had sustained the life of the chaplaincy during the year-long vacancy. In this blog, I want to pay particular tribute to the churchwardens, Tina Marshall and Tim Heathfield. They have offered outstanding leadership and if there were a medal for churchwardening in the Diocese, they should receive it. Being churchwarden of a large chaplaincy during a vacancy is a serious responsibility. 

The Aquitaine chaplaincy is a dynamic and exciting set of communities. It needs highly skilled leadership, with clergy and lay people working together. In their vacancy documentation, the Chaplaincy had said, amongst other things: ‘No Church can preach the Gospel of Christ unless it has been visibly changed by the Gospel.’ This openness to change, individually and corporately, is a sign of openness to the energy of the Holy Spirit. I look forward with great eagerness and expectation to what God may do and achieve through the Chaplaincy of Aquitaine as it begins its third century.'