On Wednesday 23 September 2026, the Anglican Institute in Belgium held a Prison Chaplain Training day for all of its Anglican Prison Chaplains. The team continues to grow with several new volunteer prison chaplains in addition to the stipendiary ones. The topic was: Preaching & Pastoral care.
The day began with a prayer service in French led by The Reverend Charles Kabera highlighting the power of a chaplain to open the door of a locked heart in each of us. During this time of prayer, we remembered the Revd Dr. Hector Patmore, who had just submitted his application form to become a volunteer prison chaplain before leaving on his hiking trip in Scotland where he had a tragic accident that claimed his life.
The Interim-Principal gave two lectures on preaching as a key work of pastoral ministry within the larger context of the chaplain’s role.
In between the morning and afternoon lectures, the chaplains attended the midday service of Holy Communion at Holy Trinity, Brussels where the Chaplain-President was preaching. In the afternoon, the chaplains spent some time reflecting on the effectiveness of this sermon as a pastoral act.
The group learned a lot and left with new ideas to utilise in their own preaching and ministry.