at Audley and Dresden
Dormition Fast starts on 1st August!
Sat 2nd Pilgrimage to Ilam
(no local service)
Sun
3rd 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Tue 5th 7pm Great Vespers of the
Feast of the
Transfiguration
Wed 6th 11am Divine Liturgy of the
Feast of the
Transfiguration
Sat 9th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun
10th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 13th 11am Paraklesis to the
Theotokos
Thu 14th 7pm Great Vespers of the Dormition
Fri 15th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Dormition
Sat 16th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun
17th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 20th 11am Divine Liturgy or Akathist
Sat 23rd 6pm Great Vespers
Sun
24th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 27th 11am Divine Liturgy or Akathist
Thu 18th 7pm Great Vespers of the
Beheading
of Saint John the Baptist
Fri 29th 11am Divine Liturgy of the
Beheading
of Saint John the Baptist
Sat 30th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun
31st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Name Days
16th Sub-Deacon Radu
20th Fr Samuel
Parish Feasts
9th Saint Matthias, Lincoln
31st Saint Aidan, Levenshulme
Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos
According to Orthodox Tradition, Mary died
like all humanity, "falling asleep," so to speak, as the name of the feast
indicates. She died as all people die, not "voluntarily" as her Son, but
by the necessity of her mortal human nature which is indivisibly bound up with the
corruption of this world. The feast was added to the Roman calendar in the seventh
century as the Dormitio. In the
eighth century, the title was changed to the Assumptio
(Assumption).
The Apostles were miraculously summoned to this event, and
all were present except Thomas when Mary passed from this life. She was then buried.
Thomas arrived a few days later, and desiring to see her one more time,
convinced the others to open her tomb. Upon doing so, the Apostles discovered that
her body was no longer present. This event is seen as a firstfruits of the resurrection of the faithful that will occur
at the Second Coming of Christ. The event is normally called the Dormition,
though there are many Orthodox parishes in English-speaking countries with the name
Assumption. In Greek, Dormition is Koimisis - falling asleep
in death - from which the word cemetery derives.
As with the nativity of the Virgin and the feast of her entrance to the temple, there are no biblical
or historical sources for this feast. The Orthodox Church teaches that Mary is without
personal sins, as well that Mary truly needed to be saved by Christ as all human
persons are saved from the trials, sufferings, and death of this world. She truly
died and was raised up by her Son as the Mother of Life and participates already
in the eternal life of paradise. This life of paradise is prepared and promised
to all who "hear the word of God and keep it." (Luke 11:27-28)
The feast is preceded by 14 days of strict fasting, with the exception that fish is eaten
on the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6).
On the eve of the feast, Vespers is served and contains three Old Testament readings that have New Testament meaning. In Genesis 28:10-17,
Jacob's Ladder which unites heaven and earth points to the union of God with men
which is realised most fully and perfectly in Mary the bearer of God. "How
awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the
gate of heaven!" In Ezekiel 43:27-44:4, the vision of the temple with the
door to the East perpetually closed and filled with the glory of the Lord, symbolizes
Mary. And in Proverbs 9:1-11, Mary is also identified with the "house"
which the Divine Wisdom has built for herself.
Sometimes Matins is served on the morning of the feast. The Gospel
reading is from Luke 1:39-49, 56. It is read on all feasts of the
Theotokos and includes the Theotokos' saying:
"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he
has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden, for behold, henceforth all generations
will call me blessed."
Divine Liturgy is served on
the day on the feast. In some churches, it is the custom to bless flowers on this
feast before the Liturgy. The epistle reading is from Philippians 2:5-11, and speaks of "Christ Jesus, who,
being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but
made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the
likeness of men." The gospel reading is taken from Luke 10:38-42 and 11:27-28 together;
this reading is also always read on all feasts of the Theotokos. In it, the Lord
says, "blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ
The Transfiguration of
Christ is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on August 6.
Jesus had gone with his disciples Peter, James, and John to Mount Tabor.
Christ's appearance was changed while they watched into a glorious radiant figure.
There appeared Elijah and Moses, speaking with Jesus. The disciples were amazed
and terribly afraid.
This event shows forth the divinity of Christ, so that the disciples
would understand after his Ascension that He was truly the radiant splendour of
the Father, and that his Passion was voluntary (Mark 9:2-9). It also shows the possibility
of our own theosis.
This event was the subject of
some debates between Gregory Palamas and Barlaam of Calabria. Barlaam believed that
the light shining from Jesus was created light, while Gregory maintained the disciples
were given grace to perceive the uncreated light of God. This supported Gregory's
larger argument that although we cannot know God in His essence, we can know
Him in his energies, as He reveals Himself.
Accounts of the Transfiguration are found in the Bible: Matthew 17:1-8,
Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-36, and II Peter 1:16-19.
Like all feasts of the Master, the Transfiguration is a vigil-ranked
feast, though in parish practice a full All-Night Vigil is usually not celebrated.
Typically, Great Vespers is conducted on the eve of the feast, and on
the morning of the feast, the Divine Liturgy of Saint John
Chrysostom is celebrated, traditionally preceded by the Matins service.
The Vespers service includes the readings: Exodus 24:12-18,
33:11-23, 34:4-6, 8; I Kings 19:3-9, 11-13, 15-16. The Matins service includes the reading: Luke 9:28-36.
And the Divine Liturgy: II Peter 1:10-19; Matthew 17:1-9.
It is believed that Christ's transfiguration took place at the time
of the Jewish Festival of Booths, and that the celebration of the event in the Christian
Church became the New Testament fulfilment of the Old Testament feast. Presently it is celebrated on the sixth
of August, forty days before the feast of the
Elevation of the Holy Cross. Just as Peter, James, and John saw the transfiguration
before the crucifixion so that they might know who it is who will suffered for them,
the Church connects these two feasts to help the faithful understand the mission
of Christ and that his suffering was voluntary.
The feast of the Transfiguration of Christ once belonged to the season
of Great Lent, but may have been considered
too joyous for that time. Saint Gregory
Palamas, a great teacher of the Transfiguration, is now celebrated on one of the
Sundays of Lent instead.
In
Greece and Romania the harvest season traditionally began on the Transfiguration.
Grapes, in particular, were not eaten before August 6. In some parishes, the first
grapes would be brought to church for a blessing and distributed to parishioners.
Posts
Sun 4th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
