Saints Ephraim and Isaac the Syrians

Dear brothers and sisters,

This day brings a double-joy, as we celebrate two great Syrian saints, Ephraim and Isaac, who testify to the spiritual glory of the Christian Tradition in which Syriac, rather than Greek, was the language of theology, and where poetry and hymnography were used to explore the Faith.

Their prayers hymns and homilies have had a profound affect on various members of our ROCOR parish in Cardiff, who have found great sustenance in the works of each of these fathers, and not a week goes by without reference to them by our parishioners and clergy.

The lives of these Syriac fathers are at the fingertips of anyone reading these words, and I will leave anyone wishing to read them to find their own way, but below are the canons to St Ephraim and St Isaac for anyone who would like to celebrate their feast by chanting them.

May their words guide us on the path to Heaven, and may their prayers be for our succour and encouragement on our journey towards the age to come.

The icons were painted for my cell in 2021, by Old Believer iconogropher Konstantin Antonov in Eysk: https://drev-obraz.ru/

Canon of the venerable one, the acrostic whereof is: “I honour Ephraim, the noetic Euphrates”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone VI:

Ode 1, Irmos: When Israel walked on foot in the sea as on dry land, * on seeing their pursuer Pharaoh drowned, * they cried: * Let us sing to God * a song of victory.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

With the Euphrates-like flood of thy supplications water thou my soul, which hath become dry with the burning heat of the passions, and inspire discourse within me who praise thy festival, O all-blessed one.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Shining forth noetic light, thou didst show thyself to be a radiant sun, O Ephraim, illumining all the fullness of the faithful with brilliant virtues and teachings.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Extinguishing the flame of the passions with the streams of tears, O divinely blessed Ephraim, thou wast a precious vessel of the Holy Spirit, pouring forth wellsprings of doctrines.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Having received the incorrupt Word in thy womb, thou hast given birth to Him Who delivereth from corruption those who ever worship Him, O pure Mother and Virgin, who art truly the portal of Life.

Canon of the venerable one, the composition of Gerasimus of the Little Skete of Saint Anna, in Tone VIII:

Another Irmos: 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.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Give strength and words to my lips, O Word of God and God, that I may hymn the venerable Isaac, who hath radiantly glorified Thee with a perfect life and instructed the ranks of monastics with divinely inspired discourse.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Having from thy youth hated all carnal luxury, O blessed Isaac, and been wounded by divine love, thou didst take the Cross of the Lord upon thy shoulders, and with thy brother choose a life of asceticism.

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

Borne aloft by the love of Christ the Bestower of life, O venerable one, thou didst soar to the heavenly life, and through ascetic labours wast shown to be a stranger and sojourner on the earth, O most blessed father Isaac.

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

Without knowing wedlock, thou didst conceive God Who for our sake became immutably incarnate as we are, through thy pure blood, O most pure Mary Theotokos. Wherefore, deliver us from changing to the worse.

Ode 3, Irmos: There is none as holy as Thou, * O Lord my God, * who hast exalted the horn of The faithful O good One, * and strengthened us upon the rock * of Thy confession.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Having purified thyself of the mire of the passions, thou didst reveal thyself to be a true receptacle of the virtues and a vessel containing the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

In nowise giving slumber to thine eyes, thou didst show thyself to be a temple of the Holy Trinity and a treasury of wisdom, enriching the world with the golden rays of teachings, O blessed one.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

The honoured Church of Christ doth recognize thee as a golden-streamed Euphrates, flowing with torrents of wise doctrines and watering all creation.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

 Incarnate of thy precious blood, One of the Holy Trinity divinely issued forth in two natures, saving by grace the children of Adam, O all-pure one.

Another Irmos: O Lord, Creator of the vault of Heaven * and Builder of the Church, * do Thou strengthen me in Thy love, O Summit of desire, * O Support of the faithful, * O only Lover of mankind.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

In that thou didst rid thy heart of the bonds of the passions, thou wast shown to be a receptacle of dispassion and a vessel fit for the effulgence of spiritual life, O blessed Isaac, dweller with the angels.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Full of the graces of heaven, O venerable one, who emulated the angels in thy conduct, at all times pouring forth from thy mouth discourse of salvation, as it were the sweetness of incorruption.

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

Putting off the burden of the flesh, O father, thou didst elect to make thine abode in the wilderness, uniting thyself unto God with great stillness, prayer and fasting. Wherefore, thou didst become the dwelling-place of the divine Spirit.

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

O all-hymned Maiden who hast given birth unto God and destroyed the ancient sin, by thy grace do thou restore my mind, which hath been marred by the decadence of the passions which sorely afflict me.

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

Kontakion of St Ephraim, in Tone II, Spec. Mel “Seeking the highest …”: Ever looking forward to the hour of judgment, * thou didst bitterly lament, O Ephraim; * and though a lover of stillness * thou wast also a teacher of activity, O venerable one. ** Wherefore, O universal father, thou dost motivate the slothful to repentance.

Ikos: Do thou let but a drop of the waters of thy grace bedew my soul, purifying it of every unclean defilement, that cleansed, it may complete the remaining time of life zealous in all things profitable, and partake of the divine sweetness which thou didst enjoy, for thou dost quench the thirst of all who burn with passions, inspiring the slothful to repentance by thy discourses.

Sedalion of St Ephraim, in Tone V, Spec. Mel “The Word Who is co-beginningless …”: O ye faithful, on the day of his commemoration let us hymn the treasury of the wisdom of the mysteries of Christ, the cup of divine compunction, for in accordance with his name the godly Ephraim doth ever gladden the hearts of the faithful with divine discourses, as a performer and initiate of the mysteries of the revelations of the Lord.

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

Sedalion, in Tone IV, Spec. Mel., “Go thou quickly before …”: As a divinely radiant lamp of stillness thou shinest the never-waning light of a virtuous life upon the ends of the earth, O wise one; wherefore, we, the choirs of monastics, hymn thee as a divine luminary, O God-bearer Isaac, and we study thy radiant discourses with love.

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

Theotokion in Tone IV: O pure Virgin Mother, unceasingly beseech Christ our God, Who in His ineffable tender compassion became incarnate of thee, that He grant us forgiveness of sins, O Maiden, and deliverance from the grievous woes of life; for unto thee, O Mother of God, do we have recourse in faith.

Ode 4, Irmos: Christ is my power, * my God and my Lord, * the holy Church divinely singeth, * crying with a pure mind, * keeping festival in the Lord. The power of thy words hath passed through the whole world, O blessed one, driving away the blindness of men’s souls by the exalted radiance of humility.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thou didst render thy life blameless, cleansing thyself with tears, O right wondrous and divinely revealed one, and by thy wise discourses hast described to all the coming of the Judge.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Having beheld the most glorious height of thy humility, the Lord gave thee exalted  discourse, whereby the grievous uprisings of heresies have been humbled.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Strengthened by the grace of the Almighty, thou didst array thyself against the princes of the demons, O father, and having vanquished them, fervently pray on behalf of us who praise thee.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Let us bless the Virgin as a divine temple, as a holy mountain, as a wellspring of incorruption, as the one who alone was the chosen of God our Creator.

Another 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!’

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Irrigated with the streams of thy sacred teachings, O wise Isaac, multitudes of monastics splendidly produce abundant fruit: the purity of abstinence, prayerful contemplation, and the grace of dispassion, chanting: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

With thy whole mind conversing and uniting thyself with the one God, the sight of Whom is beyond comprehension, O venerable one, thou wast filled past understanding with enlightenment, and wast shown to be a light-bearer, a tower of stillness and a most radiant beacon for monastics.

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

Living in the flesh like an incorporeal being, thou didst serve God in stillness, O God-bearer Isaac, and wast granted many graces by Christ, of which do thou grant, if only a small portion, unto me who doth cry aloud: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!

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

O Theotokos, having given birth unto God in the flesh, without seed, without corruption, in a manner beyond understanding and comprehension, thou hast annulled the condemnation of Eve, at the hour of my judgment do thou also free me from the dread sentence.

Ode 5, Irmos: Illumine with Thy divine light, I pray, O Good One, * the souls of those who with love rise early to pray to Thee, * that they may know Thee, O Word of God, * as the true God, * Who recalleth us from the darkness of sin.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

With torrents of tears, O father, thou didst utterly dry up the depths of pleasures; and with the outpourings of thy doctrines thou hast staunched the torrents of heresies, O blessed one.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thy mind, illumined by seeking God, O father Ephraim, began to take pleasure in the full vision of God, receiving immaterial revelation as if a mirror of the divine Spirit.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thou didst truly become a temple imbued with the Trinity, adorned with grace and the radiance of pure virtues, and the fullness of teaching, O father.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Eating of the tree in Eden through the wicked treachery of the serpent I was revealed to be mortal; but thou, having given birth to Christ, the Bestower of life, hast brought me to life, O thou who alone art full of God’s grace.

Another Irmos: O Light never-waning, * why hast Thou turned Thy face from me * and why has 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.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Lifting thy mind to the undefiled good, O saint of Christ, thou didst reveal thyself by thy way of life, to be alien to the things that are in the world, O Isaac, teaching all to disdain that which is corruptible, and in nowise to desire those things that are temporal.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Thou wast shown to be a scribe and model of the angelic life, O divinely wise Isaac; wherefore, the grace of the Spirit hath revealed thee to be a divine pastor and a God-bearing hierarch of the Church of Christ.

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

Having been inducted into the divine mysteries because of the purity of thy way of life, O God-bearer, thou didst attain to yet greater deeds, O divine Isaac, archpastor of Nineveh, explaining the words of the Gospel to all, and cleansing the wounds of their souls.

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

Slain by the deception and delusion of the serpent, O most pure one, I flee unto thee who hast given birth to eternal Life. Enliven my mind by thy vivifying help, and guide me to a blameless life.

Ode 6, Irmos: Beholding the sea of life surging the flood of temptations, * I run to calm haven, and cry to Thee: * Raise up my life from corruption, * O Most Merciful One.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Setting thy foundation not on sands, but on the inviolate Faith, O God-bearer, thou didst remain undaunted by all the assaults of the enemy, guided by the hand of the Invincible One.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thy tongue was truly like the pen of a swiftly-writing scribe, showing forth a most pious intellect and tracing the law of the Spirit upon the tablets of our hearts, O father.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Those who navigate the calm expanse of thy dogmas, O divinely wise Ephraim, are delivered from the soul-destroying billows of the abyss and, awakened, are saved by faith from the storm of heresies.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Incarnate, He Who as God is above all noetic beings and visible creatures, issued forth from thy womb, preserving thee incorrupt as thou wast before birthgiving, O Virgin Mother.

Another Irmos: Cleanse me, O Saviour, * for many are mine iniquities; * lead me up from the abyss of evils I pray Thee, * for unto Thee have I cried, * and Thou hast hearkened unto me, * O God of my salvation.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Thou didst brighten thy hierarchal vestments through strict observance of the commandments of God, O divinely-inspired Isaac; wherefore, the Saviour hath received thee as one of His own.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Directing thy life towards the uttermost Judge, thou didst show thyself to be a true and venerable hierarch, O Isaac, revealing the commandments of the laws of grace unto all.

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

Adorned with the spiritual wisdom which cometh from doing good works, thou wast revealed to be a pious teacher of monastics, O Isaac, guiding them to perfection by thine instructions and deeds.

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

O most pure one, who hast given birth in the flesh to the transcendent God, from the fall hast thou raised the nature of mortals to the heights of their former nobility; wherefore, we glorify thee.

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 St Isaac, in Tone VIII, Spec. Mel, “To thee, the champion leader…”: By thine angelic way of life thou wast shown to be a divine instrument of the Comforter, * and a model for monastics in all things, O blessed Isaac. * As the habitation of divine grace, ask thou grace and heavenly light for us ** who cry out to thee: Rejoice, O divinely wise father!

Ikos: Thou wast revealed to be an angel in the flesh in thine ascetic labours, O Godbearing Isaac, and by thine angelic voice hast thou set before us the words of salvation, whereby guided to a higher life, we cry out to thee: Rejoice, star coming forth from Syria; rejoice, lamp of stillness! Rejoice, thou who art more sublime than earthly thoughts; Rejoice, partaker of heavenly enlightenment! Rejoice, divinely inscribed pillar of hesychasts; Rejoice, mouth flowing with the honey of spiritual teachings! Rejoice, for thou wast filled with God-given wisdom; Rejoice, for thou deliverest from the evil of the passions! Rejoice, most fervent of the servants of Christ; Rejoice, our godly teacher! Rejoice, wise God-bearer Isaac; Rejoice, our instructor, guided by God! Rejoice, O divinely wise father!

Ode 7, Irmos: An Angel made the furnace bedew the holy Children. * But the command of God consumed the Chaldeans * and prevailed upon the tyrant to cry: * O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thou wast shown to be a most excellent giver of laws for monastics, O most honoured one, rescuing them from all the machinations of the enemy. Wherefore, O blessed one, they honour thine honoured and sacred memory on earth.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thou wast shown to be a most excellent giver of laws for monastics, O most honoured one, rescuing them from all the machinations of the enemy. Wherefore, O blessed one, they honour thine honoured and sacred memory on earth.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thou wast an excellent instrument of the Spirit, ever sounding forth thine inspirations and playing the saving hymn of repentance for us who hymn thee, O ever-memorable one.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thy conception was beyond description, O Bride of God, for thou hast given birth to the Word of God Who hath delivered all mankind from irrationality granting them the words to cry: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Another 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!

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Having shone forth like a most radiant sun among the choirs of monastics, O father, thou dost illumine with the radiance of thine instructions, as with beams of light, all who cry out with faith: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

O father, the honourable choirs of monastics know thee to be a divinely-wise describer and guide to the higher life, and as is fitting, celebrate thy memory, O wise father Isaac, thou rule of hesychasts.

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

Caught up by the Spirit to the vision of the mystical mysteries of a higher glory, which passeth understanding, and deified by partaking thereof, thou didst cry aloud: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

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

With the rich streams of thy mercy purify my heart, which hath been defiled by the passions of the enemy, O Maiden; and dispel the darkness of my mind, that I may gaze upon the Light which shone forth from thee.

Ode 8, Irmos: Thou didst make flame bedew the holy children, * and didst burn the sacrifice of a righteous man with water. * For Thou alone, O Christ, dost do all as Thou willest, * Thee do we exalt throughout all ages.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thou wast shown to be like another sun, O blessed one, and, emitting the beams of thy teachings upon the ends of the earth, thou hast driven away the lightless gloom of all sin with the light of repentance.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Surrounded by the streams of divine dogmas, thou didst flow forth like another river from Eden, watering the face of the earth, O wondrous one, inundating the tares of ungodliness.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Confessing thee to be the true Theotokos, like the angel we cry out to thee with faith: Rejoice! For thou alone hast given birth to Joy on earth, O ever joyous and blessed one.

Another 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’.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Thou didst live an angelic life, O most blessed Isaac, and through stillness and the mortification of the passions didst bring forth the first-fruits of the life to come. And now thou dost cry aloud with the angels in the highest: Ye, children, bless! Ye priests, hymn! Ye people, supremely exalt Christ forever!

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Offering up most earnest prayers and supplications, thou didst unite thyself unto God through purity of mind, and wast shown to be blessed and full of divine grace while yet amid the threefold waves of the flesh. And now in the highest, freed from material things, thou dost manifestly enjoy things ineffable.

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

Having been sacredly arrayed in the vesture of a bishop, O God-bearer, by thy venerable labours and virtuous struggles thou rendered it yet more splendid. And now, O Isaac, with the holy hierarchs and the choirs of the venerable thou dost offer up the mystical sacrifice of immaterial praise unto the Lord.

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

Preserving the seal of thy virginity intact after birthgiving, thou gavest suck to the Lord to Whom thou hadst given birth, bearing him as a babe, O Virgin Sovereign Lady, Mary Theotokos. Him do thou beseech, that He grant the cleansing of offenses unto those who hymn thine ineffable glory.

Ode 9, Irmos: It is impossible for mankind to see God * upon Whom the orders of Angels dare not gaze; * but through thee, O all-pure one, * did the Word Incarnate become a man * and with the Heavenly Hosts * Him we magnify and thee we call blessed.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Wounded by the love of the Almighty O venerable one, thou didst reach the end of thy life, lamenting and crying out with fear: “Assuage my passing with the waves of thy grace, O Saviour, richly preserving me therewith in the life to come!”

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thy sweet discourse was replete with compunction and full of enlightenment for those who have recourse to thee, O right wondrous God-bearer Ephraim; and thy life was blameless, adorned and illumined with all manner of divinely radiant virtues.

Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.

Thou wast a temple of the Spirit, a river full of life-giving waters, the unshakable foundation of the Church, the confirmation of monastics, and an ever-flowing stream of divine compunction, O right wondrous Ephraim.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The mind of man cannot understand the mystery of thy birthgiving which passeth understanding, O Virgin; for, making His abode within thy womb, God did not violate the seal of thy virginity, as He, Who is unapproachable alone knoweth.

Another 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.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Let Isaac, great among the venerable ascetics, the scion of Syria, the God-bearing initiate of the life which is in Christ, the most excellent recorder of the mysteries and the enlightener of monastics, be worthily hymned as one who entreateth God, for he prayeth that great mercy be granted unto us.

Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.

Thou didst engage in the pious struggle of holy ascesis, O venerable one, and thereby piously learn the mysteries of all the wisdom of asceticism, that wisely teaching us to avoid the sophistries of the enemy, we may live virtuously, O Godbearer.

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

Thou hast passed over to the true glory, whose revelation thou didst acquire beforehand; and face to face thou dost gaze upon the effulgence of Christ which is beyond comprehension, O Isaac, adornment of the venerable. Cease not to pray for us who praise thee with love.

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

O unwedded Virgin Mother who ineffably gave birth to God in the flesh, deliver me from diseases of the flesh, redeem my greatly sinful soul from grievous insensitivity, and illumine my mind with the light of repentance, that I may hymn thee, O greatly hymned one.

Troparion of St Ephraim, in Tone VIII: With the streams of thy tears thou didst irrigate the barren desert, * and with sighs from the depths of thy soul thou didst render thy labours fruitful an hundredfold, * and didst become a beacon for the whole world, resplendent with miracles. ** O Ephraim our father, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

Troparion of St Isaac, in Tone V: Illumined by rays of the virtues, * O God-bearer Isaac, * in spirit thou wast shown to be a most radiant beacon * of the life which is in Christ; * and by thy divinely inspired teachings, O father, * thou dost guide safely to the way of salvation * those who bless thee ** as a godly servant of Christ.

Friday Events: Moleben to St Alban Before His Relics

Dear brothers and sisters,

Through the good offices of the fathers and brethren of the Cardiff Oratory, I will celebrate a moleben before the relics of the Holy Protomartyr, Alban, in the Church of St Alban-on-the-Moors, on Friday, and should very much welcome parishioners to join me.

This is the first liturgical-visit to the shrine, but the brethren of the Oratory have indicated that we would be most welcome for regular prayers and devotions before the relics.

After the moleben, we will be able to venerate the relics of the Holy Protomartyr, who became an unofficial patron of our diocese through our joyful pilgrimages to St Alban’s Abbey in Hertfordshire.

The Fathers have asked that we offer the moleben at 14:30, to ensure that we are undisturbed, though I will hear confessions in the church before the service (and after, if needed), with several parishioners having indicated that afternoon confessions will be easier for them than going to St Mary Butetown in the evening.

I repeat – this will be the first of regular visits to the shrine, to which some of us already go quietly, for personal prayer, mindful that it is such a great blessing to have the relics in the city.

Confessions in St Mary Butetown will commence at 18:00, and will be followed by our catechesis cum refresher session in the parish room in North Church Street.

Our thanks go to Fathers Sebastian and Dean, for their warmth and generosity, and to Brother David-Lewis Barker for his support and enthusiasm in building parish links with our local shrine of St Alban.

Holy Protomartyr, Alban, pray to God for us!

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Addresses:

Church of St Alban-on-the-Moors, Swinton St, Splott, Cardiff CF24 2NX.

Church of St Mary the Virgin, North Church St, Butetown, Cardiff CF10 5HB.

 

Parish News – Looking Forward to Pilgrimage

Dear brothers and sisters,

We enter this week after a busy weekend that saw services at Llancarfan and Canton, with the celebrations of St Cadoc and the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

Having made our first pilgrimage of the year, we look forward to the pilgrim journeys of the months ahead, with Penrhys, Llanthtony, Patrishow, Caldey, St David’s, Mathern, and Pennant Melangell, on our list – not mention the sacred places beyond the Severn. I look forward to serving in Glastonbury and Walsingham in the coming year – and we are hoping that we might make a pilgrimage to Evesham, where the Mother of God appeared to the swineheard Eoves at the very beginning of the 8th century, and visit some of the holy sites of Dorset.

Covid measures severely limited our pilgrimage-movements over the last year and a half, and it will be a joy to return to making spiritual journeys together.

Returning to this week, we will have the next catechesism/refresher session at the church of St Mary, Butetown on Friday at 19:00. I intend to hear confessions from 18:00, and encourage you to make arrangements with me in the next few days. Please email otetzmark@hotmail.com as soon as possible, and not later than Thursday noon.

Father Deacon Mark will be exercising his paternal responsibilities on Saturday, as Yuriy celebrates his fourth birthday, so I would like to try and hear confessions during the week.

We will celebrate the Hours and Liturgy, as usual at 11:00 in St John’s Church, Canton, and this Sunday – the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican –  will mark the beginning of our use of the Lenten Triodion. Service variables may be found, as always, at orthodoxaustin:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1goHXEpzxIGOGXI1WPbZLqJJVyWSbq6IK/view

May God bless you.

In Christ – Fr Mark

Celebrating St Cadoc at Llancarfan

Last Saturday saw the first parish pilgrimage of the year, as a small group of parishioners headed out of the city into the Vale of Glamorgan and Llancarfan, with its medieval church and wall-paintings.

With Sunday being the commemoration of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, we anticipated the feast of St Cadoc, celebrating on the site of his monastery, at ‘the church of the stags’.

We were welcomed with great warmth, and very much enjoyed the historical talk from Sam Smith, who was both entertaining and informative as he guided us through the medieval wall-paintings, dominated by the incredible mural of the Holy Great-Martyr, George.

The wealth of surviving medieval details in the church – woodwork, masonry, wall painting – in addition to the architecture of the church in its valley, beside the stream, bore witness to centuries of continual prayer and devotion on this ancient site, founded in the Age of the Saints.

After the wonderful talk, we gathered behind the fine medieval screen of the Lady Chapel, where we chanted a simple moleben, with a canon to St Cadoc, even having charcoal and incense being brought from the sacristy for our use. It was lovely to have a few Llancarfan parishioners with us, and we hope that in the future, we may be able to celebrate the Liturgy on the site of St Cadoc’s ascetic labours.

Though a prince and son of the local King Gwynllyw and Queen Gwladys of Glywysing (both saints), St Cadoc (c. 497 – c. 580) dedicated his life to asceticism and the monastic life and the monastery that he founded at Llancarfan became a great seat of Christian learning, a nursery of asceticism and school of holiness.

With the monastics living in its daughter-houses and cells, Llancarfan became an important monastic centre, with St Cadoc considered a founding-father of the monastic life in Wales.

St Cadoc’s travels linked Wales with Ireland and Brittany, in addition to distant Rome and Jerusalem, and the contrasting poverty of his hermit-retreat on the island of Flatholme in the Severn Channel.

Llancarfan was a place of fellowship between St Cadoc and other great saints of our land, including St Illtud and St Gildas the Wise.

According to tradition, when he was too old to serve as abbot, St. Cadoc retired and withdrew from Llancarfan, and whilst visiting Beneventum (Weedon in Northamptonshire), he was killed by a pagan as he celebrated Liturgy.

It was a great blessing to mark the feast with prayers in the llan of St Cadoc, and to honour him on the site of his own ascetic struggles.

We hope and pray that this visit will be the first of many, and encourage parishioners and friends to make the journey through the narrow lanes of the Vale to seek the blessing of St Cadoc and enjoy the treasures of Llancarfan church.

Our thanks go to the parishioners who greatly honoured St Cadoc, their patron, by the warmth and generosity of their welcome.

Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us!

On the Sunday of Zacchaeus

At that time, Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

(Luke 19:1-10)

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Dear brothers and sisters,

On the Sunday of Zacchaeus, we yearly encounter the spectacle of Zacchaeus the publican and Roman-collaborator – despised and shunned by Jewish society – clambering into the branches of a tree, from whose height the whole perspective of his life was transformed.

A man who knew that he had power and control over the lives of the people whom he squeezed and plundered for the sake of his own purse, as well as that of the Roman occupiers, threw image and propriety to the wind, simply to see over the heads of those – and indeed everything – that stood between him and his encounter with Christ.

St Ephrem saw the tree that Zacchaeus climbed as the opposite of the Tree of Knowledge, for whereas Adam was guilty through his actions at that tree, the tree for Zacchaeus became a sign abd token of his innocence.

“The first fig tree of Adam will be forgotten, because of the last fig tree of the chief tax collector, and “the name of the guilty Adam will be forgotten because of the innocent Zacchaeus.”

St Ephrem the Syrian: Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron

Like the children of Palm Sunday, the tax-collector climbed amongst the leaves and branches to see the approach of the Saviour, in a childlike spectacle, but whereas the Feast of Palms marks the Saviour’s entrance into the Holy City, the events of the Sunday Gospel mark the entrance of the Saviour into the life and house of Zacchaeus, where he is welcomed by a heart and home that were changed by the salvific encounter.

Furthermore, the tree becomes a reference for the tree of Cross, and Blessed Augustine of Hippo calls upon us in our humility to climb the Cross, as Zacchaeus in simple humility, climbed into the boughs of the ‘sycamore’.

This Gospel calls us to stop worrying about what the world, society, colleagues, neighbours… even family think of us, so that in seemingly divine-folly and abandon we may try to gain a viewpoint and perspective of the Lord – doing whatever it takes to draw near to the Saviour, leaving the crowd behind, and not worrying about what anyone else thinks in order to  encounter the Saviour, even to simply glimpse him for a moment.

As Zacchaeus forgets his own dignity and sacrifices his image to behave like a child rather than a wealthy Roman civil servant, willingly to make a laughable spectacle of himself, he puts aside the cares of the world, and by doing so receives the King of all, as we are called to do every time we chant the cherubic hymn.

To return to Blessed Augustine’s words on this Gospel:

“Zacchaeus climbed away from the crowd and saw Jesus without the crowd getting in his way. The crowd laughs at the lowly, to people walking the way of humility, who leave the wrongs they suffer in God’s hands and do not insist on getting back at their enemies.

The crowd laughs at the lowly and says, ‘You helpless, miserable clod, you cannot even stick up for yourself and get back what is your own.’ The crowd gets in the way and prevents Jesus from being seen. The crowd boasts and crows when it is able to get back what it owns. It blocks the sight of the one who said as he hung on the cross, ‘Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing…’

He ignored the crowd that was getting in his way. He instead climbed a sycamore tree, a tree of ‘silly fruit.’ As the apostle says, ‘We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block indeed to the Jews, [now notice the sycamore] but folly to the Gentiles.’

Finally, the wise people of this world laugh at us about the cross of Christ and say, ‘What sort of minds do you people have, who worship a crucified God?’ What sort of minds do we have? They are certainly not your kind of mind. ‘The wisdom of this world is folly with God.’

No, we do not have your kind of mind. You call our minds foolish. Say what you like, but for our part, let us climb the sycamore tree and see Jesus. The reason you cannot see Jesus is that you are ashamed to climb the sycamore tree.

Let Zacchaeus grasp the sycamore tree, and let the humble person climb the cross. That is little enough, merely to climb it. We must not be ashamed of the cross of Christ, but we must fix it on our foreheads, where the seat of shame is. Above where all our blushes show is the place we must firmly fix that for which we should never blush.

As for you, I rather think you make fun of the sycamore, and yet that is what has enabled me to see Jesus. You make fun of the sycamore, because you are just a person, but ‘the foolishness of God is wiser than men.”

Like Zacchaeus, let us become fools in the eyes of the world, to gaze upon the face of the All-Merciful Saviour, and to embrace His way and Holy Wisdom which is folly to the proud and worldly.

Like Zacchaeus, let us find the humility and abandon to become a spectacle, whatever the world may think and say.

Like Zacchaeus, let us open the doors of our home and heart to the Saviour, so that He may say to each of us, “Today, salvation has come into this house.”

Amen.

Tomorrow: Pilgrimage in Honour of St Cadoc

Dear brothers and sisters,

Just to remind you that the parish pilgrimage to Llancarfan tomorrow will be at noon at St Cadoc’s Church, where we will serve a moleben in honour of St Cadoc’s Feast, which we will keep tomorrow, given that the feast of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia displaces Sunday’s commemorations.

The moleben text is below, and we will be celebrating this quite simply, given that it is our first visit – and hopefully, the first of many.

God bless – Fr Mark

MOLEBEN TO OUR VENERABLE FATHER CADOC

ABBOT OF LLANCARFAN

Priest: Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Chanters: Amen. O Heavenly King, O Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice) 

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

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake. 

Lord, have mercy. (Thrice) 

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

Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. 

Priest: For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. 

Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)

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

O come let us worship God our King. 

O come let us worship and. fall down before Christ our King and God. 

O come let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and God. 

Psalm 142: O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear unto my supplication in Thy truth; hearken unto me in Thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Thy servant for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath humbled my life down to the earth. He hath sat me in darkness as those that have been long dead, and my spirit within me is become despondent; within me my heart is troubled. I remembered days of old, I meditated on all Thy works, I pondered on the creations of Thy hands. I stretched forth my hands unto Thee; my soul thirsteth after Thee like a waterless land. Quickly hear me, O Lord; my spirit hath fainted away. Turn not Thy face away from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning; for in Thee have I put my hope. Cause me to know, O Lord, the way wherein I should walk; for unto Thee have I lifted up my soul. Rescue me from mine enemies, O Lord; unto Thee have I fled for refuge. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. Thy good Spirit shall lead me in the land of uprightness; for Thy name’s sake, O Lord, shalt Thou quicken me. In Thy righteousness shalt Thou bring my soul out of affliction, and in Thy mercy shalt Thou utterly destroy mine enemies. And Thou shalt cut off all them that afflict my soul, for I am Thy servant. 

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

Chanters: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.  / Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to Thee, O God. (Thrice)

And God is the Lord: tone 4: God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Stichos 1: O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever.

Chanters: God is the Lord…

Stichos 2: Surrounding me they compassed me, and by the name of the Lord I warded them off.

Chanters: God is the Lord…

Stichos 3: 1 shall not die, but live, and I shall tell of the works of the Lord.

Chanters: God is the Lord…

Stichos 4: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the comer. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.

Chanters: God is the Lord…

Troparion of St. Cadoc, Tone 5: Having been raised to piety, O Hierarch Cadoc,/ thou didst dedicate thy life to God,/ serving Him in the monastic state./ As with joyful heart thou didst fulfil thy daily obedience,/ caring for the earthly needs of countless paupers,/ look now upon our spiritual poverty/ and beseech Christ our God,/ that He will grant us great mercy. (Twice)

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

Tone 5:  Rejoice, impassible gate of the Lord!  / Rejoice, rampart and protection of those who have recourse unto thee!  / Rejoice, haven untouched by storms, / thou that knowest not wedlock, / who gavest birth in the flesh to thy Creator and God!  / fail not in thy supplications // for those who hymn and venerate thy birthgiving!

Reader – Psalm 50: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know mine iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee only have I sinned and done this evil before Thee, that Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and prevail when Thou art judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me. For behold, Thou hast loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom hast Thou made manifest unto me. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be made clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that be humbled, they shall rejoice. Turn Thy face away from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me. I shall teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn back unto Thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Thy righteousness. O Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise. For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I had given it; with whole-burnt offerings Thou shalt not be pleased. A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Thy good pleasure unto Sion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be builded. Then shalt Thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.

Ode 1, Irmos: Having passed through the water as upon dry land, * and having escaped the malice of the Egyptians, * the Israelites cried aloud: * Unto our God and Redeemer let us sing.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

From thy youth thou wast adorned with goodly moral qualities, cleaving unto Christ, and mortifying the passions of the flesh with abstinence and fasting, thou hast passed over unto life, O venerable one.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

O most wise Father, being a doer of the divine sayings and laws, thou hast been blessed with divine gifts and miracles, wherefore all are richly illumined with thy splendour.

Refrain: Venerable Father Cadoc, pray to God for us

Strengthened by Christ, thou, O Father, subdued the might and power of the enemy, wherefore in honour of thy victory thou hast been rewarded with the gift of miracles, O venerable one.

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

Possessing a clear conscience, and directing the eye of thy heart towards God O most wise one, God, in answer to thy prayers, hath numbered thee among the just.

Refrain: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

I implore thee, O most pure Virgin, subdue the passions of my flesh and quieten the beguiling thoughts of my mind, and do thou thyself set me upon the right path.

Ode 3, Irmos: O Lord, thou art the confirmation of those who flee to Thee, * Thou art the Light of those in darkness, * and my spirit doth hymn Thee.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

Altogether devoted to the Almighty, thou, O most wise venerable Father, didst escape all the wiles of the demons, and adorned with the loftiest humility, by thy most excellent works, thou didst overcome the proud boaster.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

While still in the flesh thou, O most wise Father, shamed the stiff-neckedness of the wicked one by thy humble instructions.

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

Having the grace of God as thine effectual helper, thou, O most wise and wondrous father, wast granted the gift of miracles, driving away diseases.

Refrain: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

In becoming incarnate, the Creator found an abode within thy womb, O all-immaculate one, unto the profit of those who with faith hymn thee.

Katavasia: Pray to God for us, O holy father, Cadoc, for we fervently flee unto thee, the speedy helper and intercessor for our souls.

Then the priest says the ectenia: Have mercy upon us, O God…

Sessional Hymn, Tone 4: Spec. Mel.: “Go thou quickly before …”: Vanquishing the fleshly subtlety of the passions through fasting, * thou didst make the weaker subject unto the better, * O most glorious Father Cadoc, * and thereby destroyed the scheming of the enemy. * In the brilliant radiance of thy virtues thou didst shine forth in the world * as a beacon of divine light; ** Wherefore we ever hymn thee.

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

Theotokion, Tone 4: O Virgin Theotokos, * thou art an invincible wall for all Orthodox Christians. * For having recourse unto thee we remain unharmed * and in thee we have a sure intercessor for the forgiveness of our sins; * wherefore rendering thanks unto thee, we cry aloud! ** Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Stavrotheotokion: O most immaculate Virgin, * Mother of Christ God, * a sword pierced thy most holy soul * when thou didst behold thy Son and God * crucified of His own will. * Him do thou never cease to entreat, O blessed one, ** that He grant us the forgiveness of our transgressions.

Ode 4, Irmos: O Lord, I have heard the mystery of Thy dispensation; * I have considered Thy works, * and I have glorified Thy Divinity.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

Making thy soul a temple of the Holy Spirit, thou didst become an heir of the Heavenly Kingdom, together with the hosts on high.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

Thou dost ever relieve the suffering of those who, afflicted with manifold infirmities, have recourse unto thee; for thou, O venerable one, hast obtained from the Lord the grace to work wonders and miracles.

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

Thou, O Father, sprouted forth like a preeminent blossom in the temple of God, adorned with virtues and filled with the sweet fragrance of grace-filled fruit.

Refrain: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou, O Ever-Virgin art a truly spiritual field, for from thy furrow thou didst bring forth the fruit that doth feed the whole of creation, the God of all.

Ode 5, Irmos: Rising early we cry to Thee, O Lord; * save us, for Thou art our God, *  and we know none other besides Thee.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

With thy mind purified, O most glorious one, thou didst behold the ineffable goodness of Christ, the God of all.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

Like unto Elijah, thou, O Father, aided by the Holy Spirit, ascended into heaven on the chariot of thy virtues.

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

Having withered thy body with abstinence and attained bodily purity, thou, O Father, didst ascend unto the fullness of the loftiest abodes on high.

Refrain: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Heal the blindness of my polluted mind, O all-immaculate Lady for thou hast given birth unto Christ the great Physician.

Ode 6, Irmos: I will pour out my prayer unto the Lord, * and to Him will I proclaim my grief; * for my soul is filled with evils, * and my life unto Hades hath drawn nigh, * and like Jonah I pray unto Thee: * Raise me up from corruption, O God.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

By thy sacred prayers, O thou who art blessed by God, the cunning serpent hath been slain and the malice of those who demanded of thee a sign hath been destroyed, for thou, as one favoured by God, art effulgent with the light of the Godhead in thine unshakable faith.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

Assiduously ploughing the fields of thy soul, and most wisely sowing the diversely fruitful seeds of virtues, thou, O sacred Father, hast harvested the rich bounty of abundant healings.

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

Helped, O holy Father, by the strength of the Spirit, thou hast subdued the might and power of the enemy, and in honour of thy victory thou hast been rewarded, O holy one, with the effulgent gift of miracles.

Refrain: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Lord is with thee, O most pure one! As it was well pleasing to Him, to be with thee O Maiden, so by thine intercessions, He hath delivered us all from the reign of the deceitful one; wherefore as is meet, from generation to generation we call thee blessed.

Katavasia: Pray to God for us, O holy father, Cadoc, for we fervently flee unto thee, the speedy helper and intercessor for our souls.

Then the priest says the ectenia: Have mercy upon us, O God…

Kontakion of St. Cadoc, Tone 5: We honour thee with hymns, O righteous Hierarch Cadoc,/ for the pilgrimage of thy life was found pleasing to God,/ Who in His goodness adorned thee with authority,/ and as thou didst receive the crown of martyrdom,/ whilst serving the Holy Mysteries,/ pray for us that we also may be blessed to die in Christ.

Ikos: Having conceived within thyself a loving attachment to the divine commandments of Christ, and a hatred for the delights of this world, with diligence thou didst achieve thy God-pleasing goals, like a divine lamp enlightening the ends of the world with spiritual radiance. Wherefore falling down before thee I implore thee: Enlighten my spiritual eyes that I may worthily hymn thine endeavours of fasting, thy watchfulness, the shedding of thy tears, thy labours and the emaciation of thy body, all for the sake of a blessed future life, which thou dost now enjoy; do thou ever pray for us who celebrate thy holy memory!

Ode 7, Irmos: The Children of Judaea, * who of old came to dwell in Babylon, * trampled underfoot the flame of the furnace * through their faith in the Trinity, * as they sang: “O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.”

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

Having with great resolve completed thine exploits of fasting, thou, O Father, hast humbled the proudest of minds by thy divine humility, singing: “O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou”.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

Thou, O Father, sprouted forth like a preeminent blossom in the temple of God, adorned and filled with the sweet fragrance of the grace-filled fruits of virtue.

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

Having enlightened thy heart, O Father, thou wast made the guide of thy sacred assembly, giving them spiritual direction, teaching them and rousing them all to fulfil the will of God, singing: “O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou”.

Refrain: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Giving birth to a new Child, the beginningless Word, thou, O Virgin, hast renewed us who have grown old through sin, and granted us strength to sing: “O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou”.

Ode 7, Irmos: Treading down the fiery flame in the furnace, * the divinely eloquent children sang: * “Bless the Lord, ye works of the Lord”.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

As an heir of the divine habitations, thou, O Father, didst live like an angel; wherefore with the Angels thy spirit rejoiceth.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

O most wise and right wondrous Father, without wavering thou didst proceed along the divine paths leading to heaven, and thou didst, even unto the end, avoid those that lead to perdition.

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

Through the grace which found an abode in thy soul, O Father, the unclean spirits that cunningly find their abode in mortals, are driven away.

Refrain: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou, O Virgin, art an inexhaustible source of spiritual water, drinking of which we all are filled with grace, and cleansed in both soul and body.

Ode 9, Irmos: All are awestruck at hearing of God’s ineffable condescension, * for the Most High voluntarily descended and assumed flesh, * becoming man in the Virgin’s womb; * wherefore we the faithful magnify the most pure Theotokos.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

By the action of the Holy Spirit thine honoured relics shed forth healings, curing the long standing diseases of those who have recourse unto thee, O Father; driving away cunning ferocious spirits, and raising the faithful to praise thy splendid deeds.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

Like a great sun that shineth forth with the majesty of thine ascetic deeds, O godly-wise one, thou hast enlightened the ends of the earth, and in thy death hast been exalted from light unto a most effulgent light; wherefore we cry unto thee: Enlighten our thoughts, O holy Father Cadoc.

Refrain: Venerable Father, Cadoc, pray to God for us

By touching thine enduring body resplendent with ascetic endeavours, O blessed  one, incurable diseases are healed, for our God and Saviour hath greatly glorified thee O most wise and wonder-worthy Father Cadoc; wherefore, for thy good works, thou art showered with fame, O holy one.

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

In the hollows of fasting hast thou, O most praised Father, blossomed like a sweet-smelling rose, and like a lily hast thou filled the consciences of the faithful with the fragrances of thy virtues and miracles; wherefore, O holy one, drive away from us putrid passions.

Refrain: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Enlighten, O pure Virgin, my heart ever grieving from my transgressions and the multitude of worldly distractions, and never leave me to mine enemies, that I may glorify and with love hymn thee, O all-hymned one.

And then: It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most immaculate, and the Mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without defilement gavest birth to God the Word, the true Theotokos, thee do we magnify.

Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)

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

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. (Thrice).

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

Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.

Priest: For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

Troparion, Tone 5: Having been raised to piety, O Hierarch Cadoc,/ thou didst dedicate thy life to God,/ serving Him in the monastic state./ As with joyful heart thou didst fulfil thy daily obedience,/ caring for the earthly needs of countless paupers,/ look now upon our spiritual poverty/ and beseech Christ our God,/ that He will grant us great mercy.

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

Kontakion, Tone 5: We honour thee with hymns, O righteous Hierarch Cadoc,/ for the pilgrimage of thy life was found pleasing to God,/ Who in His goodness adorned thee with authority,/ and as thou didst receive the crown of martyrdom,/ whilst serving the Holy Mysteries,/ pray for us that we also may be blessed to die in Christ.

Then the priest says the ectenia: Have mercy upon us, O God…

Priest: Wisdom. Most Holy Theotoks, save us.

Chanters: More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without defilement gavest birth to God the Word, the true Theotokos, thee do we magnify.  

Priest: Glory to Thee, O Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee. 

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

Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)  

Master give the blessing. 

Priest: May Christ our true God, through the prayers of His Most-Pure Mother, of our Venerable and God-Bearing Father, Cadoc, and of all the saints, have mercy upon us, and save us, for He is good and the lover of mankind. Amen.

Nameday Thanks

Dear brothers and sisters,

I would like to thank all who have conveyed greetings on this feast of St Mark of Ephesus.

It was my good fortune that when the late Hegumen Seraphim performed my monastic tonsure, close to a quarter of a century ago, he decided that rather than give a completely new name, he would tonsure me in honour of St Mark of Ephesus.

My cell-icon

To be named for St Mark Evgenikos is rather daunting, and I must admit that for years I misunderstood his zeal, as Father Seraphim and I showed such a narrow, negative and belligerent attitude (and resistance) towards the reunification of the Church Abroad with the Church in Russia.

With the passage of time, I came to understand that the primary zeal of St Mark was an affirmative one, and that it was precisely by his positive zeal for the Orthodox Faith and its purity that St Mark shone in the world in a time of apostasy, compromise and worldly expediency.

Yes, St Mark opposed falsehood and compromise, but he did not live to oppose; he lived to affirm the glory of the fulness of Orthodoxy, teaching others by this uncompromising life and demonstration of the True Faith. He looked to the Light, rather than dwelling on the darkness.

I often say to the faithful in confession, that the darkness can seem almost total, with only the tiniest glimmer of light challenging the tide of blackness, and we can easily reflect that darkness by negativity, spiritual and mental pessimism, defeatism and gloom – or, we can concentrate on that tiny living-flame and nurture it, knowing that the smallest glowing spiritual-ember or the tiniest spiritual-spark may set the world ablaze.

As we live surrounded by such seemingly expanding darkness and corruption – spiritually, politically, socially – the lesson of St Mark is for us not to be swallowed in the black deluge, but to keep the eyes of our hearts concentrating on the flame of Faith and Truth, no matter how small it may seem, joyful in the resurrectional-freedom of our baptism and reflecting this in an affirmative and positive spiritual-life.

Placards and protests may have their place, but it is first and foremost by living the fulness of Faith that we resist falsehood.

It is by humbly and quietly living in the Truth of Orthodoxy in uncompromising strictness, thoroughness and constancy that we will resist the schism and heresy that attack the Church, globally and locally.

It is by our zeal for God and Truth, that falsehood, heresy and schism will be defeated, as we become spiritual lamps burning with the flame of Faith, dispelling the darkness and illumining the world with the Light of Christ.

Let us imitate St Mark by living the spiritual life affirmatively, with uncompromising zeal and joy.

Hierarch of Christ, Mark of Ephesus, pray to God for us.

May God bless you all.

With love in Christ – Hieromonk Mark

The Week Ahead

Dear brothers and sisters, 

Further to our announcement after Sunday Liturgy, we will be holding our next catechesis session this week, welcoming parishioners who would like to treat our sessions as a refresher, in addition to those new to Orthodoxy.

However, due to diaconal commitments, the meeting will be on Thursday, not on Friday, as hoped. We intend to return to meeting on Fridays in future weeks, as we did during Advent. 

We will meet at 19:00 in the parish room at the church of St Mary, Butetown, entering through the garden side-gate and east door (at the Bute Street end of the church).  

Address: St Mary the Virgin, North Church St, Cardiff, CF10 5HB. We are indebted, once again, to Father Dean and the parish for their generous hospitality.

Again, repeating news from Sunday, we will be making a mini-pilgrimage to Llancarfan Church on Saturday, anticipating the feast of St Cadoc, on Sunday.

We will gather in the church at noon, and will be welcomed with a tour, before holding a moleben to St Cadoc. 

I will hear confessions on Thursday, before and after the catechism session, continuing on Saturday, as needed. So, would all those requiring confession email me in the next day or two: otetzmark@hotmail.com

We also invite requests for house-blessings, following Theophany, though I cannot guarantee the presence of Yuriy my trainee-assistant, who ably assisted me last weekend.

We will endeavour to organise house-blessings for Cheltenham parishioners over the next few days, and will discuss logistics after Sunday Liturgy.

The Hours and Liturgy will be celebrated in St John’s, Canton, at 11:00 on Sunday, when we will have the joy of celebrating the Sunday of the New-Martyrs and Confessors.

The Liturgy variables may be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CisdFJaJvoCGN12xKMyEHWTljKbCApKI/view

May God bless you. 

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark 

Forthcoming Visit of the Kursk-Root Icon

Dear brothers and sisters,

Yesterday, brought the wonderful news that the Wonderworking Kursk-Root icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, will be brought to Cardiff on Friday 18 March, with the hope that it will be possible to make a Wiltshire stop en route.

The following morning, it will visit the faithful in Cheltenham, before continuing to Telford, and thence to Wallasey.

Given the shortness of the visit and limited time, home visits will be for those who have not previously welcomed the icon into their homes, and will be limited to Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Those who would like to welcome the icon for the first time are asked to contact the parish clergy, so that a preliminary plan may be made, allowing the clergy to ascertain the length of time required.

An evening service will be celebrated in Cardiff on 18 March, with the details confirmed once the availability of St John’s or one of the other city churches is known.

Please mark these important dates in your diaries, so that you are able to honour the Mother of God through the veneration and welcoming of her precious icon.

Revealed on September 8, 1259, the wonderworking icon has been a constant channel of miracles, and after finally leaving Russia in 1920, it became the sign of the protection of the Mother of God, leading the exiles who fled the Soviet Union – a miraculous protection in the dark years of the Second World War, a consolation for the thousands of displaced persons, and the Hodegetria of the Russian Orthodox Diaspora – in Constantinople, in Greece, Serbia, then Austria and Germany, and now in every corner of the world.

We look forward to welcoming the icon to Cardiff, once more, and honouring Our Lady, the Theotokos.

Troparion, Tone 4: Having obtained thee as an unassailable rampart and wellspring of miracles, O Most Pure Mother of God, thy servants quell the assaults of enemies. Wherefore, we pray to thee: Grant peace to our land, and to our souls great mercy.

Nameday Greetings To Our Tatianas!

As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Martyr, Tatiana, of Rome, we greet our Cardiff and Cheltenham parishioners named in her honour, the Tatianas of our cathedral-parish, and all of the Tatianas among our Facebook friends and followers. May God bless them and grant them many years!

Kontakion, Tone IV: Thou didst shine forth radiantly in thy suffering, O passion-bearer, adorned with thy blood, and like a beautiful turtle-dove thou hast soared aloft to the heavens, O Tatiana. Wherefore, pray thou ever for those who honour thee.

Кондак, глас 4: Све́тло во страда́нии твое́м возсия́ла еси́, страстоте́рпице, от крове́й твои́х преиспещре́на, и, я́ко кра́сная голуби́ца, к Небеси́ возлете́ла еси́, Татиа́но, те́мже моли́ при́сно за чту́щия тя.

The Holy Virgin Martyr Tatiana was born into an illustrious Roman family, and her father was elected consul three times. He was secretly a Christian and raised his daughter to be devoted to God and the Church. When she reached the age of maturity, Tatiana decided to remain a virgin, betrothing herself to Christ. Disdaining earthly riches, she sought instead the imperishable wealth of Heaven. She was made a deaconess in one of the Roman churches and served God in fasting and prayer, tending the sick and helping the needy.

When Rome was ruled by the sixteen-year-old Alexander Severus (222-235), all power was concentrated in the hands of the regent Ulpian, an evil enemy and persecutor of Christians. Christian blood flowed like water. Tatiana was also arrested, and they brought her into the temple of Apollo to force her to offer sacrifice to the idol. The saint began praying, and suddenly there was an earthquake. The idol was smashed into pieces, and part of the temple collapsed and fell down on the pagan priests and many pagans. The demon inhabiting the idol fled screeching from that place. Those present saw its shadow flying through the air.

Then they tore holy virgin’s eyes out with hooks, but she bravely endured everything, praying for her tormentors that the Lord would open their spiritual eyes. And the Lord heard the prayer of His servant. The executioners saw four angels encircle the saint and beat her tormentors. A voice was heard from the heavens speaking to the holy virgin. Eight men believed in Christ and fell on their knees before Saint Tatiana, begging them to forgive them their sin against her. For confessing themselves Christians they were tortured and executed, receiving Baptism by blood.

The next day Saint Tatiana was brought before the wicked judge. Seeing her completely healed of all her wounds, they stripped her and beat her, and slashed her body with razors. A wondrous fragrance then filled the air. Then she was stretched out on the ground and beaten for so long that the servants had to be replaced several times. The torturers became exhausted and said that an invisible power was beating them with iron rods. Indeed, the angels warded off the blows directed at her and turned them upon the tormentors, causing nine of them to fall dead. They then threw the saint in prison, where she prayed all night and sang praises to the Lord with the angels.

A new morning began, and they took Saint Tatiana to the tribunal once more. The torturers beheld with astonishment that after such terrible torments she appeared completely healthy and even more radiant and beautiful than before. They began to urge her to offer sacrifice to the goddess Diana. The saint seemed agreeable, and they took her to the heathen temple. Saint Tatiana made the Sign of the Cross and began to pray. Suddenly, there was a crash of deafening thunder, and lightning struck the idol, the sacrificial offerings and the pagan priests.

Once again, the martyr was fiercely tortured. She was hung up and scraped with iron claws, and her breasts were cut off. That night, angels appeared to her in prison and healed her wounds as before. On the following day, they took Saint Tatiana to the circus and loosed a hungry lion on her. The beast did not harm the saint, but meekly licked her feet.

As they were taking the lion back to its cage, it killed one of the torturers. They threw Tatiana into a fire, but the fire did not harm the martyr. The pagans, thinking that she was a sorceress, cut her hair to take away her magical powers, then locked her up in the temple of Zeus.

On the third day, pagan priests came to the temple intending to offer sacrifice to Zeus. They beheld the idol on the floor, shattered to pieces, and the holy martyr Tatiana joyously praising the Lord Jesus Christ. The judge then condemned the valiant sufferer to be beheaded with a sword. Her father was also executed with her, because he had raised her to love Christ.

Source: The Orthodox Church in America