September 13, 2004
Dearest of Friends and Fellow Chaplains,
One week ago about this time, I left Dublin, returning to Athens on which
was not a very pleasant trip. My plan was late in arriving and I got to
sleep in the early hours of Monday morning. This whole week though has
been full of thoughts of our time together at All Hallows. I dream of
walking with you through the greens of Glendalough, of all the discussions
we had and the times of fun and laughter.
I must confess that the most moving moment of the Consultation for me was
the overture of acceptance and trust you gave me in applauding my
re-election as Coordinator of our Network. Your outburst caused me to
actually lose my words! As I stated at the conclusion of our meeting in
Dublin, I will continue to serve you all in every way possible. This is
not only a great honour for me, but also a great honour for the Ecumenical
Patriarchate which I represent. What I honour and cherish most though are
the friendships that I have acquired.
It seems that it is a common consensus that the level of interpersonal
interaction and the bond of friendships formed during our meeting was
unprecedented in relation to past consultations. This is truly a blessing
because such friendship allows a real sense of support and sharing, which
are qualities that the Network has been based on. “Two are better than
one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one
will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not
have another to help. (Eccles. 4:9-10)”.
I am convinced though that, apart from the warm hospitality of our
organizers, what allowed this sense of friendship to develop was that we
were willing to begin to discuss the differences and tensions that both
unite us and separate us and share the pains of growth that each
chaplaincy has. Friendship can only be built on trust and honesty, and if
our Chaplaincies are to grow in relation to other Chaplaincies, this sense
of trust and understanding must be cultivated.
Again, I would like to thank Chaplain Kathleen O’Conner and the organizing
committee (Fr. Bryan Nolan, Fr. Brian Gough, together with Danielle
Browne) for all their hard work and efforts in making our stay in Dublin
so wonderful. I am sure that Kathleen will continue to be a great asset to
the Network Committee in the planning of the next consultation and in
offering us all her wide experience in the area of health care chaplaincy.
Allow me also to thank the members of the past Network Committee for all
of their input leading up to the Dublin Consultation. It was a difficult
time for the Network in that many “administrative” issues had never been
dealt with in the past. Without the advice and support of the Network
Committee, these issues would have never been solved.
I look forward in working will all the members of our new Network
Committee. This is the first time a committee has been elected in the
fashion it was, which will prove to be a positive factor for the
continuation of our efforts. All the new members are very qualified
indeed.
I really do not think that the real conclusions of our Consultation in
Dublin have fully been digested. This will take some time. There are some
issues which the past Network Committee had hoped to discuss which never
were put on the table, as there where many issues discussed that were new
and unforeseeable. But this is the exciting part of any consultation and
such a development shows how we are free in expression and not bound to
formalities! As issues develop, I will keep all of you informed. The next
two or three months will be crucial, I am sure.
Our Webmaster, Rev. Fred Coutts, has already begun setting up the new
“after Dublin” website site. He has been very creative in doing so and I
am sure that he will be informing all of you as he continues.
The comforting fact is that in twenty months (May 2006), we will be
together again in Portugal! In the next twenty months, there is a lot to
be done. Between Turku and Dublin we had 26 months! That is six months
less time to materialize our dreams! So there is a lot of hard work ahead.
I can assure you that I have already begun.
In closing, I humbly ask for your prayers,
With great admiration,
Fr. Stavros Kofinas
Coordinator of the European Network of Healthcare Chaplaincy
(Representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate)