Dear brothers and sisters, 

Greetings as we celebrate the Nativity of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, the bridge between the old and new covenants, who (after the Mother of God) we hold up as first in honour among the saints.

May we all seek to emulate the Forerunner in being prophets, challenging falsehood and speaking the truth as authoritarianism seeks to silence those courageous enough to speak out against tyranny, in a world in which even standing in silence can now warrant arrest in Britain, whether praying near an abortion clinic, or standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the wake of the genocide they face each and every day. 

As more and more Herods sit upon their thrones (or green House of Commons benches) in shameless godlessness and tyranny, the world needs prophetic voices like the Forerunner to call it to realisation and repentance, and as a first step to simply say NO!

We should all honour the Forerunner, as we celebrate his nativity and, if possible, read the canons or an akathist.

Canons in English: https://russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/greetings-for-the-nativity-of-st-john-the-forerunner

The Slavonic text me be found here: https://azbyka.ru/days/caa/106

After a quiet few weeks, yesterday was a lively and busy celebration of not only the feast of the Vladimir Icon of Mother of God, but also our annual celebration of the memory of St Calogèro the Hermit, following his feast last week.

Again it was a joy to welcome the Citro family from our London cathedral parish, and Nicolò from Bologna, who just happened to be visiting Cardiff and came to his first Orthodox Liturgy, yesterday of all days. We send our greetings to Father Efraim Augello, painter of our icon of St Calogèro, and matushka Olympiada.

Dio benedica tutti voi e le vostre famiglie!

Thanks to our choir who sang well and laboured much, chanting the moleben as well as the Liturgy. Thanks also to those who fed the faithful!

It was wonderful to have so many confessing and communing, and it made clear why we need two priests, despite the relatively small size of our parish.

This week will see our usual Thursday and Friday services.

Compline and an akathist hymn to the Mother of God will be chanted in Nazareth House on Thursday, and the Akathist Hymn to the Cross in the Oratory on Friday.

I will be happy to hear confessions before and after the services on both days.

We look forward to celebrating the feast of St Peter and St Paul on Saturday, when the Divine Liturgy, and the blessing of bells will be celebrated in Warminster.

Confessions will be heard from 10:00 and the Hours and Liturgy will commence at 10:30, followed by the blessing of the bells in the medieval tower.

We will have our customary bring-and-share lunch after the services, and look forward to breaking the Fast.

Address: Chapel of St Lawrence, High St, Warminster BA12 9AG.

At yesterday’s anointing with oil from the Hawaiian Myrrh-Weeping icon, one of our visitors asked about its significance, which is a good question, given that we take so much for granted in our Orthodox life.

We are greatly blessed that God touches us with His Divine Grace, and not only through the Holy Mysteries, but also through wonderworking icons and the relics of the saints.

We have so many wonderworking icons, particularly of the Mother of God, but very few of them are myrrh-bearing. 

We look forward to the visit of the Kursk-Root icon of the Mother of God in the autumn, and many people will, no doubt ask, what “signs” are manifested by the icon. The simple but wonderful answer is the countless miracles wrought by the Mother of God, century by century.

Some people seem surprised when they are told that there is no sensory surprise when we are visited by the Kursk-Root Icon: no perfume and no exuding myrrh, “just” a continuous outpouring of grace, which is the quiet, steadfast reality of nearly all wonderworking icons.

So… given the usual quieter reality, what IS the meaning of myrrh-weeping icons or, indeed, myrrh-weeping relics, such as those of St Demetrios or St Symeon the Myrrh-Gusher, as well as the myrrh-weeping relics in the holy Kiev-Caves Lavra?

Even before the Church’s equation of oil and mercy, which both come from the same root in Greek, this connection was already established in the Old Testament, as can be seen in the Psalms with their oil-mercy references.

God’s instruction for consecrated oil to be used in anointing as the sign of His Grace, sanctifying power, mercy, and goodness, shows this as part of the sacred-patterns of Faith and His relationship with the Old Israel. 

This understanding was later reflected in the sacramental life of the Church, which experiences the manifest reality of God’s Grace and power by the operation of the Holy Spirit through the elements of creation: in the waters of baptism, the myron of chrismation, the transformation of bread and wine into the Saviour’s Body and Blood.

Additionally God touches us through the sanctity of holy places, through the relics of the saints and through miraculous icons, and just as He manifests His mercy and grace through the various anointings in the life of the Church, so He likewise manifests this same mercy and grace through the miraculous gift of myrrh.

The myrrh which weeps from icons and relics of the saints is sometimes a sign of God’s Grace in specific  times of need, trial and sorrow: a sign of God’s mercy and love to encourage and strengthen us, showing us that He is glorified not only in the lives of His saints, but even in their sacred relics in which the Grace of the Holy Spirit still abides, or from their sacred icons, through which a connection and communion is established between the faithful and God’s saints.

Those of us who have witnessed such miraculous blessings, with our eyes and our noses, simply know that God continues to console and heal us, banishing sickness and making the seemingly-impossible possible through the anointing of myrrh from holy icons and sacred relics, and the Grace received in this Divine gift.

Glory to God!

Finally, I would like us all to reflect upon the fact that despite our present lack of vigil services, the evening before receiving Holy Communion should be spent prayerfully. The Church’s expectation is that those communing will have been to the service the evening before communion and will have been in Church from the beginning of the Hours before Liturgy has even started.

Not only does this banish the question, “How late can I arrive in Liturgy and still commune?” but also challenges our pre-communion routines. As we have no possibility of celebrating the vigil, it is incumbent on us all to find a spiritual way to spend evenings before Communion.

In our own icon corners we can ALL pray the canons and prayers before communion, but just as importantly, we can all pray compline or the Rule of the 12 Psalms, read the Psalms, pray akathist hymns, or simply say the Jesus Prayer.

Some of the faithful, of course, have no choice but to be at work. That’s both understandable and different.

Whatever we may be able to do, we need to be clear that for those receiving Holy Communion, the previous evening is NOT an evening for the pub, gaming, the cinema, social entertainments or gatherings, sitting in front of the computer, mobile phone or television: it is a time for withdrawal, preparation and prayer!

If this is a challenge, then people need to commune less often, and with far greater prayer, care and spiritual focus.

Holy Communion must never become part of a regular routine, but must always be a pilgrimage to the Gate of Heaven, which is the place where we stand before the chalice and meet the Saviour in the Mysteries if His True Body and Blood. Our attitude must be like Moses, standing with bared feet before God’s Presence in the Burning Bush:

“For our God is a consuming Fire, and they, therefore, who with faith and fear draw near to the God and King and Judge of us all, shall burn and scorch their sins; and It shall enlighten and sanctify their souls. But It shall burn and scorch with shame, the souls and bodies of them that draw near with unbelief.”

(St John Chrysostom)

Pray for Alexander presently in Georgia, for Natalia as she visits family in Ukraine, and for Svetlana, Richard, Anna and Sophia on their forthcoming Belarussian and Russian travels.

May God bless you all.

In Christ – Hieromonk MarK

Dear brothers and sisters, having written the news email, I’m afraid that I’ve somehow wiped it from my draft documents, and apologise for the lateness of this rewritten post.

After Thursday and Friday memorial services for the departed servants of God, Nikolai and Lyudmila, Saturday saw our pilgrimage to Bournville’s church of St Lazar to mark the feast of St Vitus and the martyrdom of St Lazar and his Christian Serbian warriors by the Ottomans at the battle of Kosovo Polje.

We were greatly blessed to be able to venerate the relics of both St Lazar and St Vitus, and once more extend our thanks to Fr Nenad and his community.

Thanks to those who contributed to Sunday’s Liturgy and trapéza.

It was good to welcome parishioners back from their travels, as well as new and recent worshippers.

Having travelled to Wessex, I gave a talk on the senses in Orthodox worship in the minster church of St Denys in Warminster yesterday evening, and was happy to have some parishioners join me.

Our next celebration in Warminster will be on Saturday 12 July, and after our Liturgy for the feast of St Peter and St Paul, I will consecrate the bells in the restored medieval tower of the Chapel of St Lawrence. It will be something of a rare occasion and a real joy to perform the rite of the “baptism” of the bells, with their intended dedications to Saint Alfred the King, St Aldhelm and St Birinus.

We very much hope that parishioners  from Cardiff and its environs will join us.

This Thursday will see a return to Nazareth House for our evening akathist at 18:00, with the opportunity for confessions before and after the service.

Friday afternoon’s Oratory service will be at 15:00, with confessions afterwards.
Next Sunday, following Liturgy, there will be a litia to St Calogèro the Hermit, whose icon was sent as a gift from Sicily whilst we were in Newman Hall.

His feast falls today according to the patristic calendar, but since receiving the gift of his icon, we have honoured his memory on the Sunday after his feast.

Venerable Father, Calogèro, pray to God for us!

Of your charity we ask your prayers for Matrona (unwell), for Nathalie (currently homeless due to a fire), Porphyrios’s sick father, Paul (non-O), for Anastasia (travelling), for the newly departed Valery, and for the departed Vladimir and Vladimir, whose anniversaries fall at this time.

We also ask your prayers for the newly ordained priest, Razvan, who was a friend of our parish during our sojourn in Newman Hall. Axios! Many years!

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

May God bless you.

Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

Having celebrated Pentecost and the memory of All Saints who have been glorified by God for their holy lives, as living temples of the Holy Spirit, it is a blessing for us to have continued our celebration of holiness with the celebration of All  Saints who shone forth in the lands of Rus.

Looking upon the icon of the feast, we see men, women and children of all ages, all strata of society, and of different ethnic and cultural groups of the ancient Rus lands and the later empire.

Martyrs, holy fools, venerable monks and nuns, hierarchs, confessors, royal saints, princes, nobles, and righteous lay people all bear witness to different paths to holiness, and the diverse gifts of the Holy Spirit manifested in those obedient to Christ in spiritual labours.

It was a very great joy for us to baptise Adam and Juliana (Serwa) on Friday evening, before their first Liturgy participating in the worship of the Church as newly-baptised Christians, and partaking of the Holy Mysteries. We congratulate them both and wish them many, blessed years of life in Christ, into Whose death and resurrection they were initiated in their baptismal burial and arising.

Yesterday was blessed with the visit of the Cardiff clergy and several sisters to Cheltenham for our June Liturgy in Prestbury, where our celebration honoured the Yaroslavl icon of the Mother of God. Our next visit will be on Saturday 19 July.

Thanks to all who contributed to our Cardiff Sunday Liturgy, at which it was good have Llanelli parishioners and welcome old friends. 

May we make the important request that those who start doing jobs actually finish what they are doing, especially in the kitchen, which is constantly left in a messy state that others have to then rectify? We greatly appreciate help, but half completed jobs simply create stress for others, especially when it is presumed that tasks have been completed, and we discover – at the last minute – that this is not the case.

I think we unfortunately need to repeat that whilst everyone is keen to eat at trapéza, few people contribute to our shared lunch, putting pressure on those who constantly bring food week by week. This is meant to be a “bring-and-share” lunch. The clue is in the name.

This week is affected by events in Nazareth House and the Oratory, with no possibility of our usual Thursday evening service in Cathays or Friday service in St Alban’s.

However, we will chant a memorial service for Lyudmila, Valery and our other faithful departed in the Oratory on Thursday afternoon at 15:00, after which I will hear confessions.

A group of us is looking forward to visiting Lazarica on Saturday. Though Vidovdan, the feast of St Vitus and the battle of Kosovo will principally be celebrated the following day, Saturday is actually the calendric feast and our visit allows us to be in our own parish on Sunday. Liturgy commences at 09:00.

We will celebrate the Sunday of All Saints of the British Isles next weekend, honouring the saints who have sanctified our islands since the Roman Empire reached to England and Wales.

As well as asking your continued prayers for the newly departed Lyudmila and Valery, please pray for our oltarnik, Panagiotis, who flies to Greece on Tuesday, for McKenna as her pregnancy gathers pace and for dad-to-be Joe, for our cathedral friend Nathalie after the fire which has left her homeless, and for our newly baptised young people, Adam, Juliana (Serwa) and Macarius (Chris).

Wendy, who is the St Philip’s equivalent of Branka, is keen for local parishioners to know that they are very welcome to the coffee morning at St Philip’s each Wednesday from 09:00 to 11:00. 

Finally, can we all please ensure that no parking obstructs residents’ drive-ways on Sundays? 

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

May God bless you.

Hieromonk Mark

Given the Egyptian government threats against the ancient Monastery of St Catherine on Sinai and its brotherhood, Archbishop Damianos and the monks need our prayers!

Canon to the Great Martyr Catherine, the acrostic whereof is: “With hymns do I hymn the ever-memorable Catherine,” by Theophanes, in Tone VIII

Irmos, Ode I: The wonderworking staff of Moses, * striking and dividing the sea in the figure of a cross, * once drowned Pharaoh the pursuing charioteer, * while it saved the fleeing people of Israel * as they fled on foot, * chanting a hymn unto God.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Let us hasten today, honoring the Theotokos with hymns, and let us celebrate a spiritual feast; for she is offered as a gift to God in the temple.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

By the prayers of the all-wise martyr Catherine, O Christ, enlighten Thou the darkened eye of my soul, granting me a ray of thy splendor, O Master, which destroyeth all the gloom of my soul-destroying falls.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

O all-wise one, guided by the divine commandments of the Master and consumed with love for Him, thou didst hasten to thy struggles rendering the tormentors awestruck with thy knowledge, discourse, wisdom and grace.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Directed by the mighty hand of Christ, thou didst escape the tempests of idolatry, O martyr, voyaging dryshod with the sail of the Cross and the divine winds of the Spirit, chanting a hymn unto God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Rejoicing in the beauties of virginity, O wise Catherine, and possessed of divine knowledge from heaven, thou didst right boldly and courageously put to shame the proponents of false knowledge, mightily vanquishing them.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O most pure one, he Who proclaimeth thee to be the Theotokos doth reject every heresy; for thou hast given birth unto the ever-existing Word of God, Who immutably assumed flesh, O Birthgiver of God, who art more exalted than all creation.

Irmos, Ode III: O Christ fortify me on the rock of Thy commandments, * Thou who in the beginning didst establish the heavens with understanding * and didst establish the earth upon the waters, * for there is none holy save Thee, O only Lover of mankind.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Striving voluntarily of thine own will, thou didst go to thy suffering, emulating Christ; and, having radiantly vanquished myriads of the princes of this world, thou wast revealed to be crucified, O God-pleasing Catherine.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

With strength of mind didst thou denounce the tormentors, who were overwhelmed in the abyss of godlessness, O all-praised martyr, plainly expounding the dogmas of the knowledge of God, illumined with the wisdom of God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

He who whispered thoughts of equality with God into the ears of Eve is now trod underfoot by a young maiden; for, defended with the sword of the Cross, the martyr Catherine hath put him to shame, immeasurably glorying over him.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Birthgiver of God, who alone art most pure, raise up my morbid mind through the activity of the Life Who, from thee, manifested Himself to the world, cleansing the wounds and stripes of my sins.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn of the Great Martyr Catherine, in Tone IV, Spec. Mel.: “Having been lifted up on the Cross …”: Thou didst love Christ thy Bridegroom, radiantly trimming thy lamp and shining forth with virtue, O glorious one. Wherefore, with Him thou hast entered into the bridal chamber, receiving a crown of suffering from Him. From misfortunes do thou deliver us who keep thy memory, O Catherine.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Repeat hymn.

Ode IV, Irmos: Thou, O Lord, art my strength and Thou art my power, * Thou art my God and Thou art my joy, * Thou Who, while never leaving the bosom of Thy Father, * hast visited our poverty. * Therefore with the Prophet Habbakuk I cry unto Thee, * ‘Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!’

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

O ever-memorable martyr Catherine, showing the determination of a spiritual athlete, with great endurance thou didst set thyself against the hostile one, trampling him beneath thy beautiful feet by the power of the Cross, O passion-bearer, thou boast of the martyrs.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

O all-blessed Catherine, bride of Christ, thou art luminous with the radiant beams of divine beauty, splendid in comeliness. Wherefore, in gladness dost thou chant unto the Master: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Thou didst set at naught the audacity of the tyrant by the godly discourse of thy wisdom, for thou didst rescue from the abyss of the false worship of demons those who were deceived thereby, teaching them to cry aloud to Christ in hymns: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O all-praised one, who hast mightily trampled down the audacity of the enemy, the right glorious and splendid festival of thy memory hath dawned like the sun, and thereon we cry aloud to the Master: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The might of those who reject the veneration of the icons of thee, O pure Maiden, and of Him who, in a manner surpassing understanding, was incarnate of thee and enlightened the whole world, and of all the saints, hath now been cast down. Enlighten those who honor thee with faith, O thou who alone art all-hymned.

Ode V, Irmos: O Light never-waning, * why hast Thou turned Thy face from me * and why hath the alien darkness surrounded me, * wretched though I be? * But do Thou guide my steps I implore Thee * and turn me back towards the light of Thy commandments.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Aflame with the fire of love for thy Master, O all-glorious martyr, and seeking to behold His incomprehensible beauty, thou didst willingly give thyself over to wounds, radiant with the graces of virginity.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Having splendidly adorned thyself with most-sacred sufferings, O good virgin maiden, thou didst ascend to the heavenly bridal chamber of Christ, and hast now been radiantly joined to thy Bridegroom in gladness, O all-blessed one.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou wast revealed to be an all-radiant maiden who having loved Him Whom thou didst desire, and having followed in His steps by finishing a most difficult struggle, cried aloud unto Him as the fragrance of thy noetic myrrh: I have come, O my Bridegroom!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Knowing thee to be the true Theotokos, and knowing the Word of God Who was born from thee, O most pure Lady, we all preach Him Who is known in two independent natures and wills, O Mother and Bride of God.

Ode VI, Irmos: The abyss of my sins and the storm of my transgressions * disquieten me and thrust me down * into the depths of despondency; * but do Thou stretch forth Thy mighty arm, * unto me as Thou didst to Peter, * and save me, O my Guide.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

The good and most pure Word, beholding thee all resplendent in the radiance and beauty of virginity and empurpled in the blood of thy martyrdom, O maiden, brought thee to dwell in the mansions of heaven.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

By the Cross thou didst do away with the dominion of the tyrants, denouncing the vanity of earthly wisdom and pouring forth dogmas of divinely inspired teaching, O most wise and ever-memorable Catherine.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Mightily enduring the pain of thy wounds, O all-glorious martyr, thou didst cast down to the ground him who of old drove Adam from the sweetness of paradise through deceit, and thou hast been crowned with the crowns of the kingdom.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

By thy prayers, O Mother, Virgin Theotokos, make thy Son and our Judge, Who doth deliver us from evil circumstances, to be merciful unto me on the day of Judgment, for in thee alone do I place my trust.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion of the Great Martyr Catherine, in Tone II, Spec. Mel. “Seeking the highest…”: O ye who love the martyrs, * raise up an honored chorus in a most godly manner, * honoring the all-wise Catherine; * for in the arena she preached Christ and trod upon the serpent, ** trampling down the knowledge of the rhetors.

Ikos: Having received the wisdom of God from childhood, O martyr, thou didst also master well all external wisdom; and learning therefrom the movement of the elements and creation through discourse and Him that by His word fashioned them in the beginning, day and night didst thou render thanksgiving unto Him, setting at naught idols and those who worship them, putting down the knowledge of the rhetors.

Ode VII, Irmos: Once in Babylon the fire stood in awe * of God’s condescension; * for which sake the youths in the furnace, * dancing with joyous steps as in a meadow, chanted: * O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Thou art the boast of martyrs and a teacher of piety, leading a multitude of martyrs unto Christ, thy radiant Bridegroom. And with them dost thou cry aloud, O all-praised one, chanting: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Thy most wise discourse brought many out of the madness of idolatry unto salvation, and thou didst show them forth as all-radiant martyrs, who cry aloud with thee: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Following in Thy footsteps, the maiden was brought to Thee beheaded by the sword, emulating Thy most pure Passion, crying aloud unto Thee, our Creator, and saying: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Holy of Holies dwelt within thee in a hallowed manner, O pure Virgin Theotokos, and He became incarnate from thee to save those who cry out in faith: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Ode VIII, Irmos: In his wrath the Chaldean Tyrant made the furnace blaze, * with heat fanned sevenfold for the servants of God; * but when he perceived that they had been saved by a greater power * he cried aloud to the Creator and Redeemer; * ‘ye children bless, ye priests praise, * ye people, supremely exalt Him throughout all ages’.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

The empress, converted by thy teachings, advanced in piety and, mightily enduring the infliction of pain, was clearly deemed worthy of the everlasting kingdom of heaven, crying out to the Master: Ye priests bless; ye people exalt supremely Christ throughout all ages!

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Let the entreaties of the faithful be entrusted to the martyrs, for the passion-bearer doth stand before Christ, asking that which is best for all and mediating salvation for those who earnestly celebrate her most holy and honored memory and faithfully cry aloud: Ye people supremely exalt Christ throughout all ages!

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Opening wide the gateways of paradise, the Bridegroom doth receive thee, O all-wise one; and hath made thee a most radiant dwelling place, revealing thee to be one who shares in His kingdom and His suffering. And, standing now before Him, splendidly adorned, O daughter of the King, forget us not.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The tyrant tempted thee with alluring words; the cruel one sought to deceive thee with persuasions, hoping thereby to weaken thy resolve, O glorious one; but, wishing to betroth thyself to Christ, thou didst cry out to the Master: Ye priests hymn; ye people, supremely exalt Christ throughout the ages!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all-immaculate Theotokos, thou art more sacred than the supranatural ranks of angels, for from thy virginal womb, which kneweth not wedlock, thou hast given birth unto their Creator and Lord in two natures, unconfused and immutable, God incarnate in a single hypostasis.

Ode IX, Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe, * and the ends of the earth were filled with amazement, * for God hath appeared in the flesh, * and thy womb was rendered more spacious than the heavens. * Wherefore, the ranks of men and of angels * magnify thee as the Theotokos.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Adorned with bridal ornaments, thou hast passed on to the splendid bridal chambers, holding the lamp of virginity in thy right hand and thy severed head in the other. And now, standing before Christ, thy Bridegroom, preserve thou those who hymn thee.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Thy prayer was accepted, O divinely wise one, for the Master doth save from temptations those who call upon thy name with faith, O honored one, bestowing health upon them, and delivering them from divers spiritual and bodily ailments. Wherefore, in gladness we bless thee, O Catherine.

Holy Great-Martyr, Catherine, pray to God for us.

Thou hast now attained unto the calm harbor, O martyr, having easily sailed over this world’s sea of threefold waves, and in good order, without succumbing to temptation, O all-wise virgin; bringing an offering of varied riches unto Christ, a multitude of martyrs, O all-blessed Catherine.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Joining chorus now with the choirs of virgins within the bridal chambers of heaven, and illumined with rays of thy sufferings, O all-wise Catherine, thou hast loosed the bonds of my falls, earnestly entreating the Benefactor of all, for Whom thou didst shed thy blood.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou hast been revealed, O Virgin Mother of God, to have given birth in the body, in a manner transcending nature, to the good Word, Whom the Father brought forth from His own heart before all ages, in that He is good, and Whom we now know to be more exalted than all bodies, even though clad in a body Himself.

Troparion of the Great Martyr Catherine, in Tone IV: Thy ewe-lamb Catherine O Jesus, crieth out with a loud voice: * “Thee do I love, O my Bridegroom, * and, seeking Thee, I endure suffering. * in Thy baptism I am crucified and buried with Thee. * I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; * I die for Thee, that I may live with Thee. * Accept me, who with love sacrifice myself for Thee, * as an unblemished offering!” ** By her supplications save Thou our souls, O most merciful One.

Dear brothers and sisters, after our Thursday and Friday services in Nazareth House and the Oratory, this weekend has been something of a whirlwind with our Warminster Liturgy, Wessex barbecue and today’s celebration of the Sunday of All Saints.

Having South Wales parishioners joining their brothers and sisters beyond the Bridge was wonderful, with reinforcements for the barbecue in the afternoon.

Having unrushed, relaxed, quality time together is so important, and even huddling together under the gazebo around Branka’s cooking pot during the rain showers was a time of fellowship, and conversation… and even entertainment, when the natural performers of the parish broke into enthusiastic, operatic song!

It is very important that we make an effort to connect with wider ROCOR life, particularly in our thinly spread presence on this western side of the mainland, as well as having a connection to our cathedral.

When we next celebrate in Warminster, it will be the feast of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, on 12 July, and after our festal Liturgy, we will celebrate the solemn blessing (baptism) of the bells in the medieval tower of the chapel, anointing them in their consecration and naming them for the Holy and Right-Believing King Alfred, St Aldhelm and St Birinus.

This will be a rare and special occasion, and we are delighted to be asked to do so by the feoffees of the chapel, which is a “peculiar” outside the jurisdiction of the Anglican diocese, and a sanctuary in which our spiritual place is highly valued and in which we have a welcome degree of autonomy.

I very much hope that a few pilgrims might make their way from Cardiff to Warminster for this occasion.

With students away, parishioners on holiday, Wessex parishioners attending the Ukrainian parish Liturgy near Bristol, and Fathers’ Day, we were a little thin on numbers today, but celebrated the Sunday of All Saints in Cardiff with joy and enthusiasm.

We were happy to welcome back recent acquaintances and have first time visitors, whom we hope to see again soon.

Being the ninth day after the repose of Hierodeacon Avraamy’s father, Valery, we celebrated a litia, also praying for Lyudmila, Leonid, Alexey, and Irina, and for the departed kinsfolk of our parishioners.

In the week ahead, we will have our usual compline with akathist and confessions in Nazareth House at 18:00 on Thursday, and will chant the akathist to the Precious and Life-Giving Cross in the Oratory on Friday at 15:00, with confessions being heard after the service.

Later on Friday, Adam and Serwa’s baptism will be at 19:00 in St Philip’s, and I hope that local parishioners will be able to support our young people on this special day.

As announced on WhatsApp, Saturday will see our Cheltenham Liturgy, celebrated in Prestbury United Reformed Church, Deep St, Cheltenham GA52 3AN. 

The Hours and Liturgy begin at 10:00 and we will celebrate the feast of the Yaroslavskaya Icon of the Mother of God, with our usual bring-and-share lunch after the service.

I am happy to hear that some of our Cardiff sisters are looking forward to this, and hope that a few more people may be inspired to venture to visit our lovely little Gloucestershire community.

The following Saturday (28 June) is St Vitus day, and the solemn commemoration of the battle of Kosovo and the Holy Great-Martyr, St Lazar. A number of us will make the journey to Lazarica, in Bournville for the Divine Liturgy at 09:00.

Next week’s Liturgy will mark the Sunday of All Saints of the Lands of Rus’, and the variables for Liturgy can be found at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ndLMA9dYyv0B-Vu2WPa3aD1rIMYVDjyM/view

The Apostles’ Fast begins in the morning, lasting until Saturday 12 June (Warminster Liturgy).

Calendars vary slightly regarding the allowance of fish according to local customs, and we should simply stick to the calendar we usually use, and not chop and change to reap the benefits of more generous allowances!

We should ALL try to do something extra in our prayers and spiritual reading during the Fast – perhaps reading a kathisma of the Psalter each day; reading from the Spiritual Psalter of St Ephraim the Syrian; reading the sayings of the desert father; trying to pray an akathist or canon to our name saint each day… and we can help you find this; or reading the appointed supplicatory canon to the Mother of God each evening. We should have a book for spiritual reading, and read every day.

Whatever we do, the days of the fast should NOT simply be like any other day. They should be days of extra prayer, spiritual struggle and devotion, consecrated and made holy to the Lord.

It may not be Great Lent, but it is, nevertheless, a God-given period of fasting and preparation, shaped by the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. So… Let us attend!

Asking your forgiveness, for Christ’s sake, and praying that you have a blessed and holy fast.

In Christ  – Hieromonk Mark