Monday 31 December 2012

Services in January 2013

 Audley and Dresden



Wed 2nd 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 5th 6pm Vesperal Liturgy and Great Blessing of the Waters in church
Sun 6th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 9th 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 12th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 13th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 14th 7pm Meeting of the Trustees/Church Council at Sparch Hollow
Wed 16th 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 19th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 20th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 23rd 11am Divine Liturgy

Sat 26th 3.30pm Baptism of Philip Andrew Banciu (son of Iulian and Iulia)
6pm Great Vespers
Sun 27th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 30th 11am Divine Liturgy

Please arrange House Blessings before February 2nd.

Name days

1st Vasiliki Harvey
7th Afaf; Cristian; Jan; Oana
14th Nino; Vasilii
17th Antonis
27th Nina (os)
Reposed
6th Archpriest Michael Harper (2010)
14th Mary Carter (2005)
18th Fr. John Nield (2001)
Deanery Parish Feasts
13th Saint Kentigern, Doncaster
16th Saint Fursey, Sutton



DERD Syria appeal


Rather closer to home, but still on the subject of Syria, Archpriest
Father Gregory reported on 13th December that he had dispatched a
further £1,600 to the Patriarchate’s DERD Syria appeal. This makes a
total of £9,100 for the year from parish donations. 
The appeal remains open for your contributions.

The Daily Star -19/12/2012


BEIRUT: Christians belong in Syria and will remain there despite the challenges facing them,
newly elected Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi said Monday.
Yazigi, bishop of Western and Central Europe, was elected Greek Orthodox patriarch of the
Levant and Antioch, succeeding Patriarch Hazim Ignatius IV who died earlier this month in
Beirut.
“Christians are staying in Syria because the land is theirs and they will not leave it,” Yazigi
said in remarks to reporters shortly after the news of his election was made public around
noon.
The 57-year-old Yazigi was elected with at
least ten votes during a meeting at
Balamand Monastery near Tripoli,
officials with knowledge of the Monday
meeting told The Daily Star.
Bishop Antonio Chedraoui of Mexico and
Bishop Saba Esper of Syrian region of
Bosra-Houran also received votes, the
officials said.
The election took place during a
gathering of 18 bishops from Greek
Orthodox archbishoprics around the
world who had arrived to Lebanon to elect Hazim’s successor.
Hazim’s 33-year service at the head of the church came to an end earlier this month after
the patriarch suffered a stroke.
Like Hazim, Yazigi is also Syrian. He was born in Latakia in 1955.
In 2008, Yazigi was elected Metropolitan of Western and Central Europe after serving four
years as the abbot of Balamand Monastery.

Yazigi, who first graduated from Latakia’s University of Tishreen with a bachelor degree in
Civil Engineering, continued his studies at St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology. He
then earned a doctorate in theology from the University of Thessaloniki in Greece in 1983.
Rebuffing claims that the ongoing violence in Syria between the regime and the opposition
is leading to an end to Christian presence in Syria, Yazigi said that people of Syria will
endure the current challenges as they have done in the past.
“In difficult times throughout history, many said that this is the end [for Christians], but
with our faith we carried on and we will now,” Yazigi said.
He called on Christians in Lebanon and Syria to stand united against all difficulties, adding
that Christians and Muslims in the region share the same fate.
“We are one family and our fate is one. Our journey is toward serving this people and God
help us to prevail in this journey,” Yazigi said in a news conference following the meeting.
“We are from this land and this land is part of us,” he said.
Lebanese politicians welcomed the election of the new patriarch and voiced hope that he
succeeds in fulfilling the church’s mission in the region.
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he is confident that the newly elected Greek
Orthodox patriarch will continue supporting coexistence between Christians and Muslims.
“We are confident, especially in these times of great transformations in the region and the
Arab world, your [Yazigi] words will have a positive effect in speaking the truth and
continuing the establishment of a rich coexistence with Muslims and the establishment of
one national identity,” Hariri said.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati also congratulated Yazigi.

In a telephone call Monday with Yazigi, Mikati voiced hope that the new patriarch succeeds
in spreading his message of forgiveness between the people of the region.
For his part, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea praised the election of a new patriarch
and said he is confident that Yazigi is a good successor for Hazim.
“We wish all the best for the Greek Orthodox Church and its members in Lebanon, the Arab
world and the world,” Geagea said in a statement.
“I wish you success and I reiterate my confidence in your national and humanitarian role,”
Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi said in a congratulatory letter.
His Beatitude Patriarch-Elect Youhanna X of Antioch and All the East

~~ Many Years! ~~



The Daily Star -10/12/2012



BEIRUT: Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant and Antioch Ignatius IV Hazim’s body was
taken to Damascus Sunday, after Divine Liturgy at Beirut’s St. Nicolas Cathedral.
In the Syrian capital, hundreds of faithful flocked to the Mariamite Cathedral to bid farewell
to the man who served as patriarch for 33 years.
Hazim, who was born in the Hama village of Mhardeh, will be buried in Damascus Monday.
He died last week after suffering a stroke at the age of 92.
In the liturgy attended by President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati,
archbishops and representatives of Orthodox churches from around the world said prayers
for Hazim in the crowded Beirut church.
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai and a number of other religious figures also took part in
Sunday’s Mass.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced Sunday as an official day of mourning for the
patriarch.
During the ceremony at
St. Nicolas Cathedral,
Sleiman, who has
praised Hazim for his
moderation and
wisdom, awarded the
patriarch the National
Medal of the Cedar.
Many officials, who
offered their
condolences to
Lebanon’s Greek
Orthodox community
and to Hazim’s family,
also described the
patriarch as a man of moderation.
“Lebanon bids you farewell with pain,” Sleiman said in his speech. “There is pain because
the sources of faith in this country will miss your wisdom and valuable love.
“On this day of farewell, I place this national symbol on your coffin. You will remain deeply
rooted in our hearts and minds forever,” he added, placing the medal on Hazim’s casket.


Kirill I, Russian Orthodox patriarch of Moscow and all the Rus’, praised Hazim, saying that
he was one of the most influential Christian leaders of the world.
“Today we pay our respect and honor to the oldest among us in the Orthodox Church,” Kirill
said.
“Patriarch Hazim had a big role in the church given his deep understanding of philosophy
and theology, and his work in spreading the word of the Bible,” Kirill added.
Kirill added that Patriarch Hazim always stood by the principle of coexistence during his
service in the church.
“The patriarch always defended the principle of peaceful coexistence between different
religions and cultures and greatly contributed to peace in the Middle East when countries
were falling into a cycle of violence,” Kirill said.
Hazim, a student of philosophy, graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1945.
In 1971, Hazim was appointed Orthodox metropolitan of the Syrian city of Latakia. In 1979,
at the height of Lebanon’s devastating Civil War, Hazim was appointed patriarch of the
Levant and the Antioch.

~~ Memory Eternal ~~





Tuesday 4 December 2012


December 2012

The Celebration of the Feast of the Nativity

 

The cycle 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.

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, November 30; St Nicholas Day, 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.

On the eve of the Nativity, the Royal Hours are read and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the

Great is served with Vespers. At these services the Old Testament prophecies of Christ's birth

are chanted.

The Vigil of Christmas begins with Great Compline because Vespers has already been served. At

Compline there is the singing of the Troparion and Kontakion of the feast with special hymns

glorifying the Saviour's birth. There are also the special long litanies of intercession and the

solemn blessing of the five loaves of bread together with the wheat, wine, and oil. The faithful

partake of the bread soaked in the wine and are also anointed with the oil. This part of the

festal vigil, which is done on all great feasts, is called in Slavonic the litya and in

Greek artoklasia, or the breaking of the bread.

The order of Matins is that of a great feast. Here, for the first time, the full Canon "Christ is

born," is sung while the faithful venerate the Nativity icon.

Concluding the celebration of the Nativity of Christ is the Liturgy. It begins with psalms of

glorification and praise instead of the three normal Antiphons. The troparion and kontakion

mark the entrance with the Book of the Gospels. The baptismal line from Galatians 3:27 once

again replaces the Thrice-Holy. The Epistle reading is from Galatians 4:4-7, the Gospel reading

is the familiar Christmas story from Matthew (2:1-12), and then the liturgy continues in the

normal fashion.

December 2012 at Audley and Dresden


         December 2012 at Audley and Dresden

 



         At St. Michael’s, Audley, ST7 8EN

 

Wed. 5th 11am Divine Liturgy.

Wed. 12th 11am Divine Liturgy.

Wed. 19th  11am Divine Liturgy.

Mon. 24th 11am Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil.

Wed. 26th No service.



At the Church of the Holy Resurrection, Red Bank, Dresden, ST3 4PD

 

Every Sat. 6pm Great Vespers.

Every Sun. 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy.

        Tues. 25th 10.30am Divine Liturgy of the Holy Nativity in the Flesh of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

 

Name days

 13th Andrew Robinson (OS)

23rd Jonathan Bartholomew; Sarah Griffiths.

27th Stephanie Giselle Ayoub; Stefan Kinnersley.

30th Joseph Clive.

Reposed

7th Deacon John Mark (2007)

Dates for year 2013:

Jan    5th/6th        Theophany (Remember to book house
                               blessings from the 7th)

Feb   2nd               Meeting of the Lord in the Temple

Mar   10th             Meatfare Sunday

17th             Cheesefare Sunday

18th             Beginning of the Great Fast

24th             Sunday of Holy Orthodoxy

Apr    7th               Third Sunday - Adoration of the Holy Cross

20th             Spring Fair

27th             Lazarus Saturday

28th             Sunday of the Palms

29th             Beginning of Great and Holy Week

May  1st               Annointing Service of Holy Wednesday

2nd               Holy Thursday

3rd               Holy Friday

4th/5th        Pascha (Feast in Dresden Scout Hall 2-4 am)

NO FASTING UNTIL ASCENSION DAY

Jun    13th             Ascension Day

23rd             Pentecost (Fast free week)

Jul     13th             Matthew and Kayleigh church wedding

21st             after Liturgy, Parish Meeting and election of Church Council Trustees

Aug   1st               Beginning of the Dormition Fast

3rd                        Ilam Pilgrimage

6th               Transfiguration

15th             Dormition

Sep          

Oct    5th               Holywell pilgrimage

Nov   2nd               Autumn Fair

9th               Parish feast Dresden Scout Hall

15th             Beginning of the Nativity Fast

Dec   25th             Christmas Day is on Wednesday

 

Times will be confirmed in the monthly newsletters

available at the back of church

and online at www.stmichaels-audley.org.uk

 

P.T.O.>>>>

 
 
 
Would you please consider donating unwanted Christmas gifts for the fairs?

Would any budding artists or people with needlecraft, woodwork, confectionery skills etc. consider making items to sell at the fairs?

We raised over £1000 in 2012 and had a lovely day.

Please join in, any help is appreciated and of infinitely more use than criticism!

Would anyone like to organise a Greek/Romanian/Russian/Arabic evening with food, music and entertainment?

It could be a wonderful social evening and raise funds for the Parish.

Would you please contact one of the Trustees if you can offer any help towards events:

Trustees

 

Fr. Samuel                              01782 351044    samuel.carter@ntlworld.com

 

Joseph Clive Amson              01782 391145

 

Winifride Carson          01782 319943    cheekycarson@ntlworld.com

 

Isaac Norman Davies            01782 615686

 

Veronica Dobson                   01782 238135

 

John Roger Makings              01782 206643

 

John Hugh Maxfield              01270 875608    hughandimogen@btinternet.com

 

Reader Martin Shorthose     01782 721146    treacleshouse@fastmail.com

(Treasurer)

 

Jan Penn-Jones                      01782 646567    jjwarrilow@hotmail.com