Feature - page 28

Forgiveness is an intriguing concept and one which I believe to be much misunderstood. It is also one of those ‘concepts’ which gets bandied about in new age circles as an essential part of our ascension process and therefore something we can do in meditation or in a workshop afternoon with some quality ‘ommming’ at the end to complete the emotional release. I find this nice but not very practical and I like practical… particularly when it comes to spiritual matters. But I do believe, wholeheartedly, that forgiveness is indeed essential for our personal growth and spiritual development.  

Forgiveness is a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person (or group) who has harmed you, regardless of whether or not they actually deserve your forgiveness.  (Dictionary definition).

So why would we forgive? And how do we forgive?

Studies have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health, lowering the risk of heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; reducing pain and blood pressure, along with levels of anxiety, depression and stress.

In the first instance, it is important to be aware that forgiving someone is for your benefit, not theirs. The process of forgiveness and the release of thoughts and feelings that have kept you tied to the past can be done without the other person’s participation. Forgiveness allows you to let go of the regrets or resentments that eat up your valuable energy. There often follows the commonly held belief that the person who committed the offense must earn forgiveness. Not so. That is simply the ego telling us that we are better and more righteous and that is not what forgiveness is about. 

We do well to remember that good people sometimes make bad decisions but that does not make them bad people – it just makes it a bad decision. When we carry bad feelings, they take over our spirit, our identity and our future.  Think about the amount of energy and emotion we invest in holding on to past hurts and injustices, thereby ensuring that they play an informed role in our future experiences!  We become the product of resentment, anger, hate and vengeance because we have given them the power to stay alive within us. Thus, we hold back our acceptance and love for ourselves as well as our ability to love and accept others. 

There is an old Indian tale of the two wolves that reside within us.  A good wolf and a vicious one. They are always at war with each other. The child asks his granpa .. which wolf wins? And granpa answers, Whichever one you feed the most. 

So, yes, we forgive for ourselves but I believe it is more than that. I believe that real forgiveness rises above us and happens on a soul level. That is where the real power of forgiveness lies and therefore the purpose of forgiveness is to ascend to higher levels of spiritual awareness and recognise that we are all one. We are all I AM. Each of us a part of the great cosmos like tiny pinheads of light lighting up each other and bringing our energy together to overcome the darkness that is working so hard to envelop us. 

As spiritual beings having a physical experience, we are not our bodies.   The spirit/soul continues long after the body has completed its job.  The body is the temple of the soul …   to be loved, cared for and looked after in order to do its job the best it can. Like my friend who tidies his car and thanks her for taking him safely from here to there and back. Gratitude. Respect. Your spirit deserves the very best place to live so it too can do its best job in this lifetime as the human person that you are at this time.  

We came from spirit, from Source and we are perfect. We did not come into the body knowing shame or self-persecution. That is learned behaviour.  Same with resentment and anger.  Those who taught us got off track along the way, separated from their soul and behaved towards us in such a manner that they knew not what they did.  This does not mean that what they did was ok or acceptable but it is their karma to work through not ours to carry.  That only weighs us down. When we can remain connected to our spiritual essence then we can tap into our heart space and that which makes us great and, in this way, we can be sure that the good wolf will win.

How to forgive may be the most difficult part but we can simplify it. We don’t need to overthink it. It can be broken down into three steps.  First of all, refuse to hate. Obviously not quite as easy as it sounds but you can start by repeating those three words.  Over and over and you’ll soon catch yourself in action and then it’s ‘ooops . .  let’s start again’. Next comes, learn to learn.   when our buttons get pressed or some uncomfortable, painful stuff comes up, choose to learn from it.  Again, this can be easier said than done and certainly takes work but is well worth it. And third, can you commit to seeing light in that person?  Remember we are all spiritual beings, albeit at different stages of development, but all with light lurking in there even if it is well hidden. 

So, choose love, choose forgiveness and remember that some people come into your life as blessings and some come into your life as lessons.  And lessons are blessings too. 

Kate Mchardy MA(Hons) PGCE MSPH Spiritual coach, teacher and healer. katemch@gmail.com / Tel: +44 7712889534. Facebook: The University of Light Group / Readings at The University of Light (@tarotangelspiritreadings). 

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Caring is your key word this month, Aries. Keep your heart open and caring about yourself, others and the world around you. A simple caring action will make all the difference to someone’s situation. 

TAURUS Apr 21 – May 21) 

You will feel protected and watched over this month, Taurus. However, you may need to let your guard down, which does not come easy for you, in order to allow others to do this for you. 

GEMINI (May 22 – Jun 22) 

Honesty is going to be your best policy this month, Gemini. Be strong and don’t allow anything to sway you from your path of truth. Stay in touch with your true feelings regarding the situation and all will be well.

CANCER (Jun 23 – Jul 22)

Something that has been seeking your attention for some time just won’t go away, Cancer, and this is your time to take action. You have had your reasons for procrastinating but now you need to make it priority. 

LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 23) 

Allow the more gentle side of your nature to shine this month, Leo. No need to go charging into the rescue but rather just be there and hold the space. Sometimes people need encouragement to find their inner strength and you can help. 

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sep 23)

You need to step out of your own way this month, Virgo, and hand things over to The Universe. Surrender any need for control in order to make space for healing love to flow through both yourself and the situation. 

LIBRA (Sep 24 – Oct 23) 

Being a lover of balance, Libra, this month you are being called to balance being both generous and receptive. You may have see sawed to one side but, as you know, both are equally important.  So, take a rain check and you’ll feel all nicely re aligned. 

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22) 

If you have been worrying recently Scorpio then it is time to cease worrying and start praying. . . or meditating. Meditating on a situation is the way to bring about real solutions. Remember that praying is talking to God and meditating is listening. 

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21) 

When you commit to your values, relationships and the Universal Energy, Sagittarius, you become clear on just exactly what to do next. Remove the monkey voice from your ear and remind yourself who you are. It works miracles. 

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20) 

Faced with a matter of integrity this month, Capricorn, you may well feel challenged and even cross. Remember that it is always better to respond than to react so take your time, be firm and set the example. 

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19) 

There is no moment so powerful as the present, Aquarius, and it is so very important to always be fully present in the here and now. The past has gone and the future is not guaranteed. Being in the now is really the only real place to be.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20) 

Home is where the heart is, Pisces, and your intuition will always lead you home. Trust and follow your intuition/divine guidance and you won’t go wrong. Instead, you’ll find that wondrous changes lie hidden in plain sight. 

Joe Caruana a former government minister in 1969 and brother of our late Roman Catholic Bishop Charles Caruana, is also an established author with six books to his name. Born in 1937 he is now a jovial octogenarian and describes himself as a poly-faceted man. He is that and he’s also a talented artist who has sold many paintings displaying them on the Costa marinas where I have seen him many times. I have previously reviewed three of his books each as different as the next. ‘When the Hangman Came’, ‘The Iron Knight of Malta’ and ‘Eyes Set on Heaven’ which he wrote about his brother the Bishop and I daresay, his late dearly loved mentor.

Being of Maltese origin with strong roots in the Catholic faith, it was always going to be on the cards  that he would also undertake a spiritual journey at some point in his life and in this latest book which I’m about to describe, he traces that long journey as a legacy to his Christian faith. Now in the sunset of his years, his hopes are that the story of the journey he’s undertaken maybe encourages those whose faith may have gone lukewarm and prompt a return to worship and persist in the faith they once had. He is as excited as he is wary about his latest book because as we well know Religion and Politics tend to polarize opinion.

‘The Power of Pentecost-The Power in Hands’ is the double barrelled title of his latest offering and there is nothing to fear about dipping into its 150 pages well illustrated with photographs and profusely supported by bible quotations as you would expect. I can do no less than reprint the author’s synopsis here to help acquaint the prospective reader with the contents of the book before I add my own appraisal of it. 

“My Spiritual Journey

Though still a sinner my spiritual experiences have strengthened my faith.

In the ‘Power of the Pentecost’ I testify to the power of the Holy Spirit.

The book goes through the rich and sad history of the many attempts to destroy Christianity.

Christianity would not have survived had it not been for zealous defenders of the Apostolic faith.

The separation of literature, authenticated from unauthenticated, would have not produced the present correct Bible that is known as the cannon of the Bible.

The chapter on heresies drives home the many disparaging issues confronted by the early Christian church.

No less than two million Christians were cruelly martyred for holding on to their Christian beliefs.

We touch upon other important subjects of today such as the Eucharist and ‘the Real Presence therein’ which is held to this day.

The Last Supper and the mystery of the Holy Eucharist and how it came about are analyzed from the original Greek text.

We explore the power of hands from the ‘imposition of hands’ when praying for cures. The laying- on of hands when empowering someone with authority within the church. The use of hands when praying. All are spiritual gifts from above.

I trust that this book will encourage those who may be lukewarm towards their church to return and persist in the faith they once had.

I have no shame in proclaiming my faith since I have the conviction that God is relevant to all our lives. Therefore I speak up for my Christian faith to remind Christian believers about their roots.

Maybe this book will kindle the glowing embers into a raging flame in the hearts of the faithful.”

The previous synopsis adorns the glossy back cover of the square format semi-hardback edition which is published by ‘authorHouse’. The first thing that comes to light is that this book was written in 1984 when the author lived in Canada. This does not make it an old story. It provides the starting point of a journey at a time when Joe Caruana was a successful businessman who was going through a separation which led to divorce. These life changing events usually lead to a self-appraisal, which in this case saw the author being drawn back to his Christian roots and then finding a desire and discovering a flair for pastoral work that saw him immerse fully into the Charismatic renewal movement. At first in Canada then beyond and eventually leading back to the Rock where he has finally made his home. 

The story is told in an easy and honest manner which is enriched by many photographs and acknowledgments to those who have helped and influenced the efforts and the vision of the author, who at one time even wanted to become a priest and at another time spearheaded the Camp Emmanuel project in nearby Los Barrios, which saw him helping addicts and fostering young people through religious retreats and volunteer work.  Addicts who came to the Camp Emmanuel for treatment underwent a drug or alcohol rehabilitation recovery programme that was based on the 12 step AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) programme and a few hours of hands-on work too.

Through seven chapters the book moves swiftly and effortlessly through Joe’s personal experiences and his journey with Biblical references that extol the ‘Power of Penetcost’ and the ‘laying of hands’. It’s a well known documented fact that in Hinduism this ‘laying of hands’ is called Pranic Healing and in my own experience of being prayed over I can attest to the obvious transfer of energy, which is felt as heat, even though no touching is taking place at any point in the ‘praying over’. Whether the intended reader believes or not, the varied contents of this book, will depend on their disposition to accept or not, the strongly held universal view that there is a higher power. 

We are not alone in our universe and as an Alaskan fishing skipper facing heavy seas once remarked “When you have a fifty foot wave coming at you everybody believes in something!” Indeed we are genetically programmed to believe and even in the deepest jungles throughout history tribal people have been guided in their actions by belief in a higher power that needs to be appeased by offering sacrifices and many forms of prayer.

Joe Caruana’s book ‘The Power of the Pentecost – The Power in Hands’ may be purchased from the following outlets…Heritage Bookshop, Cornerstone Bookshop, Petrol Station shop Queensway, Parody Tours Town Range, Eroski Rotunda airfield.

We can often find ourselves involved in a difficult conversation with a boss, colleague or family member. It can be incredibly easy to become agitated or angry and lose our cool.

When a difficult conversation progresses in a direction we don’t want to go, we are often not open to what is being said. If it feels like we are being attacked, our natural reaction is to want to counterattack. However, that is definitely not productive and can result in making the situation escalate.

Even when we have opposing viewpoints to somebody, we can usually find some common ground. This can help us avoid arguing. Finding a connection during difficult conversations allows us to remember that at our core, we usually want the same things. Of course, this is easier said than done.

Are you considering the other person’s point of view? What’s really driving them? Frequently, there are many emotions based on personal experiences. If you can discuss what emotions or experiences are driving somebody’s political views, you can possibly find a connection with them – even some common ground. By sharing your own experiences, it will create a connection between you.

Speaking about these experiences during challenging conversations can help you both develop a caring stance and avoid arguing. 

Alison Stockton is a Trauma-Informed Functional Medicine Practitioner and Eating Psychology Coach.

Alison believes ‘We all have conversations that can get heated. Either in person, on the phone or via zoom these days. 

There will be times when we walk away and wonder why it got so tense. Why did I get so triggered, why couldn’t I keep my calm and why were they so angry We have all experienced such conversations in some way or another.

What can we do in the future? Often our reactions are out of fear, frustration or a trauma response. We can become highly agitated by another person’s tonality and volume. It may create dysregulation in our own body. (sympathetic nervous system).

These are suggestions to practise:

Be intentional without being disrespectful, if someone is trying to outrank you (eg  work situation) continue with your intentions with grace.

When someone is raising their volume and their tone is becoming less than appealing – press pause in your own mind – listen – breath – slow breaths in through the nose out through the mouth (not breaths of dragon fire, just calm relaxed breaths) practice simple breathwork daily to support your nervous system.

Keep eye contact, stay in focus, a roll of the eyes, a huff and a disconnected attitude when heated can make things escalate.

Say to them, I hear you, I hear what you are saying. A response of compassion can soothe. If the other person is going offline, they won’t be able to calm down easily if you mirror their reactions. Respond rather than react. Reactions can be knee-jerk, aggressive and insulting.

Ask for a pause – a physical one this time – explain that right now, you need some space and some air. You understand that the conversation isn’t over. However, if you both take a few minutes away, to breathe, to regulate then you will both be able to respond more calmly.

When emotions are high – intelligence lowers, this is emotional intelligence but if someone reacts aggressively and raises volume they may be reacting from a traumatized space, so time to quiet the physical and emotional body is crucial.

Everything you can do, do safely. If someone refuses to allow you space or to leave and continues to shout, you can try to again say safely, I know that this is important to you, but whilst you are shouting and stressed I feel I can not be fully attentive to your questions.

Empathise with the other but don’t give pity or unwarranted sympathy. If it is not genuine, this will make things more heated. If you don’t understand the conversation, saying that you are trying to understand is far less triggering than saying I understand and the person feels patronised. 

Speak your truth, you have permission to speak freely, again ensure it is a safe space to do so.

Nervous system regulation is very important, especially in emotional intelligence, that’s why breathwork practice and meditation daily will help in future situations such as these

Your posture matters too, if you begin to slump, fold arms, become disinterested this can raise tension from others, so in a heated situation, be authentically engaged to moderate tension

Get clarity on why they are becoming so upset. Ask ‘why are you upset with me?’ Then you will be able to respond. If it’s made clear it is not you then you can share empathetically about why are they giving this situation/ conversation so much time and energy.

Always remember to prioritise safety first. If you are safe to speak freely, with compassion and enquiry then do so. If you feel unsafe, triggered, agitated and struggling to regulate, find the safest way to remove yourself from the situation.

When you leave a heated situation it is really important to regulate and ground yourself, this will support you in avoiding any emotional self-sabotage “oh I need a drink” “ or oh I need chocolate.”

When you walk away it’s important to let it go, just like a zebra running free after a hunt from a tiger – they shake it off, breathe and carry on whilst regulating their parasympathetic nervous system.’

Alison Stockton website:

www.vibrantbalancedhealth.com

@the_enrichedwoman IG

The countdown to Euro Winners cup, Effectively UEFA Womens Beach soccer champions league, starts now!

As footy fans know, the Gibraltar Futsal League is on and running with Gibraltar Wave preferring to increase the number of female players to help develop the game in Gibraltar by having two teams, Gibraltar Wave Blue and Gibraltar Wave Yellow thus sacrificing having one strong team proving that at this moment our mission is to expand the league and increase participation to merely winning.

The Gibraltar Futsal League is also coming good and handy in our preparation for Euro Winners Cup which will celebrate its seventh edition in 2022. The tournament will begin on  Monday 6 June and end on Sunday 12, comprised of three Round Robin matchdays (6, 7 and 8 June) and followed by a knockout stage, and the final being played on Sunday 12 June. More information can be found online at www.beachsoccer.com.

Beach Soccer is a spectacular newly Olympic sport that most contributes to a healthy body and mind due to its energetic characteristic and played on a surface associated with paradise, holiday and relax. It is also the cheapest sport to play as it’s played barefoot while the bonus comes in the way of a foot massage while playing! 

Gibraltar Wave is determined to contribute in helping to grow and embrace beach soccer in Gibraltar. Our dream is to collaborate closely with the GFA to help grow this sport which can truly put Gibraltar on the sports map and also to make Gibraltar a regular international events venue in the near future. We know that  Beach Soccer Worldwide are very willing to help and collaborate in enabling Gibraltar participants to be yielded with the right opportunity to develop an awareness of both practical and theoretical demands of how beach soccer can be developed.

Beach Soccer brings value, colour, spectacle to football`s younger market, not just in Gibraltar and Europe but worldwide. It adds a refreshing new passion avenue enticing the younger Generation Z fans. We truly feel Beach Soccer offers a different marketing approach to football adding value and fan engagement. Hopefully this can also make new brands needing market exposure in sports come onboard.  

Gibraltar Wave has been approached by players from as far away as America wanting the chance to come and play in Euro Winners and Chesterfield women FC are sending two players as the first step to closer collaboration with Gibraltar Wave with a view to becoming a sister club.

We hope Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation show our matches at the Euro Winners live and that all sports fans in Gibraltar watch and follow the tournament. Lets shoot for the moon with our great coaches Ernest Tomsett and Anthony Celecia leading the way.

Gibraltar Wave FC offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities. Fans can download our apps on Google Play and Apple App Store. 

Join us on our journey.

The two men that were mainly responsible for starting work among seafarers about a hundred years ago, were Gibraltar’s fourth Bishop and first Dean. Canon Charles Waldegrave Sandford was consecrated Bishop of Gibraltar on February 1st 1874, at the comparatively early age of 44, and enthroned In the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity a fortnight later. On reaching his Cathedral City, Bishop Sandford found there was a sailor’s Home in Engineer’s Lane, opened mainly through the efforts of Captain Augustus Phillimore , Senior Naval Officer here from 1869 to 1874. This home catered for crews left ashore while waiting to be engaged by another ship or waiting to be repatriated after shipwreck. It is interesting that this Home, which came to be called “The Red Ensign Club,” remained in existence until 1976, although in these days seamen left ashore were usually whisked away by air. The energetic young Bishop was soon off on his first tour of his Dioceses, where he continued to travel extensively until his death in 1903. In many ports around the Mediterranean he could see forest of masts of British ships, but rarely found anyone caring for their crews when ashore. Happy exceptions were Nice, Antibes and Marseilles, where the Reverend Decimis Storry Govett had long been doing everything he could to help British sailors for over ten years. In all he worked there for 19 years. After many differences of opinion about who should be appointed to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, and under what title, the Secretary of State appointed Mr Govett to Gibraltar in 1881. One imagines that Bishop Sandford had something to do with the choice as he had such a great appreciation of his work on the Riviera. The permission of the secretary of State and the Governor General, General Lord Napier of Magdala, was given to the Bishop to appoint his Arch deacon the following year. Not long after Govett’s appointment, he wrote to the Bishop :- A very large proportion of the seamen remain in port for only a brief period, while the ships are coaling, but quite long enough, nevertheless, for an incalculable amount of good to be effected among them by an active seaman’s Chaplain or Scripture Reader, at the trifling cost of some £160 per year. The influence of a short prayer meeting, some reminder of divine things, the religious and temperance publications distributed by him on board, would not only benefit the sailors themselves, but be carried by them to the ends of the earth. Many a foreign port, containing not one fourth of the British seamen as we have here, has its own Chaplain appointed specially to administer to their welfare; but Gibraltar has thus far no single person to care for their moral and spiritual needs. Your Lordship is aware that with my sole charge of the cathedral services, the school, the civil hospital, the prison, lunatic asylum, and the visitation of the sick, it is wholly beyond my power to attempt to evangelise this multitude of seamen also. The local government, when petitioned for funds has declined; the Seaman’s Societies at home have exhausted their resources, or would most gladly come to our help. Under the circumstances I am constrained to appeal to you, feeling confident that if the facts and figures are generally known, Christian hearts would be touched. And Christian charity awakened; for England has ever shown the deepest interest in her sailors, to whom hardship and intrepidity we owe not only our personal comforts and luxuries, but the wealth and greatness of our Empire. To this the bishop added “It must not be supposed that efforts have not been made in previous years to provide ministrations for this vast number of British sailors which annually visit Gibraltar. Appeals have been made but in vain.As a result of this appeal and others from the Diocese, Bishop Sandford sought help in England for “The Gibraltar Mission to seamen in the Mediterranean” and administered money received through a Spiritual Aid Fund. When next visiting Gibraltar he called on agents and mercantile companies accompanied by Captain the Honourable Edward Fremantle, RN and Colonel Ravenhill to discuss the moral and religious needs of sailors here. They agreed to levy a tax on each of their ships entering port, to help pay for the work. In Liverpool, certain merchants had promised to give £240 per annum for five years, from which the Bishop allotted £40 a year to the salary of a Lay Reader at Gibraltar. By September 1883, £62 had been collected here but most of it had to be spent to buy a boat, which was essential. Before the end of the year Mr Robinson was appointed Lay Reader.Mr Robinson, said in his report that in his first six months he had visited 580 ships and 45 hulks, where he distributed 800 bibles and prayer books, with 60,000 tracts and magazines. Aboard each ship he visited he tried to persuade the captain of the crew or the mate to hold services on Sundays while at sea, and talked to all members of the crew. The Mission tried to obtain a hulk in 1885 as a Chapel Ship or Bethel, with a room for services and a reading room besides a home for the Lay Reader with a substantial vessel in the bay, thought Arch Deacon Govett, with the Mission flag flying at the masthead, it would make the captains and agents proud of the missions, and more willing to contribute to its upkeep. But the necessary £400 was not forthcoming and the project was dropped.The Bishop called on the merchants again when he was here in 1887, when a lending library was established, followed by a Seamen’s Guild in 1893. A quarterly Mission paper appeared in 1895. The number of British sailors calling here continued to soar, from 50,000 to in 1870 to 83,000 in 1880 and 95,000 next year. The peak number was no less than 139,000 in 1889/90, and although the figure dropped slightly afterwards, it remained about 100,000 for many years. But the appointment of a Lay Preacher did not prove popular. Was it the salary? Mr Robson was succeeded in 1884 by Mr Sylvester, the next year by Mr J Glover, and the following year by Mr F.G. Copeland who remained for six years. In 1892 he was succeeded by the Reverend A Evans, as a seaman’s Chaplain, he left the following year for Malaga. A soldiers’ Missioner, actually a Free Churchman, then acted temporarily until Reverend Richard Shiers-Mason was appointed Chaplain in 1893, beginning a long connection with the port which only ended with his death in 1934.He reported that he found a distinct advantage in ship visiting, comparable to parochial visiting in its personal touch with individuals. In fact that, for the most part, the crews did not go ashore meant that he could not meet men who would normally not visit a seaman’s home. His work was a priceless opportunity of serving a body of men among whom “those things that get a sailor a bad name are often very much on the surface of a character very often unselfish and warm-hearted to the highest degree, containing a deep religious undercurrent.“Indeed” he continued “after twenty years of Christian work among men of many classes, both in town and country, he felt bound to record his deliberate opinion that seamen are more open to the influence of the Gospel than any other class. He became acquainted with the special needs and problems of different types of seamen; the firemen, for whom the stokehold was often the only place for a private prayer and conversation; the cook, who both professionally by his example and conscientiously could be a great source of spiritual and material good on board; and the captain on whose genuine co-operation so much depends. “The hard case is quite as often in the Captain’s cabin as among the old clinkers.” As the years passed he could see results that had not been evident at the first and could build up continuity in his work. He was a strong supporter of the Seaman’s Guild for its value in linking sailors with the GMS when sailing to other ports.Unlike his predecessors Shier-Mason seems to have enjoyed life in Gibraltar. No doubt a wealthy wife eased financial difficulties. The couple did not have to seek a home in Gibraltar but took a house near the beach in Campamento, where the refinery stands today. From thence he came into Gibraltar daily, generally afoot along the sand, carrying a fishing basket and an umbrella in winter. In Gibraltar he divided his time between ship visiting, the cathedral and fishing. Bishop Collins appointed him a Canon in 1904. Like Archdeacon Govett he was a strong advocate of temperance in a city where there were 44 taverns and 19 pubs, many of them provided with girls who sang and danced to lure sailors inside. One wonders how many such places still exist! The twentieth century was to bring vast changes. Soon after Bishop Sandford arrived here in 1901, on what was to prove his last visit, he learned of the death of Queen Victoria, after so long a reign that few people could remember having lived under any other monarch. Within a few days Mrs Sandford, who had travelled widely with her husband, was also dead. The Bishop himself was taken ill on his next tour and announced he intended to retire on the thirteenth anniversary of his consecration, but he did not live to see the day, dying at Cannes in December 1903. Archdeacon Govett, long a widower, was appointed Gibraltar’s first Dean by the Bishop, Edward Collins, and continued his ministry, widely beloved by all classes and races, until his death in 1912 at the age of 85. After working for seamen on the shores of the Mediterranean for 50 years he was buried under the chancel of the cathedral of the holy Trinity. Somewhere about this time the title of the Gibraltar Mission to Seamen in the Mediterranean, GMS, was altered to the Mediterranean Mission to Seamen. MMS. The outbreak of the First World War increased the work of the Missioner tremendously, including taking care of sailors landed here from torpedoed ships. Fortunately the Mission had acquired a new boat at the beginning of 1914. Equipped both with sail and a Kelvin motor, which was to do great service. While Dean Warde was on holiday in 1930 his locum at one period was the Reverend F.G.Copeland, who as a layman had worked for GMS here over 40 years previously. At the end of 1930 Canon Shiers-Mason resigned on reaching the age of 70, having held this post for 37 years, longer than any other Seaman’s Chaplain in any other part of the world. As no successor was immediately appointed the motor boat was laid up, although the Canon continued to pay a few visits to ships coaling on the North mole. The canon continued to live at Campamento until his death in 1934 The Reverend L.H.Coryton, late Secretary of the Mission to seamen came to Gibraltar to report on the situation. At Reverend Coryton’s suggestion the Reverend James Johnston, formally Chaplain at Bilbao, came to Gibraltar in June 1931; Gibraltar had found another serving friend, and the Mission boat was soon afloat again. Direct contact was made in 1933 with other MMS stations and annual reports exchanged, “thereby stimulating interest in each other’s work, the common aim of which is to assist every sailor, irrespective of race, colour or creed, who comes to them for physical aid, friendly counsel or spiritual comfort. Ship visiting increases from 453 in 1933 to 1074 in 1938. The Chaplain dealt with all sorts of sailors, a Turkish Admiral on the Non- Intervention Committee, during the Spanish Civil War, the Reverend John Antle, of the Colombia Coast Mission, deserters from the French Foreign legion, a destitute lone yachtsman, the crew of the US Training Ships and the German battleship Admiral Scheer, and endless ordinary ships stopping for a few hours. Some of the officers and key men stayed with their ships, and he came to know them well, although most of the crew changed. “The men and crews of the ships felt hurt if the padre failed to visit them on board, and always extended to him kindness, hospitality and respect from Captain’s room to fo’castle. I never came off a ship without feeling better for it.” Mr Johnston acquired firsthand knowledge of life at sea by going to England on leave in 1933 on a small cargo ship, and of the hospital when he underwent an operation at St Bernard’s Hospital (then the Colonial Hospital in town) He was given every facility for hospital visits, and the Boardroom was placed at his disposal for a monthly celebration of Holy Communion.Thanks to gifts from the staff, ex-patients and friends, the necessary vessels, altar fittings and linen were provided to equip the Chapel when needed, without bringing them from the Cathedral. Although there were no official connection between the MMS and the sailor’s Home in Engineer’s Lane, friendly co-operation existed. The chaplain was allowed free access to sailors there and was often to help with difficult cases and to arrange sporting facilities. Both the Bishop and dean shared a constant interest in MMS and local residents helped in a number of ways. The Port officials’ attitude was always one of great helpfulness and regular support. Captain Biron, Mr Morello and Mr Morgan rendered valuable aid, during the Chaplain’s interest in 1936 the Mission work was voluntarily undertaken by Mr L G Inge and Colonel Samson of Toc H. Mr Lemmon, of the Valencia Branch assisted during the Chaplain’s holiday in 1938. The Spanish Civil War brought many emergencies from July 1936 to early 1939, followed by the outbreak of the Second World war in September that year. Like his predecessor, James Johnston was not only Seaman’s Chaplain but also assisted dean Warde at the Cathedral, of which he was appointed Precentor in 1934. The Holy Trinity Church, now a cathedral, had been consecrated in 1838, so arrangements were made for its centenary in 1938, at which James Johnston was to be installed as Canon. When he arrived on the Rock he had been a widower, with a son and daughter in England at school. On his frequent visits to the Colonial hospital he met and courted Sister Edna May Brewer, whom he married in the cathedral in 1938.The Cathedral was crowded on the morning of the centenary, but Mrs Johnston was not there to see her husband installed. As on that day she gave birth to a son. The coup[le did not have long to enjoy life on the Rock with their baby as Edna May and young Michael were evacuated to England in 1940 with nearly all other wives and children, and it was nearly five years before they were allowed to return. When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, Dean Knight-Atkin was on leave in England, so the MMS Chaplain found himself in charge of the cathedral. Owing to lack of boatmen the MMS launch was laid up. The lads were tried out but were evacuated with their parents before they were much use, so the canon had to do what visiting he could from the wharfs. The Dean returned to the Rock for a time, but was resigned in 1940, when the Canon became the acting Dean. In spite of all the extra work entailed and of a broken ankle, he managed 1135 visits to ships during the war. An appeal to London for books to distribute produced 27 cases of books, which were handed out with the help of captain Gobby, Berthing Master at the north Mole, and Mr F Tamplin. Within months there were 15 Church of England Clergy on the Rock. Towards the end of 1941, it became clear that the MMS resources in material and manpower were stretched to their limit. A full time welfare worker and some shore recreation facilities were urgently necessary.The Bishop sent out Mr Joseph Robson, a former MMS Lay Reader at Marseilles, to help here, where he met Mr W Johnson serving with the RASC (Royal Army Service Corps, now the Logistics Corps) who had been a Lay Reader in Algiers. When another worker was found necessary in 1942 the Army Authorities agreed to second Mr Johnson to this post. The Launch “Dolphin” carried sailors between the shore and ships anchored in the Bay A Merchant Navy Welfare Committee was set up under George Gaggero to raise and administer funds, and became responsible for the erection of two Nissen huts on the North Mole, one a canteen and the other providing sleeping accommodation, and a house was obtained and fitted up as a Sailors’ Institute. The Acting Dean continued as much MMS work as he could, visiting the Hospital and some ships, interviewing men seeking personal advice, and supervising the distribution of knitted garments, comforts and cigarettes. The MMS launch Edna May, so named after the Canon’s wife, was run by Mr Crewe (a very appropriate name. Editor) bringing 4800 sailors ashore and paying 2853 visits in 1942. Although the MMS co-operated with the Merchant Navy Welfare Committee each kept its separate organisation, as the latter was in no way associated with any missionary work, and was concerned with material welfare alone. After the war was over the Reverend G S Nason was appointed Dean and Canon Johnston was appointed to the chaplaincy in Barcelona. MMS work was placed in the hands of a Lay Reader, Mr R Grant Macmillan, who had formerly served at Genoa. Once the work was not in clerical hands it was able to rent an Admiralty hut on the North mole for use as a Sailor’s Club (I believe this became the Flying Angel Club-Editor). The convenience of having this in a spot so easily accessible to men coming ashore for a short time only, was very great, and all the more necessary as the Merchant Navy Welfare Committee had ceased to exist with the ending of the war. The Governor, General Sir Kenneth Anderson, formally opened the Seaman’s Canteen and Recreation Room on May 4th 1948, when it was blessed by the Bishop, The Rt Rev. C D Horsley. Mr Macmillan resigned in March 1949, and was succeeded by Mr Richard Dines,MBE, who took up his residence in the Mission building which was a little distance from where the Flying Angel stood. Dean Lloyd (1950 – 1960) held strong views about the inadequacy of the ramshackle one story building, to which Mr Dines had brought his bride, Miss Susan Spicer, Assistant Matron of St Bernard’s Hospital, and where they continued to reside after the birth of their two children. Thanks to the Dean, a former naval chaplain, the MMS Committee acquired a better site, further down the Mile nearer the main activities of the port. Plans were drawn up for a new Institute with a good flat above for the Missioner, but work had not started when Mr Dines died suddenly at his home on June 11th 1958 aged 48.A ship’s steering wheel hangs in the Cathedral in memory of Richard Dines, “A true friend of seafarers.” His widow remained in Gibraltar for several years, returning to her work at the hospital, to support and educate her children In spite of the tragedy work was pressed ahead. A new club room with a bar was built and a flat above furnished and made ready in time for Bishop Eley’s first visit since his enthronement for Holy Week and Easter 1961. The Bishop and dean Worsley both attended performances of “Christian Victor” for the first time in the Cathedral. On Holy Saturday at noon the Bishop blessed the “Flying Angel” and declared it open. James Epworth, a faithful member of the cathedral congregation gave up his work as a craftsman in the Dockyard and moved into the flat with his wife and three children, first Gibraltarian to become a Missioner. After Mr Epsworth decided to move to England in 1969 the reverend Edward Holland, Precenter of the cathedral, took over the post of Missioner from 1974 to 1976. Both these young priests were bachelors, so there was no wife in the Mission flat until the arrival of the reverend Anthony Driver with his wife Jean in October 1976.Mr Driver had worked for a number of years, mainly in Holland, for the Mission to seamen, not the MMS, when he was selected by the Bishop for training for the priesthood, and he was already a Deacon when he reached Gibraltar. The Bishop of Fulham and Gibraltar priested him on St Peter’s Day 1977, in the cathedral at the first ordination to the priesthood which had ever taken place at the Holy Trinity Cathedral.Within a few days Mr Driver was left in charge of the Cathedral as dean, the very Reverend Ambrose Weeks, had been appointed Assistant Bishop of Gibraltar, and left the rock for his consecration at Greenwich.Mr Driver continued to work under the next Dean. The Very Reverend Robert Pope, after he was installed in October, but at the beginning of 1978 serious health put him into hospital for several weeks, and eventually he was obliged to leave Gibraltar. The Reverend Louis Claxton acted as Pecenter and Missioner for a short time pending the arrival of the Reverend Boase, also a married man, in December 1978, so once again a young couple occupy the Mission flat. This short report ends in Easter 1979.