CHRIST CHURCH TRIESTE
Via San Michele 13
The attractive city of Trieste is situated on a beautiful bay in the Adriatic, with an area of karst limestone hills rising up behind it. It has a population of about 220,000 and is not far from the border with Slovenia. There are good communications: it has an international airport, train and motorway connections as well as ferry services in the spring and summer months.
The city and its surroundings have rich cultural and tourist attractions. The 14th century cathedral of San Giusto overlooks much of the town where many churches, monuments, museums and a Greek theatre can be admired. The splendid castle of Miramare, built for the Habsburg Emperor Maximillian in the mid 19th century, stands on its promontory by the sea.
The Trieste Anglican church of Christ Church was built in neo-classical style and was inaugurated in June 1831. The importance of Trieste as a port and commercial centre was reflected in the lively church community which flourished until well after the end of the Second World War. Christ Church was also used by the British forces stationed in Trieste until 1954. The church was given to the comune of Trieste in 1985, after which extensive restoration work was carried out on the building. The Anglican community retains reserved rights and has exclusive use of the apse. However, the building is also used by other associations in accordance with the comune of Trieste.
The city and its surroundings have rich cultural and tourist attractions. The 14th century cathedral of San Giusto overlooks much of the town where many churches, monuments, museums and a Greek theatre can be admired. The splendid castle of Miramare, built for the Habsburg Emperor Maximillian in the mid 19th century, stands on its promontory by the sea.
The Trieste Anglican church of Christ Church was built in neo-classical style and was inaugurated in June 1831. The importance of Trieste as a port and commercial centre was reflected in the lively church community which flourished until well after the end of the Second World War. Christ Church was also used by the British forces stationed in Trieste until 1954. The church was given to the comune of Trieste in 1985, after which extensive restoration work was carried out on the building. The Anglican community retains reserved rights and has exclusive use of the apse. However, the building is also used by other associations in accordance with the comune of Trieste.
SERVICES
A service of the Holy Eucharist is held on one Sunday a month at 5.00 pm; with occasional services of Evensong and Morning Prayer.
Forthcoming services are :
Holy Eucharist
April 9th, 5pm (celebrant Fr. Robert Webb)
Morning Prayer
July 2nd, 11am.
The present Anglican community in Trieste is small, but dedicated to keeping the church alive. Visitors are warmly welcomed. The church is about 25 minutes walk from the railway station, or bus no. 24 leaves from the station (buy ticket from Tabaccheria either at the railway station or elsewhere) and stops opposite the church. By taxi 10 minutes cost about €8.
CONTACTS:
Churchwardens: Ms. Joanne Scarisbrooke Vranichic 338- 394 -5859 (Trieste)
Mrs. Juliet Daniele 347-933- 9289
Deputy Warden: Mr. Marino Vranichic 338-394-5859 (Trieste)
Secretary: Mr. Matthew Hahn laumatt@libero.it
Forthcoming services are :
Holy Eucharist
April 9th, 5pm (celebrant Fr. Robert Webb)
Morning Prayer
July 2nd, 11am.
The present Anglican community in Trieste is small, but dedicated to keeping the church alive. Visitors are warmly welcomed. The church is about 25 minutes walk from the railway station, or bus no. 24 leaves from the station (buy ticket from Tabaccheria either at the railway station or elsewhere) and stops opposite the church. By taxi 10 minutes cost about €8.
CONTACTS:
Churchwardens: Ms. Joanne Scarisbrooke Vranichic 338- 394 -5859 (Trieste)
Mrs. Juliet Daniele 347-933- 9289
Deputy Warden: Mr. Marino Vranichic 338-394-5859 (Trieste)
Secretary: Mr. Matthew Hahn laumatt@libero.it
IN MEMORIAM
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant” S. Matthew 25:21
RUBY MARGARET GASPARINI (Neè CRISELL) R.I.P.
Born 15.4.1929 in London UK . Died 4.6.2013 in Trieste Italy
Trieste may have been for Jan Morris 'the meaning of nowhere' but over many centuries remarkable people, James Joyce among them of course, have inhabited this strangely atmospheric corner of Italy and ancient Istria, where the Dolomites fall into the sea.
Though not to be found among the more 'famous' names, one very remarkable inhabitant of the city of Trieste died on June 4th this year. For the past 35 years Ruby Gasparini served as Churchwarden of the lovely 1836 Doric style Christ Church in Via San Michele (or, much to Ruby's disapproval! called by Trieste's Comune the 'Tempio Anglicano'). She had also at various times acted as Secretary and Treasurer of the Church. Indeed without Ruby's faithfulness, fortitude and downright determination it is doubtful whether either the Church building or even the small Anglican Community would have survived.
In 1976, following an earthquake, the church became unsafe and was closed, so Ruby began to write letters to Roman Catholic parishes, asking permission to use their churches and so prevent the Anglican community from being dispersed. Her pleas were answered, and for some time every Sunday she would carry all the Mass accessories from home in a suitcase to whichever church the service was to be in. Eventually and thanks to Ruby's initiative the Waldensian church offered regular free use of their ancient (originally 12th Cent) St. Silvestro church building and services were held there until the return of the Anglican community to its own premises. That return did not happen without a very hard struggle on Ruby's part, described by her son Max as “an epistolary battle”. Neither the small congregation nor the Diocese had the funds to restore the church and so an agreement was made between the Diocese in Europe and the Trieste Comune that the building would be donated to the Comune on the conditions that once the building was repaired, the Sanctuary area would be permanently reserved for Anglican use and an exclusive room/vestry provided. The building was indeed well restored, however no such room appeared nor did the authorities seem in any hurry to keep their part of the bargain. By dogged persistence Ruby eventually won the battle and in 1995 the Anglican Community celebrated their return to Christ church with a Christmas carol Service.
South Londoner Ruby's association with Christ Church began in 1966 when she arrived in Trieste with her Italian husband, Bruno whom she had married three years earlier. Ruby was delighted to find an English church in Trieste. Ruby immediately took an active part in the church, organizing bring & buy sales to raise funds for repairing the building’s roof. According to her son Max, “Ruby's father, who was a Methodist, and her mother, an Anglican, together had brought her up to be a regular churchgoer, stressing the importance of good and honest behaviour without worrying about dogmatic differences. She in turn passed this message on to her own children.”
In fact Ruby arrived at Christ Church with considerable experience in Lay Ministry. In her early twenties, her vicar at St. Saviour’s Church in Brockley, South London suggested she become a Sunday School teacher; at first she was reluctant, fearing not to be up to the task, but in fact she was very successful, the children loved her and some even stayed with her after Confirmation and formed a group, the Crisellian Juniors, for whom she wrote several plays based on biblical stories, which were then performed.
Ruby's many gifts and skills that included singing, painting, cooking, flower arranging and acting, along with the active and artistic disposition she brought to all of them, were put to very good use not only at Christ Church but within the wider community of Trieste,where she was particularly active in a local drama group and not least within her own family, writing and producing plays for her children Juliette and Max and artistic involvement in her husband Bruno's horticultural (orchid growing) business.
In addition to all this Ruby displayed great love towards animals, and joined many associations concerned with them, including the Cage Bird Society, the Poultry Society, the Society For the Protection of Animals Abroad and the RSPCA. She took part in much fund raising on behalf of the Old War Horse Memorial Hospital and donkey assistance projects. Ruby often took in and nursed to health whatever injured animal crossed her path, whether it happened to be a bird, a hedgehog, a butterfly or a lizard. However cats were her favourite charges and she devoted much of her time and effort to their well being.
For over 47 years Ruby performed her duties at Christ Church with care and diligence, and helpfully took on many extra tasks, such as when she received letters from people abroad seeking to trace their ancestors she would meticulously search for the required information through the records of the church or those of the Comune of Trieste. Above all Ruby was a dedicated follower of Our Lord and a faithful communicant whose care for the members of the congregation at Christ church and love for the building where it meets will not be forgotten. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew her and will be remembered with gratitude and love by the community at Christ Church Trieste and by all those she so selflessly helped over the many years of her life in this place.
MAY SHE REST IN PEACE AND RISE IN GLORY
The Venerable Howard Levett (Chaplain St. George's Venice and Christ Church Trieste ) and Mr. Max Gasparini (Ruby's son)
RUBY MARGARET GASPARINI (Neè CRISELL) R.I.P.
Born 15.4.1929 in London UK . Died 4.6.2013 in Trieste Italy
Trieste may have been for Jan Morris 'the meaning of nowhere' but over many centuries remarkable people, James Joyce among them of course, have inhabited this strangely atmospheric corner of Italy and ancient Istria, where the Dolomites fall into the sea.
Though not to be found among the more 'famous' names, one very remarkable inhabitant of the city of Trieste died on June 4th this year. For the past 35 years Ruby Gasparini served as Churchwarden of the lovely 1836 Doric style Christ Church in Via San Michele (or, much to Ruby's disapproval! called by Trieste's Comune the 'Tempio Anglicano'). She had also at various times acted as Secretary and Treasurer of the Church. Indeed without Ruby's faithfulness, fortitude and downright determination it is doubtful whether either the Church building or even the small Anglican Community would have survived.
In 1976, following an earthquake, the church became unsafe and was closed, so Ruby began to write letters to Roman Catholic parishes, asking permission to use their churches and so prevent the Anglican community from being dispersed. Her pleas were answered, and for some time every Sunday she would carry all the Mass accessories from home in a suitcase to whichever church the service was to be in. Eventually and thanks to Ruby's initiative the Waldensian church offered regular free use of their ancient (originally 12th Cent) St. Silvestro church building and services were held there until the return of the Anglican community to its own premises. That return did not happen without a very hard struggle on Ruby's part, described by her son Max as “an epistolary battle”. Neither the small congregation nor the Diocese had the funds to restore the church and so an agreement was made between the Diocese in Europe and the Trieste Comune that the building would be donated to the Comune on the conditions that once the building was repaired, the Sanctuary area would be permanently reserved for Anglican use and an exclusive room/vestry provided. The building was indeed well restored, however no such room appeared nor did the authorities seem in any hurry to keep their part of the bargain. By dogged persistence Ruby eventually won the battle and in 1995 the Anglican Community celebrated their return to Christ church with a Christmas carol Service.
South Londoner Ruby's association with Christ Church began in 1966 when she arrived in Trieste with her Italian husband, Bruno whom she had married three years earlier. Ruby was delighted to find an English church in Trieste. Ruby immediately took an active part in the church, organizing bring & buy sales to raise funds for repairing the building’s roof. According to her son Max, “Ruby's father, who was a Methodist, and her mother, an Anglican, together had brought her up to be a regular churchgoer, stressing the importance of good and honest behaviour without worrying about dogmatic differences. She in turn passed this message on to her own children.”
In fact Ruby arrived at Christ Church with considerable experience in Lay Ministry. In her early twenties, her vicar at St. Saviour’s Church in Brockley, South London suggested she become a Sunday School teacher; at first she was reluctant, fearing not to be up to the task, but in fact she was very successful, the children loved her and some even stayed with her after Confirmation and formed a group, the Crisellian Juniors, for whom she wrote several plays based on biblical stories, which were then performed.
Ruby's many gifts and skills that included singing, painting, cooking, flower arranging and acting, along with the active and artistic disposition she brought to all of them, were put to very good use not only at Christ Church but within the wider community of Trieste,where she was particularly active in a local drama group and not least within her own family, writing and producing plays for her children Juliette and Max and artistic involvement in her husband Bruno's horticultural (orchid growing) business.
In addition to all this Ruby displayed great love towards animals, and joined many associations concerned with them, including the Cage Bird Society, the Poultry Society, the Society For the Protection of Animals Abroad and the RSPCA. She took part in much fund raising on behalf of the Old War Horse Memorial Hospital and donkey assistance projects. Ruby often took in and nursed to health whatever injured animal crossed her path, whether it happened to be a bird, a hedgehog, a butterfly or a lizard. However cats were her favourite charges and she devoted much of her time and effort to their well being.
For over 47 years Ruby performed her duties at Christ Church with care and diligence, and helpfully took on many extra tasks, such as when she received letters from people abroad seeking to trace their ancestors she would meticulously search for the required information through the records of the church or those of the Comune of Trieste. Above all Ruby was a dedicated follower of Our Lord and a faithful communicant whose care for the members of the congregation at Christ church and love for the building where it meets will not be forgotten. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew her and will be remembered with gratitude and love by the community at Christ Church Trieste and by all those she so selflessly helped over the many years of her life in this place.
MAY SHE REST IN PEACE AND RISE IN GLORY
The Venerable Howard Levett (Chaplain St. George's Venice and Christ Church Trieste ) and Mr. Max Gasparini (Ruby's son)
