Dear brothers and sisters,
The afterfeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God continues, and I hope that we are all continuing to keep the feast in our homes.
Our Cardiff celebrations came at the end of a busy week which began with a pastoral visit to our Wessex parishioners, with our end of month gathering for supper and compline by candlelight in the Chapel of St Lawrence in Warminster. It was a very peaceful and prayerful evening and is becoming an important part of our liturgical life in the west of England.
Thanks to all who contributed to our Dormition celebrations, which saw Great Vespers in the Oratory on the eve of the feast, the Divine Liturgy in St Philip’s on the day and compline with the akathist for the Dormition in Nazareth House, and yesterday’s Divine Liturgy, followed by the moleben to the Mother of God for our children as they prepare to return to school for the new school year.
Given that yesterday was the feast of the “Pribavlenie Uma” icon of the Mother of God – the Giver / Addition of Mind (Understanding) – it was the perfect day to seek her blessing and pray for the nurturing of our young scholars in their learning.
This unusual wonderworking icon is associated with the House of the Mother of God, taken from Nazareth when the Saracens invaded the Holy Land, and rebuilt in Loreto, in the Marche region of Italy.
The Holy House was visited by the emissaries of Great Prince Vasily III, and its ancient stones, lowliness and simplicity had a powerful and profound affect upon the entourage, who described the ancient, dark image of the Mother of God to the Moscow iconographers, who painted an icon based on the description and who even reproduced the niche in which the Loreto image of the Mother of God stands, and even the hanging lamps. The Church is blessed to have a beautiful akathist to the Mother of God in honour of the icon.
Despite Fr Mark’s absence, set up and putting away, and our last few Sunday services have gone smoothly, and thanks are due to those who have arrived early to help over the last few weeks, though it is still noticeable that only a relatively small number of people make it their business to set up and pack away. It seems that it’s still presumed that there will always be others to do so, which is not necessarily the case in summers like this one, in which a fair number of parishioners have been away on travels and holidays.
In future, post-Liturgy trapéza will be blessed when packing up is completed, so that we can concentrate on one task at a time and fairly share not only the obediences, but also the Lord’s blessing on those who labour for His sake.
I will be away on a short pilgrimage in Glastonbury for the next two days, having performed the Lesser Blessing of water and several house blessings yesterday evening, keeping today as an extended celebration of the Loretskaya – Pribavlenie Uma icon with prayers in the abbey, where the devotion to the Mother of God arrived at the same time it reached Muscovy, after the penultimate abbot of Glastonbury, Richard Beere, visited the Holy House of Loreto around the same time as the Russian emissaries.
Back in Cardiff, on Thursday – the eve of the Leave-Taking of Dormition – we will again chant the akathist to the Mother of God in honour of her Dormition, meeting in Nazareth House at 18:00. Given my journey to Birmingham to celebrate in Lazarica, Friday’s service will be at noon, and we will chant a moleben to St Irenaeus of Lyons, heavenly patron of our bishop. Confessions will be heard before and after the services.
If anyone would like to join me in Lazarica, on Saturday, Divine Liturgy will be at 09:00.
As announced on our WhatsApp page, the Kursk Root icon will arrive in Cardiff on Saturday 15th November to be greeted at the Oratory before Great Vespers at 19:00. The icon will grace our Liturgy the following morning and will then visit local homes.
On Monday 17th November, the icon will travel to Wessex for home visits before an evening moleben in Warminster at 18:30.
Tuesday 18th November will see home visits in Swansea and Llanelli, before an evening service at 19:00. The icon will then fly with us to Geneva in the morning.
We already have requests for home visits, and very much look forward to the icon travelling around the parish, though we must remind you that the icon will not be able to visit homes with dogs, according the sacred tradition and rules of the Church. Please get in touch to request a visit, and we will do our best to get to as many parish homes as possible – ideally all on our list!
We ask your prayers for Pavel and Brigid among the sick; for Nataliya as she prepares to travel to Greece; for Irina and her daughters as they travel to Ukraine to visit their family; for Anastasia and Tomasz as they explore property on Aberystwyth; for Masha and Neil as they get closer to their house move; for our children and students as the new term approaches; and for Allan and Olga, for a buyer for their house.
Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.
May God bless you all.
Hieromonk Mark
