Services for November 2010

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

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

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

"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

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

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.