Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings as we continue to celebrate the afterfeast of the Exultation of the Cross, and nameday congratulations to all of our Sofias, Vieras, Nadezhdas, and Liubovs – especially to our little Sofia and Viera in Cardiff, mama Liuba in Cheltenham, Nadia in the Llanelli parish, Viera Aleksandrova in Chiswick and our former student Liuba in Fr Paul’s parish!

Dear sisters: May God grant you many, blessed years! Многая и благая лѣта!

The feast has been joyfully busy, starting as it did with Great Vespers in the Oratory Church on Thursday; the Hours and Divine Liturgy on Friday morning, after which we venerated a relic of the Life-Giving Cross, and then a litia and veneration of a relic of St Alban after refreshment. It was a particular joy to welcome our friends Helen and Rupert from the Cambridge parish – loyal supporters of the Walsingham shrine.

The second day of the feast was celebrated in Warminster, with a quiet prayerful Liturgy, blessed with Byzantine chants, as our usual dingers were absent. Thanks to all for a lovely Liturgy and splendid agape afterwards. Many thanks to Irina for bringing wonderful Old Believer‘s incense from Rogozha, where her late babushka worshipped.

The third day of the feast in Cardiff saw a very prayerful Liturgy, though we missed Father Mark the Younger, who is ill with chest and throat infections.

After the “liveliness” of the last few weeks, it was a blessing to have a Liturgy without distraction, with the blessing of venerating the beautiful new caved cross from Ukraine at the end of the service.

Thanks to all for a lovely feast and aftetfeast, whether in Splott, Warminster or Canton.

It has been a wonderful few days, and I look forward to a moleben to the Honourable and Life-Giving Cross tomorrow (Tuesday) at 15:00, with veneration of the Oratory’s relic of the Precious Cross.

Yesterday was also the feast of St Lyudmila, and the nameday of our dear elder-parishioner Ludmilla Borisevna, whom we were glad to greet and congratulate, wishing her many, blessed years.  Многая и благая лѣта!

“The Holy Martyr Lyudmila, a Czech (Bohemian) princess, was married to the Czech prince Borivoy. Both spouses received holy Baptism from Saint Methodios, Archbishop of Moravia and Enlightener of the Slavs (Comm. 11 May).

As Christians, they showed concerned for the enlightening of their subjects with the light of the true faith, they built churches and invited priests therein to make Divine-services. Prince Borivoy died early at age 36.

 Saint Liudmila as a widow led an austere pious life and continued to be concerned for the Church during the reign of her son Bratislav, which lasted for 33 years. Bratislav was married to Dragomira, from whom he had a son Vyacheslav.

After the death of Bratislav, 18 year old Vyacheslav came on the throne. Taking advantage of the inexperience and youth of her son, Dragomira began to propagate pagan manners and customs in the country.

Saint Lyudmila of course opposed this. Dragomira came to hate her mother-in-law and tried to destroy her. When Saint Lyudmila moved away to the city of Techin, Dragomira sent there two boyars in secret to murder her.

At the time Saint Lyudmila was praying, and the two assassins entered the house, carrying out Dragomira’s orders. The relics of the holy Martyr Lyudmila was buried in Techin in the city wall. From her grave there occurred numerous healings.

Prince Vyacheslav transferred the body of Saint Liudmila to the city of Prague and placed it in the church of Saint George.”

Our namedays are of immense importance, and far outshine our birthdays. Our name saint is our second “guardian angel”, hence our using the phrase angel day for our nameday. We celebrate these days with joy, prayer and devotions to our heavenly protector and ideally with communion of the Most Pure Mysteries. Given the dispersal of our parish and lack of building, more than often, we have a catch up on the following Sunday, but whether we do so on the feast itself, it is customary for us to bring flowers, gifts and cards, and to send greeting to those further away.

When it is OUR nameday, it is customary that WE treat others, bringing cakes, or something sweet to share with our brothers and sisters.

We take the opportunity to share our feast with others, and to honour our saint by this act of love.

This is an important thing for the converts of our parish to learn and embrace.

As well as celebrating a moleben tomorrow, vespers for the Leave-Taking of the feast will be celebrated in the Oratory Church on Thursday at 15:00. Confessions will also be heard before and after the services, though I will need notice from anyone coming beforehand.

I will be away on Friday and Saturday, visiting the Church of St Lazar in Birmingham for the evening akathist at 19:00 and morning Liturgy at 09:00, but back for Sunday’s Liturgy – Sunday being the feast of the Hawaiian Myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.

Father Mark the Younger has asked me to remind parents that there will be a short meeting with parents after Sunday’s Liturgy, with the hope that parents will remain this time. After the last request, only matushka Alla remained in church.

After the recent tension about arrival time of at St John’s, the ladies of the parish expressed their concern that people were waiting outside and wish us to communicate that nobody should do so – so, we will take our lead from the parishioners who – at least – continue to be positive about our presence. Heeding their counsel, as long as the Anglican service is over, please enter if you are early. This makes confessions considerably easier.

With a group of parish brothers on the Holy Mountain, armed with your prayer requests, we will be a little thinner on male parishioners next week, but it is wonderful that our brothers should band together to organise this Athonite pilgrimage, taking Gleb, the son of one of our Bath friends. Glory to God!

May God bless you all.

Asking your forgiveness, for Christ’s sake.

Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings for the after-feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and the feast of our Venerable Fathers, Sergius and Herman of Valaam, for whose feast we celebrated Great Vespers in the Oratory Church, yesterday!

Today is also the feast of St Siouan the Athonite, and we send our greetings to Ruth-Silouana, on her name day.

This day is also the anniversary of the canonisation of St Xenia of St Petersburg by our Russian Church Abroad in 1978, so we greet our sisters named for the great God-pleaser and wonderworker – including our sister, Xenia, in Prestbury.

Dear sisters – Many, blessed years!

As well as celebrating vespers, Monday saw the funeral of Helen, wife of Father David Hathaway, known to some of our parishioners from his time as Anglican incumbent of St Augustine’s, Rumney, before his entry into the Roman Catholic Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Until his retirement, Father David faithfully served the sisters at Nazareth House, and our paths crossed on many a Sunday morning, when he always showed interest in our parish and its people.

Helen was a pillar of strength in supporting Father David in his ministry, and we know that even though he is now retired, a lack of ‘matushka’ figure at his side will leave an immense gap.

Please keep the newly departed Helen, and Father David and his family in your prayers.

As you are aware I was unable to travel to London for the altar-feast of the cathedral, largely due to swollen feet – something that I’ve never suffered with before – though I am glad to say that things are getting back to normal. Thankyou for your prayers!

With so many parishioners away on their travels, our Sunday numbers, in Cardiff, were rather scant, and we look forward to a little more normality with the return of our travellers and students.

Thanks to all who contributed to Sunday’s after-feast, especially our kliros.

The end of Liturgy saw a litia for Edmund‘s father-in-law, Igor, and other newly departed faithful. Please pray for the repose of Igor’s soul, for Ed’s wife, Olga, and for all the family. Memory Eternal! 

After a Liturgy with rather constant background noise on Sunday, I hope that in the weeks ahead we will work together for a more peaceful worship environment, as noise and movement is becoming an obstacle to prayer and is causing much distraction – especially during he most solemn moments, such as the reading of the Gospel and the anaphora.

Distractions are disturbing the faithful, who come to church to be able to concentrate in prayer and stand before the Lord without earthly cares for a short time each week.

If we as clergy are being distracted from priestly prayers in the altar, then we know that it must be even more distracting for those closer to the children’s corner and sources of distraction.

Starting on Sunday, the children’s corner will be out of use during Liturgy, as this has become the major source of intrusive noise and a cause of disturbance, and games that cause constant noise have made it very difficult for the faithful to pray.

Any activities to occupy the children should be quiet and not involve telephones.

Children who are old enough to be confessing (from seven years and above), are old enough to increasingly join in the worship of the Church, by STANDING, and learning how to and pray and how to worship.

As Father Mark the Younger observed, even though we understand that the complete duration of the Hours and Liturgy is very long for our children, we must be clear that we come to church to pray, not play.

We are clear to our adult new-comers that we worship with our whole bodies, including making the sign of the cross, bowing during our prayers, and making prostrations on weekdays and feasts of the Cross – as we will at the veneration of the Cross this coming Sunday – and our children need to learn this by being part of worship.

As indicated several times before, from the Cherubic Hymn onwards, children need to be with parents, and learning to participate in the Church’s Liturgy, becoming familiar with the prayers and hymns, and the acts of Christian worship.

They should not needlessly be moving around the church during the Divine Liturgy.

We hope to see the development of spiritually educational activities, but this needs volunteers who are willing to undertake this obedience, and who will take care of resources needed, given our lack of space in church.

We know that it will take time for the children to learn, but we have to make a beginning.

Whilst we are discussing behaviour in church we also need to be clear that nobody should be drinking from water bottles during from the service. If  there is a medical reason for needing to drink, that need not be a problem, but this needs to be discussed with the clergy to seek a blessing. In such circumstances, the faithful can go to the kitchen and do so discreetly, not in the middle of worship.

This Friday is the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, and will begin with Great Vespers in the Oratory Church at 15:00 on Thursday afternoon. We will return the next morning for the Divine Liturgy at 10:30. We will have refreshments in the church hall afterwards.

Confessions will be heard after vespers and before Liturgy, but as I will be performing a house blessing, there will be no evening confessions this week.

The second day of the feast will be celebrated in Warminster, where the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the Capel of St Lawrence – in Market Place – at 10:30.

Sunday is not only the after-feast of the Cross, but also of St Ludmilla, so we look very much look forward to greeting our elder-parishioner and sister. We will also bless our brothers who will be travelling to Mount Athos the following morning.

Just a reminder that we are asking parishioners who are helping with set up to arrive at 10:15, and other parishioners to come to St John’s at 10:30.

As you know, we have been asked to not park on the grass, and ask that parking spaces are left for our older parishioners and those bringing equipment and supplies to church.

I am sorry that much of the newsletter has been taken up with dos-and-dont’s, but I am sure you will understand that we have to make some POSITIVE changes for right-worship, the meaning of Orthodoxy/Pravoslavie, and for the glory of God.

Wishing you all a blessed and prayerful week.

Asking forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

As we begin this New Church Year, let us not only pray for God’s blessing to crown the year, but actively labour to make everything we do – whether as individuals, together as families, as communities, and as the Church – God-pleasing, worthy of blessing, and to His glory.

At the end of a week which saw services for the feasts of the Beheading of the Forerunner, St Alexander Nevsky and St Alexander of Svir, we began the New Indiction with vespers in the Oratory Church, followed by our New Year Liturgy in Cheltenham.

Dear brothers and sisters.

Greetings for the feast of St Phanourios the Newly-Revealed, of Rhodes!

As the children settle into new classes and a new term, and our students prepare to for the new academic year, we enter the last week of the Church year, with the beheading of the Forerunner on Wednesday being its last greater feast.

This year a Cheltenham Liturgy will mark the Church New Year, though we will celebrate vespers for the eve in the Oratory Church on Friday afternoon, as listed below.

Our last Cardiff Liturgy of the Church year, was a busy and well attended one, with parishioners having returned from their travels, a good complement of singers on the kliros, and many people confessing and communing.

This has been an interesting summer of sustained numbers, and quite different to past years, when congregations were much reduced during the summer months.

We are grateful to Father Mark “the Younger” for a homily, from which I’m sure the children (and not so young) benefited and gained a fundamental understanding of forgiveness and letting go of grudges and ill-feeling. Thank you, Father!

At the end of Liturgy, it was good to be able to celebrate a litia for the soul of Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) of Platina – of thrice-blessed memory – especially, given his place in the bringing of so many of us to REAL Orthodoxy, and exposing the modernist, revisionist, liberal imitations of Faith. Many of our British parishioners, as well as Hierodeacon Avraamy and I, and countless people in the Balkans and Eastern Europe have been taught, shaped and greatly influenced by the life, labours and writings of Father Seraphim, and await – with hope – the day when he will be officially numbered among the choir of the saints. Memory Eternal!

After José’s baptism, and his and Germaine’s wedding a week and a half ago, in the cathedral, we were very happy to have them with us before life on the Spain-Portugal border, with their departure mirrored by Lazarus, Liz and Piran moving to Wales at the end of the week. We hold them all in our prayers, as well as the parishioners who will be travelling in the next few weeks: Peter, Petr, Joanna, Masha, Natalia, as well as Allan and Olga currently on their Italian travels.

This remainder of the month is a very busy one, hence my taking a short break last week. As well as the mission Liturgies, and cathedral altar-feast, the return of our students and young people who have been away will bring added busyness to parish life, and I hope that as well as services listed below, there will be more parish activities, including the book-club, face-to-face catechesis, and time spent developing church reading and chanting – as I would very much like to develop men’s chant, whether Slavic or Byzantine within the parish.

We have a number of people who are very happy to read in church, and who wish to learn more about liturgics and the practices of reading in our tradition. This also opens the possibility of confident and competent reader services across the wide geographical breadth of the parish, and would be a good thing to do in Advent.

I would be very happy for us to mirror the Wessex end-of-month gathering for occasional home services in Cardiff, knowing that in the past parishioners have raised the idea of compline with a canon or akathist and spiritual talks in parish homes. This was how the Llanelli parish started, with a weekly home service. Such occasions could be used for the monthly lesser blessing of Holy Water, with a house blessing at the same time. Please share any ideas with the clergy.

As it is so busy, there will be no Saturday pilgrimage this month, and our next one will be to Lazarica in Birmingham to honour the Mother of God and venerate her Trojeručica-Hilandarska icon on Saturday 26 October.

Please see the September dates below.

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

Hieromonk Mark

Tuesday 10 September: Great Vespers for the Eve of the Beheading of the Forerunner – The Oratory Church (Swinton Street, Cardiff CF24 2NT) at 15:00.

Thursday 12 September: Moleben to Venerable Alexander of Svir (1533) – The Oratory Church at 15:00. Confessions after the service.

Friday 13 September: Vespers for the New Church-Year – The Oratory Church at 15:00. Confessions after the service.

Saturday 14 September: Hours and Liturgy for the New Church Year – Prestbury United Reformed Church, Cheltenham, at 10:30. Confessions before the service.

Sunday 15 September: Hours and Liturgy – St Johns, Canton, at 11:00. Confessions before the service from 10:15.

Tuesday 17 September:  Moleben to the Holy Passion-Bearer King Edward the Martyr – The Oratory Church at 15:00.

Thursday 19 September: Vespers for the commemoration of the Holy Great-Martyr Eustathius and his companions -The Oratory Church at 15:00.

Saturday 21 September: Nativity of the Mother of God: Hierarchical Liturgy in the London Cathedral at 09:00.

Sunday 22 September: Hours and Liturgy – St Johns, Canton, at 11:00. Confessions before the service from 10:15.

Monday 23 September: Wessex evening service and end of month meet up. Details from Porphyrios.

Tuesday 24 September: Vespers for the feast of St Sergius of Radonezh. The Oratory Church at 15:00.

Thursday 26 September: Great Vespers for the Exultation of the Cross – The Oratory Church at 15:00. Confessions after the service.

Friday 29 September: Hours and Liturgy for the Exultation of the Cross – The Oratory Church at 10:30. Confessions before the service.

Saturday 28 September: Hours and Liturgy for the After-feast of the Exultation of the Cross – Chapel of St Lawrence, Warminster, at 10:30. Confessions before the service.

Sunday 29 September: Hours and Liturgy for the Sunday after the Exultation of the Cross – St Johns, Canton, at 11:00. Confessions before the service from 10:15.

Dear brothers and sisters, 

Greetings, as we continue to celebrate the octave of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, with today’s feast of her icon “The Giver of Reason.”

Thanks to all who laboured for the feast and this Sunday’s service.

We were very happy to celebrate Dormition in the Oratory Church, earlier in the week, with Great Vespers on Tuesday and the Divine Liturgy on Wednesday. 

Thanks to Father Mark the Younger, for taking the lead on the feast, which was well attended for a weekday, and thanks to those who provided a lovely lunch in the church hall.

As you know, the second day of the feast took us to London, for José’s baptism in the lower cathedral, with Father Mark acting as José’s godfather.

It was a wonderful occasion, and one for which we have been praying, crowned with the joy of José and Mary’s wedding on Friday, and Father Mark communing them with the Most Pure Mysteries at the Saturday Liturgy.

Having time with José and Mary before their departure for mountain-life in Spain was a blessing, as was the opportunity to sit down with Chiswick friends for unrushed meals and much conversation about our parishes and spiritual life.

Though I had expected to concelebrate today, the morning developed in such a way that I read and sang, greatly enjoying being on the kliros.

We were pleased to serve a litia to the Saviour and the Mother of God, before her “Giver of Reason” icon, praying for our children and students for the new term, as they begin their studies. We very much hope that the new university term will bring more young people to the parish, and look forward to welcoming back those still on vocation.

After the thanksgiving prayers, Father Mark and I offered molebens for different parishioners, something that we are always happy to do, not to mention memorial services.

Father then performed his first baptism, for five-month-old Afanasia whose family live in Carmarthenshire. We congratulate them on this joyful occasion.

I am presently in Wells – a stone’s throw from Glastonbury – where I will spend some days in pilgrimage and prayer, resting and reading.

Please forward any prayer requests, as I will be serving molebens and memorial services, beginning this evening with a moleben to the Mother of God, in honour of the “Giver of Reason” icon.

On my return to Wales, I will celebrate Great Vespers in the Oratory Church, on Friday, and will be available to hear confessions.

We are greatly looking forward to welcoming José and Mary in Cardiff next Sunday: the feast of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

The New Church Year, on Saturday 14th September, will be celebrated in Cheltenham, with our monthly Liturgy in Prestbury United Reformed Church at 10:30.

The next Great Feast of the Church’s year will be the Nativity of the Mother of God, the cathedral altar-feast, on Saturday 21st September, new-style. It would be good to have parishioners to participate in the celebration of the feast in the cathedral.

This is one of the special occasions that brings people together from many parishes in the British part of our diocese, and a wonderful chance to meet brothers and sisters and to get to know our clergy.

The greeting of the bishop will be at 09:00, followed by the Hours, Hierarchical Liturgy and trapeza. 

At the end of the month, we will celebrate the Exultation of the Cross, with a Liturgy provisionally arranged for Friday 27th September, in the Oratory Church – subject to having singers.

The following day, Saturday 28th September, our Wessex Liturgy will be celebrated in the Chapel of St Lawrence in Warminster at 10:30. 

After a busy September, our next pilgrimage will be our much-anticipated return to Lazarica – the magnificent church of St Lazar in Birmingham’s Bournville – to honour the Mother of God and venerate her Trojeručica-Hilandarska icon.

Last year’s visit made a great impression on parishioners, but our students were unable to come, due to on-line problems buying train tickets. 

We hope that October will see everyone wishing to attend to be part of this return pilgrimage to the beautiful shrine and the wonderful parish, and for us to organise car shares well in advance.

Saturday Liturgy at Lazarica is at 09:00.

Please pray for José and Mary, and for Afanasia. We pray to God to grant them many, blessed years! Многая и благая лѣта!

We also ask for prayers for Lazarus and Liz, as they prepare to move from Poole to Cardiff in a few weeks, and for travellers, Jessica-Anne and her daughter Mary-Louisa, and Allan and Olga.

We continue to pray for the newly departed Archimandrite Germogen and for Jovana.

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

What a wonderful weekend this has been, and how blessed we are to have continued celebrating the after-feast of the Transfiguration not only in Cardiff, but also in the ancient church of St Laurence in Bradford-on-Avon.

Our pilgrimage to honour St Laurence brought pilgrims together from across the geographical breadth of the parish – from Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, from Bath and North East Somerset, from Chippenham and Warminster, from Poole, and the western reaches of the Kennet and Avon Canal – with Aleksandra visiting from London, and Orthodox visitors from Kent and East Anglia.

It was wonderful that such geographically scattered people gathered under the high roof of the ancient church, united in the Liturgy and the communion of the Lord’s Body and Blood. The Liturgy itself was a sign of unity, as was the lovely shared meal and time chatting between services.

Our day started wet and grey, and the smallness of the windows and narrow high doorways made for a dark interior, to which our eyes needed to adjust as we entered the ancient church. However, as we prepared the sanctuary and nave for worship, the interior came to life with candlelight, with our flower-decked icons flanking the high narrow entrance to the sanctuary – lit so beautifully by the seven-branched candelabrum generously bought by the chair of trustees of St Lawrence’s in Warminster, for our use in Wessex liturgies. It looked wonderful in the high, dark sanctuary, giving us much-needed light to celebrate upon the stone altar.

Our Liturgy followed the confessions of most of our pilgrims who partook of the Holy Mysteries. We congratulate them, and hope that the Grace of the Liturgy continues to give them strength.

It was wonderful for the church to resound with Orthodox chant, with incense smoke rising to the heights of the tall, narrow temple, and a blessing to honour the Holy Martyr Laurence the day after his feast. The reading of his canon during our afternoon moleben was a joy, with the refrains enthusiastically resounding in the now bright and sunny nave, with the Serbian and Athonite melodies of the ectenias greeting the steady stream of afternoon visitors.

For most of the visitors who came in and out during our services, it was probably their first living encounter with Orthodox Christianity, and stresses the importance of our pilgrimages in taking the Church into the world, where it can be encountered in all of its beauty.

We had hoped for a picnic outside, but the weather resulted in a picnic in the body of the church as the clouds gave way to blue sky and sun, so that by the time we chanted a joyful moleben to St Laurence after lunch, it felt like summer, once more.

Some of us enjoyed a short walk along the river to the ancient tithe-barn and a visit to the community orchard before sitting outside chatting over refreshments for an hour, enjoying the tea-time sun.

Thanks to all who contributed to such a wonderful, memorable day.

It is heartening to see the determined teamwork following our parish elections, and the hard work being invested in our community, whether in South Wales or across the Severn, among our Wessex faithful. The month since Father Mark’s ordination has seen great positivity, with parishioners being so proactive and generous in parish life.

Today’s Liturgy continued the after-feast, with the traditional blessing of fruit at the end of the service, and we were pleased to once again welcome our new visitors who have been with us over the last two or three weeks. Trapeza after Liturgy is proving so important in getting to meet new people, welcome them and introduce them to our community. Many thanks to our sisters, and all who have been helping with our post-Liturgy meal.

The last few days of the Dormition Fast are before us, and we will celebrate the Summer-Pascha, the Dormition of the Mother of God, on Wednesday. I will celebrate Great Vespers in the Oratory Church in Swinton Street on Tuesday at 15:00, and will hear confessions if needed after our service. The Hours and Divine Liturgy will then be celebrated there at 10:30 on Wednesday morning, and I am glad that Father Mark the Younger will be with us, allowing me to hear confessions whilst he performs proskomedia. We will share a bring-and-share lunch after Liturgy, as we have on previous Liturgy days.

Father Mark and I will spend the second and third days of the Dormition in London, where Germaine’s husband Jose will be baptised on Thursday, before their Orthodox Church wedding on Friday. Please keep them in your prayers.

When we assemble again, in St John’s, we will celebrate the after-feast of the Dormition Mother of God, and the Sunday of Dormition marks the feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Enlightener of Minds” – “Pribavlenie Uma.”

Most of you will be aware of the repose of Branka’s grandmother, Jovana, who was remembered together with the newly reposed Archimandrite Germogen and handmaiden of God, Liubov in a litia after Liturgy. Please keep them, as well as Branka, Stefan and Tara in your prayers. Memory Eternal!

I very much look forward to celebrating Dormition and its after-feast with you!

Asking you forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

How sad it is that this second day of the feast of the Transfiguration is overshadowed by the Verkhovna Rada passing a resolution aiming to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Only yesterday, I wrote that the way of the Cross is the way that leads us upwards to the Mountain of the Transfiguration and to the Saviour, Who calls us into His glory in the radiance of His Kingdom. Though its personal Golgotha, the struggle that faces the Church in Ukraine, will ultimately lead the Church into Christ’s radiant glory, but the times ahead may be hard and painful, and our prayers are needed. Our thoughts are particularly with our temporary parishioners from Ukraine, who are children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Despite this sorrowful event, we rejoice in the feast of the Saviour’s Transfiguration, celebrated with the Divine Liturgy and a lunch in the Oratory Church, yesterday. A dozen of us gathered to celebrate the feast, with some of enjoying lunch in the church hall after the service.

Our sincere thanks go to Father Sebastian, who came to church to greet the faithful before Liturgy, having heard the joyful news that the Hawaiian Myrrh-Weeping icon of the Mother of God will be coming to Cardiff on 12 November, on which evening a moleben will be offered before the icon, in honour of the Mother of God. St John’s will be in use that evening, so by providence, and perhaps the will of the Mother of God, her icon will – once more – be venerated alongside the relics of the Holy Protomartyr, Alban, as happened in St Alban’s Abbey, on the day when Father Mark was made a reader. Please mark this much anticipated visit on your calendar. The icon will be brought by His Grace, Bishop Irenei, and we greatly look forward to welcoming him and the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Father Mark and I felt greatly blessed to travel to Cheltenham, where we celebrated the feast of the Holy Youths of Ephesus, with Father Mark the Younger celebrating the Divine Liturgy, whilst I looked after confessions, helped in the oltar and sang on the kliros with our sisters, reduced in number, due to summer holidays. It was a lovely celebration, and it was lovely to have lunch together, and to then bless mama Galina’s flat and to relax and have tea before our journey back to Wales. Though the Cheltenham visits make for a long day, and can be very tiring, we felt greatly blessed, invigorated and enthusiastic, returning home with a newly found energy and great appreciation for the love and devotion among the members of our little Gloucestershire community. Glory to God!

In Cardiff, on Sunday, Father Mark and I continued the pattern which will now be repeated, alternating the main celebrant, with the concelebrant offering the homily. It was good to see parishioners who have been away for a while and to welcome our new youngsters, and to see such warm conversation as people introduced themselves and made the acquaintance of our new faces. Thanks to all, who made it another lovely Liturgy, and looked after everyone with such warmth and kindness.

We must congratulate Kolya on his exam results, and forthcoming study in Bristol, and your prayers are asked for our students who are still travelling during the summer vacation, as well as for Sveta as she heads off for some summer teaching.

This week will see confessions on Thursday, on which day vespers for the feast of St Laurence will be chanted in the Oratory Church. Please get in touch if you wish to arrange confession.

We will celebrate the feast of St Laurence a day late in Bradford-on-Avon on Saturday (24^th August), honouring the hieromartyr in the beautiful Anglo-Saxon Church dedicated to him, with the Hours and Divine Liturgy beginning at 09:00. We hope that the weather will allow us to celebrate a picnic lunch, before serving a moleben to St Laurence in the afternoon. I am told that some of our cathedral youth will be making the journey, and hopefully helping with the singing.

Looking forward to next week, the Divine Liturgy for the Dormition of the Mother of God will be celebrated in the Oratory Church on Wednesday 28^th August, on which day there will be two Fathers Mark to serve, making confessions and proskomedia rather easier. A bring-and-share lunch will follow the Liturgy.

Being the afterfeast of the Transfiguration, we will repeat the blessing of fruit after this Sunday’s Liturgy, so please feel free to bring fruit to mark the second feast of the Saviour – the “Apple Saviour” – “Яблочный Спас”.

I hope that the Dormtion fast, in preparation for the Summer Pasha – the Dormition of the Mother of God – is proving spiritually fruitful for you.

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

Hieromonk Mark

Sunday 11 August N.S.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today saw the celebration of the Nativity of St Nicholas in Cardiff after the feast of the Smolensk icon in Warminster yesterday.

In my homily in Warminster, I reflected upon the life of the Smolensk icon, being carried in battle against the Mongol Hordes and against the invading French Army of 1812, stressing that, as Vladyka recently pointed out to us, the ceaseless Christian war is actually one that exists in each of our lives – not against worldly powers and regimes, but against sin and temptation.

As an Hodegetria Icon in which the Mother of God is ‘she who shows the way’, pointing to Christ as the very centre of her and our lives, it is through her example and guidance, following that iconographic hand in Her Smolensk icon, to concentrate upon Christ as the focal point and meaning of lives obedient to the Law of God, determined by the Gospel, and fighting against sin and temptation, that we will gain the real victory.

A great example of this is to be seen in St Nicholas, whose very name means Victor, or Winner – as explained to our youngsters at the end of Liturgy. The Mother of God and the Holy Wonderworker Nicholas show us that there is no victory unless we fight and labour for Christ.

If there is no battle, we will be spiritually crushed and lose the crown prepared for us by the Saviour, Who was victorious over hades, death and Satan through in His Life-Giving Passion and Glorious Resurrection. Victory was gained through the Cross, reminding us that without struggle and fighting for the Kingdom of Heaven, there will be no victory. The Cross is our weapon and token of victory, but only if it is lived and embraced!

Thank you to all who laboured for our weekend celebrations, especially for such generous hospitality and support whilst travelling away from home. It was lovely to have new people to join us for Liturgy, and wonderful that parish hospitality embraced them as they stopped to have lunch and  chat, and to have our young people engage and make them welcome.

It was a blessing to have Father Mark the Younger preach the homily at Liturgy, an we are grateful for such a well expressed encapsulation of the Sunday Gospel, highlighting that like the blind men, we need to follow Christ, keeping up with him and being persistent in our prayers when He may not respond to them in our time, rather than His time. Thank you, Father!

This Wednesday, the feast of the All-Merciful Saviour and the Procession of the Cross marks the beginning of the Dormition Fast, and Vespers will be chanted in the Oratory Church on Tuesday, the eve of the feast at 15:00. This is the first feast of the Saviour in August, known to us as the ‘Honey Saviour’ – ‘medovy spas’.

To once more quote St Nikolai Velimirovich:

“This feast was instituted by a mutual agreement of the Greeks and Russians at the time of the Greek Emperor Manuel and the Russian Prince Andrew in commemoration of the simultaneous victories of the Russians over the Bulgarians and the Greeks over the Saracens [in 1164]. In both of these battles, crosses were carried by the armies from which heavenly rays shone. It was therefore instituted that, on August 1, the Cross be carried first to the middle of the Church of the Divine Wisdom [Hagia Sophia] and after that, along the streets for the people to venerate as a commemoration of the miraculous help of the Cross in previous battles. This was not an ordinary cross but the true Honourable Cross which was kept in the church of the imperial court. On July 31, the Honourable Cross was carried from the imperial court to the Church of the Holy Wisdom of God and from there it was carried along the streets for the consecration of the earth and the air. Finally, on August 14, it was again returned to the church of the imperial palace.”

As most parishioners will be at work on the feast, we will bless honey after next Sunday’s Liturgy, so please bring your honey, honey-cakes, mead, poppy seeds and poppy-seed cakes and any other festal fare to be blessed, so that we can rally “taste and see how good the Lord is.”

Rather than vespers, Thursday will see the chanting of a moleben to St Vasily the Blessed of Moscow, in our usual Thursday afternoon 3 o’clock gathering in the Oratory Church. Please message me if you’d like confession on Thursday.

Saturday is our monthly Cheltenham visit, with the Hours and Liturgy in Prestbury United Reformed Church at 10:30. We look forward to Father Mark’s first priestly celebration on Cheltenham, and will perform the honey blessing at the end of the service.

Monday 19th August (6th Old Style) is the feast of the Transfiguration, and will be marked by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and blessing of new fruits in the Oratory Church at 10:30. I know that Masha very much wants to remain in Cardiff on Sunday night to be with us for the Transfiguration in Liturgy, so if anyone is able to offer a night’s hospitality, please get in touch with her.

As previously announced, Saturday 24th August will be see our Wessex pilgrimage to the Saxon church of St Laurence in Bradford-on-Avon, with the Hours at 09:00, followed by the Divine Liturgy at 9:30. Weather permitting we will have a picnic lunch in the churchyard after the service.

Please think about what you can take on during the short fast ahead of us, in order to dedicate the thirteen days – fourteen with the feast of Dormition – to the Mother of God. If possible, read a supplication canon in her honour every day. Use these days to spiritually prepare for our Summer Pascha, when we will celebrate the falling asleep, resurrection and assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos into heaven.

May God bless you.

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

Hieromonk Mark

Monday 5 August N.S.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings for the feast of the Pochaev and St Petersburg Joy of All Who Sorrow icons the Most Holy Mother of God!

Yesterday saw the celebration of feast of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles, Mary Magadalene, with a prayerful and joyful Liturgy celebrated by Father Mark “the Younger”, who is settling into priestly liturgical life quite naturally and without any fuss. This allowed me to hear quite a large volume of confessions and to then make commemorations in the early part of the Liturgy. This flexibility is very welcome. However, we must be clear that on alternate Sundays when I will act as primary celebrant confessions must end during the sixth hour, allowing me time to vest. This means that confession time on those Sundays will be around an hour, from 10:15.

It made a great difference for clergy to arrive yesterday and find that our starosta and parishioners had already made a good start on setting up the church, and we are grateful to all who were there to assist and who came early, to be of help. We need to remember that we are each an integral part of the parish, and are needed for its community life and to make things work effectively. I was surprised and relieved by the speed and smoothness of the packing away after, and glad to se that Father Mark was able to sit at table and be with parishioners whilst I saw those who needed to talk individually during the afternoon.

During Liturgy, it was a great joy to welcome baby Sophia as she made her fist communion, after her baptism the previous Sunday afternoon, to have quite a few new faces, and to then for Joseph to enter the catechumenate through the rite of making a catechumen.

Thanks to all who laboured for the celebration, and a nod to the young people whom it was good to see in the kitchen helping our sisters after the service.

I would like to remind everyone that during the summer months the doors of St John’s remain open, and there is often a quiet flow of people coming in and out of the church, some of whom come and chat, others remaining for a short time, some probably entering and leaving without us even noticing. With this in mind, can I please ask parishioners to be careful and responsible and NOT to leave handbags, purses/wallets or any valuables in the body of the church whilst they are in trapeza, and have little or no view of the body of the church. Let’s please be responsible and avoid risk.

As some of you know, the Llanelli parish presented an icon of St Seraphim to his newly-enlightened namesake as a baptism present. If anyone would like to contribute to the cost of the icon, could they please contact me so that I can let Father Luke know.

As mentioned in our previous newsletter and announced at Liturgy, we have some extra dates for diaries, this month.

• Saturday 10th August: Warminster Hours and Liturgy at 10:30
• Wednesday 14th August (1st according to the Church Calendar) Dormition Fast begins
• Saturday 17th August: Cheltenham Divine Liturgy in Prestbury United Reformed Church at 10:30 – honey blessing at the end of Liturgy.
• Sunday 18th August: Cardiff Hours and Divine Liturgy at 11:00 – honey blessing at the end of Liturgy.
• Monday 6/19th August: Transfiguration Hours and Divine Liturgy in the Oratory Church, in Swinton Street at 10:30, with the blessing of fruit at the end of the service. 
• Saturday 24th August: Wessex pilgrimage to the Saxon church of St Laurence in Bradford-on-Avon. Hours at 9:00, followed by the Divine Liturgy at 9:30. Picnic lunch after the service.
• Sunday 25th August: Afterfeast of the Transfiguration – Cardiff Hours and Divine Liturgy at 11:00 – fruit blessing at the end of Liturgy.
• Wednesday 15/28thAugust: Hours and Divine Liturgy for the Dormition in the Oratory Church at 10:30.

This week, vespers will be chanted before the relics of St Alban in the Oratory Church on Thursday at 15:00, followed by confession, and if anyone needs an evening confession I will meet them at Nazareth House, but need to know asap, so that I can make arrangements with the Sisters. 

As you will have possible seen on WhatsApp, the Book Club will be restarting, reading the Popular Patristics Series volume “On Christian Doctrine and Practice” by St Basil the Great:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0881414581/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Please contact Menna for any book club details/info. Menna will also be the happy recipient of any unwanted Orthodox books for parish lending, especially given the number of enquirers and new people. It’s good to see so many books in circulation at the moment, and we would like to build on this.

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

May God bless and protect you all.

Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

How good it is to sit down and catch a breath after a couple of very busy weeks surrounding the ordination of our new priest and my duties in Walsingham. It seems things have caught up on me, so I shall have a quiet first half of the week and not be in Cardiff until Thursday. Slightly alarming blood-pressure and photosensitive headaches seem to be the theme of this new week, but will hopefully relent as the week progresses.

It was good to have time to pray for our parish, the faithful, their loved ones and intentions in Walsingham, and to lift everyone before the Lord and His All-Holy Mother, and it was a blessing to celebrate the Divine Services in the shrine, with the unexpected presence of Father Cosmas from Rugby, an old friend of St Seraphim’s in Birmingham. Sadly, the schism instigated by the Phanar in Ukraine precluded celebrating together, but we were happy that he and his matushka could pray with us and share the feast of the Chilandar Three-Handed Icon of the Mother of God. After more than a quarter of a century since last being at Liturgy with him, the Mother of God did what so often happens in Walsingham, in bringing people together after so many years.

Yesterday, the feast if the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles the Holy Great-Prince Vladimir, brought further confirmation of how naturally Father Mark the Younger has taken to priestly duties, and it is a joy to have him beside me. It is strange to only have one deacon after the rather symmetrical luxury of a deacon on either hand, but the advantage of having a priest to perform proskomedia whilst I hear confessions makes a vast difference to Sunday mornings.

Sunday mornings would be easier still, if we had more assistance to set up the church, so may I please prompt our young people, in particular, to be in church early to assist and make it possible for everything to be in place as soon as possible.

Hierodeacon Avraamy is keen to develop reading skills in the parish, and has already started working with Tracy, who assisted with services in Walsingham, during he blitzkrieg visit, last week, and I hope that others will follow.

As we look forward to August I would like to flag some dates for diaries.

• Saturday 10^th August will see the monthly Liturgy in Warminster for Cardiff parishioners living in Wessex.
• Dormition Fast begins on 14^th August (1st according to the Church Calendar) and lasts until the feast of the Dormition on Wednesday 15/28^th
• Saturday 17^th August will see the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in Cheltenham.
• The following day, being the Sunday after the feast of the All-Merciful Saviour, we will perform the traditional honey blessing at the end of Liturgy.
• On Monday 6/19^th August, the feast of the Transfiguration will be celebrated in the Oratory Church, in Swinton St, with the Hours and Liturgy commencing at 10:30, with the fruit blessing at the end of Liturgy. There will also be a blessing of fruit on the following Saturday and Sunday, when the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in Bradford-on-Avon and Cardiff.
• There will be a Wessex pilgrimage to the Saxon church of St Laurence in Bradford-on-Avon, near Bath on Saturday 24^th August, with the Divine Liturgy being celebrated in honour of the patron of the temple – St Laurence of Rome, whose feast falls the previous day. This is a unique and wonderful place, and some South Wales parishioners have already expressed interest in attending. The Hours will be celebrated at 9:00, followed by the Divine Liturgy at 9:30, ending with a cross procession and followed by a picnic if the weather is favourable.
• The Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Dormition will be celebrated in the Oratory Church on Wednesday 15/28^thAugust, with the Hours commencing at 10:30.

We are delighted to announce that Germaine-Mary’s husband José will be baptised in the London Cathedral on Thursday 29^th August, and that they will be crowned in the Orthodox marriage ceremony the following day. Please keep them in your prayers!

This week, I will chant the akathist before the icon of the Walsingham Mother of God at 15:00 in the Oratory Church on Thursday, and will be available for confessions after the service. As I have to potentially wait for up to four hours for a delivery in St John’s, Canton, on Friday, I will also be able to hear confessions from 11:00. Please get in touch.

My presence in town on Saturday will very much depend on progress reducing blood pressure, so please watch WhatsApp for any announcements. Hopefully, once the hot, humid weather subsides, things will be a little easier – particular on presently crowded trains, which are airless and rather hot for cassock clad clerics.

Thanks to all who labour for our parish, and serve the Lord with gladness, and thanks for so many kindnesses to the clergy… from books, icons and food to vitamins and supplements.

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

May God bless and protect you all.

Hieromonk Mark