Having purchased the Vicarage at 89 Rue de Muhlenback in Luxembourg city in the mid 1990s, the Anglican Church is now entering a new phase in its existence.
While the chapel at the Centre Konvikt on avenue Marie-Therese continues to be used every Sunday for Holy Communion (both Said and Sung) as well as Choral Evensong on the 1st Sunday of every month, and also other special services throughout the year, the residence of the Chaplain has been also used as an office and for meetings: this is now changing.
The Chaplain, Rev Chris Lyon, is now living just down the road from the former Vicarage, at 33 Rue de Muhlenbach, with the Church renting a 2-roomed office at the Centre Jean XXIII in Kirchberg, the former Catholic Seminary and now home to the Luxembourg School of Religion and Society; the latter arrangement is expected to last for 18-24 months, by which time its new offices should be ready for occupation and use - at Rue Jules Mersch (off Rue de Muhlenbach). The new office will be a 4-roomed ground-floor apartment in a new construction, which can be used for offices and meetings, etc.; it could also be changed easily for residential use in the future. According to Revd Chris Lyon, "it suits our needs and is flexible".
So, how has all this come about? Back in the early 90s, the Anglican Church in Luxembourg fundraised and financed the purchased the Vicarage themselves, and paid off the mortgage after a number of years. Over the past number of years, the building started to need work done on it, including pointing on the facade and repair work on an adjoining out-house, with the idea to also install a car-port. In initial discussions with the Ville de Luxembourg, dating back almost 10 years, the issue of a sale was raised; a property developer subsequently arranged the purchase of the Vicarage, the adjoining property and a small plot of land owned by the Ville de Luxembourg. The sale (of the Vicarage) has been agreed (by Bishop the Rt Rev'd Robert Innes who lives in Brussels), a Compromis de Vente has been signed and the transaction is expected to be completed by early May.
The Vicarage has been vacated and the Anglican Church has purchased a three-bedroom apartment for the Chaplain with the help of a bridging loan. The proceeds from the sale of the Vicarage are expected to cover the purchase of both the Chaplain's Apartment and the new office, so no additional fundraising or loans should be needed.
In another development for the Anglican Church in Luxembourg, the annual Church Fair will not take place this year (usually mid-June), but is expected to return in 2017.
Photo by Geoff Thompson
