On October 8 we celebrated at the Chapel for Europe our Ecumenical Opening Prayer that marks the start of the social year activities after the summer break. Various religious figures from different Christian Churches, including the Catholic Archbishop of Brussels-Mechelen Luc Terlinden, participated at the prayer.  It was a powerful moment when the bishops and leaders of the different churches prayed together in the Chapel for Europe in Brussels, with prophetic words for the European Union: ‘Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God’ (Mi 6:8).

A memorial Mass for Peter Knauer SJ was held on Wednesday, 11 September, at 19:00 at the Chapel for Europe. On July 22nd, 2024, Fr. Peter Knauer SJ passed away peacefully in Berlin at the age of 89. After retiring as a professor of fundamental theology, he moved to Brussels in 2003 and remained there until 2018. Many remembered him for his pastoral services at the Foyer Catholique and the Chapel, as well as in other communities, where he spoke in Spanish, Italian, German, and even Esperanto. He was cherished for his kindness and commitment, his sharp intellectual mind, and his deep expertise in St. Ignatius of Loyola and his spirituality. May he rest in peace!

To mark International Women's Day, the Chapel for Europe organised, on March 19th, a round table/debate in collaboration with CathoBel (the portal of the Catholic Church in French Speaking Belgium), on the theme: MATRIARCHY IN BELGIUM: WOMEN IN MIGRATION. Four strong, socially committed women from different migrant communities in Belgium took part in this rich discussion. The guests around the table:- Godelieve Boekaert, Latin American community,- Andreea Nita, Romanian community,- Cécile Manguiers, African community and- Sema Aydogan, Turkish community.The event was moderated by Angélique Tasiaux, journalist at CathoBel.The guests shared their analyses based on their own experiences, highlighting the impact and important role of women in their respective migrant communities. Thanks to their testimonies, we were able to gain a better understanding of a reality that is both complex and shared by many, despite differences in origin, culture and language barriers.

As part of the annual Prayer Week for Christian Unity held by the World Council of Churches, a round table on the “Challenges of Ecumenism today” hosted by the ‘Chapel for Europe - Chapel of the Resurrection' took place in the heart of the European Quarter of Brussels. The gathering was set to discuss the new approaches to Ecumenism and the joint role of churches in modern society, in the face of the movement’s apparent stagnation in recent years. Speakers included Dr. Katerina Pekridou, Executive Secretary for Theological Dialogue at Conference of European Churches, Revd Canon Jack McDonald of the Central Committee of the Anglican Church in the UK, Fr. Manuel Enrique Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of COMECE, and Pastor Johannes Reitze-Landau, of the All-Lutheran Church in Brussels. The panel was moderated by Fr. Bernd Günther SJ, director of the Chapel for Europe. The conference ended with a joint prayer and an informal get-together. A webstream of the evening is available here.

 It was 11 years ago that Krystian Sowa became the director of the Chapel for Europe in Brussels. It is a unique Chapel, located in the middle of the EU quarter and it has a clear ecumenical, European and inter-religious mission.  Thanks to Krystian this very special place of worship has become the Soul for Europe where people meet, pray, exchange views, learn, enjoy, deepen their faith, discover….  It all happened thanks to Krystian’s natural ability to bring people together. When I started working with him 9 years ago it was one of the first things he told me about as his vision for the Chapel. To connect people in faith and create understanding through knowledge. It was clear that is was his calling and this is what he has been doing for the last 11 years. It is not an easy task but he managed to create a common space, friendly atmosphere and an exceptional welcoming spirit within the Chapel so that anyone who comes by, regardless of background, opinions or beliefs can feel like at home.  It has been a wonderful experience for me to work with Krystian through all these years. He is an exceptional person, dedicated to his work and his friends and I am honored to say I am one of them.  I am of Spanish origin and with Krystian I rediscovered my own country. He is a enthusiastic lover of the Camino de Santiago, which he has walked at least five times! And he still plans to walk it in new, other ways. He speaks Spanish like a native and listens to Spanish audio-books while riding his bike.  His next adventure will take him to Rome, working at Radio Vaticana in the Polish section. He already has experience in making of a radio show thanks to collaborating in our monthly radio program “A Soul for Europe” in RCF station in Brussels.  He will be much missed by all our team, Esmeralda, Laura and myself, and also by all the friends of the Chapel. For his new chapter in life we all wish him a MUY BUEN CAMINO and he will be in our prayers!  Thank you Krystian for being you and sharing it with all of us!   Sabina Gonzalez Vilas Communications and Fundraising Manager at the Chapel for Europe - Brussels

On September 20 we celebrated at the Chapel for Europe our Ecumenical Opening Prayer that marks the start of the social year activities after the summer break. In this occasion, the Prayer was also the opportunity to say farewell to the director of the Chapel for 11 years, Fr Krystian Sowa sj who will leave his post in mid October. We were honored by the participation in the common prayer of Rev. Sarah-Jane King (Anglican Church), Pasteur Laurence Flacon (Belgian Protestant Church), Fr Zadik Avedikian (Apostolic Armenian Church), Rev. Ar Evangelos Psallas (Orthodox Church) and Mgr Noël Treanor (Apostolic Nuncio to the EU). The Chapel was filled with friends who wanted to share with Fr Krystian his last Ecumenical Prayer at the Chapel. It was an evening of emotions, with words from Mr Herman Van Rompuy, exalting the dedication and work of Fr Krystian at the Chapel and also thank you words from his team, represented by Sabina González (Communications and Fundraising Manager). During the celebration the new director was introduced, Fr Bernd Günther SJ., a German jesuit who is really excited about his new post. As a symbol we shared the Bread with all our friends and GPS Trio - Chanter la Bible put music to the evening On the right - Bernd Günther, the new director of the Chapel for Europe