St Michael's Orthodox Parish Newsletter (Audley and Dresden)

Services February 2012 at Audley and Dresden

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Wed 1st 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Feast at Dresden
Thurs 2nd 11am Divine Liturgy of the Feast at Audley

Sat 4th 6pm Great Vespers (Audley and Dresden)
Sun 5th 10am Matins;11am Divine Liturgy (Audley and Dresden)
(Father George’s final Liturgy at Audley)

Services at St. Michael’s, Audley

Wed 8th 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 15th 11am Divine Liturgy
No Liturgy permitted on 22nd
Mon 27th 7pm Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete
Tues 28th 7pm Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete
Wed 29th 7pm Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Thurs 1st March 7pm Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete

Services at the Church of the Holy Resurrection, Red Bank, Dresden

Every Saturday 6pm Great Vespers
Every Sunday 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Note: Sun 26th 6pm Forgiveness Vespers
Fri 2nd March 7pm Akathist to Saint Chad

~~~ Great Lent begins Monday 27th February ~~~

Name Days
3rd Archimandrite Simeon
7th Richard Grace
16th Nicholas Chapman (O.S)
19th Philothei Maxfield

Reposed
2nd Protopresbyter Alban (2009)
10th Photini (2006)

Advanced Notice of Pilgrimages
Sat 3rd March Veneration of the Relics of Saint Chad in the R.C. Cathedral in Birmingham
Sat 23rd June Pisani Chapel open day
Sat 28th July Stoney Middleton Liturgy
Sat 4th August Saint Bertram Liturgy at Ilam

Huge Thanks… … go to Stephan for his sterling work over the past few months in producing this Newsletter. You will be disappointed to learn that your old editor is back!

sursa photo

Prayer during the Fast

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Prayer during the Great Fast
Fasting without prayer is just a “diet” and of no spiritual benefit at all.
At the very least use the Prayer of St. Ephraim every day during the Fast.

O Lord and Master of my life!Take from me the spirit of sloth, meddling,lust of power and idle talk.
Make one prostration
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant.
Make one prostration
Yea, O Lord and King!Grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages.
Make one prostration
O God, cleanse me, a sinner.
Say 12 times with bows
Then say the entire prayer again with only one prostration at the end

This should be done privately in your own room as your own offering to God. Do not prostrate unless you can be sure of being able to get up again afterwards!
If you have children teach them how to pray this prayer together with you, so that you make a family offering to God every day of the Great Fast.
Do it before you eat together. It is much more difficult on a full stomach.
Apart from this do not be too adventurous, rather persevere in your daily prayer routine and keep to it.

Fund-raising event

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Alsager Table Top Sale – Help Required!

Saturday 4th February offers the opportunity for you to help and support Imogen and Hugh in their endeavours at a Table Top Sale at Alsager Civic Centre between 9:30 and 12 noon.
This is both a fund-raising event for the Parish (both Audley and Dresden churches!) and also an opportunity for Mission. As Imogen said in her recent email, “We have found the True Faith” and we have a responsibility to share it with others out there who are searching for God. We are having two tables – one for bric-a-brac and the other given over entirely to Orthodox books and gifts and with information about our Church.
You can help on the day (starting with setting up at 08:30) and also beforehand in both donating items for sale and in sorting and pricing.
Stuff for sale can be left at the back of either church for collection or helpfully dropped off at the Maxfield residence. The sorting will be done there on the afternoon of Thursday 2nd February if you fancy lending a welcome hand between 1pm and 4pm.
Contact Imogen on 01270 875608 or email hughandimogen@btinternet.com

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The Great Fast

The Church leads us into the Great Fast gently. We are reminded not to be proud and showy in our fasting, like the Pharisee, but humble and penitent, like the publican. Weare reminded by the story of the prodigal son that, no matter how great our fall from Grace, the Father comes out to meet us when first we decide to return to Him.
We give up meat, then dairy, but most importantly we set ourselves right with our fellow travellers on the way to Pascha by asking their forgiveness and giving ours.
We cannot seek to engage in spiritual warfare unless our hearts are right.
“IF YOU BRING YOUR GIFT TO THE ALTAR AND REMEMBER THAT YOUR BROTHER HAS SOMETHING AGAINST YOU, LEAVE IT THERE, AND GO AND BE RECONCILED FIRST WITH YOUR BROTHER.”
“FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US.”
This is so much more difficult than simply fasting!
Make your own confession and forgive others. Only then will you be fit to fast.

Forgive me and pray for me the unworthy priest and sinner.

Father Samuel

Saint Govan

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Said returning editor had the good fortune to visit Pembrokeshire for the first time in December 2011 for a short break. Almost by accident we stumbled across Saint Govan’s Chapel. I have seen photos of the chapel many times but nothing quite beats being there – even if the wind was so strong that one dare not get within 25 yards of the cliff edge for fear of ending up in the Atlantic. The steps down to the present chapel (dating from the 13th century) provide shelter and the air around the chapel was quite still. Saint Govan (died 586) was an Irish monk who travelled to Wales to seek the family of the abbot who had trained him. He was set upon by pirates from Ireland or the nearby island of Lundy and chased along the cliffs. The cliff opened up to present Govan with a fissure just big enough to hide in until the marauders passed by. In gratitude, Govan remained and spent the rest of his days ministering to and educating the local people. The large rock and fissure form part of the Eastern wall of the chapel.

January 2012 at Audley and Dresden

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(All services are at both churches unless specified.)

Sun. 1st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Thurs. 5th 6.30pm Vesperal Liturgy of Saint Basil and the Great Blessing of the Waters at Dresden.
Fri. 6th 10.30am Divine Liturgy and Lesser Blessing of the Waters at Audley, followed by lunch.
Sat.7th 6pm Great Vespers. Sun. 8th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Sat. 14th 6pm Great Vespers. 6pm Reader Vespers for
Dresden Sun. 15th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Sat.21st 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 22nd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Sat. 28th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 29th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Namedays
1st Vasiliki Harvey
7th Jan Warrilow; Oana Onofrei; Cristian Bostan
14th Nino Bartholomew
17th Antonis Harvey
27th (O.S.) Nina Chapman

Reposed.
6th Archpriest Michael Harper 2010
14th Mary Carter 2005
18th Priest John 2001

Parish Feasts.
13th Saint Kentigern, Doncaster
16th Saint Fursey, Sutton

February and beyond.

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Father George and his family will be returning to Australia in early February. They have been a great blessing to us in the transition period while beginning to move our Saturday and Sunday worship to our new church at Dresden.
When we first bought our church building at Audley it was in a terribly derelict state. We set to with fundraising and hard work and gradually it has, by the grace of God become a beautiful little church. We will continue to use this church for weekday services because we love it dearly and have been deeply involved in its repair and equipping for Orthodox worship. I will serve a weekly Liturgy in Audley on Wednesdays throughout the year, Pre-sanctified Liturgies during Great Lent. Great Feasts will be shared between the two buildings, as we did for the Feast of our parish Patron, the Holy Archangel Michael.
After much prayer and very slow negotiating, we have now begun to do the same for our new church building at Dresden. There will need to be much prayer, fundraising and hard work to make it a suitable place for Orthodox worship. By the grace of God this is possible! We all need to be totally committed to both of our churches in our prayers, our attendance and our giving of time, talents and finances. The help for the process at Dresden has, so far, been minimal from most, but exceptional from the few who have begun this great work and we owe them our grateful thanks. Don’t leave it to someone else but rather be at the very heart of the godly labour yourself.
I will reiterate that we are one parish , Saint Michael’s, with one congregation and two churches. We have been greatly blessed by our good God, let us try to be worthy of His beneficence and work together with the love and sense of family which has always been the characteristic of our parish.

May God bless us all!
Fr. Samuel.

Church Fathers on Baptism

...It was not for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being baptized, but as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord from our old transgressions, being spiritually regenerated as new-born babes… St Irenaeus
We believe in one baptism for the remission of sins…The Nicene Creed
For in Baptism the sins are buried, the former things are blotted out, the man is made alive, the entire grace written upon his heart as it were a table. St John Chrysostom
Today He is baptized by John that He might cleanse him who was defiled, that He might bring the Spirit from above, and exalt man to heaven, that he who had fallen might be raised up… St Gregory of Nyssa
Baptize the soul from wrath and from covetousness, from envy, and from hatred, and, lo, the body is pure. St Justin Martyr

THEOPHANY

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The word Theophany comes from the Greek word Τheophaneia meaning “appearance of God”. Christ’s baptism is a theophany and it is one of the Great Feasts of the Church. It is one of the clear Biblical references to the Trinity. God the son is baptized, the Spirit of God descends in the form of a dove, and the voice of God the Father speaks from Heaven. As in the Troparion:
When you O Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest. For the voice of the Father bore witness to You, calling You His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word…
An interesting element of most Theophany icons is the tree in the corner with an axe in it. This is showing the words of the scripture Therefore any tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire… (Matthew 3:10b).

December

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December 2011 at Audley and Dresden

Sat. 3rd 6pm Great Vespers at Audley.

(6pm Reader Vespers at Dresden, Fr. Samuel away.)
Sun. 4th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat.10th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 11th 10am Matins;11am Divine Liturgy.
Mon. 12^th Meeting of Trustees 7.30pm at Dresden.

Wed. 14^th 10.30am Divine Liturgy at Audley.

Sat. 17th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 18th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 24th 8pm Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, at Audley..

Sun. 25th 10am Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, at Dresden.(No Matins)

Sat.31^st 6pm Great Vespers.

Sun. 1^st January 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Namedays

9^th Hannah Gandy. 18^th Joseph Clive. 27^th Stefan Ron.

Reposed.

7^th Deacon John Mark 2007.

Parish Feasts.

20^th St. Ignatios, Belfast.

Services: November 2011 at Audley and Dresden

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Sat. 5th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 6th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Mon.7th 6.30pm Great Vespers of Saint Michael at Dresden.
Tues. 8th 10.30am Divine Liturgy of Saint Michael at Audley.
Fri. 11th 11am Memorial at the Dresden Church War Memorial.

Sat.12th 12.30 Saint Michael’s Feast at St. Marina’s Hall, Longton. A bring and share meal with a collection for the church.6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 13th 10am Matins;
11am Divine Liturgy. Audley
10.30am Baptism of Dylan Edward Jai Jones;
11am Divine Liturgy. Dresden
Mon. 15th Beginning of the Nativity Fast.

Sat. 19th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 20th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Mon. 21st 10.30am Divine Liturgy: Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple: Liturgy at Dresden.
Fri. 25th 11am Akathist at Audley

Sat. 26th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 27th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Being one parish.

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As one parish of the Holy Archangel Michael, with two churches and two priests, Great Feasts will be shared between the two churches. So, both churches having as their Patron the Holy Archangel Michael, Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia will be served at Dresden and the Divine Liturgy with Panikhida at Audley on 7th and 8th November. The Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple being on a Monday, there will be no Great Vespers, but the Divine Liturgy will be served at Dresden. We welcomed Edwin, Maurice, into the Holy Orthodox Church and our parish of Saint Michael at Dresden. I should have invited all of you to be there but left it to your own perception. Dylan Edward Jai Jones, the son of Paul Dominic and Jayne, will be baptised at Dresden on Sunday 13th November as indicated on the service listing for November. The day before we will have celebrated our Parish Feast with a “bring and share” lunch at Saint Marina’s hall in Longton. I hope that there will be many occasions when we will all be together at Audley and at Dresden, for worship, fellowship, study, fundraising and many other things.

Study Group

An evening study group has formed and meets at Hugh and Imogen Maxfield’s house every Thursday.Time: 8pm—9:30pmAddress: 1 Cappers Lane, Betchton, Sandbach, CW11 2TWContact: Fr. George 07551456454

Congratulations to Matthew and Kayleigh who have got engaged!

Name Days in November.

3rd Winifred Carson
8th Gabriella Bostan; Victor’s Gabriella
11th Martin Shorthose
13th Ioannes Harvey
14th Philip Boothby
16th Matthew Carson; Matthew Cooke
20th Edmund Maxfield
30th Andrew Ayoub; Andrew Davidchack; Andrew Onofrei; Andrew Robinson

Synaxis of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel and All the Bodiless Powers—8th November

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On this day we celebrate the archangels and these are:

Michael: "Who is like God"
Gabriel: "Power of God" or "man of God"
Raphael: "God’s Healing" or "God the Healer"
Uriel: "Fire" or "Light of God"
Salathiel: "One who prays to God"
Jegudiel: "One who glorifies God"
Barachiel: "The blessing of God"
Jeremiel: "God’s Exaltation"
We celebrate all the angelic hosts in November because it follows nine months after March, in which month the world was created. Nine months for the nine orders of angels as outlined by Saint Dionysius the Areopagite. These orders are: six-winged Seraphim, many-eyed Cherubim, Godly Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.
It was Saint Michael who first cried out "Let us attend! Let us stand aright; let us stand with fear". This is heard every Sunday and the response is the same one given by the Angelic host, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth: heaven and earth are full of Your Glory."
　
Saints of Britain: Saint Winifride—3rd November

Winifride (or Gwenfrewi in Welsh) was the niece of Saint Beuno the Wonderworker and she lived further up the valley from his cell.Caradoc, the son of a local chieftain attempted to seduce her but she repelled him and ran towards her uncle’s chapel for sanctuary. Caradoc flew into a rage, pursued her and cut off her head. Her uncle came to her and through fervent prayer, replaced her head and she was brought back to life.After this, Winifride entered the monastic life under the spiritual guidance of Saint Eleri. Eventually, Saint Winifride travelled west to the hills above the Conwy valley and founded there a monastery of nuns in the village of Gwytherin. She left this world in the year 650 and was laid to rest by Saint Eleri.

Services for October 2011 at Audley and Dresden.

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Services for October 2011 at Audley and Dresden.

Sat. 1st Pilgrimage to Holywell. No local services.
Sun. 2nd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 8th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 9th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 15th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 16th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Wed. 19th 9am Divine Liturgy at Audley
Sat. 22nd 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 23rd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Fri. 28th 9am Divine Liturgy at Audley.
Sat. 29th 6pm Saint Demetrios Commemoration of the Dead and Great Vespers.
Sun. 30th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Name Days in October

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Name Days in October.
12th Wilfred Maxfield. 18th Dr. Lucas Joy.
23rd Jacovos Harvey. 26th Claudiu
28th Terence.

Reposed.
19th Metropolitan Gabriel (2007).

Future Dates.
November: Parish Feast Meal will be a “bring and share” on Saturday 12th November at 12.30pm at Saint Marina’s Parish Hall in Longton.

Finances.
Now that we have two churches and two priests, it is time for all of us to look at our giving to the Church in order to make the work of the Church possible.
In these difficult times, we need, more than ever, to remind ourselves that we put our trust in God, not in our own ability to supply our needs. Give freely and God will abundantly supply your needs. Be sensible and thrifty, and sparing in your giving, and you show your lack of trust in God.

Swanwick Deanery Conference 2012.
Father Gregory has booked Swanwick on the same basis as last time.... 80 places (expandable) at £130 with usual concessions and day attending rates, Monday 30th April (4pm) to Wednesday 2nd May (Lunch)... a non-fasting Paschal time.
The theme will be “Christian discipleship” and the following areas will be covered by quality speakers:-
Personal Vocations; Family Life and the Single State;
The Ascetical Life; The Kingdom of God and the World.

Saints of Britain

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Saints of Britain: Wilfrid of York—October 12th
Saint Wilfrid was born in Northumberland in 634 and was educated at Lindisfarne and then spent time in Lyons and Rome. He returned to England and was elected abbot of Ripon in 658 and introduced the Roman rules and practices and was the architect of the definitive victory of the Roman party at the Conference of Whitby in 664.
He was appointed Bishop of York and took possession of his See in 669. He laboured zealously and founded many monasteries, though he had to appeal to Rome in order to prevent the subdivision of his diocese by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Saint Theodore. While waiting for the outcome of the case, he was forced to go into exile. This did little to shake his zeal and he worked hard and long to evangelize the pagan south Saxons until his recall in 686. In 691 he had to retire again to the Midlands until Rome vindicated him once again. He was reconciled to his fellow bishops at the Council of Nidd in 706.
He went to his rest in 709 and is remembered for his courage and zeal.

Saint Paulinus of York—October 10
A monk in Saint Andrew’s monastery in Rome, he was sent to England in 601 by Saint Gregory the Great to assist Saint Augustine of Canterbury. He laboured in Kent until 625 when he accompanied Ethelburga to Northumbria where she married King (later saint) Edwin. Paulinus was successful in converting Edwin and large numbers of his people to the Christian faith. Edwin was defeated in 633 by pagan Mercians and Paulinus was forced to leave his See in York and return to Kent. There he took up the See of Rochester which he held until his death in 644.

Holy Fathers Spyridon and Nicodemus, Prosphora-bakers of the Caves—October 31

Saint Spyridon was a Godly man born in the early twelfth century. He was ignorant of book learning and his speech was rustic. Nevertheless, he was wise in spirit and his fear of God led him to the Monastery of the Caves where he became a monk and learned to read, committing all the Psalms to memory. He would chant the entire psalter once a day during his work.
His job became to bake the prosphora for the services, a work which Spyridon enjoyed. One day, while he was going about his work, he lit the oven to bake prosphora, and flames burst out and began to burn the roof of the building. Saint Spyridon took off his mantia and covered the mouth of the oven. Then he ran to the well, drew together the sleeves of his hair shirt, and filled it with water. He quickly returned to the fire calling for the brothers to come and help him put out the fire. When they arrived they were amazed that Spyridon’s shirt had held all the water for extinguishing the flames, and his mantia had not caught fire.

Saint Spyridon’s helper was St Nicodemus. They were very close friends and prayed and laboured together. They baked prosphora for thirty years before reposing peacefully .
of Canterbury. He laboured in Kent until 625 when he accompanied Ethelburga to Northumbria where she married King (later saint) Edwin. Paulinus was successful in converting Edwin and large numbers of his people to the Christian faith. Edwin was defeated in 633 by pagan Mercians and Paulinus was forced to leave his See in York and return to Kent. There he took up the See of Rochester which he held until his death in 644.

Services for September 2011

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Sat. 3rd 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.4th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Wed. 7th 6.30pm Great Vespers: Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary.
Thurs.8th 10.30am Divine Liturgy.

Sat.10th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.11th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy. 6pm Anglican Service at The Church of Holy Resurrec-tion, Dresden, led by the Bishop of Stafford as a hand-over ceremony for our leasing of the church building.

Tues.13th 6.30pm Great Vespers.
Wed. 14th 10am Divine Liturgy; Elevation of the Holy Cross.

Sat.17th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.18th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat.24th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.25th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Fri.30th 11am Akathist

Name Days in September.
5th Emma Louise Elizabeth Bostan. 8th Francesca Joy.
9th Anna Oshkereli. 17th Sofia Bartholomew.
24th Thekla Read. 26th John Roger Makings; John Martin Chadwick.

Reposed.
3rd Leon Liddament (2010)
10th George Fearns (2005)
24th Father Dennis (2010)

Deanery Parish Patronals.
14th Holy Cross, Lancaster.
19th Saint Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, Maccles-field.

Future Dates.
3rd September: Lastingham Pilgrimage.
3rd September: “It’s good to live in Audley Day”.
1st October: Holywell Pilgrimage.

The Church of the Holy Resurrection, Dresden.
On Monday 12th September the Anglicans will begin to put in store the things which we shall not need. As soon as possible, we shall begin to make the church suitable for Orthodox worship. This will take some time, but we shall begin to use the church in its temporary state of refurbishment as soon as possible. We shall then have the same services as at Audley on Saturdays and Sundays in Dresden.

Happy New Year

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Our Community of the Holy Archangel Michael began in 1994 with eight people.
Sixteen of us were Chrismated by Frs. Gregory, Jonathan and Stephen in September 1995.
In 1996 we took possession of a very small Wesleyan chapel in Audley
several miles outside Stoke on Trent. Metropolitan John, at the re-quest of
Metropolitan Gabriel, consecrated the church, now fully paid for, in August 2002. By this time we had grown considerably and had to ask people not to come to the service of Consecration. We have continued to grow to around forty families, making our church in Audley uncomfortably cramped.
Sometime in mid-September we shall begin a ten year lease , from the C of E, for the Church of the Holy Resurrection, Dresden, Stoke on Trent (ST3 4PP).
Father George Robinson, a former resident in Audley, has returned to England from Australia with his wife and two of his sons. This will make it possible to serve both churches fully while maintaining one parish identity.
The New Year will bring with it, therefore, great blessings and great new responsibilities. We ask your prayers as we unworthy servants of God seek to witness to His great love for mankind and faithfully serve the liturgical offices.

Saints of Britain

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Deiniol – September 11

St Deinol was born the son of a Celtic chieftain in the early 6th cen-tury and was an important figure in Christianity’s development in North Wales. He founded two monasteries, both named Bangor, one of which was close to the modern town of that name.
These monasteries had over 2000 monks, though many were to perish near Chester at the hands of a pagan king of Northumbria.
Deiniol is regarded as the first bishop of Bangor. There are numerous dedications to him in North Wales including the famous library which Prime Minister Gladstone established at Hawarden near Chester.
In 545, he and St. Dyfrig took part in a synod with St David, which settled many matters regarding the discipline of penance. Deinol’s presence there suggests that he was regarded as David’s equal. He died about the year 584.

Edith of Wilton – September 16

Born at Kensing in 961 to King Edgar of England, Edith was brought as a young child to Wilton Abbey by her mother Wulfrida, who lat-
er became a nun there and abbess.
Saint Edith became a nun at the age of fifteen and she refused to leave the convent to become queen as many of the nobles re-quested, when her half-brother, King Edward the Martyr was mur-dered.
She built St Denis Church at Wilton. Saint Dunstan was invited to the dedication and wept during the Mass, when asked why, he said it was because Edith would die in three weeks. This came true, and Edith went to her rest on 16 September AD 984.

Theodore of Canterbury – September 19

Theodore was born about the year 602 and was a native of Tarsus in Cilicia. Having studied at Athens, he visited Rome and whilst there was appointed to the See of Canterbury by Pope Vitalian. The See had been vacant for four years when Theodore arrived in England in 669. He was well received and was (as Bede distinctly tells us) the first Archbishop whose authority the whole English Church was willing to acknowledge.
Theodore aimed to organize the Church and encourage learning, he therefore consecrated Bishops to fill the vacant Sees and subdi-vided the existing dioceses.
The diocesan system which Theodore sought to establish was ac-cepted by a synod of the united English Church held at Hertford in 673. Another synod, held at Hatfield in 680, affirmed the adher-ence of the English Church to the Catholic faith. It was his inter-vention that prevented an escalation of war between the two kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia.
Learning flourished in England under the zeal of Theodore, under his direction and with the help of others such as Benedict Biscop,
seminaries were founded at many of the monasteries.
Theodore died in the year 690 at the age of 88 having been archbish-op for 22 years.

Finbar – September 25

Finbar was the son of an artisan and a lady of the Irish royal court. He was born in Connaught, Ireland and was baptized Lochan. He was educated by monks at Kilmaca-hil, Kilkenny, where he was named Fionnbharr which meant white head because of his light hair.
He may have preached in Scotland but definitely in southern Ireland.
On the River Lee, at an Corcach Mór (in the area now known as Munster), he founded a monastery that be-came famous, attracting numerous disciples and visi-tors. As it’s fame grew, the monastery became the city of Cork, of which Finbar was the first bishop. The motto for the University College in Cork is “Where Finbar taught let Munster learn”. He died in Cloyne about the year 633 and after he died the sun did not set for two weeks.

Services for August 2011

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Monday 1st beginning of the Dormition Fast.

Sat. 6th 11am Divine Liturgy; picnic; Blessing of the Spring and Great Vespers at Saint Bertram’s Shrine in Ilam, Derbyshire.
Sun.7th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy;

Sat.13th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.14th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Mon.15th 10.30am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy.

Sat.20th 4pm Parish Meeting; 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.21st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat.27th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.28th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Name Days in August.
NB 1st is not Jonathan’s Name day, but the Sunday before Christmas with the OT Righteous
16th Radu.
20th Father Samuel.

Deanery Parish Patronals.
9th Lincoln, Saint Matthias.
31st Levenshulme, Saint Aidan.

Future Dates.
3rd September Lastingham Pilgrimage.
1st October Holywell Pilgrimage.

Saints of Britain

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St Aidan of Lindisfarne— 1st August

St Aidan was an Irish bishop of the 7th century and was based at Lindisfarne after St Oswald the king called for help to evangelise his lands. From here Aidan travelled on foot around his diocese and many churches and monasteries were founded in the area. St Aidan shunned worldly riches and things of the world. He was often invited to feasts as a friend of the king’s. These he rarely attended and when he did he would always bring other monks with him and always left as soon as he could to return to his work. St Aidan was a very approachable person and whenever he met another traveller on the road would always stop to talk to him. St Bede describes him as being, “a man of remarkable gentleness, goodness,

St Oswald Martyr King of Northumbria—5th August

A very righteous man, St Oswald did much work for the furthering of the Christian faith. He raised a wooden cross as his standard in a great bat-tle against pagan Britons, a battle in which he won a great victory against an old enemy. He established churches and monasteries throughout his kingdom with the help of many missionaries and monks including St Aidan of Lindisfarne. He was martyred in a battle against a pagan army in the year 642.
One Easter, when St Aidan was dining with St Oswald, a servant en-tered to say that there were many poor outside the gate seeking alms, Oswald took up a great silver dish and filled it with all sorts of foods from the royal table, and gave it to the steward. He told him to give out the food and then break the silver plate into pieces to hand out to the crowd as well. Aidan took the king’s right hand and said, “May this hand never decay”, his blessing was fulfilled, for after St Oswald’s death, his incorrupt hand was kept as a sacred relic.

Saints of Britain: St Hilda of Whitby— August 25th

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St Hilda lived the life of a noblewomen until she joined her sister (Saint Hereswitha ) as a nun in the Chelles Monastery in France. At St Aidan of Lindisfarne’s request, she went to the double monastery in Hartlepool by the River Wear where there were both monks and nuns in separate areas. Here she became the abbess for a few years before becoming the abbess of the monastery of Whitby at Streaneshalch. There she had amongst her subject monks the Bishop Saint John of Beverly, the herdsman Caedmon (the first English religious poet), Bishop St Wilfrid of York, and three other bishops. It was her influence that was a decisive factor in se-curing the unity of the English church.
In 664 she convened a conference at Whitby abbey to decide whether the Roman or Celtic ecclesiastical customs should be observed. The decision was that the Roman rule would be-come the norm. Though St Hilda and her followers were adherents of the Celtic tradition, they followed the decision of the conference.
St Bede speaks highly of St Hilda, saying among other things that “all who knew her called her Mother, such were her wonderful godliness and grace”. St Hilda died at Whitby in the year 680.

Three Auxiliary Bishops Elected for Antiochian Archdiocese of Europe

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During the 47th session of the Holy Antiochian Synod held in June, it was decided to elect twelve auxiliary bishops, three of these to serve in the Arch-diocese of Europe. Those elected were:

Archimandrite Ignatius Al Houshi
Born in Damasucus in 1970, he entered the St George’s monastery as a nov-ice in 1994 and became a monk in 1995. In 2001 he moved to Greece where he acquired a Diploma in Byzantine music from the National institute in Athens, and in 2006, the Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from the Theological College in Athens. He was ordained deacon in 2007 and was ordained priest in 2010 at the holy monastery of Penteli, Athens. Pres-ently he is preparing his doctoral thesis on Byzantine Music. He is skilled in Ancient and Modern Greek as well as French. He has been very active in translating liturgical services, teach-ing of ecclesiastical chant, and in the Orthodox Youth Move-ment in Damascus. His induction will be in Paris.

Archimandrite Hanna (Shafic) Haikal
Born in Jouret Arsoun in Mount Lebanon in 1967, Archimandrite Hanna finished secondary school education in Balamnd in 1986 and then continued his study of Theology at the Aristotle Univer-sity in Thessalonica gaining a Bachelor Degree in Theology in 1993. He was ordained deacon in 1995 and a priest in 1997. In 2001 he gained a Doctoral Degree in Theology from the Aristotle University. He is well versed in Greek and German, and he also speaks French. He is skilled in many ecclesiastical and pastoral matters. His induction will be in Berlin where he was entrusted with the service of Saint George’s parish in 1999.

Archimandrite Ephraim (Abdouh) Maalouli
Born in the Damascus countryside in 1978, he finished his secondry school edu-cation and 1996 and joined the college of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at Damascus University in 1997. He entered St George’s Patriachal Monastery as a novice and became a monk in 2001. He then moved to Greece where he acquired a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from the Theological Col-lege in Athens in 2006. In 2007 he was ordained a deacon and then a priest in the Al Hosn diocese. In 2009 he gained a Masters degree from the faculty of Greek Literature at Athens University and a Masters degree in Patristic studies at the College of Theolo-gy in Athen’s University. He is skilled in Ancient and Modern Greek as well as English. His induction will be in Cologne.

Services for July 2011

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Sat 2nd 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 3rd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 4th 7.30pm Meeting of the Trustees

Sat 9th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 10th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 16th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 17th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 23rd 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 24th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 30th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 31st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 1st August - Beginning of the Dormition Fast

Name Days in July
10th Alexander Joy; Alex Meek (Warden)
11th Matushka Olga
12th Veronica Irene Dobson; Veronica Warden
18th Dara Elizabeth Davidchack; Elizabeth Nash
20th Fr. Elia; Ghassan Ayoub
22nd Magdalen
24th Anca Bostan

Reposed
26th James Arthur Carter (2008)
31st Tsinara (Nino’s mother)

Deanery Parish Patronal Feasts
17th Saint Marina Grimsby and Longton

Future Dates
2nd July Pilgrimage to Crowland (Baptism at Audley)
16th July 9am Archbishop Mark to visit Saint Elizabeth, Wallasey to serve the
Liturgy and bless the Iconostasis
30th July 11am Liturgy at Saint Martin’s Stony Middleton (see p3)
6th August Pilgrimage to Ilam
20th August 4pm Parish Meeting with Accounts and Reports

On the kitchen bookstall:
Kim has asked that your attention be drawn to an excellent new book translated by
our own John Warden and published in the US. Copies are available for purchase

Orthodox Divine Liturgy and Blessing of the Spring At Stoney Middleton

2011-07-17T09:04:00.001+01:00

Come and join us again for the popular and much talked about Orthodox
Liturgy and blessing of the warm water spring during Stoney Middleton’s Well Dressing week. Refreshments available
Come and enjoy the delights of this village.
St. Martin’s Church, The Nook, Stoney Middleton S32 4TT
Date: 30th July 2011 Time: 11:00am Chris: 07912 361440

Saints of Britain: Saint Swithun of Winchester (15th July)

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Saint Swithun was born in the reign of Egbert of Wessex, and was ordained priest
by Helmstan, bishop of Winchester (838-c. 852). His fame reached the king's ears, and heappointed him tutor of his son, Æthelwulf (alias Adulphus), and considered him one of hischief friends.

Under Æthelwulf, Swithun was appointed bishop of Winchester, to which see he was
consecrated by Archbishop Ceolnoth. In his new office he was known for his piety and his zeal in building new churches or restoring old ones. At his request
Æthelwulf gave the tenth of his royal lands to the Church. Swithun made his diocesan journeys on foot; when he gave a banquet he invited the poor and not the rich. William of Malmesbury adds that, if Bishop Ealhstan of Sherborne was Æthelwulf's minister for temporal matters, Swithun was the minister for spiritual matters.
Swithun's best known miracle was his restoration on a bridge of a basket of eggs that workmen had maliciously broken. Of other stories connected with Swithun the two most famous are those of the Winchester egg-woman and Queen Emma's ordeal. The former is to be found in Goscelin's Life (c. 1100), the latter in Thomas
Rudborne's Historia major (15th century), a work which is also responsible for the not improbable legend that Swithun accompanied Alfred on his visit to Rome in 856. He died on 2 July 862, and gave orders that he was not to be buried within the church, but outside in a vile and unworthy place.

Pastoral Letter from Metropolitan John 28/06/2011

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Our beloved sons in the Lord,
The Reverend Clergy and the God-beloved people,
In our Orthodox Antiochian Archdiocese in Europe,
Christ’s peace be with you.

After invoking God’s grace richly upon you…
We inform you that our Holy Antiochian Synod in its 47th session held in the
Patriarchal Holy Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand, on 21st of June 2001, has
elected twelve auxiliary bishops (not diocesan Bishops) for the Patriarchate
and for some dioceses. Three of them are for our Archdiocese and these are the
Most Reverend:

- The elected Bishop Ignatius Al Houshi
- The elected Bishop Hanna Haikal
- The elected Bishop Ephraim Maalouli

The induction of Bishop Ignatius will be for the time being in Paris, of Bishop
Hanna in Berlin, and of Bishop Ephraim in Cologne.
They will be helping us in every task that is assigned to them in pastoral work,
teaching and administration all around the Archdiocese.
We inform you that they will receive episcopal ordination by the hand of His
Beatitude, Patriarch Ignatius IV in the Patriarchate in Damascus and we will
inform you about the ordination arrangements after agreeing them with the
Patriarch.
In this unique occasion which brings happiness to our hearts, we send you this
message so that this joy may be for the whole family. We rejoice in your love,
the assurance of our unity, as side by side we carry each other in prayer so that
together we may carry out the service entrusted to us in these lands in Jesus’
love and peace.

May Christ’s peace be with you
Your fervent supplicant before God,
Metropolitan John

Services for June 2011

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Wed 1st 6.30pm Great Vespers for the Ascension
Thurs 2nd 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 4th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 5th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 11th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 12th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
6pm Kneeling Vespers

Mon 13th 7pm Meeting of the Trustees

Sat 18th 10am-4pm Pisani Chapel; 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 19th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Monday 20th beginning of the Apostles’ Fast

Sat 25th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 26th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Tues 28th 6.30pm Great Vespers
Wed 29th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Feast of the Holy, Glorious and All-
Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul

Name Days in June

22nd Alban
29th Pauline Joan Baiasu; Pavlos Harvey; Paul Dominic Jai Jones

Deanery Parish Patronals

9th Saint Columba, Doncaster
17th Saint Botolph, London

Future Dates

22nd to 24th June Deanery Conference at Swanwick
2nd July Pilgrimage to Crowland
6th August Pilgrimage to Ilam

Saints of Britain: Saint Nectan of Hartland (c468-c510 AD) – 17th June

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A 12th-century manuscript found in Gotha is the fullest remaining account of the Life of Nectan.
This account holds that Nectan was the eldest of the 24 children of
King Brychan of Brycheiniog (now Brecknock in Wales). Having received a vocation to become a monk earlier in his life, he and many of his relatives
sailed to north Devon where Nectan settled by a spring (now St Nectan's
Well) at Stoke, in the then dense forest of Hartland. Here, in this
solitude, he lived as a hermit. He is also associated with St Nectan's
Glen and Waterfall (or Kieve) at Trethevy, nr Tintagel, in Cornwall,
where it is claimed he spent some time as a hermit.
At Hartland, Nectan lived in the solitude of a remote valley where he
helped a swineherd recover his lost pigs and in turn was given a gift of
two cows. Nectan's cows were stolen and after finding them he attempted
to convert the robbers to the Christian faith. In return he was attacked by robbers who cut off his head. The same authority says that he picked his head up and walked back to his well before collapsing and dying.
According to tradition, one of the thieves died and the other went blind. Upon
realising what he had done, it is claimed that the thief later returned to bury
Monthly Newsletter of St. Michael’s Orthodox Church Audley, Staffordshire ~ June 2011 Nectan's body. Tradition also says that wherever Nectan's blood fell, foxgloves grew. After Nectan’s death a shrine was set up and a cult grew up around him, supported by both Saxon kings and Norman lords. Lyfing, Bishop of Crediton
approved the translation of Nectan’s body and provided bells, lead for the roof
and a sculptured reliquary for the church. Nectan’s staff was decorated with
gold, silver and jewels. A number of churches in Devon are dedicated to St
Nectan and there is also a medieval chapel of Saint Nectan near St Winnow in
Cornwall.
His feast day is 17th June – the supposed day of his death – and the feast was
kept in Launceston, Exeter and Wells. There is still a tradition of taking foxgloves
to Saint Nectan’s well on that day.

The Apostles Fast (20th June to 28th June)

Having rejoiced for fifty days following Pascha, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
the Apostles began to prepare for their departure from Jerusalem to spread
Christ's message. According to Sacred Tradition, as part of their preparation, they began a fast with prayer to ask God to strengthen their resolve and to be with them in their missionary undertakings. The scriptural foundation for the Fast is found in the Synoptic Gospels, when the Pharisees criticized the apostles for not fasting, Jesus said to them, "Can the children of the bridal chamber mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast." In the immediate sense, Christ was referring to his being taken to be crucified; but in the wider sense it is understood in terms of his Ascension into heaven, and his commission to the Apostles to preach the Gospel, which can only be accomplished with prayer and fasting.
The tradition of the Fast has existed at least since Pope Leo I (461 AD), as is
evidenced by his homilies, though it has subsequently been forgotten in the
West. The Fast is thought to have been instituted out of thanksgiving to God for
the witness of the apostles of Christ. With this Fast, believers express their
thanks for the Apostles' endurance of persecution during their mission.
The Feast of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul is on June 29th.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

O Foremost of the Apostles and teachers of the world, intercede ye with
the Master of all that He grant peace to the world and great mercy to
our souls.

Kontakion in the Second Tone

O Lord, receive unto the enjoyment of Your good things and Your rest,
the steadfast preachers of Godly words, the pinnacle of Your Disciples.
Receive their pain and death above every sacrifice, for You alone know
the hearts of men.

Services for May 2011

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Sun 1st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Sat 7th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 8th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Sat 14th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 15th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Sat 21st 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 22nd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Sat 28th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 29th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Name Days in May

8th Metropolitan John; Hugh Maxfield; John Warden
10th Simon Harvey
11th Cyril MacAttominey
21st Fr Constantin; Illeana Badin; Elena Batkin; Helena Bendo; Helena
Carson; Ileana Grigoriu
29th Lucas Joy
30th Isaac Davies

Reposed

20th Jean Grace (2008)

Deanery Parish Patronal Feasts

12th Saint Aethelheard’s, Louth
19th Saint Dunstan’s, Poole
21st Saint Helen’s, Colchester and York

Future Dates for your Diary:

May 6th to 20th Fr Samuel away – All services as usual thanks to Fr George
Thu Jun 2nd Feast of the Ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Mon Jun 13th Meeting of the Trustees
Sat Jun 18th Pisani Chapel Open Day at Cromford
Jun 22nd to 29th Deanery Conference at Swanwick
Mon Jun 20th Beginning of the Apostles Fast
Wed Jun 29th Feast of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the
Apostles, Peter and Paul
Sat Jul 2nd Pilgrimage to Crowland
Mon Jul 4th Meeting of the Church Council
Mon Aug 1st Beginning of the Dormition Fast
Sat Aug 6th Pilgrimage to Ilam
Mon Aug 15th Feast of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos
Sat Sep 3rd “It’s Good to Live in Audley” Day 2011 (10am to 4pm)
Sat Oct 1st Pilgrimage to Holywell
Tue Nov 15th Beginning of the Nativity Fast

In addition, the Feast Day of St Marina is celebrated on 17th July which is a
Sunday so we will advise once we know when the Patronal Festival Liturgy will
be held if it is not on 17th itself.

On 28th April, the Church Council discussed possibilities for a Parish Outing.
A possible trip to Llangollen was suggested – perhaps in September.
If you would like to offer alternative suggestions or approve/disapprove of the Llangollen idea, please make your feelings known for discussion with a Council member before the meeting on July 4th.

Services for April 2011

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Sat 2nd 3pm Memorial at our burial ground at Sandon
6pm Great Vespers
Sun 3rd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 6th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts
Thu 7th 6.30pm Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete (Full Canon)
Fri 8th 6.30pm Full Akathist of the Most Holy Theotokos

Sat 9th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 10th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 13th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts
Fri 15th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts

Sat 16th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 17th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy & Palm Procession
6.30pm Matins of the Bridegroom
Mon 18th 6.30pm Matins of the Bridegroom
Tue 19th 6.30pm Matins of the Bridegroom
Wed 20th 6.30pm Service of Holy Annointing
Thu 21st 11am Vesperal Liturgy
6.30pm Passion Gospels
Fri 22nd 10am Royal Hours during which the Bier will be decorated
2pm Vespers and Epitaphion
6pm Lamentations and Bier Procession

Sat 23rd 11am Vesperal Liturgy
11pm Christos Anesti and Paschal Divine Liturgy
Sun 24th 3pm Vespers of Pascha
Mon 25th 11am Divine Liturgy of Saint George (transferred from 23rd)

Sat 30th 6.00pm Great Vespers

Saint George

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We celebrate the name days of a number of Georges on April 23rd. But since Pascha this year also falls on April 23rd, the Divine Liturgy for Saint George is celebrated on the 25th.
According to Tradition, George was born to a Christian
family during the late 3rd century. His father was from
Cappadocia and served as an officer of the army. His
mother was from Lydda, Palestine. She returned to her
native city as a widow along with her young son after
the martyrdom of George's father, where she provided
him with a respectable education and raised him in
piety.
The youth, it would seem, followed his father's
example in joining the army soon after his coming of
age. He proved to be a charismatic soldier and
consequently rose quickly through the military ranks of
the time. By his late twenties he had gained the titles
of tribunus (tribune) and later comes (count). By that
time George had been stationed in Nicomedia as a
member of the personal guard attached to Roman
Emperor Diocletian (reign 284–305).
In 303, Diocletian issued an edict authorising the
systematic persecution of Christians across the Empire.
His caesar, Galerius, was supposedly responsible for
this decision and would continue the persecution
during his own reign (305–311). It is believed that
George was ordered to take part in the persecution
but instead confessed to being a Christian himself and
criticised the imperial decision. An enraged Diocletian
proceeded in ordering the torture of this apparent traitor and his execution.
Then, after innumerable forms of torture, George was executed by decapitation in front of Nicomedia's defensive wall on April 23, 303. The witness of his suffering convinced Monthly Newsletter of St. Michael’s Orthodox
Church Audley, Staffordshire ~ April 2011
Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, a pagan priest, to also become Christians, and so they also joined George in martyrdom as consequence. George's body was then returned to Lydda for burial, where Christians soon came to honour George as a martyr.
And what about the dragon? St. George is often depicted with a dragon or
some other serpentine creature under his feet. This comes from a legend whose details may vary according to local tradition. The tale begins with a
dragon making its nest at the spring (or lake) that provided a town (either near Beirut or Silena, Libya, often) with water. Consequently, the
citizens had to temporarily remove the dragon from its nest in order to collect water. To do so, they offered the dragon a daily human sacrifice.
The victim of the day was chosen by drawing lots. Eventually, the "winner" of this lottery happened to be the local princess. The local monarch is occasionally depicted begging for her life with no result. She is offered to the dragon, but at this point a travelling George arrives. He faces the dragon, and, after invoking the name of the Holy Trinity, slays it and saves the princess. The grateful citizens then abandon their ancestral paganism and convert to Christianity.

Ephrem the Syrian

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We continue to use the Prayer of Saint Ephrem in prayer during the fast: O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, meddling, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.

Ephrem was born around the year 306 in the city of Nisibis (the modern Turkish town of Nusaybin, on the border with Syria). St James (Mar Jacob), the first Bishop of Nisibis, was appointed in 308 and Ephrem grew up under his leadership of the community. He was baptised as a youth and James appointed him as a teacher. He was ordained as a deacon and began to compose hymns and write biblical commentaries as part of his educational office. Though St. Ephrem was probably not formally a monk, he was known to have practiced a severe ascetical life, ever increasing in holiness. In Ephrem's day, monasticism was in its infancy in Egypt. He seems to have been a part of a closeknit, urban community of Christians that had "covenanted" themselves to service and refrained from sexual activity. Some of the Syriac terms that Ephrem used to describe his community were later used to describe monastic communities, but the assertion that he was monk is probably anachronistic. Ephrem is popularly believed to have taken certain legendary journeys. In one of these he visits St. Basil the Great. This links the Syrian Ephrem with the Cappadocian Fathers, and is an important theological bridge between the spiritual view of the two, who held much in common. Ephrem is also supposed to have visited Abba Bishoi (Pisoes) in the monasteries of the Wadi Natrun, Egypt. As with the legendary visit with Basil, this visit is a theological bridge between the origins of monasticism and its spread throughout the church. The most popular title for Ephrem is Harp of the Spirit (Syriac Kenârâ d-Rûhâ). He is also referred to as the Deacon of Edessa, the Sun of the Syrians and a Pillar of the Church. With the Tradition of the Church, Ephrem also shows that poetry is not only a valid vehicle for theology, but in many ways superior to philosophical discourse. He also encourages a way of reading the Holy Scripture that is rooted in faith more than critical analysis. Ephrem displays a deep sense of the interconnectedness of all created things, which leads some to see him as a "saint of ecology." Over four hundred hymns composed by Ephrem still exist and the church historian Sozomen credits Ephrem with having written over three million lines.

Saint Beuno, Abbot of Clynnog (21st April)

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Continuing our series on British Saints we visit Wales. Beuno was born in Powys in the 7th Century, supposedly at Berriew, the grandson of a prince of that realm. After education and ordination in the monastery of Bangor-on-Dee in north-east Wales, he became an active missionary, Cadfan, King of Gwynedd, being his generous benefactor. Cadwallon, Cadfan's son and successor, deceived Beuno about some land and, when the saint demanded justice, proved unsympathetic. Thereupon, Cadwallon's cousin Gwyddaint, in reparation, "gave to God and Beuno forever his township" of Clynnog Fawr in the Llŷn peninsula, where the saint founded a famous abbey. Beuno became the guardian and restorer to life of his niece, the virgin Saint Gwenffrewi (Winefride). He was relentless with hardened sinners, but full of compassion to those in distress. Before his death at Clynnog "on the seventh day of Easter" he had a wondrous vision.

Saint Egbert of Lindisfarne (24th April)

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Saint Ecgberht (or Egbert) (died 729) was an Anglo-Saxon monk of Northumbria and Bishop of Lindisfarne. As a youth he went on a perigrinatio, or pilgrimage far from home, traveling to Ireland. One of his acquaintances at this time was Chad. He settled at the monastery of Rathelmigisi (Rathmelsigi), identified with Mellifont in County Louth or else in Connaught. His Northumbrian travelling companions, including Æthelhun, died of the plague, and he contracted it as well. Thinking he would die, Ecgberht wept in repentance as he recalled his past sins, and he prayed that God spare him long enough to allow him to atone for the ill deeds of his youth, and he also vowed to remain on perpetual pilgrimage from his homeland of Britain, reciting the Psalter daily and fasting frequently. He miraculously recovered, and kept his vow until his death at age 90. While in Ireland, Ecgberht was one of those present at the Synod of Birr in 697, when the Cáin Adomnáin was guaranteed.
He began to organize monks in Ireland to proselytize in Frisia; many other high-born
notables were associated with his work: Saint Adalbert, Saint Swithbert, and Saint Chad.
Ecgberht arranged the mission of Saint Willibrord, Saint Wigbert and others to the
pagans. He was dissuaded from this by a vision related to him by a monk who had been a disciple of Saint Boisil (the Prior of Melrose under Abbot Eata). In 684, he tried to dissuade King Ecgfrith of Northumbria from sending an expedition to Ireland under his general Berht, but he was unsuccessful. Ecgberht eventually become a monk on the island of Iona, where he resided from 716 and gently persuaded the monks there to adhere to the Roman form of computing Easter, which had been adopted at the Synod of Whitby (664). He died on the first day that the Easter feast was observed by this manner in the monastery, on 24 April 729.
His feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church, April 24, is found in both the Roman, Irish, and Slavic martyrologies and in the metrical calendar of York. Though he is now honoured simply as a confessor, it is probable that St. Ecgberht was a bishop.

Services for March 2011

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Services for March 2011

Sat 5th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 6th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
6pm Forgiveness Vespers
Beginning of Great Lent
Mon 7th 6.30pm Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete
Tue 8th 6.30pm Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete
Wed 9th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts
Thu 10th 6.30pm Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete
Fri 11th 6.30pm Akathist of the Most Holy Theotokos
Sat 12th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 13th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy and Procession with the Holy Icons

Wed 16th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts
Fri 18th 6.30pm Akathist of the Most Holy Theotokos
Sat 19th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 20th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Wed 23rd 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts
Thu 24th 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Annunciation
Fri 25th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Annunciation
Sat 26th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 27th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy & Veneration of the Holy Cross

Wed 30th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts

Name Days in March
18th Edward Bendo
25th Mary Makings; Despina
Reposed
23rd Elizabeth Boothby (2007)
28th Priest Patrick of Walsingham (2008)
29th Barbara Worth (2008)
Deanery Parish Patronal Feasts
18th Saint Edward’s, Aethelhampton

Memorial Saturdays in Great Lent

2011-02-26T08:34:00.001Z

Memorial Saturdays in Great Lent
Our Church Calendar provides many occasions when we are asked to face up to the fact of death, and at this time of year there are "Saturdays of the Souls". We pray for the dead especially on Saturdays because it was on the Sabbath day (Saturday) that Christ lay dead in the tomb, "resting from all His works and trampling down death by death".
Praying for the dead is an expression of love. We ask God to remember our departed loved ones because we love them. The relationship of love survives, and even transcends, death. There is an inner need to continue to express our relationship with a loved one even after death. Often even more so after a loved one has died since physical communication is no longer possible. The Church encourages us to express our love for our departed brethren through memorial services and prayers.
The Orthodox Church prays for the dead to express her faith that all who have fallen asleep in the Lord, live in the Lord; their lives are "hidden with Christ in God" (COL.3:3). Whether on earth or in heaven, the Church is one family, one body in Christ. Death changes the location but it cannot sever the bond of love.
Just as we pray for the dead, so we believe they continue to love us, remember us and pray for us now that they are closer to God. Death can only be properly understood in the light of Christ's Resurrection from the dead.
"TRAMPLING DOWN DEATH BY DEATH, AND UPON THOSE IN THE TOMBS BESTOWING LIFE”

Saint Chad

2011-02-26T08:31:00.001Z

Saint Chad
St Chad, the Apostle of the Midlands, was born in Northumbria, one of four brothers, all of whom became priests. He was educated partly at Lindisfarne under St Aidan and partly in Ireland.
He succeeded his brother St Cedd as Abbot of Lastingham in Yorkshire in 664. He became Bishop of Mercia in 669 and Wulfhere, first Christian king of Mercia, gave him land to establish his see at Lichfield.
Chad was outstanding for his humility and simplicity of life. He died of the plague on 2 March 672. He was at once venerated as a saint and his Shrine in the Cathedral of Lichfield was a place of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages.
For hundreds of years pilgrims visited the Shrine of St Chad in Lichfield to pray to him and many miracles were recorded as a result. In 1538 the Shrine was dismantled under the orders of King Henry VIII and the bones of St Chad either destroyed or buried in an unknown location.
One of the priests at the Cathedral, Prebendary Arthur Dudley, rescued a box containing some of St Chad’s bones which was kept in St Chad’s Head Chapel. He asked two female relatives, probably his nieces who lived at Russells Hall, Dudley, to look after them. They in turn passed them on to two brothers, Henry and William Hodgetts, who lived at Woodsetton Farm at Sedgley near Wolverhampton. They divided the bones between them. William died in 1649 and his widow gave his share of the bones to Henry who reputedly kept them hidden on the top of his four-poster bed.
When Henry was dying in 1651 he received the Last Rites from a Jesuit priest, Fr Anthony Turner. During the Litany of the Saints Henry began adding ‘St Chad, pray for me’. Fr Turner enquired why he was so devoted to St Chad and he explained that he had some of St Chad’s bones in his possession. He handed them over to Fr Turner who wrote down all that Henry had told him about the relics and how they had come to him through the Dudley family. Fr Turner had his statement witnessed by two other Jesuits and they had a new casket made, covered in red velvet and with silver hinges and locks, made for the relics.
The Jesuits eventually handed the bones over to Basil Fitzherbert of Swynnerton Hall, near Stoke-on-Trent, for safe-keeping. Basil died in 1797 and his widow and eight-year old son moved to a smaller house at Aston by Stone. Here a chapel was built and served as Mass centre for the surrounding district. The family eventually moved back to Swynnerton, and Aston Hall and its chapel was closed up.
In 1839 the chapel was reopened by Fr Benjamin Hulme and he discovered a chest underneath the altar in which was a velvet-covered box containing a collection of relics, including six bones wrapped in silk with Fr Turner’s document. The bones were taken to Oscott and examined by Bishop Thomas Walsh, the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District, and his coadjutor, Bishop Nicholas Wiseman. After careful perusal of all the evidence a report was sent to Rome and Pope Gregory XVI confirmed that these were the bones of St Chad and instructed that they be enshrined in the new cathedral in Birmingham which was in the process of construction. They were placed in a shrine designed by Pugin above the High Altar on the day of its consecration on 21 June 1841. The shrine, which Pugin based on the Venerable Bede’s description of the original at Lichfield, was further embellished by Hardmans in 1931.
In 1995 Archbishop Maurice Couve de Murville arranged for a fresh examination of the bones by the University of Oxford Archaeology Unit. The report concluded that one of the bones is eighth century (and therefore cannot have belonged to St Chad) but the other five are all of the mid-seventh century. Two of the bones are left femurs and so are of different individuals. It is therefore reasonably certain that at least one and possibly three of the bones are those of St Chad. The evidence from the scientific examination was published in a Decree issued in 1997 by Archbishop Couve de Murville which required that the bones are kept together and venerated collectively.
(This account is taken from the website of Saint Chad’s Roman Catholic Cathedral.)

We plan to go again, as some of us did last year, on March 2nd, to venerate the relics of Saint Chad in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Chad in Birmingham.

Services for Great Lent

2011-02-26T08:28:00.001Z

Services for Great Lent
There are so many opportunities during Great Lent to experience the most wonderful and rich prayers of our Holy Orthodox Church within the beautiful and ancient services set for this holy season.

We begin on Sunday 6th March at 6pm with Vespers and the forgiveness prayers. We should not dare to enter into the warfare of Great Lent without first asking forgiveness of each other and giving forgiveness in return. We are not beginning a “diet”, but rather we are embarking upon a battle with the spiritual forces which are determined to keep us in submission. The Victory is already won by the Death and Resurrection of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, but we have the battles to fight against pride, jealousy, lust, idle talk, curiosity, idleness and self-will. Unless we are armed with forgiveness, love, prayer, generosity and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, we cannot help but fail.

During the first week, the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete is divided into daily sections within the service of Great Compline. This Canon is a wonderful examination of our own sinful tendencies in prayerful consideration of the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures. It is served fully with Matins on the Thursday of the fifth week of Lent.

The Great Canon is interrupted on the first Wednesday by the Divine Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts. The Holy Gifts, the Very Body and Blood of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, sanctified at the Sunday Liturgy by the descent of the Holy Spirit have been kept to be received today. This is a very intense, quiet and moving service. At the Great Entrance today we kneel, and only at this service of the Pre-Sanctified, because it is not bread and wine which is being carried by the priest but Jesus Himself. We should fast and pray in order to partake of the Holy Gifts; fasting from noon onwards and saying the Canon of Preparation for Holy Communion.

On the Fridays of Great Lent we sing the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, divided into parts for the first four weeks, then as a whole on the fifth Friday. This year interrupted on March 25th by the Feast of the Annunciation. Akathist means “not sitting” because we honour the Mother of God by standing for the whole of the Akathist. During this service, set within the service of Little Compline, the priest remembers the names of all those given to him for intercession.

Please write legibly and hand in names well in advance of the beginning of the service

At the end of the first week comes the first Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of Holy Orthodoxy, when we celebrate the return of the Holy Icons after the long and violent periods of persecution and iconoclasm. We bring our home icons to church and carry them prayerfully in procession after the Liturgy. We welcome all the saints, in the Holy Icons, as they share the Liturgy with us and walk triumphantly into our parish.

The Synodicon: The Affirmation of the Orthodox Faith.

As the Prophets beheld, as the Apostles have taught, as the Church has received, as the Teachers have dogmatized, as the universe has agreed, as Grace has shown forth, as Truth has revealed, as falsehood has been dissolved, as Wisdom has presented, as Christ has awarded: thus we declare, thus we assert, thus we preach Christ our true God, and honour His saints in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in Holy Icons; on the one hand worshipping and reverencing Christ as God and Lord; and on the other hand honouring as true servants of the same Lord of all, and accordingly offering them veneration.
This is the Faith of the Apostles; this is the Faith of the Fathers; this is the Faith of the Orthodox; this is the Faith which has established the universe!

Services for February 2011

2011-01-29T14:14:00.003Z

Services for February 2011

Meeting of our Lord in the Temple
Tue 1st 6.30pm Great Vespers
Wed 2nd 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 5th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 6th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 12th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 13th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Beginning of the Triodion
Sat 19th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 20th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 26th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 27th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
This is Meatfare Sunday and the last time we eat meat until Pascha

Name Days in February3rd Archimandrite Simeon Piers
7th Richard Grace
16th Nicholas Chapman (OS)
19th Philothei (Imogen) Maxfield

Reposed2nd Protopresbyter Alban Barter (2009)
10th Photini (Philippa) Pearce (2006)

The Triodion (Greek: Τριῴδιον; Romanian: Triodul) is the liturgical book used
during Great Lent and the preparatory weeks leading up to it. Many canons in
the Triodion contain only three canticles or odes, hence the name. The period the
book covers extends from the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee (the tenth
before Pascha) and concludes with Great and Holy Saturday

Recipes from Afaf

2011-01-29T13:56:00.003Z

Recipes from Afaf!
Makhloutah (Mixed Pulses Soup)
The name of the soup derives from the
verb khalata which means, mix things together.
In this instance, it refers to the mixing of
different pulses or beans together to produce
an earthy nourishing soup, great for vegans.
The amount given in this recipe is a suggestion,
you can vary it according to your liking, you can
even omit one of them if you don’t like it and
increase the amount of the one you like or substitute it with lentils. Before mixing the
beans, I tend to boil them separately because each type takes a different time to
soften, especially haricot beans. Alternatively, you can speed up this recipe by using
tinned beans, they work well.
The dried broad beans I use here are the Lebanese ones which I believe have more
flavour than others. They have a brownish colour and tend to be plumper but smaller
in size than the ones that are usually available in general supermarkets. Tinned broad
beans (or Foul Medammas) are also available in Lebanese grocers.
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients:
 75 g / 3oz chickpeas soaked overnight in water which is three times their volume,
stir into that ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
 75 g / 3 oz haricot beans soaked overnight in water with ¼ tsp bicarbonate of
soda
 75 g / 3 oz dried broad beans soaked overnight in water with ¼ tsp bicarbonate of
soda
 2.25 litres / 4 pints stock made up from the juices of the beans and added water.
 75 g / 3 oz green or brown lentils (optional)
 20 g / ¾ oz rice
 1 large or 2 medium onions thinly sliced
 85 ml / 3 fl oz good brand olive oil
 Salt to taste and freshly milled black pepper
 1tbsp ground cumin
 1 tsp allspice
 30 g / 1oz fresh coriander chopped, you could also substitute it with parsley,
chives or freshly chopped spring onions
 Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle (optional)
Method:
1. Rinse chickpeas, haricot beans and broad beans then place in separate saucepans
with three times their volume of water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to boil. Remove
the scum, then cover and let them simmer until they begin to feel tender.
2. When they are ready, drain them but reserve the liquid in a measuring jug, you
may need to top it up with water to make up the quantity required.
3. Heat up the oil in a deep saucepan (preferably non-stick), wide enough to mix all
the ingredients, fry the onions for about three minutes, then add the three
beans, sauté for a couple of minutes to give them a good coating, season. If you
want lentils, you could add them to the mixture at this stage, do likewise if using
tinned beans. Pour in the stock (or water if using tinned beans) and bring to the
boil then reduce the heat, cover and let the whole mixture simmer for 45
minutes, stirring occasionally, the beans should be really soft, otherwise cook for
longer.
4. Next, stir in the rice, check again whether you need topping up with hot water.
Give the whole thing a good stir, simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the rice
is cooked, taste again and adjust seasoning if necessary.
5. Serve hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, scatter generously with chopped
coriander or parsley or any herbs of your choice. Delicious with freshly baked
crusty bread!
Yakhnet Bazella maa Jazar (Fresh Peas and Carrot stew)
This is one of my favourite dishes for the
sweetness of fresh peas and carrots mixed with
the juices from the meat and flavoured with
orange peel, gives this wintery dish a
distinguished taste. If you can’t find fresh peas,
substitute with frozen ones. The other good
thing is that this dish works well for vegetarians
and vegans, simply, omit the meat and for more
flavour add garlic. This dish is usually served with
plain rice, another tip is that it shouldn’t come out too ‘saucy’, the amount of water I
recommend is fine, however, if using tinned tomatoes which tend to be more watery,
reduce the amount.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
 1tbsp vegetable oil
 1 large onion finely chopped
 300g / 11oz lean lamb meat cut into small cubes
 300g / 11oz carrots peeled and diced into small cubes
 4 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed (optional)
 Peel of 1 small orange
 150ml / 5fl oz water (or vegetable stock if omitting meat)
 450g / 1lb fresh ripe tomatoes skinned or the equivalent of tinned chopped
tomatoes,
 Seasoning: salt to taste, freshly milled black pepper plus ½ tsp ground allspice
 500g / 1lb 2oz fresh or frozen peas
Method
1. To skin the fresh tomatoes, simply drop them in boiling water, leave them for
one minute for the large ones, and 30 seconds for the smaller ones, then
remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate, to cool slightly. Slip off the skin and
chop.
2. Heat up the oil in a deep medium sized pan. Stir fry the chopped onion for 1
minute then add meat, season with and cook until it is lightly browned. Mix in
the carrots, garlic if using, orange peel and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. After that, add chopped tomatoes followed by the water or
vegetable stock (if omitting the meat), and bring to the boil, cover and simmer
for about 15 minutes, after which you mix in the peas. If you are cooking
frozen peas, you may need to increase the heat to boiling point before
dropping them in. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the peas are cooked.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
3. Discard orange peel and serve hot with plain rice.
Falafel (Bean Patties)
Falafel is eaten throughout the Middle East usually
wrapped in bread as a sandwich. It makes an ideal
meal for vegetarians and vegans, it can also be
served as a starter. The main ingredients are dried
broad beans and chickpeas, the rest can be varied to
suit your taste, for instance, if you don’t like
coriander, you could substitute it with parsley or if
you like your Falafel spicier you could add chillies. One more thing, it is important
that the ingredients are dried thoroughly, otherwise the mixture will be too wet and
mushy. In the end, we will be looking for a tasty mixture that binds firmly when you
shape it.
A great advantage is that once cooked, it freezes well. Once defrosted, it and can be
reheated in a hot oven or microwave.
Makes about 20
Ingredients
 200g/ 7oz skinless dried split broad beans soaked overnight in water with ½ tsp
of bicarbonate of soda
 75g/ 3oz chickpeas, preferably split chickpeas, soaked overnight in water with
¼ tsp of bicarbonate of soda
 1 medium sized leek washed, drained from excess water trimmed and chopped
 5 fat cloves of garlic peeled and smashed to a paste
 1 sweet red pepper washed and chopped
 about 5 spring onions washed and finely chopped
 50g / 2oz coriander, rough stalks discarded, washed dried and chopped.
 1 or 2 chillies (optional)
 1 slice of bread (optional)
 About 4 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
 Bicarbonate of soda
Seasoning
 Salt & freshly milled black pepper
 2 rounded tsp cumin
 1 tsp allspice
To serve
 Lebanese bread, allow 1 bread per person
 Mixture of sliced radishes, chopped parsley, tomatoes, lettuce, and pickled
turnips
 Tahini sauce or Taratoor (See recipe in Sauces)
Method
1. Soak broad beans and chickpeas separately in water, adding bicarbonate soda
to each, leave them for several hours, ideally overnight.
2. When you are ready to cook, rinse the broad beans, drain then and spread
them on a tea towel to dry. Next, rinse the chickpeas, for the split ones, add
fresh water and using your fingers rub the skins off and discard, rinse again the
skinless chickpeas, drain and dry thoroughly. If you have whole ones, rinse and
drain them then take whatever you can fit on a large chopping board, cover
with a tea towel then bash them gently with a rolling pin. You will see that the
skins come off, discard the skins, pick up the skinless ones and keep them to
one side, it does not matter if they are broken because we need to grind them
later. Repeat the process with the rest of the chickpeas, then rinse drain and
dry.
3. Now, put broad beans, chick peas, along with the rest of the ingredients adding
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda in a food processor. Process until you reach a
mixture that binds together firmly. If it is too moist, shred the bread, add it to
the mixture and process again. Taste and adjust taste if necessary, then cover
and leave it to rest for an hour.
4. Take a piece of the mixture the size of a golf ball, shape it into a patty about 4-
5 cm/ 1½ -2 inches diameter and place it on a plate, continue likewise with the
rest until the mixture is finished. Let the patties rest for 20 minutes.
5. Heat the oil to about 190°C/ 375°F, dust each patty in the sesame seeds (this is
optional) before dropping it into the hot oil, do likewise with the rest. Deep fry
for about 3 minutes turning them once or twice until they reach a deep golden
brown colour. Drain on a kitchen paper and keep warm until you finish deep
frying.
6. To serve: Open up the bread, leaving the other half attached, put the patties
creating one row in the middle, top it with the salad of your choice then drizzle
with the tahini sauce, flip the other half of the bread to cover, roll it up, wrap
the bottom side with greaseproof or kitchen paper (to catch the excess juice)
and eat. Alternatively, serve the falafel on a plate with a little salad, bread and
sauce on the side.

2011-01-29T13:51:00.003Z

The Meeting of our Lord in the Temple
This feast, celebrated on February 2, is known in the Orthodox Church as The
Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Another
name for the feast is The Meeting of our
Lord. Roman Catholic and Protestant
Christians call the feast, The Purification of
the Holy Virgin. About 450 AD in Jerusalem,
people began the custom of holding lighted
candles during the Divine Liturgy of this feast
day. Therefore, some churches in the West
refer to this holy day as Candlemas. The Feast
of the Presentation concludes the
observances related to the Nativity of Christ,
a period that opened on November 15 with
the beginning of the Nativity fast.
The Icon of the Feast
The Holy Icon shows that the meeting takes
place inside the Temple and in front of the
altar. The altar has a book or a scroll on it and
is covered by a canopy. The Theotokos stands
to the left and is holding out her hands in a
gesture of offering. The one hand of the
Theotokos is covered by her cloak or as it is known, the maphorion. She has just
handed her Son to Simeon.
Christ is shown as a child, but He is not in swaddling clothes. He is clothed in a small
dress and his legs are bare. Jesus appears to be giving a blessing. Simeon holds Jesus
with both hands which are covered. This shows the reverence Simeon had for the
Messiah. Simeon is bare headed and there is nothing to show that he is a priest.
Some biblical scholars say that Simeon was probably a priest of the Temple or a
Doctor of the Law.
Joseph is behind the Theotokos. He is carrying the two turtle doves for the sacrifice.
Anna the Prophetess is also standing behind the Theotokos and is pointing to the
Christ child.
The words Simeon spoke when he saw the Christ Child are known as "St. Simeon's
Prayer." This prayer is sung daily at the evening Vespers services of the Orthodox
Church.
In the Orthodox Church, both baby boys and baby girls are taken to the Church on
the fortieth day after their birth. This is done in remembrance of the Theotokos and
Joseph taking the infant Jesus to the Temple.

Pan-Orthodox Assembly of Bishops

2011-01-29T13:43:00.001Z

Pan-Orthodox Assembly of Bishops
The 2nd Meeting of the Pan-Orthodox Assembly of Bishops with Churches in the
British Isles:
14th December 2010 at Thyateira House, London
The following bishops were present:
His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira & Great Britain (Ecumenical
Patriarchate)
The Most Revd Metropolitan John of Western and Central Europe (Patriarchate of
Antioch)
His Eminence Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh (Patriarchate of Moscow)
The Rt Revd Bishop Dositej of Great Britain & Scandinavia (Patriarchate of Serbia)
The Most Revd Archbishop Iossif of Western & Southern Europe (Patriarchate of
Romania)
The Most Revd Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany & Great Britain (Russian
Orthodox Church Outside of Russia)
The Most Revd Archbishop Anatoly of Kerch (Diocese of Sourozh)
The Most Revd Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (Archdiocese of Thyateira)
The Rt Revd Bishop Athanasios of Tropaeou (Archdiocese of Thyateira)
The Rt Revd Bishop Zenon of Dmanisi & Great Britain (Patriarchate of Georgia), the
Most Revd Metropolitan Simeon of Central and Western Europe (Patriarchate of
Bulgaria) the Rt Revd Bishop Ioan of Parnassos (Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Ukranian
Orthodox Diocese in Great Britain) and the Rt Revd Bishop Chrysostomos of Kyanea
(Archdiocese of Thyateira) were unable to attend.
According to the decision made at the Inaugural Meeting of the Assembly (21.06.10),
the Presidents of the three Committees set up by the Assembly (Theological, Pastoral
and Educational) were to each chair a meeting to propose to the Bishops matters for
discussion.
A meeting of the Theological Committee has yet to be held.
The Educational Committee met at Thyateira House on 2nd December. It proposed
that the bishops discuss the following:
1) The organisation of a Pan-Orthodox Clergy Conference.
2) A Pan-Orthodox Newsletter
3) The preparation of Pan-Orthodox catechetical material, such as pamphlets on
liturgical topics, a catechetical book and teaching resources.
A Meeting of the Pastoral Committee was held on 16th November 2010 at the Russian
Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition, London. The Committee proposed for
discussion:
1) Christian Orthodox mission and the reception of converts
2) Practices about Holy Communion and Confession
3) Mixed marriages
4) Social service: hospital, cemetery and prison chaplaincy
5) Youth activity (Pan-Orthodox Youth Camps)
6) Procedures regulating Inter-Orthodox clergy relations
The Episcopal Assembly decided:
1) That the Educational Committee should gather together existing catechetical
material such as diocesan and parochial pamphlets on the Orthodox Faith both
from within and from outside of the United Kingdom for the Theological
Committee to examine. The Theological Committee is also to examine the
catechetical book ‘The Living God’ (SVS Press) to determine whether it can be
used as a standard catechism by all of the dioceses in the British Isles.
2) To set up a fund for the Pan-Orthodox Assembly, under the name “Pan-
Orthodox Assembly Fund” for the purposes of publications and other actions of
the Assembly which will require money. Each diocese will pay an annual
contribution toward the fund.
3) The annual celebration of Pan-Orthodox Vespers in London on the Sunday of
Orthodoxy will henceforth be organised and publicised by the Pastoral
Committee of the Pan-Orthodox Assembly. The Bishops also decided that the
Georgian and Romanian Communities should also begin hosting this event. The
Assembly also hopes for such Pan-Orthodox services to be held in Manchester,
Birmingham, Glasgow and Dublin.
4) On 13th March 2011, the Service of Pan-Orthodox Vespers will be held at the
Georgian Orthodox Church of St George: The Ark of the Covenant, Rookwood
Road, London N16 6SS, at 5.00 p.m.
5) To begin planning a Pan-Orthodox Clergy Conference to be held in the near
future.
In addition to these decisions, the Bishops also discussed the problems of mixed
marriages, the reception of converts into the Orthodox Church, the prospect of a
shared English translation of the Divine Liturgy, and the need for improved
communication between the Orthodox dioceses.
The next Episcopal Meeting will be held on 30th June 2011 at the Greek Orthodox
Church of the Twelve Apostles in Hertfordshire.
The Meeting concluded with lunch provided by Archbishop Gregorios at Thyateira
House.
London, 17th December 2011

2011-01-29T13:27:00.003Z

Saints of Britain – St Werburgh of Chester
Werburga or Werburgh, as she is more commonly known in modern English, was
born at Stone sometime early in the seventh century which makes her a very local
saint indeed. Her father was Wulfhere king of Mercia whilst her mother
was Ermenilda who was herself a daughter of Ercombert, king of Kent and Sexburga who was herself the daughter of a king of East Anglia.
Not a great deal is actually known about Werburga as such. There are no real contemporary records of her activities and the earliest account of her life was written by a Flemish monk named Goscelin towards the end of the 10th century, whose
account was used by later
writers such as William of
Malmesbury.
The traditional tale is that despite her beauty and her obvious attractions as a very
well connected royal princess, she rejected all suitors and
resolved to dedicate her life to God. Therefore, with her father's consent, she took
holy orders and entered the Abbey of Ely, which lay within the borders of the
kingdom of East Anglia, and which had been founded by her great
aunt Etheldreda and who was the current abbess at the time.
In due course her uncle Aethelred became ruler of Mercia and invited her to return
home and assume control of all the convents within the kingdom. Werburga was
therefore to dedicate the rest of her life to the business of reforming the
existing Mercian establishments and founding new religious houses including those
at Trentham, Hanbury and Weedon.
After a life of service to the religious administration of Mercia, Werburga died on the
3rd February in either 699 or 700. She had apparently already decided on Hanbury as
her final resting but happened to be at Trentham when she died. The nuns
at Trentham refused to give up the body and even instituted security arrangements
to prevent its removal. Despite this an expedition from Hanbury succeeded in
recovering her remains. (It is said that all the bolts and bars sprang open once
touched and that all the guards were overpowered
by sleep and remained oblivious to the theft.)
The Miracle of the Geese
The most noted miracle attributed to Werburga
relates to an incident at a farm in Weedon close
to Chester which was being plagued by flock of wild
geese, who were feasting on the farm's cornfields
much to the detriment of its overall productivity.
Werburga dealt with the problem by ordering the
geese to be shut up for the night (the geese meekly
obeyed her command); the next day she scolded
them for ravaging the fields and told them to go
away.
The geese however refused to leave, as the
previous night,
one of their number had been caught, killed and
eaten by the farm's steward. Werburga ordered
the steward to bring forth the bird's remains, at
which point Weburga restored the bird to life. The
flock, including the now reconstituted goose, then
departed and in gratitude never returned again.
The tale explains why Werburga is often depicted
in iconography with a goose somewhere nearby.
By the year 708 her brother Coenred had
succeeded Aethelred as king of Mercia and
decided to move her body to a more conspicuous
place within the church at Hanbury.
Her body was found to be miraculously intact
despite the passage of some eight or nine years
since her death, which was naturally considered to be a sign of divine favour and her
tomb therefore became an object of veneration and a centre for
pilgrimage. Coenred himself is said to have to have been so effected by this miracle
that he decided to abdicate and enter holy orders himself.
The shrine remained at Hanbury for the next 160 years or so but due to the threat
from Viking raiders it was decided, in the year 875, to relocate the shrine to Chester.
Troparion (Tone 4)
Thine illustrious life filled the angels with awe
and put the demons to flight in terror,
while it adorneth the congregations of the faithful with the splendour of grace,
O venerable mother Werburga!
As in thy charity thou didst extend thy love to all thy fellow creatures,
intercede with God in our behalf, that our souls may be saved!

Saints of Britain – St Seiriol of Penmon

2011-01-29T13:06:00.005Z

Seiriol was an early 6th century saint, who created a cell at Penmon
Priory on Anglesey, off the coast of north Wales. He later moved to Ynys Seiriol
(Puffin Island). He was a son of
King Owain Danwyn of Rhos.
According to tradition, he
and Saint Cybi were good friends,
and would meet weekly
near Llanerchymedd, at the
Clorach wells. Saint Cybi would
walk from Holyhead, facing the
rising sun in the morning and
setting sun in the evening. Saint
Cybi was known as Cybi Felyn (Cybi
the Dark), as he was tanned during
his journey. Seiriol, travelling in the
opposite direction, from Penmon,
would have his back to the sun.
Thus, he was known as Seiriol
Wyn (Seiriol the Fair). Rhyd-y-Saint
railway station (English: Ford of the Saints railway station) on the Red Wharf Bay
branch line near Pentraeth, was named as Seiriol and Cybi are said to have met there.
Seiriol was a younger brother of King Cynlas of Rhos and King Einion of Llŷn. His cell
at Penmon is said to have been rebuilt by his brothers, as they didn't think his
humble residence was good enough. St Seiriol's Well (Ffynnon Seiriol) lies in a small
chamber adjoining its remains. Adjacent to them are the church and ruins of
a monastery also dating back to Seiriol's day.
In his old age, Seiriol retired to Ynys Lannog which subsequently became known
(in Welsh) as Ynys Seiriol. Later it would be known to the Vikings as Priestholm, and is
known as Puffin Island in English since the 19th century.
We commemorate Saint Seiriol on 1 February.

Services for January 2011

2011-01-07T14:33:00.001Z

Services for January 2011

Sat 1st 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 2nd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 5th 6:30pm Vesperal Divine Liturgy and Great Blessing of the Waters
Thu 6th 11am Divine Liturgy of Theophany and outdoor Blessing of the Waters

Sat 8th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 9th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 15th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 16th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 22nd 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 23rd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

House Blessings by arrangement between 6th January and 2nd February

Name Days in January
1st Vasiliki Harvey
7th Cristian Bostan; Jan Warrilow; Oana Onofrei
14th Nino Bartholomew
17th Antonis Harvey
25th Archpriest Gregory (our Dean)
27th Nina Chapman

Parish Feasts
13th Saint Kentigern, Doncaster
16th Saint Fursey, Sutton
19th Saint Macarios the Great, Leeds

Reposed
6th Archpriest Michael Harper (2010)
14th Mary Carter (2005)
18th Priest John (2001)

The Feast of the Holy Theophany of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

2011-01-07T14:22:00.002Z

The Feast of the Holy Theophany of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

This observance commemorates Christ's baptism by John the Forerunner in the River Jordan, and the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway, out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17). By descending into the water, Christ sanctifies it, but immediately comes out because he had no need of cleansing. The Feast of Theophany is the culmination of the Christmas Season, which starts on December 25 and ends on January 6. In mystic commemoration of this event, the Great Blessing of Water is performed on this day, and the holy water so blessed is used by the local priest to bless the homes of the faithful.
The feast is called Theophany because at the baptism of Christ the Holy Trinity appeared clearly to mankind for the first time - the Father's voice is heard from Heaven, the Son of God is incarnate and standing physically in the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove.
This feast is also sometimes referred to as Epiphany by English-speaking Orthodox Christians, but that name more properly refers to the Western Christian feast falling on that same day and commemorating the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus. The term "Epiphany" does appear in the services for this feast, however.

Troparion in Tone 1

When Thou, O Lord wast baptized in the Jordan
The worship of the Trinity was made manifest
For the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee
And called Thee His beloved Son.
And the Spirit, in the form of a dove,
Confirmed the truthfulness of His word.
O Christ, our God, Thou hast revealed Thyself
And have enlightened the world, glory to Thee!
picture sourse

Saints of Britain – St Brannock of Braunton

2011-01-07T14:04:00.004Z

Saints of Britain – St Brannock of Braunton

In the first of a series of writings concentrating on our British Saints we look at St Brannock of Braunton who is commemorated on 7th January.
It is likely that Saint Brannock (Brannoc) is one and the same as Saint Brynach of Wales.
Since St Brynach was in Wales first, we’ll start there where he is said to have travelled to Rome and Brittany before arriving at Milford Haven. It is not known from where he travelled to Rome. A number of oratories were erected by St Brynach near the rivers Cleddau, Gwaun and Caman but his most famous foundation, at the foot of Mynydd Carningli (translated as Mountain of the Angels) was a significant monastery at present day Nevern. Nothing now remains of the monastery but a Norman church (dedicated to Saint Brynach) was built on the site which because of undercutting by the river Caman has itself been rebuilt many times. The churchyard is remarkable for a Celtic Cross (10th Century) and several inscribed stones (of 5th or early 6th Century) inscribed in Latin and in Ogham.
Also in the churchyard is a “bleeding yew” which leaks red sap at certain times of the year.
Saint Brynach is said to have been something of a wild fellow in his youth but very virtuous after his conversion and descriptions of his adventures (including amorous and ghostly encounters) found in the “Life of St Brynach” show a degree of humour not usually found in the writings of saintly lives.
The Saint was frequently harassed by King Maelgwn of Gwynedd for a while until he wrought miracles and the two came to terms.
On 7th January (the date of the death of the Saint) we commemorate St Brannock of Braunton which is not in Wales but in Devon.
St Brannock is believed to have migrated here to establish another monastery – on a hill overlooking the village – but it fell down.
In a dream, the Saint was told to look for a sow and piglets and to build his new church there. This story is commemorated in one of the stained glass windows in the present St Brannock’s Church in Braunton and in a fine roof boss.
Holy Saint Brannock pray to God for us.

Services for December 2010

2010-12-02T20:44:00.002Z

Sat 4th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 5th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 11th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 12th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 13th Meeting of Trustees 7.30pm

Sat 18th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 19th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Mon 20th 6.30pm Vespers and confessions
Tues 21st 6.30pm Vespers and confessions
Wed 22nd 6.30pm Vespers and confessions
Thurs 23rd 6.30pm Vespers and confessions
Fri 24/25th 11am Vesperal Liturgy
11pm Matins; Midnight Nativity Liturgy
Fast-free until 5th January

Sat 25th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 26th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Wishing you all strength and blessing to continue the Nativity Fast and then a very Happy and Blessed Christmas!

Name Days in December

9th Hannah Gandy
19th Nicholas Joseph; Jonathan Bartholomew
26th Joseph Clive Amson; Simon Stone
27th Stefan Ron Kinnersley; Stephanie Giselle Ayoub

Parish Feasts

20th St Ignatios, Belfast

Reposed

7th Deacon John Mark

Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks and went to see the Lord

2010-12-02T20:41:00.002Z

On December 25th, not only do we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; we also commemorate the Shepherds who went to see the Lord.
The Monastery at the Shepherds’ Field is located in the village of Beit-Sahour, about 1km to the east of Bethlehem and tradition indicates that this was the spot where the Shepherds kept watch (Luke 2:18-20) and where they heard the angelic proclamation “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and good will toward men”. Ancient olive trees on the site date back over 2000 years and it is said that two of these trees mark the location where King David wrote many of the psalms.
Locally, the place is known as Kaniseter Rawat, which means ‘Place of the Shepherds’ Shelter’ and the cave in which shelter was taken is now a church – one of many built by Saint Helena in the year 325 AD and dedicated to the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos which we celebrate on 26th December. This is the only remaining ‘original’ church of St Helena as all the others have been destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries.
By the end of the 4th century, pious traditions also associated the Shepherds’ Field with the place where Jacob pastured his flock and built the Mignal Eder (Tower of the Flocks) referred to in Genesis 35:14. The remains of the base of this tower are still visible today.

Let us, like the Shepherds, keep watch and receive the joyful news of Christ’s birth.

Troparion of the Nativity (Tone 4)

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath shined upon the world the light of knowledge; for thereby, they that worshipped the stars were taught by a star to worship Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. O Lord, glory to Thee.

St Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia

2010-12-02T20:36:00.002Z

This Saint lived during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, and reposed on December 6th 330 – the day on which the Orthodox Church commemorates him (as well as May 9th – the transfer of his relics – and July 29th – his nativity).
Born of well-to-do parents, Nicholas inherited his parents’ estate and became known for his generous gifts to those in need. This probably explains his basis for the Santa Claus legends. As a young man, he desired to espouse the solitary life. He made pilgrimages to Palestine and Egypt and to the holy city Jerusalem, where he found a place to withdraw to devote himself to prayer. It was made known to him, however, that this was not the will of God for him, but that he should return to his homeland to be a cause of salvation for many. He returned to Myra, and was ordained bishop. He continued to be known for his abundant mercy, providing for the poor and needy, and delivering those who had been unjustly accused. No less was he known for his zeal for the truth. He was reputedly present at the First Ecumenical Council of the 318 Fathers at Nicaea in 325; upon hearing the blasphemies that Arius brazenly uttered against the Son of God, Saint Nicholas struck him on the face. Since the canons of the Church forbid the clergy to strike any man at all, his fellow bishops were in perplexity what disciplinary action was to be taken against this hierarch whom all revered. In the night our Lord Jesus Christ and our Lady Theotokos appeared to certain of the bishops, informing them that no action was to be taken against him, since he had acted not out of passion, but extreme love and piety. He is the patron saint of many countries – notably Greece and Russia - of all travellers, and of sea-farers in particular; he is one of the best known and best loved Saints of all time.

Apolytikion for St Nicholas (Tone 4)

The truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith,
an icon of meekness, and a teacher of temperance;
for this cause, thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty.
O Father and Hierarch Nicholas, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Words of Wisdom

In death the soul that has come to know God through the Holy Spirit experiences a measure of dread when the angels bring her before the Lord, since while living in the world she was guilty of sin. But when the soul beholds the Lord, she rejoices in His meek and merciful countenance, and the Lord in the abundance of His gentleness and love remembereth not her sins. One glance at the Lord, and love of Him will take up its abode in the soul, and from love of God and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit she will be completely transformed.

Services for November 2010

2010-10-31T01:24:00.006+01:00

Sat 6th 6pm Great Vespers; 7pm (for 7:30pm) Parish Dinner at Alsager Golf Club
Sun 7th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 8th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Holy Archangel Michael and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven ; 7.30pm Church Council Meeting

Sat 13th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 14th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 15th Nativity Fast begins

Sat 20th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 21st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 27th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 28th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Name Days in November

3rd Winifred Carson;
8th Gabriella Bostan;
11th Martin Shorthose;
13th Ioannes Harvey;
14th Philip Boothby;
16th Matthew Carson; Matthew Cooke;
20th Edmund Maxfield;
30th Andrew Ayoub; Andrew Davidchack; Andrew Onofrei

Parish Feasts

8th Saint Michael’s, Audley

Parish Meal

2010-10-31T01:24:00.005+01:00

Our own gathering together for a meal in celebration of the Feast of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers takes place on Saturday 6th November.
Although the deadline has already passed for the handing in of menu choices for this event, if you have simply forgotten about it then bring it on Sunday 31st October and pass it to Martin Shorthose. Copies are still located in the kitchen.

Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers

2010-10-31T01:18:00.003+01:00

The Synaxis of the Chief of the Heavenly Hosts, Archangel Michael and the Other Heavenly Bodiless Powers: Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel was established at the beginning of the fourth century at the Council of Laodicea, which met several years before the First Ecumenical Council. The 35th Canon of the Council of Laodicea condemned and denounced as heretical the worship of angels as gods and rulers of the world, but affirmed their proper veneration.
A Feastday was established in November, the ninth month after March (with which the year began in ancient times) since there are Nine Ranks of Angels. The eighth day of the month was chosen for the Synaxis of all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven since the Day of the Dread Last Judgment is called the Eighth Day by the holy Fathers. After the end of this age (characterized by its seven days of Creation) will come the Eighth Day, and then "the Son of Man shall come in His Glory and all the holy Angels with Him" (Mt. 25:31)

Synaxis: a “gathering together”

Words of Wisdom

2010-10-31T01:17:00.001+01:00

"God made all things exceedingly beautiful as the Genesis story of creation testifies. Among such exceedingly beautiful things is man; rather, he was adorned with a beauty better than other created beings. What can be better than the image of incorruptible beauty? If everything is exceedingly beautiful, and man was among them and created above them, death certainly was not present in him. Man would not have been beautiful if the sullen stamp of death were in him. However, man was the image and likeness of eternal life, truly beautiful and exceedingly good, adorned with the radiant form of life."

St. Gregory of Nyssa

Donations to needy Charities on your behalf

2010-10-31T01:13:00.002+01:00

The “parking meter” in our refreshment room, which takes your tea and coffee donations, is used to make donations to “Cyprus Donkeys” and “No Tears” dog and cat refuge.
At the December meeting of the Trustees of Saint Michael’s we allocate donations to other charities, some local, some national and some overseas in Orthodox countries.
In today’s climate of “belt-tightening” and recession, we would do well to remember that all good things come from God. When we give away to others God blesses us richly
and supplies our needs.
One of the charities we support is SPUC (Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child) which lobbies MPs and seeks to help mothers to see that abortion is wrong and is not the answer. The following passage was sent to me earlier this year:

The wise gynaecologist

A worried woman went to her gynaecologist and said: ‘Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even one year old and I’m pregnant again. I don’t want kids so close together.’

So the doctor said: ‘Ok, and what do you want me to do?’
She said: ‘I want you to end my pregnancy, and I’m counting on your help with this.’
The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence, he said to the woman: ‘I think I have a better solution for your problem. It’s less dangerous for you, too.’
She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.
Then he continued: ‘You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let’s kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest for some time before the other one is born. If we’re going to kill one of them, it doesn’t matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.
The woman was horrified and said: ‘No doctor! How terrible! It’s a crime to kill a child!
‘I agree’, the doctor replied. ‘But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.’
The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mother that there is no difference in killing a child that’s already been born and one that’s still in the womb. The crime is the same!

Save precious lives

Services for October 2010

2010-10-01T12:33:00.004+01:00

Sat.2nd Pilgrimage: St. Winifred’s Shrine, Holywell ; 6pm Priestless Vespers.
Sun.3rd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat.9th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 10th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 16th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.17th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat.23rd 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers.
Sun.24th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 30th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 31st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Name Days in October.

2nd David Cyprian Badin.
12th Wilfrid.
18th Dr. Lucas Joy.
23rd Jacovos Harvey.
26th Claudiu.
28th Terence.

Reposed.

9th Fr. Dennis. (Memory eternal)
19th Metropolitan Gabriel ... 2007.

Services for September 2010

2010-08-27T10:52:00.002+01:00

Sat.4th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun.5th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Tues. 7th 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Birth of the Theotokos.
Wed. 8th 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat.11th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 12th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Mon. 13th 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Tues. 14th 11am Divine Liturgy and Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Sat. 18th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.19th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat.25th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun.26th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Name Days in September.

5th Emma Louise Elizabeth Bostan.
8th Francesca Joy.
9th Anna Oshkhereli.
17th Sofia Maria Bartholomew.
24th Thecla Read.
26th Metropolitan John; John Martin Chadwick; John Roger Makings.

Reposed.
10th George Fearns 2005.

Parish feasts.
14th Holy Cross, Lancaster.
19th St. Theodore, Macclesfield.

Services for August 2010

2010-08-06T01:23:00.000+01:00

Sun 1st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Thurs 5th 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Transfiguration
Fri 6th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Holy Transfiguration
Sat 7th Pilgrimage to Saint Bertram at Ilam - No services at Audley
Sun 8th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 14th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 15th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy; 1pm Baptism of Pauline Joan Baiasu

Sat 21st 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 22nd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 28th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 29th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Namedays in August
1st Jonathan
16th Radu
20th Father Samuel

Reposed
1st Tsinara (2008)

Deanery Parish Feasts
9th St Matthias: Lincoln
31st St Aidan: Levenshulme

----------------------------------------

Baptism

You will see from the list of services that we have another Baptism in August.
The word baptise derives from baptizo, the transliterated form of the Greek word βάπτειν or baptivzw. In a historical context, it means "to dip, plunge, or immerse" something entirely, e.g. into water. Although commonly associated with Christian baptism, the word is known to have been used in other contexts. For instance, a 2nd century author named Nicander wrote down a pickle recipe which illustrates the common use of the word. He first says that the pickle should be dipped (bapto) into boiling water, followed by a complete submersion (baptizo) in a vinegar solution. The word was also used to explain the process of submerging cloth into a coloured dye. The Christian ritual of water baptism traces back to Saint John the Forerunner, who the Bible says baptised many, including Jesus.

It is surely one a most joyous occasion when we can welcome a new member into the Church.
Set the timer on your oven a little later on August 15th and join in the celebrations at 1pm, after the Divine Liturgy for the Baptism – not the pickling – of Pauline Joan!

Pilgimage to Ilam 2010Please remember to arrange your transport for the 2010 Pilgrimage to Ilam – Saturday 7th August

Advance notice of Saint Michael’s Feast 2010

2010-08-06T01:06:00.000+01:00

Preparations are underway for the celebrations of the Feast of St Michael which this year falls on Monday 8th November on which day there will be a Divine Liturgy.
The Parish Council decided on the date of 6th November for the feast as it is the closest Saturday to the event.
We have made a provisional booking at Alsager Golf and Country Club for the event.

Not only does the club have all the facilities we require – private function room, bar etc – it also has the benefit of all these facilities on the ground floor.
The council felt this to be main disadvantage of the pub in Audley where the meal was held two years ago.

Martin partnered Carolyn to the Barthomley Parish Church Choir Christmas meal at the club two years ago and recommends the standard of catering and service wholeheartedly.

Menus will be posted in the church kitchen a little nearer the date for you to choose your meal in advance.

The price will be £12.50 per head for three courses plus Tea/Coffee with after dinner mints.
Alsager Golf and Country Club is on the Audley side of the town just as the Welcome to Alsager sign is reached. It is therefore only a few minutes drive from the church.
The booking has been made for 7:30pm which is timed to allow everyone to come to Great Vespers first!

Words of Wisdom

2010-08-06T01:02:00.001+01:00

You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.
(St Seraphim of Sarov)

...more Words of Wisdom

When we see sinners we must always weep for ourselves first over their failure.
Perhaps we have fallen in the same way; or we can fall, if we haven't yet.
And if the judgment of the teaching office must always eradicate vices by the power of discipline, we must nevertheless make careful distinctions: we should be uncompromising about vice, but compassionate to human nature.
If a sinner has to be punished, a neighbour has to be supported.
When he has nullified what he has done by his repentance,
our neighbour is no longer a sinner.
With the righteousness of God he turns against himself,
and what the divine righteousness reproves he punishes in himself.

(Saint Gregory the Great)

Magdalen Wants!...

2010-08-06T01:01:00.000+01:00

The “Art Cafe” is a voluntary group initially set up by the Stroke Association.
We meet once a fortnight in a community centre on Fegg Hayes Road. It is run for people who have had a stroke and for whom the hospital can do no more. As the Day Centres have been closed there is little or no support for any activity to maintain circulation, hand and eye co-ordination and mobility.
This group affords members a place to meet to discuss problems; we have a qualified and a trainee clinical psychologist in the team and yours truly who is qualified in Art Creative Skill and Sewing.
But, money for resources is tight and we need sewing and knitting needles, material of every description including card (coloured and plain), fabrics, paper, water colour pallets, water colour pencils, brushes - in fact all art materials.
We have a particular need for sewing machines and hand/electric food processers.
I am hoping that we can put on an exhibition at Christmas to raise money so we can become self funding.
Any questions or to have donations collected, please ring Magdalen McAtominey on 01782 723873.
Volunteers welcome too of course!

IONA ORTHODOX RETREATS

2010-08-06T00:58:00.002+01:00

PATRON: His Eminence, ARCHBISHOP GREGORIOS OF THYATEIRA AND GREAT BRITAIN;
CHAIRMAN: His Excellency, METROPOLITAN KALLISTOS OF DIOKLEIA.

If you would like to stay this Autumn at the IONA ORTHODOX CENTRE ON THE SACRED ISLE OF IONA ... where the veil between Heaven and Earth grows very thin ... to make a private retreat or an individual pilgrimage, or simply to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of Iona, and to become, for a week, part of a temporary Orthodox Community on Iona, from Saturday 25th September to Saturday 2nd October 2010 then please contact, a.s.a.p. (only 7 guest places available)
Reader Ignatios Bacon, Email: ionaorthodox@gmail.com
__________________________________________________

The temporary IONA ORTHODOX CENTRE will be located as before at CLACHANACH - only 5 minutes from the Abbey and from St. Oran's Chapel, where Orthodox worship will be served daily, this week.

THE ISLE OF IONA - a beautiful, tranquil and sacred place.
Colum Cille - St. Columba - came to Iona from his native Ireland about 563AD.
From Iona Columba and his monks evangelised North Britain with Celtic Christianity.

Tatton Park Outing on Saturday 16th October

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Christmas Gift Fair

With a wide range of exhibitors including traditional crafts plus gifts, retailers and food producers there are lots of ideas for early Christmas shopping.

Open 10.30am - 5pm. Admission to the fair is free of charge. Car entry charges apply.
Tatton Park, Cheshire’s Large Visitor attraction of the year in 2004 and 2005, is one of the North West’s most popular heritage attractions. Over 750,000 visits are made each year to the 1,000 acres of deer park, Mansion, Gardens, Old Hall, rare breeds Farm and events. It has a history dating back to Bronze Age farming and has been home to herds of deer since the 13th century. In the late Tudor period Tatton was acquired by the Egerton family who owned the estate until the last Lord Egerton died without heirs in 1958. Maurice Egerton bequeathed the estate to the National Trust.
Please contact Winifred as soon as possible if you would like to go.

Throwing this open to friends and relatives who do not belong to St. Michael’s might reach our full-coach target. So far we have only 25. We need 20 more for this to happen and we must book the coach before the end of August.

Pilgimage to Ilam 2010
Please remember to arrange your transport for the 2010 Pilgrimage to Ilam – Saturday 7th August

Visit of Metropolitan John to London; 10-23 June 2010

2010-08-06T00:46:00.002+01:00

His Eminence Metropolitan John has made a pastoral visit to our people in London. This visit included (as usual) a varied programme and activities. His Eminence celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sundays 13th and 20th June at St George’s Cathedral in London, which was an occasion to meet the people of the parish, young and old, as well as to meet with the Parish Council and discuss with them the latest developments and topics.

At the invitation of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge, His Eminence gave a lecture entitled “Christianity in the Middle East”, at St Botolph’s Church in London, in which he spoke of the importance of the Middle East from the historical, geographical and spiritual point of view, and also of the rise of the Church and its spread. He then turned to the coming of Islam and the cohabitation of Christianity and Islam. He ended his lecture by talking about the position of Christians now present in the Middle East and their effective role, despite harsh difficulties.

His Eminence also attended the regular meeting of the Priests and Deacons of our Deanery in Great Britain and Ireland, discussing with them the present position and how to go forward in these parishes in accordance with the collective plan. At this meeting His Eminence elevated Father Gregory Hallam to Archpriest.

On Sunday 20 June the service was enhanced by the blessing of Dunstan Commander as Reader and Christopher Porritt as Sub-Deacon, and the ordination of Deacon Paul Totten as Priest to assist Father Irenaeus in the service of the parish in Belfast in Ireland, and also the elevation of Father Samir Gholam to Archpriest.

On Monday 21 June the Orthodox Metropolitans who have parishes in Great Britain met together: His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople); the Most Revd Metropolitan Youhanna of Western and Central Europe (Patriarchate of Antioch); His Eminence Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh (Patriarchate of Moscow); The Rt Revd Bishop Dositej of Great Britain and Scandinavia (Patriarchate of Serbia); The Most Revd Archbishop Iossif of Western and Southern Europe (Patriarchate of Romania); The Rt Revd Bishop Zenon of Dmanisi and Great Britain (Patriarchate of Georgia); His Eminence Archbishop Mark (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia); His Eminence Anatoly of Sourozh; and Their Eminences Kallistos, Chrysostemous and Athanasius (Ecumenical Patriarchate). This was the constitutive meeting of the Council of Orthodox Bishops in Great Britain.
The visit of His Eminence ended on Tuesday 22 June when the Council of Orthodox Bishops (referred to above) met with the Rt Revd Archbishop Dr Rowan Williams and the Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres. The meeting was extremely useful and amicable. The attendees considered the relationship between the Orthodox and Anglican Churches, and how to consolidate their relationship and the joint Christian witness of the Church in Great Britain.
Web site for more details: http://www.antiocheurope.org/News-En.html

Services for July 2010

2010-06-24T19:25:00.002+01:00

Sat 3rd 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 4th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 10th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 11th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 17th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 18th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 24th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 25th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 31st 6pm Great Vespers (Liturgy at Stoney Middleton)
Sun 1st Aug 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Beginning of the Dormition Fast

Advance Notice: 7th August: Pilgrimage to Ilam

Namedays in July

10th Alexander Oliver Joy; Alexandra Meek (Warden)
12th Veronica Irene Dobson; Veronica Warden
17th Marina Rita Guiness
18th Dara Elizabeth Davidchack; Elizabeth Nash
20th Monk Elia; Ghassan Ayoub
22nd Magdalen McAtominey
24th Anca Bostan

Reposed
26th James Arthur Carter

Deanery Parish Feasts

17th St Marina: Grimsby (and Longton)

Pilgrimage to Ilam 2009

2010-06-24T19:24:00.001+01:00

Please remember to arrange your transport for the 2010 Pilgrimage to Ilam – Saturday 7th August.

O holy Bertram, ascetic of the Mercian woods, forsaking worldly wealth, thou didst give thyself to God. Through fasting and prayers by the Manifold, thou didst acquire the riches of the age to come. Pray to Christ for us, that we too may be found worthy of His Kingdom.

This is always a fabulous day out in beautiful surroundings.

Pilgrimage to Croyland 2010

2010-06-24T19:22:00.001+01:00

The sun beat down upon the gathering at Croyland again this year and much to the consternation of Fr Elia; Englishmen (and many others) again went out in it – with neither sun cream nor hats!
Welcomed warmly by the Vicar of the Abbey and his staff, a Divine Liturgy was served and then lunch before an Akathist to Saint Guthlac and the veneration of the relics of St Theodore.

Troparion to St Guthlac
Dwelling from thy youth amid trackless and watery wastes, O divinely wise father, with holy zeal thou didst strive to follow the commandments of Christ.
Wherefore, the ranks of angels were amazed, beholding thee, a man of flesh and blood, contending valiantly against the passions, O all-wise one, and prevailing over all the hordes of the demons.
On earth thou wast a peer of the angels, and in heaven thou art ever an intercessor for mankind. O venerable Guthlac, entreat Christ God, that He save our souls.

The Future of Orthodoxy in England: a Report from Bishop John

2010-06-24T19:14:00.003+01:00

Eleven Orthodox Bishops take historic step towards the future of Orthodoxy in England
Under the chairmanship of Archbishop Gregorios, eleven Orthodox Bishops serving parishes in the British Isles met in London on 21st June.
They set up the first Pan-Orthodox Episcopal Assembly for this region.
Our own Metropolitan John (Youhanna) was present as one of the founding fathers in this first step towards the creation of one united jurisdiction......... “The Orthodox Church of Great Britain and Ireland.”

Communiqué of the Pan-Orthodox Assembly of Bishops.
The Inaugural Meeting of the Pan-Orthodox Assembly of Bishops with Churches in the British Isles was held on 21st June 2010 at Thyateira House, the centre of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. The Assembly operates in accordance with the Decision reached at the 4th Pre-conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference Meeting at Chambésy (Switzerland) on 13th June 2009.

The following bishops were present:

His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira & Great Britain (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople)
The Most Revd Metropolitan Youhanna of Western & Central Europe (Patriarchate of Antioch)
His Eminence Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh (Patriarchate of Moscow)
The Rt Revd Bishop Dositej of Great Britain & Scandinavia (Patriarchate of Serbia)
The Most Revd Archbishop Iossif of Western & Southern Europe (Patriarchate of Romania)
The Rt Revd Bishop Zenon of Dmanisi & Great Britain (Patriarchate of Georgia)
The Most Revd Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany & Great Britain (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia)
The Most Revd Archbishop Anatoly of Kerch (Diocese of Sourozh)
The Most Revd Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (Archdiocese of Thyateira)
The Rt Revd Bishop Chrysostomos of Kyanea (Archdiocese of Thyateira)
The Rt Revd Bishop Athanasios of Tropaeou (Archdiocese of Thyateira)

The Most Revd Metropolitan Simeon of Central and Western Europe (Patriarchate of Bulgaria) and the Rt Revd Ioan of Parnassos (Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Ukrainian Orthodox Diocese in Great Britain) were unable to attend.

All those present noted the importance of this Meeting: until now in the British Isles there has been no kind of Inter-Orthodox Episcopal Committee. The bishops discussed the future organisation of their work.

An Executive Committee was set up, with Archbishop Gregorios as President, Metropolitan Youhanna and Archbishop Elisey as Vice-presidents, Bishop Dositej as Treasurer, and Archbishop Iossif as General Secretary.
Bishop Zenon, Archbishop Mark and Metropolitan Kallistos were also appointed Members of the Executive Committee.
The Secretariat of the Committee is made up of Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou and Protopresbyter Samir Gholam.

Three Committees were set up:1) Theological Committee,
Chairman: Metropolitan Kallistos
(For the time-being, this will also deal with liturgical, canonical and ecumenical questions, and with the preparation of an agreed list of Saints of the British Isles)

2) Pastoral Committee,
Chairman: Archbishop Elisey
(This will also deal with inter-Orthodox relations and with the organisation of Pan-Orthodox events)

3) Educational Committee,
Chairman: Archbishop Gregorios
(This will be concerned, among other things, with chaplains to universities, catechetical work and publications)
In the case of each committee, each Orthodox diocese will appoint a representative from either the clergy or the laity.

Our Archbishop, Metropolitan John; Vice-President of the Assembly

It was decided that a further Meeting would be held in December 2010.

Services for June 2010

2010-06-06T21:10:00.003+01:00

Sat 5th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 6th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 7th 7pm Meeting of the Trustees

Sat 12th 6pm Priestless Vespers (Crowland Pilgrimage)
Sun 13th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 15th 6pm Priestless Vespers
Sun 16th 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 19th 6pm Priestless Vespers (Clergy Meeting in London)
Sun 20th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 26th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 27th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 28th 6:30pm Great Vespers for the Feast of the Holy, Glorious and
All-praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul
Tue 29th 11am Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Holy, Glorious and
All-praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul

Namedays in June

15th Monica
22nd Alban (Robert)
29th Fr. Aethelwine (Elwin); Pavlos; Paul Dominic

Reposed

3rd Bede

Deanery Parish Feasts

9th Saint Columba, Doncaster
17th Saint Botolph, London

Saint Edward the Martyr

2010-06-06T21:08:00.004+01:00

Edward the Martyr (Old English: Eadweard) (c. 962 – 18 March 978), was king of the English from 975 until he was murdered in 978. Edward was the eldest son of King Edgar, but not his father's acknowledged heir. On Edgar's death, the leadership of the England was divided, some supporting Edward's claim to be king and others supporting his much younger half-brother Æthelred the Unready. Edward was chosen as king and was crowned by his main clerical supporters, Archbishops Dunstan and Oswald of Worcester.
Edward's short reign was brought to an end by his murder at Corfe Castle in circumstances which are not altogether clear. His murder is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: No worse deed for the English race was done than this was, since they first sought out the land of Britain. Men murdered him, but God exalted him. In life he was an earthly king; after death he is now a heavenly saint. His earthly relatives would not avenge him, but his Heavenly Father has much avenged him.
Edward's body lay at Wareham for a year before being disinterred. This was initiated by Ælfhere, perhaps as a gesture of reconciliation. According to the life of Oswald, Edward's body was found to be incorrupt when it was disinterred. The body was taken to the Shaftesbury Abbey, a nunnery with royal connections which had been endowed by King Alfred the Great and where Edward and Æthelred's grandmother Ælfgifu had spent her latter years. Edward's remains were reburied with lavish public ceremony. In 1001, Edward's relics, for by now he was reckoned a saint, were translated to a more prominent place within the nunnery at Shaftesbury. A 13th century calendar of saints gives the date of this translation as 20 June.

Saint Edward’s, Athelhampton

2010-06-06T21:05:00.001+01:00

Our Antiochian parish at Athelhampton in Dorset is dedicated to Saint Edward, king and passion-bearer. He was killed at nearby Corfe Castle in 987 and his relics lie in the monastery at Brookwood.
We went to the Divine Liturgy at Athelhampton on the Sunday of our holiday. The day before, we served a panikhida for Fr. John Nield at his grave in the churchyard.
Remember in your prayers Fr. David Harris and his congregation at Saint Edward’s.
During Martin’s visit to the parish in 2009, he was shown an interesting headstone which since the adoption of the church by the Orthodox appears to be growing its own icon of the Theotokos through the medium of a Lichen!
It is clearer in actuality than it appears in this photograph.

Saint Wite

2010-06-06T21:03:00.002+01:00

At Whitchurch Canonicorum in Dorset lie the relics of Saint Wite, a local anchoress and martyr of the ninth century (Martyred by the Danes). King Alfred the Great had a church erected, where the present church stands, in 851, perhaps replacing an earlier wooden church housing the relics of the saint. Her Feast Day is on 1st June.

Holy Mother and Martyr Wite pray to God for us!

Services for May 2010

2010-05-04T23:39:00.004+01:00

Sat 1st 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 2nd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 8th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 9th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 12th 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Ascension
Thu 13th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Ascension

Fr. Samuel is away 14th to 21st May
Fr. Dennis will serve the Liturgy on Sunday 16th May

Sat 15th 6pm Priestless Vespers
Sun 16th 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 22nd 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 23rd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
6pm Vespers and the Kneeling Prayers of Pentecost

Sat 29th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 30th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Namedays in May
8th Metropolitan John; John (Hugh) Maxfield; John Warden
10th Simon Harvey
11th Cyril McAtominey
21st Fr. Constantin; Adelina Ileana Badin; Elena Batkin; Helene Bendo;
Helena (Emma) Carson; Ileana Grigoriu
29th Lucas Joy
30th Isaac (Norman) Davies; Sorin and Roxana Baiasu (All Saints)

Reposed

20th Jean Grace 2008

Deanery Parish Feasts

12th Saint Aethelheard, Louth
19th Saint Dunstan, Poole
21st Saint Constantine, York
Saint Helen, Colchester

The Ascension of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and Pentecost

2010-05-04T23:35:00.002+01:00

The Ascension of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated forty days after Pascha (and thus always falling on a Thursday).
The first account of the Ascension found in the Bible is in the Gospel of Mark (16:14-19). The description is brief. Jesus and the remaining eleven disciples are seated at a table, presumably in a room in or near Jerusalem. Jesus commands his followers to spread the Gospel, and that those who believe will be known by their invulnerability to poison, ability to heal the sick, and the like. After delivering these final words, Jesus is received into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. No description of the Ascension itself is given; Mark simply states that it happened.
The Gospel of Luke is even more brief in its description (24:50-51). Jesus led the eleven to Bethany, not far from Jerusalem. While in the act of blessing them, Jesus was carried up to heaven.
The third, and most celebrated account of the Ascension is in the Acts of the Apostles (1:9-12). For forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus continued to preach the Gospel. Jesus and the eleven were gathered near Mt. Olivet (or the Mount of Olives), to the northeast of Bethany. Jesus tells his disciples that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and that they will spread his message the world over. Jesus is taken up and received by a cloud. Some traditions say that he was taken up in a fiery chariot, much like the Prophet Elijah. Two men clothed in white appear and tell the disciples that Jesus will return in the same manner as he was taken. They say: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven" (Acts 1:11). Afterwards, the disciples return to Jerusalem rejoicing, remaining continually in the Temple.
The Gospel of Matthew ends at a mountain in Galilee, with Jesus commanding the disciples to spread the Gospel. No mention of the Ascension is made.
The Ascension of Christ shows the last stage in God's plan for mankind: total union with Himself upon one's departure from the world. In the Ascension resides the meaning and the fullness of Christ's Resurrection....and with Christ, man's nature ascends also.

O Christ God, Thou hast ascended in Glory,
Granting joy to Thy disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Through the blessing they were assured
That Thou art the Son of God,
The Redeemer of the world!

Fifty days after the Resurrection, on the excising Jewish feast of Pentecost, while the disciples and many other followers of Jesus Christ were gathered together to pray, the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of "cloven tongues of fire," with the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and they began to speak in languages that they did not know. There were many visitors from the Jewish Diaspora to Jerusalem at that time for the Jewish observance of the feast, and they were astonished to hear these untaught fishermen speaking praises to God in their alien tongues. The number fifty, as in the fiftieth day after Pascha, stands for eternal and heavenly fulfilment, seven times seven, plus one.
The Orthodox Church sees Pentecost as the final fulfilment of the mission of Jesus Christ and the first beginning of the messianic age of the Kingdom of God, mystically present in his Church. It is traditionally called the beginning of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Besides celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit, the feast also celebrates the full revelation of the divine Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hymns of the Church, celebrate the sign of the final act of God's self-disclosure to the world of His creation.
To Orthodox Christians, the feast of Pentecost is not just a celebration of an event in history. It is also a celebration their membership in the Church. They have lived Pentecost and received "the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit" in the sacrament of chrismation.

Blessed art Thou O Christ Our God.
Thou hast revealed the fishermen as most wise,
By sending down upon them the Holy Spirit.
Through them Thou didst draw the world into Thy net.
O Lover of Man, Glory to Thee!

Advance Notices for your Diaries:

2010-05-04T23:27:00.004+01:00

Saturday 12th June
Pilgrimage to Crowland (Croyland) Abbey Veneration of the relics of Saint Theodore the Martyr

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Saturday 26th June
Visit of the miraculous Kursk Root Icon to Wallasey Celebrations start at 10am ending with the Ninth Hour and Vespers at 3pm ‘bring ‘n’ share’ lunch

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27th July to 5th August
G.O.Y.G.B. Summer Camp at St Milburga’s Field, Church Preen Near Much Wenlock, Shropshire.
Limited places for 9 – 17yrs so early application is advisable Contact Olga Papadopoulos: olga_goygb@yahoo.com www.goygbcamp.org.uk

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Saturday 7th August
Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Saint Bertram at Ilam

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Friday 20th to Monday 23rd August
Family Camp for families with young children Cefn Lea, Nr Newtown, Powys Contact Hugh & Imogen Maxfield on 01270 875608

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Saturday 11th September
Pilgrimage to St Mary’s Church, Lastingham in North Yorkshire Nearby monastery founded by St Cedd of Lindisfarne in AD654

Services for April 2010

2010-03-31T17:36:00.005+01:00

Thurs. 1st 11am Vesperal Liturgy;
6.30pm Matins of the Twelve Gospels

Fri. 2nd 10.30am Royal Hours/decoration of the Bier;
2pm Vespers and Epitaphios Procession;
6.30pm Matins and Bier Procession.

Sat. 3rd 11am Vesperal Liturgy; Decorate church.
11.30pm Midnight Office; Paschal Light; Christos Anesti; Matins and Liturgy of Pascha.
Sun.4th 2pm Paschal Vespers of Love.

Sat. 10th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 11th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 17th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 18th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Thurs. 22nd 6.30pm Great Vespers of St. George’s Feast.
Fri. 23rd 11am Divine Liturgy for St. George’s Feast.
Sat. 24th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 25th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Name Days in April.

Pascha (4th) Anastasia.
23rd George Dobson; George Gandy; Georgina Chiurlea; Georgia Winter; Alexandra Davidchack; Alexandra Bendo

Reposed.

16th John Yeomans.
22nd Chad Makings.

Parish feasts.

23rd Our Cathedral of St. George in London.

Great and Holy Week: What does it all mean?

2010-03-31T16:58:00.002+01:00

This is the week before Pascha (Easter) when we walk in the footsteps of our Saviour Christ to His voluntary death and glorious Resurrection.

Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday introduce us to Holy Week and Christ’s journey to the Cross.
Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, had been dead for four days when Jesus went to his tomb and called him out alive. Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, shows His authority over life and death. This wonderful miracle brought many to faith, but caused the chief priests to decide to kill Jesus.

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’ triumphal, yet humble, entry into Jerusalem.

After the Liturgy we carry blessed palm-fronds and candles in procession showing our willingness and joy to welcome Christ and to follow Him to the Cross.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings we serve the Bridegroom Matins.

The icon of Christ the Bridegroom is in the centre of the church. Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, bears the marks of humility and suffering while preparing a marriage feast for us in God’s Kingdom. We are exhorted to be always ready for “the Bridegroom comes at midnight”. We must not only hear God’s word, but also obey it and produce in ourselves fruits worthy of repentance. “Thy Bridal Chamber I see adorned, O my Saviour, but I have no wedding garment that I may enter. O Giver of Light, enlighten the vesture of my soul, and save me”.

In the Sacrament of the Holy Oil, on Wednesday evening, prepared for by confession and reconciliation to God, we are anointed to be healed both physically and spiritually. (As a Sacrament of the Church it is only available to those who belong to the Orthodox Church.)

Holy Thursday is when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples and it is at this Liturgy that the Lamb is consecrated which will be used throughout the year to Communicate those too ill to come to church.

“ Of Thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant, for I will not speak of Thy Mystery to Thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give Thee a kiss, but like the thief will I confess Thee: Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom.”

Holy Friday begins, as do all liturgical days, the evening before. So, on Thursday evening we begin the day of mourning, fasting and prayer, for on this day our Lord and Saviour went to the Cross and died for us. The Twelve Gospel readings relate the events of Jesus’ Holy Passion and Death and His last instructions to His disciples. After the Fifth Gospel, the Crucifix is adorned with a wreath of flowers and carried in procession to the centre of the church. This symbolises Christ’s journey to Golgotha to offer Himself willingly as the sacrifice for the sins of the world ... mine and yours.

How can we go home to the television or trivial things when our Lord is crucified in our midst? Let us keep quiet and be prayerful, inside the church, outside the church and at home. The following morning we come to church, some to pray the Royal Hours and some to quietly and prayerfully prepare Christ’s tomb. Those who prepare the Tomb/Bier are not chatting and arranging flowers but rather offering a fitting worship to the dead body of the Lord Himself, which is, so soon, to be laid therein. Everyone is welcome to perform this loving task to honour Christ’s Body.
If we are able, we keep a total fast, so that we may hunger and cry out with Christ: “I thirst”.
In the afternoon service the Body of Christ is taken down from the Cross, wrapped in fine white linen and placed on the altar table. A cloth icon or shroud depicting Christ’s Sacred Body, called the Epitaphios, is carried in funeral procession, placed in the decorated bier and the Lamentations are sung, with both sorrow and joy. “In a tomb they laid Thee, O Christ, the Life. The angelic hosts were overcome with awe, and glorified Thy condescension.”

Straightaway, on Saturday morning, we begin to anticipate the descent into hell and the Resurrection. We sing “Arise, O God, and judge the earth, for to Thee belong all nations”. Rose petals and bay leaves are scattered throughout the church in joyful exaltation. At midnight we receive the “Light of Christ”.
“Come, receive ye light from the Unwaning Light, and glorify Christ, Who is arisen from the dead.”

In procession we sing:

“Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Saviour, the angels in heaven sing.
Enable us on earth to glorify Thee in purity of heart.”
In the afternoon we celebrate the Agape Vespers, when we embrace and forgive each other, sharing with others Christ’s gift of new life.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Services for March 2010

2010-03-05T23:26:00.003Z

Wed 3rd 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts
Fri 5th 6.30pm Compline and Akathist to the Theotokos
Sat 6th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 7th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy & Veneration of the Cross

Wed 10th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts
Fri 12th 6.30pm Compline and Akathist to the Theotokos
Sat 13th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 14th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Wed 17th 6.30pm Compline and Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
Fri 19th 6.30pm Compline and Akathist to the Theotokos
Sat 20th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 21st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Wed 24th 6.30pm Great Vespers
Thu 25th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Annunciation
Sat 27th 11am Divine Liturgy of Lazarus Saturday; 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 28th 10am Matins & Palm Blessing; 11am Divine Liturgy & Procession for Palm Sunday; 6.30pm Matins of the Bridegroom

Mon 29th 6.30pm Matins of the Bridegroom
Tue 30th 6.30pm Matins of the Bridegroom
Wed 31st 6.30pm Service of Anointing

Namedays in March

18th Edward Bendo
25th Mary Makings; Despina

Reposed

23rd Elizabeth Boothby 2007
28th Priest Patrick 2008
29th Barbara Worth 2008

Deanery Parish Feasts

18th St Edwards, Athelhampton

Great and Holy Week

2010-03-05T23:20:00.002Z

This is the time when we should “put ourselves out” to experience the great mercy of God in His emptying of Himself to suffer humiliation and to die. The Son of God dies as man so that the Son of Man may rise again as God. It would seem to be of little consequence if the times don't fit, or the services are too long, or there is something else to be done. If you really cannot manage to be in church for the whole of a service, come quietly and be a small part and leave quietly.

Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight,
and blessed is the servant
whom He shall find watching,
and again, unworthy is the servant
whom He shall find heedless.
Beware, therefore, O my soul,
do not be weighed down with sleep,
lest thou be given up to death
and lest thou be shut out of the Kingdom.
But rouse thyself, crying
Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O our God!
Through the intercessions of the heavenly hosts,
have mercy on us.

(From Matins of the Bridegroom)

If you hop from Palm Sunday to Easter Day you will miss the whole meaning of life, death and resurrection. Become a partaker in the sufferings and death of our Saviour Christ, be thirsty, be hungry, be tired, descend to the depths and be brought up into the New Life of the Resurrection. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you”. (1 Peter 5 vs. 6 & 7)

Services for February 2010

2010-01-31T22:56:00.002Z

Mon 1st 6.30pm Great Vespers
Tues 2nd 11am Divine Liturgy for the Presentation of Our Lord and Saviour in the Temple
Sat 6th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 7th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Meat fast until Pascha

Sat 13th 4pm Wedding of Edward and Elena Bendo followed at 6pm by Great Vespers
Sun 14th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy. 6.30pm Forgiveness Vespers

First Week of the Great Fast

Mon 15th 6.30pm Compline and Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
Tue 16th 6.30pm Compline and Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
Wed 17th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts
Thu 18th 6.30pm Compline and Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
Fri 19th 6.30pm Compline and Akathist to the Theotokos

Sat 20th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 21st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy and Icon Procession
(including at 10:45am – Reception of Paul Dominic into the Holy Orthodox Church)
Wed 24th 6.30pm Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts
Fri 26th 6.30pm Compline and Akathist to the Theotokos

Sat 27th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers
Sun 28th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Choir leader’s note:
There are few services more moving than those in the first week of Great Lent – save of course those
in Great and Holy Week itself.
Last year the only ones present for most of these services were Fr Samuel and members of the choir
(with one or two exceptions - those who always come; despite cold, snow, advancing years or
infirmity).
As Father Samuel has pointed out before; each Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection, even though
we might be in the midst of Great Lent. Those who miss the services between effectively miss Lent,
or at least the services which make apparent the point of it all.
Please come – if only for part of the service as some are quite long – not to listen to us, but to
immerse yourself in what Great Lent is all about.
Although many of these services are very penitential, I always find myself uplifted by them and so
look forward to them every year.
Come ye, and see for yourself! Martin

Namedays in February

3rd Archimandrite Simeon; Edward Bendo
7th Richard
16th Nicholas Chapman (O.S.)
19th Philothei

Reposed

2nd Protopresbyter Alban 2009
10th Photini 2006

Donations from St. Michael’s to Charitable Causes

2010-01-31T22:52:00.002Z

Donations from tea and coffee amounted to £74. This was made up to £100 by an
anonymous donation and divided equally between “Many Tears” cat and dog charity
and “Cyprus Donkeys”.
We continue to support Monk Elias in his excellent work; the Archdiocese and the
Deanery.
£200 each have been sent to:
The Donna Louise Trust for very sick children;
St. Elisabeth Monastery, Minsk, for work
amongst all ages and conditions;
“ARCH” for their work in Stoke on Trent with
the homeless and abused;
A Romanian Monastery for work with orphans;
Lebanon for the needs of those still suffering
through aggression;
The Society for the Protection of the Unborn
Child (SPUC).
“Freely ye have received … freely give!”
Thanks be to God for His great provision and mercy to us all.

The Great Fast

Do not concentrate so much on your “belly” that you forget your “heart” and don’t
forget to rein in the “tongue”.
Faithful fasting should be accompanied by much prayer and generous giving to those
in need.
“Much prayer” is made easier by the extra services in church. These services are of
great beauty and lead us into thanksgiving and repentance and so a closer
relationship with God. Most of our congregation miss many, if not all, of these
services and so deprive themselves of blessing.
We are surrounded by very desperate need, brought closer through television and
other media, and so “giving” should be really easy.

INTRODUCING THE ST CHAD'S WAY PROJECT

2010-01-31T22:07:00.006Z

The last twenty years or so has seen a marked rise in the idea and practice of
pilgrimage. There have been a large number of publications about sacred sites around
the country. Old pilgrimage routes, such as the paths along the North Wales coast to
Bardsey are being walked again and new pilgrimage routes, such as St Cuthbert's
Way from Melrose to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, have been established.
Now plans are underway to create a new
pilgrimage route of approximately 75 miles
between the cathedral cities of Chester and
Lichfield. The footpath will be called St Chad's
Way after the Saxon saint who brought
Christianity from Northumbria to the ancient
kingdom of Mercia in the seventh century. His
shrine at Lichfield was a popular destination
for pilgrims in medieval times. Chester also
attracted pilgrims to the Holy Rood at St
John’s (the former cathedral) and to St
Werburga’s shrine at the present cathedral.
The proposed route from Chester will begin
along the Shropshire Union Canal and proceed
to Nantwich via Beeston Castle. The route will
continue eastwards across the M6 via Apedale
to the Saxon Cross at Stoke Minster in Stokeon-
Trent. From thence it will take a southerly
direction via the Trentham Estate, Stone and
Stafford before joining the Heart of England
Way across Cannock Chase to Lichfield.

St Chad’s Way ~ Special Features

The footpath will be the first waymarked pilgrimage route in the area.

Modern pilgrims on St Chad's Way will have the opportunity to be resourced so
that they can make a journey of discovery and reconnection and find health in
body, mind and soul. The project will link with the NHS, faith groups and other
organisations with a concern for healing and wholeness.

As well as attracting pilgrims from UK and overseas, the project will be socially
inclusive, such as seeking to provide special pilgrimage opportunities for those
with mental health or addictions issues.

Early pilgrimage was especially associated with storytelling, such as those told
in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The path will include a story trail between Stoke
and Stafford centred on Stone, whose foundational story of the Saxon princes
Wulfad and Rufin, also features St Chad.

The footpath will be a rich educational resource, providing a range of cross
curricular opportunities and the chance for students to experience pilgrimage
for themselves.

Pilgrimage – Medieval and Contemporary

Of Lichfield... “The shrine of St Chad was a
wooden coffin in the shape of a little house with an
aperture in the side through which the devout
can...take out some of the dust, which they put
into water and give to sick cattle or men to drink,
upon which they are presently eased of their
infirmity and restored to health”. (Bede)

Of Stone... The venerable queen (Ermenild,
mother of Wulfad & Rufin) had a finely constructed
church built of stones in the same place... After
this, a multitude of the infirm and those suffering
from diverse weaknesses and of others seeking
God ... was accustomed to visit the place and to
carry stones thither to the building. Whence that
place is called Stanes.” (Hugh Candidus)

Website leads for further information

St Chad: www.stchadscathedral.org.uk/relics.php
Legend of Stone Princes and sites on story trail:
www.stchadsstafford.co.uk/page.asp?pid=60

Contact
The idea for the footpath is the brainchild of experienced long distance walker David
Pott. The former head teacher has also been deeply involved in various reconciliation
initiatives including leading the Lifeline Expedition, a response to the legacies of the
Atlantic slave trade which has received widespread media attention. See
http://www.lifelineexpedition.co.uk/

For more information contact David Pott at dlpott@gmail.com or by mobile phone
07932 790525

Services for January 2010

2009-12-28T16:12:00.005Z

Fri 1 11am Divine Liturgy of St. Basil

Sat 2 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 3 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Tues 5 6.30pm Vesperal Divine Liturgy
And indoor Great Blessing of the Waters

Wed 6 11am Theophany Liturgy
And Outdoor Great Blessing of the Waters

Sat 9 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 10 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 11 7pm Church Council Meeting

Sat 16 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 17 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 23 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 24 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Fast-free week
Sat 30 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 31 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

February
Mon 1 6.30pm Great Vespers
Tues 2 11am Divine Liturgy

Please book House Blessings between Thursday 7th January
and the beginning of Great Lent on Monday 15th February

Namedays in January

1st Vasiliki
7th Cristian Bostan; Jan; Oana
14th Nino; Nina
17th Antonis

Reposed

14th Mary Carter 2005
18th Priest John 2001

Feasts celebrated on January 1st

2009-12-28T15:57:00.002Z

This year we are celebrating a Liturgy
of St Basil on 1st January – the feast of
the Circumcision of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ and the day on
which St Basil the Great is also
commemorated.
In submitting to the Law of
Circumcision, Our Lord signifies that He
is the fullness and the completion of
the Old Covenant. St. Paul says, in the
Epistle read on the Feast: For in [Jesus]
the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily
and you have come to fullness of life in
Him, Who is the head of all rule and
authority. In Him also you were
circumcised with a circumcision made
without hands, by putting off the body
of flesh in the circumcision of Christ.

The Church Fathers explain that the Lord, the Creator of the Law, underwent
circumcision in order to give people an example of how faithfully the divine
ordinances ought to be fulfilled. The Lord was circumcised so that later no one
would doubt that he had truly assumed human flesh, and that his
Incarnation was not merely an illusion, as certain heretics taught.
Additionally, he received the name Jesus (Saviour) on this day. These two
events, the Lord's Circumcision and Naming, remind Christians that they have
entered into a New Covenant with God.

Our father among the saints Basil the Great is shown in the icon on the front
page above the icon of the Circumcision.
Basil the Great (c330 - January 1, 379), was bishop of Caesarea, a leading
churchman in the 4th century. The Church considers him a saint and one of
the Three Holy Hierarchs, together with Saints Gregory the Theologian (Gregory
Nazianzus) and John Chrysostom.
Basil, Gregory the Theologian, and Basil's brother Saint Gregory of Nyssa are
called the Cappadocian Fathers. The Roman Catholic Church also considers him
a saint and calls him a Doctor of the Church.

Basil's memory is celebrated on January 1; he is also remembered on January
30 with the Three Holy Hierarchs. In Greek tradition, he is supposed to visit
children and give presents every January 1. This festival is also marked by the
baking of Saint Basil's bread (Vasilópita), a sweetbread with a coin hidden
inside.

He should not be confused with Saint Basil the Blessed, Fool-for-Christ, a
Russian saint, after whom St. Basil's Cathedral, on Red Square in Moscow, is
named.

Great Lent and Memorials

The fasting period leading to Great Week and Holy Pascha will soon be upon us.
It begins on Monday 15th February.
One of the characteristics of the period is the provision of “Memorial Saturdays”.
Sat 6th February is the first one.
Saturday is the right day to remember the anniversaries of our departed loved ones.
Sunday is the day of Resurrection and should not be used for Memorials. I have
tried to encourage the use of Saturdays for Memorials so that we do not detract
from the joyful, triumphal celebration of the Resurrection of our Saviour.
So stick to Saturdays for Memorials please. We have a beautiful little church,
let’s be in it as often as we can, not just a quick visit on Sundays.
Our Church Calendar provides many occasions when we are asked to
face up to the fact of death, and at this time of year there are "Saturdays
of the Souls". We pray for the dead especially on Saturdays because it was
on the Sabbath day (Saturday) that Christ lay dead in the tomb, "resting
from all His works and trampling down death by death".

Praying for the dead is an expression of love. We ask God to remember our
departed loved ones because we love them. The relationship of love
survives, and even transcends, death. There is an inner need to continue to
express our relationship with a loved one even after death. Often even more
so after a loved one has died since physical communication is no longer
possible. The Church encourages us to express our love for our departed
brethren through memorial services and prayers.

The Orthodox Church prays for the dead to express her faith that all who
have fallen asleep in the Lord, live in the Lord; their lives are "hidden with
Christ in God" (COL.3:3). Whether on earth or in heaven, the Church is one
family, one body in Christ. Death changes the location but it cannot sever the
bond of love.

Just as we pray for the dead, so we believe they continue to love us,
remember us and pray for us now that they are closer to God. Death can only
be properly understood in the light of Christ's Resurrection from the dead.

"TRAMPLING DOWN DEATH BY DEATH, AND UPON THOSE IN THE
TOMBS BESTOWING LIFE”

Services for December 2009

2009-12-02T21:32:00.003Z

Sat 5th Great Vespers
Sun 6th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 12th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 13th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 14th Meeting of Trustees 7pm

Sat 19th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 20th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 23rd 6.30pm Great Vespers
Thur 24th 11am Vesperal Liturgy
11pm Matins
24th/25th Midnight: Divine Liturgy of the Nativity of our Lord and God
and Saviour Jesus Christ

-----Fast Free until 5th January-----

Sat 26th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 27th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Namedays:

9th Hannah Gandy
19th Nicholas Joseph
27th Joseph (Clive); Stephan (Ron); Stephanie (Giselle)
28th Simon Stone

Reposed:

7th Deacon John Mark (2007)

Deanery Patronal Feasts:

20th St Ignatios of Antioch - Belfast

2009-12-02T21:18:00.006Z

Commemorated on December 20
The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and
Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also St
Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). St Ignatius
was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to
Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September
7).
Tradition suggests that when St Ignatius was a little
boy, the Saviour hugged him and said: "Unless you
turn and become as little children, you shall not enter
into the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mt. 18:3). The saint
was called "God-Bearer" (Theophoros), because he
bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him.
He also had this name because he was held in the
arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God.
St Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the
Theologian, together with St Polycarp of Smyrna. As
Bishop of Antioch, St Ignatius was zealous and spared
no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of
antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the
angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to
follow this example. In the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the
souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ.
In the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians,
ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any
Christians who refused to worship the idols. In the year 107, Trajan happened to pass
through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ,
and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity.
St Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the
Christians in Antioch. St Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor
Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be
thrown to the wild beasts. St Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon
him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who
accompanied St Ignatius from Antioch to Rome.
On the way to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where St
Ignatius met with his friend Bishop
Polycarp. Clergy and believers from
other cities and towns thronged to
see St Ignatius. He exhorted
everyone not to fear death and not
to grieve for him. In his Epistle to
the Roman Christians, he asked
them to assist him with their
prayers, and to pray that God
would strengthen him in his
impending martyrdom for Christ: "I
seek Him Who died for us; I desire
Him Who rose for our salvation... In
me, desire has been nailed to the
cross, and no flame of material
longing is left. Only the living water
speaks within me, saying, 'Hasten
to the Father.'"
From Smyrna, St Ignatius went to
Troas. Here he heard the happy
news of the end of the persecution
against Christians in Antioch. From
Troas, St Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi.
On the way to Rome St Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the
Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia,
Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to St Polycarp,
who mentions a collection of the letters of St Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians
(Ch. 13). St Irenaeus of Lyons quotes from St Ignatius's letter to the Romans (AGAINST
HERESIES 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day. The Roman
Christians met St Ignatius with great joy and profound sorrow. Some of them hoped
to prevent his execution, but St Ignatius implored them not to do this. Kneeling
down, he prayed together with the believers for the Church, for love between the
brethren, and for an end to the persecution against Christians.
On December 20, the day of a pagan festival, they led St Ignatius into the arena, and
he turned to the people: "Men of Rome, you know that I am sentenced to death, not
because of any crime, but because of my love for God, by Whose love I am embraced.
I long to be with Him, and offer myself to him as a pure loaf, made of fine wheat
ground fine by the teeth of wild beasts."
After this the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a
few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, St Ignatius unceasingly
repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, St
Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed
with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by
the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw
an inscription in gold letters: "Jesus Christ." After his execution St Ignatius appeared
to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer
for the city of Rome.
Hearing of the saint's great courage, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the
persecution against the Christians. The relics of St Ignatius were transferred to
Antioch (January 29), and on February 1, 637 were returned to Rome and placed in
the church of Saint Clement.
With acknowledgement to the Orthodox Church in America: http://www.oca.org/

The icon of the Lord’s Nativity

We can identify at least eight elements depicted in the icon of the Lord’s Nativity as it
shows the whole of the Gospel story.
(1) The focus of the icon is the Christ-child and His mother, the Theotokos and Mother of
Light. Mary is seen reclining on a red blanket (symbolising the colour of life) and looks
not at her newborn Son but rather at Joseph. She prays so that his struggles of
disbelief might be overcome.
(2) The star of course represents the heavens rejoicing at the glorious birth of our Lord
Jesus Christ. It is shown as the brightest star in the sky and is what guided the magi
(6) to the new-born King.
(3) The backdrop of the scene is the dark cave which immediately reminds us of Christ’s
tomb. The infant Christ’s swaddling bands prefigure too the burial shroud of our
Lord. In the cave are the ox and the ass – participants not mentioned in the Gospels
but shown in fulfilment of the words of the Prophet Isaiah “The ox knoweth his
owner, and the ass his master’s crib, but
Israel doth not know, my people doth not
consider.”
(4) The angels are shown sometimes in
two groups – one, a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men”. The
second announces the news of great joy
to the shepherds (5).
(5) The fact that Jewish shepherds and
heathen magi (6) were among the first to
worship our Lord shows us the
universality of this great event, meant for
the salvation of all mankind.
(6) Bringing gold, frankincense and
myrrh, the three magi were led by the
heavenly star to the manger in which our
Lord lay.
(7) Joseph is seen apart from the main
scene of the icon – showing that he was not directly involved in the miracle of the
Incarnation of the Son of God but was the protector of Mary and Jesus. The old man
speaking to him represents Satan tempting him with doubts. St Joseph loves his wife,
and through her prayers he overcomes this struggle.
(8) The washing of Christ by the midwife is sometimes seen in the icon and sometimes
not. In some churches on Mount Athos the scene has been removed from frescoes as
the opinion was that Christ had no need of washing, being born in a miraculous
manner from a pure virgin. The image is largely retained in our icons as part of holy
tradition passed down to us – showing that the birth of Christ was a real birth and
that the body He assumed was a real, human body requiring customary care and
nurture. The water also represents the water of life and Baptism.
The icon seen as a whole is gloriously bright and colourful. Against the background of an
inhospitable world, the mountains, plants, animals and mankind, the joyful scene unfolds –
represented most perfectly in the figure of the new Eve, the most pure Mother of God.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

2009-12-02T18:40:00.010Z

Thank you

Father Samuel thanks all of you for gifts,
cards and best wishes on his recent
Birthday and for a happy Feast of St.
Michael the following week.
May we all have a blessed and peaceful
Christmas sharing in the real joy of the
Incarnation of God, the Divine One
becoming human flesh that we might share
in His Divinity!

Troparion of the Nativity of our Lord and
God and Saviour Jesus Christ

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, dawned
upon the world the light of knowledge,
For by it those who worshipped the stars
were taught by a star
To adore Thee, the Sun of Righteousness,
And to know Thee, the Dayspring from on
high,
O Lord, glory to Thee.

Commemorated on December 4

Saint John of Damascus was born about the year 680 at Damascus, Syria into a
Christian family. His father, Sergius Mansur, was a treasurer at the court of the caliph.
John had also a foster brother, the orphaned child Cosmas (October 14), whom
Sergius had taken into his own home. When the children were growing up, Sergius
saw that they received a good education. At the Damascus slave market he ransomed
the learned monk Cosmas of Calabria from captivity and entrusted to him the
teaching of his children. The boys displayed uncommon ability and readily mastered
their courses of the secular and spiritual sciences. After the death of his father, John
occupied ministerial posts at court and became the city prefect.
In Constantinople at that time, the heresy of
Iconoclasm had arisen and quickly spread,
supported by the emperor Leo III the Isaurian
(717-741). Rising up in defence of the Orthodox
veneration of icons [Iconodoulia], St John
wrote three treatises entitled, "Against Those
who Revile the Holy Icons." The wise and Godinspired
writings of St John enraged the
emperor. But since the author was not a
Byzantine subject, the emperor was unable to
lock him up in prison, or to execute him. The
emperor then resorted to slander. A forged
letter to the emperor was produced,
supposedly from John, in which the Damascus
official was supposed to have offered his help
to Leo in conquering the Syrian capital.
This letter and another hypocritically flattering note were sent to the Saracen caliph
by Leo the Isaurian. The caliph immediately ordered that St John be removed from his
post, that his right hand be cut off, and that he be led through the city in chains.
That same evening, they returned the severed hand to St John. The saint pressed it to
his wrist and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos to heal him so that he could defend
the Orthodox Faith and write once again in praise of the Most Pure Virgin and her
Son. After a time, he fell asleep before the icon of the Mother of God. He heard her
voice telling him that he had been healed, and commanding him to toil unceasingly
with his restored hand. Upon awakening, he found that his hand had been attached
to his arm once more. Only a small red mark around his wrist remained as a sign of
the miracle.
Later, in thanksgiving for being healed, St John had a silver model of his hand
attached to the icon, which became known as "Of the Three Hands." Some unlearned
painters have given the Mother of God three hands instead of depicting the silver
model of St John's hand. The Icon "Of the Three Hands" is commemorated on June 28
and July 12. (Sayedna John gave a copy of this Icon to St. Michael’s when he
consecrated the church.)
When he learned of the miracle, which demonstrated John's innocence, the caliph
asked his forgiveness and wanted to restore him to his former office, but the saint
refused. He gave away his riches to the
poor, and went to Jerusalem with his
stepbrother and fellow-student, Cosmas.
There he entered the monastery of St Sava
the Sanctified as a simple novice.
It was not easy for him to find a spiritual
guide, because all the monks were daunted
by his great learning and by his former rank.
Only one very experienced Elder, who had
the skill to foster the spirit of obedience and
humility in a student, would consent to do
this. The Elder forbade John to do anything
at all according to his own will. He also
instructed him to offer to God all his labours
and supplications as a perfect sacrifice, and
to shed tears which would wash away the
sins of his former life.
Once, he sent the novice to Damascus to sell baskets made at the monastery, and
commanded him to sell them at a certain inflated price, far above their actual value.
He undertook the long journey under the searing sun, dressed in rags. No one in the
city recognized the former official of Damascus, for his appearance had been changed
by prolonged fasting and ascetic labours. However, St John was recognized by his
former house steward, who bought all the baskets at the asking price, showing
compassion on him for his apparent poverty.
One of the monks happened to die, and his brother begged St John to compose
something consoling for the burial service. St John refused for a long time, but out of
pity he yielded to the petition of the grief-stricken monk, and wrote his renowned
funeral troparia ("What earthly delight," "All human vanity," and others). For this
disobedience the Elder banished him from his cell. John fell at his feet and asked to
be forgiven, but the Elder remained unyielding. All the monks began to plead for him
to allow John to return, but he refused.
Then one of the monks asked the Elder to impose a penance on John, and to forgive
him if he fulfilled it. The Elder said, "If John wishes to be forgiven, let him wash out all
the chamber pots in the lavra, and clean the monastery latrines with his bare hands."
John rejoiced and eagerly ran to accomplish his shameful task. After a certain while,
the Elder was commanded in a vision by the All-Pure and Most Holy Theotokos to
allow St John to write again. When the Patriarch of Jerusalem heard of St John, he
ordained him priest and made him a preacher at his cathedral. But St John soon
returned to the Lavra of St Sava, where he spent the rest of his life writing spiritual
books and church hymns. He left the monastery only to denounce the iconoclasts at
the Constantinople Council of 754. They subjected him to imprisonment and torture,
but he endured everything, and through the mercy of God he remained alive. He died
in about the year 780, more than 100 years old.
St John of Damascus was a theologian and a zealous defender of Orthodoxy. His most
important book is the Fount of Knowledge. The third section of this work, "On the
Orthodox Faith," is a summary of Orthodox doctrine and a refutation of heresy. Since
he was known as a hymnographer, we pray to St John for help in the study of church
singing.
With acknowledgement to the Orthodox Church in America : www.oca.org

Services for November 2009

2009-10-31T00:28:00.002Z

Sun 1st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 7th 6pm Memorial for the Founders and Benefactors of
St. Michael’s and Great Vespers
Sun 8th Patronal Feast of St. Michael and all the Bodiless Powers of
Heaven (see note on a previous page regarding our celebrations)
10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 14th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 15th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Beginning of the Nativity Fast
Fri 20th 6.30pm Great Vespers for the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos
into the Temple
Sat 21st 11am Divine Liturgy of the Feast. 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 22nd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 28th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 29th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Namedays in November
3rd Winifred
8th Gabriella
11th Martin Shorthose
13th Ioannes
14th Philip
16th Matthew Carson = Matthew Cooke
20th Edmund
30th Andre Ayoub = Ruslan Davidchack = Andrew Onofrei

News

2009-10-30T23:49:00.001Z

Church Doors
Thank you Alban (Robert) for doing a wonderful job of repairing and decorating
our church doors and the entrance porch. They really do look wonderful.
The toilet is next!

First church council meeting
John (Hugh) Maxfield was elected as the minutes secretary.
We discussed our Parish Feast and other possible social events for next year,
including the possibility of occasional Sunday after-Liturgy refreshments in
parishioners’ homes.
We discussed the need for a notice board now that the doors have been
repaired and decorated and the raising of the Cross on the side of the church so
that it is visible above the fence.
The next meeting will be on Monday 10th January at Isaac’s home.

Sihastria Monastery
Father Samuel spent four days at this monastery last month.
It was wonderful and a very blessed time. Here is some information and some
pictures.

Sihastria Monastery

2009-10-30T23:28:00.002Z

Dedication Day: “Birth of the Virgin” 8th September

The holy establishment is situated at a distance of 22km from the town of Targu-Neamt, standing in a Sub Carpathian Valley, on a location that was formerly called “Atanasie’s Meadow”. The monastery derives its name from
the name of an anchorite who constructed a skete around which there were living several other anchorites.
The founder of the monastery was Ghedeon, Bishop of Husi, who completed the construction of a church (which was built of wood), a group of monastic cells and a belfry in 1655. In 1734 Ghedeon had a bigger church erected and placed it under the direction of the Secu Monastery. It was also through his persevering efforts that the monastery received a Royal Authorization from Grigore Ghica Viovode, which conferred upon it certain special privileges and tax-exemptions.
In 1799, at the time that the Neamt Monastery was headed by Paisie Velicikovski, the Sihastria Monastery became subordinated to it.
In 1821, the Turks set fire to the monastery. Three years later in 1824, the church was reconstructed of bricks and river-stones. At the same time, there
were erected four tall walls on all four sides of the church, as well as two towers – which made it look like a fortress.
A wooden chapel and several monastic cells were also constructed within the
monastery. Between 1870 and 1910, the monastic establishment remained in a state of total dereliction; afterwards, under the earnest care of some of the
residences, the church, the monastic cells and the chapel underwent extensive repairs and restoration. In 1941, a devastating fire caused great damage to the church.

Due to the fact that it was set on fire twice and remained deserted for a period of forty years, the holy establishment does not shelter any precious ecclesiastical objects or sacerdotal attire, with the exception of the icons that were painted by monk Irineu Protcenco and that were remarkably executed.
In the Sihastria Monastery lived and served Archimandrite Cleopa Ilie (deceased in December 1998), celebrated for his exemplary monastic life. Out of the monastic residents, there is the name of Father Ioanichie Balan, who authored several outstanding studies on Orthodox monasticism, among which we can enumerate The Romanian Paterikon, The Romanian Hermitic Sites, and Spiritual Dialogues.
Since 2000, repairs and restoration have been made and the main church has been repainted by Archimandrite Vartolomeu Florea. Also, a new church has been erected; its patron saint is “Venerable Mother Teodora of Sihla”; the church was consecrated by Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch, and by Patriarch Teoctist on October 12th, 1997.

The following sketes have been affiliated to the Sihastria Monastery:

Sihla Skete – convent for monks, situated at a distance of 4 km from the Sihastria Monastery, Neamt county. The monastic establishment was founded at 1730. The church was constructed of wood in 1813. Its dedication day is the “Nativity of Saint John the Baptizer”. In the immediate vicinity of the church of the skete, under a cliff, there stands a small fir-tree church, whose dedication day is “The Transfiguration”, and which was constructed during the reign of Ionita Cantacuzino Voivode in 1763. Not far from this church there is the cave of Mother Teodora, who lived as a hermit in these parts towards the end of the 17th century and at the beginning of the 18th century. She was born around the year 1650, and was the daughter of the boyar Joltea (the provost marshal of the Neamt Fortress at the time). In her youth she was married, then she retired to the Varzaresti Monastery (which was situated in the Vrancea Mountains) and took religious vows there. Later, together with the abbess, she left the monastery and led an anchoritic life for fear of the impending Turkish invasion. After the death of the abbess, Teodora continued to live as a hermit, this time in a cave of the Sihla forests, feeding on sorrel and wild berries. In the immediate vicinity of the cave, there still exists the hole wherefrom she was carrying water; the hole was miraculously discovered by two monks, who, observing that several birds kept picking up breadcrumbs from the refectory and were flying away with them, resolved to follow those birds. They searched and found Venerable Teodora, who was praying and whose bodily posture was identical with Mary of Egypt, that is, she was raised
way above the ground and was wrapped in a divine light.

Teodora’s inimitable faith, as well as her outstanding moral and spiritual strength deeply impressed her contemporaries, prompting a special veneration of her, which in time, would spread out all over Moldavia and Eastern Transylvania.
In memory of her overpowering spirit and in pious homage to her extraordinary life and strong faith, the Sihla Skete was constructed in 1725. Her holy relics, which lay in the cave for a while, healed a lot of sick people. Now, the relics are located inside the Pecerska Monastery of Kiev, and have been called “The Holy Relics of the Venerable Teodora of the Carpathian Mountains”. Her holy relics have been in this holy establishment since 1852.
In June 1992 the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized Venerable Teodora, adding her to the saints in the Orthodox Christian Calendar and to the Romanian Orthodox Synaxarion. Her dedication day is
celebrated on August 7th.

Skete of Venerable Daniel the Hermit – Coroi’s Precipice – Vanatori commune, Neamt county. Convent for monks, dedication days: “Venerable Daniel the Hermit”, “Prophet Elijah the Tishbite”, and “Protection of the Mother of God”. Between 1936 and 1937, several monks from the Sihastria Monastery retired for some months to a location that was called “Coroi’s Precipice” and built a cottage there. In 1955, long after the monks had left that place; two nuns from the Old Agapia Skete retired there having Father Cleopa’s blessing, and led an anchoritic life for thirty years.
For five years the cottage remained uninhabited. Thereafter, about 1990, a few monks also retired to the same cottage located in Coroi’s Precipice. Then, with the blessing of Metropolitan Daniel Ciobotea, they had the place consecrated with a view to building a church on the premises.
The skete was founded in 1996 and was consecrated by Metropolitan Daniel on August 4, 1996.

Lifting of the Holy Cross Skete – Poiana lui Ioan (Ioan’s Meadow) – Vanatori commune, Neamt county. Convent for monks, it was founded in 1990.

Skete of the Equals to the Apostles Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena – Boureni commune, Neamt county. Convent for monks. The former monastic life of the holy establishment was revived in 1991.

Skete of Venerable Teodora of Sihla – The Pascani Forest – Motca commune, Neamt county. Convent for monks. The monastic establishment was founded in 1990.

Skete of Martyr Meneas at Dumbrava – Dumbrava village, Neamt county. Convent

Feast of St Michael and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven

2009-10-30T23:09:00.001Z

Feast of St Michael and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven

Admin Notice:

We shall use the Audley Community Centre for our Feast.
The hall will be open from 9.30am to 10.45am for food to be taken in.
It will not be open again until 12.30 – and then to 3.30pm.
Please bear in mind that the Remembrance Day Service at the Audley Cenotaph (10.45 to 11.15) will make it impossible to bring cars along the main road to church.

Chester Road will be open of course.

See the list in the refreshment room at church to make offers of food for the Feast.

Michael, Captain and leader of the armies of heaven,
Unworthy as we are, we beseech thee without cease to surround us with
thine intercessions,
And cover us beneath the shelter of the wings of thine ethereal glory.
We bend our knee, and cry out with perseverance;
Deliver us from danger, O Prince of the Powers on high.

The Nativity Fast | Presentation of the Theotokos 20th

2009-10-30T22:58:00.002Z

The Nativity Fast

The cycle of the celebration of the Nativity starts with a fast of forty days that precedes the feast. It is called the Nativity Fast or Advent. For the faithful, it is a time to purify both soul and body to enter properly into and partake of the great spiritual reality of Christ's Coming, much like the preparation for the fast of the Lord's Resurrection, that is Great Lent.
The beginning of the fast on November 15 is not liturgically marked by any hymns, but five days later, on the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos, we hear the first announcement from the nine "Irmoi" of the Christmas Canon: "Christ is born, glorify Him!"
This period includes other special preparatory days announcing the approaching Nativity: St Andrew's Day on November 30; St Nicholas Day on December 6; the Sunday of the Forefathers; and the Sunday of the Fathers.
December 20th begins the Forefeast of the Nativity. The liturgical structure is similar to the Holy Week preceding Pascha.
The Orthodox Church sees the birth of the Son of God as the beginning of the saving ministry which will lead Him, for the sake of man’s salvation, to the ultimate sacrifice of the
Cross.

Presentation of the Theotokos 20th

According to Tradition, the Virgin Mary was taken — presented — by her parents Joachim and Anna into the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem as a young girl, where she lived and served as a Temple virgin until her betrothal to St. Joseph.
One of the earliest sources of this tradition is the non-canonical Protoevangelion of James, also called the Infancy Gospel of James.
Mary was solemnly received by the temple community which was headed by the priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.
She was led to the holy place to become herself the "holy of holies" of God, the living sanctuary and temple of the Divine child who was to be born in her.
The Church also sees this feast as a feast which marks the end of the physical temple in Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God.

The holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostle Andrew the First-Called - 30th November

2009-10-30T22:43:00.004Z

Andrew was a fisherman by trade, born in Bethsaida. A disciple of John the Forerunner, he left St. John to follow Jesus Christ following his baptism and brought along his brother, the Apostle Peter. Both are numbered among the Twelve Great Apostles.
After Pentecost, the lot fell to St. Andrew to preach in:
-Byzantium where he appointed St. Stachys as its
first bishop.
-Thrace, Peloponnese, Greece, and Epirus where
he converted many to the Faith
and ordained bishops and priests for them.
-Georgia: he entered Georgia from Ajara, preached
Christianity in Atsquri, built a small church there and left
the miracle-working icon of Theotokos.
-Russian lands: in Kiev he planted a cross on one of the
high hills of Kiev, and he prophesied a city that would have many golden-domed churches, and a bright Christian future for the Russian people.

St. Andrew was martyred in Peloponnese, in the city of Patras. The Proconsul Aegeates' family believed in the miracles and preaching of St. Andrew, and the enraged Proconsul tortured and crucified St. Andrew.
The new converts wanted to remove him from his cross, but the saint would not allow them. Instead, he comforted them from the cross and as he prayed an extraordinary light encompassed him for about a half hour. When it left, he gave up his soul.
It was the year 62 AD.

St. Andrew's relics were taken to Constantinople, his head to Rome and a hand to Moscow.

Kontakion (Tone 2)

Let us praise Andrew, the herald of God,
the namesake of courage,
the first-called of the Saviour's disciples
and the brother of Peter.
As he once called to his brother, he now cries out to us:
"Come, for we have found the One whom the world desires!"

Services at St. Michael’s, Audley, October 2009

2009-10-07T23:59:00.002+01:00

Sat. 3rd Holywell Pilgrimage. NO SERVICE TODAY AT AUDLEY
Sun. 4th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 10th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 11th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 17th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 18th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 24th 6pm Memorial and Great Vespers.
Sun. 25th 10am Matins;11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat. 31st 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 1st October 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Namedays in October.

9th Fr. Dennis. 12th Wilfred.
16th Denise. 18th Dr. Luke Joy.
23rd Jacovos Harvey. 28th Terence.

Reposed.

19th Metropolitan Gabriel 2007.

The Communion of Children

2009-10-07T23:58:00.000+01:00

{This is from the Vatopaidi Wordpress, Mount Athos.}
The anonymous writer at the marvelous French-language blog Moinillon au quotidien offers the following points of reflection on children and Holy Communion, which I here translate for your consideration:
• -Communion is not a magical act; its action is related to a certain preparation and to a certain interior disposition.
-Communion is communion with Christ and with the other faithful in Christ; it must therefore take place within the context of communal Liturgy.
-The entire Liturgy is a preparation for Communion; all people who commune must therefore be present at least from the beginning of the Liturgy of the faithful.
-It is important to teach children from their youngest age to behave themselves in church; even if they do not understand the words and action of the Liturgy, they are impregnated with the spiritual atmosphere and benefit from the prayers of the priest and of the community, and receive the grace of the Holy Liturgy.

2009-10-07T22:54:00.007+01:00

The Life of the New Confessor Valeriu Gafencu
An orthodox Christian from the US asked me a few things about who Valeriu Gafencu was and I realised there were no English resources about him. So I decided to translate a little information about his life from the book called Din temnite spre sinaxare (From prisons to synaxaria - about the martyrs of the communist persecution).

Valeriu Gafencu was born on the 24th of December 1921, in the Northern part of Romania, near the Russian border of that time. His parents were both active Orthodox Christians. His father was to be deported to Siberia by the Russians in 1940 for his pro-Romanian activity. When he was in high-school, Valeriu joined an Orthodox youth organization called the Cross Brotherhoods, and, when this became illegal during the second World War, he was arrested and condemned to 25 years of hard labour. He was only 20 and, at his trial, his fellow students and teachers would come and defend him, pointing out his innocence and wonderful human qualities. At first he was sent to a prison called Aiud.

The first years were a time to reflect upon his Christian legacy. He would soon become engaged in a life of prayer, while avidly reading the Fathers of the Church. During the war, although Romania had a dictatorial regime, prison life was not so strict and some fundamental human rights were still considered: the prisoners could go to the prison's church, confess to a priest and receive the Holy Communion and also meet with each other and read books of their own choice. So Valeriu read a lot: the Holy Bible, the first 4 volumes of the Philokalia (which were then just being translated into Romanian by another holy figure of the church, Father Dumitru Staniloaie, who would also encounter the communist prisons some years
later) and other Church Fathers.

His last photograph before being imprisoned

During the time of the war a lot of priests and monks were arrested for various political reasons (and many more would follow under the communist regime) and the one who wanted to live a religious life had plenty of people to turn to for guidance. Under their guidance, Valeriu thought a lot about salvation in his first years. In a letter from 1942 he says: "In life faith is everything. Without it a man is like dead." He tried to live among his fellow prisoners in humility and practise Christian charity.

As he was followed by the idea of sin, he wanted to enter a monastery when he would be liberated. He would confess often and also pray a lot in his cell. With a group of other dedicated prisoners he made a prayer schedule that would go along uninterrupted day and night. They prayed together, as if in a church, and also separately in their cells.

By his deep Orthodox feeling, kindness and rich life of prayer he managed to influence a huge number of people, many of which he never met, but knew him from stories that were on everybody's lips even before he passed away.
His first 8 years of prison were the learning years when he became stronger in faith (he would need this for what was about to come). When the political regime changed in Romania, the prison conditions also changed dramatically: all the previous facilities were denied and the prisoners started to be persecuted for their faith (as well as for their participation in the Cross Brotherhoods). In this incredible hard period Valeriu's word would be like a burning flame heating and comforting the ones around him. When he was in Aiud, Valeriu once encountered a poor man and gave him his student jacket. This recalls the life of Saint Martin of Tours, but it wasn’t his only generous deed. A priest from Paris (Vasile Boldeanu) remembered years later that when he was transferred to Aiud only in shirt and pants, almost frozen, he was saved by his younger brother of suffering, who gave him his warm coat.
Valeriu and his mother in the working colony of Galda
Between the years 1946-1948 Valeriu and other older prisoners were sent to labour in some fields near Galda. There it was a milder regime, the prisoners would work, but they had time for praying and they lived in open spaces, and could meet daily.
In 1948 this working colony was closed, and the prisoners were sent back to Aiud where the communist regime would confront them with its official atheist propaganda. After some time the majority of imprisoned students were sent to a special prison called Pitesti, were they were to be re-educated (here took place the horrific and famous Pitesti experiment). There are many things to be told about this horrific phenomenon, and the remarkable Christian resistance that took place here.

Valeriu was held in Pitesti only for a short period of time because from all the torturing, the cold and terrible hunger he became very sick with tuberculosis (a very contagious disease) and was sent to a penitentiary TBC hospital called Targu Ocna. He saw this as the mercy of God Who saved him from the most abominable tortures that were ever conceived by a human mind and that took place in Pitesti soon after his departure.

An ex colleague of detention remembers about Targu Ocna: "His arrival in this penitentiary hospital was felt by the other prisoners (who knew his reputation) like a miracle. Valeriu would transform this sordid jail living into a truly Christian life. He is the blue-eyed angel who obliges, by his very presence and prayer, to think about repentance and start praying, who would strengthen the ones around him and transform them inside for the rest of their life."
The people that met him during the horrific re-education, comforting, encouraging, raising spiritually his fellow prisoners, compared him with another Apostle Paul of our days. That is way the sick from other rooms of the sanatorium would gather near his bed and listen to him, and receive strength to bear the powerful ordeal they lived. The power of his love would shine not only in the hours of the programmed extermination but also in the everyday life of the sanatorium, when death was so close to everyone.

Valeriu’s power of sacrifice was proverbial: it did not take account of person, ethnic origin, religion or political opinions. At Targu Ocna Valeriu was very ill because of his tuberculosis. In this state, when the sick usually cling to the tiniest hope for survival, he was capable of a supreme gesture. A friend of his was allowed by the wardens to receive some antibiotics for treatment (this kind of medicine was rarely allowed in the hospital, although it was vital for their recovery from TBC), but as he was recovering, he thought to give it to Valeriu who was near his death. But Valeriu donated the medicine to the also dying Richard Wurembrand (a converted Jew who in freedom would become a well known protestant pastor), saying he needed it more. Because of this medicine he recovered and, when liberated, wrote several books in which he gratefully remembers the one who saved his life.

The ones that stood by him along the years remember other extraordinary things about him. For example in Targu Ocna, he was to undertake an appendicitis surgery. When it was finished, Valeriu told the doctor he felt everything, because the anaesthesia did not work. However, he didn’t utter a word during the surgery, only his forehead was full of a cold sweat.

Valeriu died on the 18th of February 1952, at Targu Ocna. His last words were: “Don’t forget to pray to God that we all meet there! Lord, give me the servitude that sets the soul free and take away the freedom that enslaves my soul!” His grave remains unknown for at that time all the prisoners were buried in a common pit and their head was smashed so that it would be beyond recognition. However, he asked to be buried with a small silver cross in his mouth and if God allows his holy relics may be found.

Valeriu remained in the memory of all who knew him for the rest of their life. There is not one Christian book that recalls the ordeals of the communist prisons that doesn’t mention his name. His deeds and words were passed on from prisoner to prisoner and helped many to survive the communist hell, until the general liberation in 1964. Since Romania has become a free country many of its prison saints come to light and are being honoured by the faithful. Valeriu Gafencu is perhaps one of the most representative examples, and many call him the Saint of Prisons (this name was actually give by his fellow prisoners who knew him during his short life).

Services for September 2009

2009-08-29T12:12:00.002+01:00

Sat. 5th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 7th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Mon. 7th 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Nativity of the Theotokos.
Tues. 8th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Nativity of the Theotokos.

Sat. 12th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 13th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
Mon. 14th 11am Divine Liturgy and Elevation of the Holy Cross.

Sat. 19th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun. 20th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.
(Father Samuel in Romania 21st to 29th Sept.)

Sat. 26th 6pm Vespers without a priest.
Sun. 27th 11am Divine Liturgy, served by Fr. Dennis from Doncaster.

Namedays in September.

5th Elizabeth (Emma Louise) Bostan.
17th Sofia Bartholomew.
24th Thekla Read.
26th Metropolitan John; John Roger Makings; John Martin Chadwick.

Reposed.

10th George Harry Fearns 2005.

Deanery Parish Feasts.

14th Holy Cross, Lancaster.
19th St. Theodore of Canterbury, Macclesfield.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Father Samuel’s Report for the AGM 2009.

St. Michael’s 2005 to 2008.
Numbers:
Holy Baptism 10
Holy Chrismation 2
Holy Matrimony 2
Funerals 5

Annual Pilgrimages:
July: Crowland (Saint Theodore and Saint Guthlac).
Organised by Doncaster Parish.
August: Ilam (Saint Bertram). Organised by St. Michael’s Parish.
October: Holywell (Saint Winifred ). Organised by Chester Parish.

Week-long:
Bamburgh and North Eastern Saints.
Walsingham and Norfolk Saints.

Social Outings:
Matlock; Peak District; Macon Mill; Crich.
Llandudno; Penmon; Beaumaris.
Various venues for the Patronal Feast of Saint Michael.

Major works:
Two opening windows.
Side pathway to refreshment room and toilet.
Removal of steps to refreshment room and dropping of the floor level.
Repairs to broken roof tiles.
Purchase of Burial Ground, fencing and erection of Cemetery Cross.

Search for larger additional church:
Holy Resurrection Dresden: We began looking at possibilities in July/August 2008.
Present position …. Stale-mate …. Due to the poor state of the building.
We have been able, through the faithfulness of our singers and servers, to keep all the major Feast days with Vespers and Liturgy along with the full round of Lent, Holy Week and Paschal Services.
Saturday Great Vespers is still poorly attended and Confession is not as frequent as it should be.
With a congregation of several nationalities and a varied age-range we have retained the warm and friendly atmosphere which has always been our characteristic trait.
God grant it may always be so as we seek together to be pilgrims on the pathway to the glory of God.
Glory to God for all things!

Election of four members to the first Church Council of St. Michael’s Orthodox Church, Audley.

Ex officio: Fr. Samuel (chairman); Veronica Warden (treasurer of Trustees);
two Trustees, Winifred Carson and Isaac Davies.

Duly elected with number of votes:

Joseph Clive Amson [11] Prop: J. Warrilow Sec: R. M. Grace

John Hugh Maxfield [14] Prop: S. R. Kinnersley Sec: M. Shorthose

Martin Shorthose [16] Prop: M. McAtominey Sec: V. Warden

Jan Warrilow [12] Prop: V. Dobson Sec: W. Carson

Eighteen people were eligible to vote and twenty-two were present for the meeting.
Councillors serve for four years.
The Trustees continue to be legally responsible for St. Michael’s and its finances as outlined in the parish Trust Deed.
May God give us strength and grace to work together for the good of St. Michael’s and the spread of the Gospel.

St. Michael’s, Audley, September 2009

Services for August 2009

2009-07-28T21:12:00.002+01:00

Beginning of the Dormition fast.
Sat 1st 10am Divine Liturgy and veneration of the relics of St. Elizabeth and St. Barbara at Wallasey
6pm Great Vespers (in Audley)
Sun 2nd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 5th 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Holy Transfiguration
Thu 6th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Transfiguration and Blessing of First Fruits

Sat 8th Pilgrimage to Ilam (No services today at Audley.)
11am Divine Liturgy (Preacher: Archpriest Daniel) followed by picnic lunch
2pm Ascent to the spring and Blessing of the Waters
4pm Great Vespers
Sun 9th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy

Fri 14th 6.30pm Great Vespers of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Sat 15th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Dormition and blessing of herbs
After a break AGM with election of church council
6pm Great Vespers
Sun 16th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat 22nd 1pm Holy Baptism of Edward and Alexandra Elena Bendo.
6pm Great Vespers.
Sun 23rd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Sat 29th 6pm Great Vespers.
Sun 30th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

Namedays in August.
1st Jonathan
16th Radu
20th Fr. Samuel

Reposed
1st Tsinara (mother of Nino)

Patronal Feasts
9th Lincoln: St. Matthias
31st Levenshulme: St. Aidan

Burial Ground

2009-07-28T21:00:00.002+01:00

Martin is doing an excellent job of keeping our parish burial ground at Sandon in very good order, taking a most arduous task from Fr. Samuel who now only needs to go there to pray.
The graves of Jean Grace and Arthur James Carter have now had their grave crosses erected and blessed. This beautiful white marble trefoil cross is the pattern for all future gravestones in our burial ground. Jean's children have also installed a wooden seat in her memory.

Three-day meeting with Metropolitan John

2009-07-28T20:54:00.005+01:00

Metropolitan Gabriel, of blessed memory, unable to give us much guidance and training due to his ill health, nevertheless kept us deep in his heart and prayers. We have prayed over the years for a bishop who would be in good health and who would give the priests much needed training and encouragement.
Our good God has answered our prayers in the person of Metropolitan John.
For three days in mid-July, Martin Shorthose, Matthew Carson and I went to Whirlow Grange near Sheffield, along with around forty others from our Antiochian Deanery. Sayedna John was joined by Metropolitan Saba of Bosra-Hauran in Syria and Monk Parthenios to give clear and definitive guidance on how we should serve the liturgies of the Church.

Metropolitan Saba presides over Vespers with Metropolitan John

We have, over the last fifteen years, been helped greatly by Orthodox priests from other jurisdictions. Now our archbishop has given us his guidance so that the whole archdiocese will be serving the liturgies in the same way.
We belong to the Antiochian Orthodox Church and our way of serving the liturgies will reflect this.
This does not say "this is the only right way" but rather this is our way, as Antiochians.
For us, at St. Michael's, the changes are very few and obedience to our archbishop will be easy. Let us pray for all our churches that the Holy Spirit will bring to us the blessing of unity and love as we obey our beloved archbishop, to whom may God grant Many Years.