Category Archives: Parish News

Parish News

Zacchaeus Sunday – Parish News

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Greetings to you all as we continue to celebrate the after-feast of the Meeting of the Lord. S prazdnikom!

As the feast fell on a Thursday, when St John’s is unavailable, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Llanelli, and I was pleased to be able to assist Father Luke by singing on the kliros. Unfortunately, the afternoon journey to Cardiff was severely disrupted by problems with the railway line beyond Llanelli, so a number of confessions had to be cancelled, though I still managed to see a few people in the early evening before joining our young people to congratulate Kalina on her birthday. Many years!

Despite half-term, road closures, car-troubles and parishioners’ commitments, we were heartened by attendance at today’s Liturgy, and despite the dent in numbers we were still comfortably in excess of forty souls once the children were factored in.

It was good to welcome brothers from Swansea, and it was lovely to be joined by our former parishioner, Monika, visiting from Leicester with her children. In my homily on the saving curiosity of Zacchaeus, I referenced her film “Finding Faith”, and anyone who would like the link and sign-in details should contact me or Father Deacon Mark.

Many thanks to the kliros, operating on holiday numbers, and to Sasha for lone-serving, and thanks to those who brought flowers and refreshments for our celebration.

We greeted Yuriy at the end of our service, congratulating him on his sixth birthday and chanting many years before singing happy birthday after grace at trapeza, during which it was lovely to see so much conversation, warmth and fellowship.

I must admit to being rather slow today after a lovely but busy week and lots of travelling, last Sunday having seen me head over the Severn, taking the opportunity to not only have a prayerful quiet-day in Glastonbury, but also to perform several house-blessings and be in Chippenham for a singing practice with our Wessex gentleman before returning to Llanelli for the feast. Masha has also spent time working on vocal technique and chants with our local ladies, and we are very grateful for this preparation for the liturgical life of our Wessex mission.

We are extremely encouraged by the support being given by the feoffees  of the Chapel of St Laurence in Warminster, who, as trustees, govern the extra-parochial chapel, which is classed as a non-royal peculiar, having being acquired by the townspeople of Warminster at the reformation.

We greatly look forward to our Liturgies on the second Saturday of each month, commencing on 9th March with the Hours and Liturgy at 10:30, confessions being heard from 10:00. The generosity of spirit that we have already received is heartening, with help offered in notifying the local Orthodox that we will be serving in the town.

We already hold a Wessex prayer meeting on the last Monday of the month, currently meeting ‘afloat’ on Porphyrios’s narrowboat – now christened the “porphyrion”. Last month’s initial gathering saw the blessing of the boat and a mission-supper, following several house-blessings, a pilgrimage to Whitchurch Canonicorum and the blessing of the River Wylye. We shall be certainly trying to maximise what we fit into clergy visits.

Our Cheltenham Liturgies will be moving to the third Saturday of the month, and our pilgrimages will be on the fourth Saturday.

Returning to the principality – this week’s confessions in Nazareth House will follow the Thursday pattern, for which emails would be appreciated by 18:00 on Wednesday. I shall also be able to hear some shorter confessions before and after our moleben in St Alban’s., and have already mentioned this to a few people.

We look forward to our protomartyrs pilgrimage on Saturday, and pilgrims should assemble at the Oratory Church of St Alban-on-the-Moors for our 10:30 moleben to St Alban and the reading of his life, before the veneration of a portion of his sacred relics and icon. We are very grateful to Father Sebastian and his confrères for their characteristically warm hospitality, which includes use of the church-hall for a bring and share lunch, for which all food-offerings will be very gratefully accepted.

Weather permitting, we shall head to Caerleon after lunch, visiting the Roman remains of the ‘city of legions’, where the protomartyrs of Wales, Julius and Aaron were garrisoned as soldiers of the Imperial army, before their arrest and martyrdom.

Thanks to those who have already offered lifts to our non-drivers. This is much appreciated.

Echoing Deacon Mark’s announcement, would parishioner please refrain from parking vehicles on the grass on the right hand far end of the drive, next to the church vestries, this has been planted with bulbs and seeded with wild flowers and is not a parking area.

Our prayers are with our very dear sister, Despina, as she makes her way across Europe to Greece, before the last leg to life in Cyprus, and we wish her a safe journey, happy that Catalin is accompanying her on a long and challenging drive for the land bound portion across the continent. She occupies a very special place in our hearts and is greatly loved in our ROCOR and Romanian Orthodox communities in which she has been a faithful presence and a help to many. Kalo taxidhi! May God bless your journey and protect your every mile!

Whilst we were celebrating in Cardiff, our diocese was blessed by the ordination of Deacon Alban Illingworth to the sacred priesthood in our London Cathedral, and he will serve in our Durham mission. We are greatly blessed that despite mischievous schismatic ‘defrocked’ whispering about the state of our God-preserved diocese, we go from strength to strength, with the establishment of new missions, the ordination of new clergy, and growth within our parishes. We congratulate Father Alban, as well as newly-ordained Deacon Antonio in Geneva, and the priest Georgi who has transferred from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to serve in Zurich. Many, blessed years to you all, dear fathers. Axios! Axios! Axios!

Please remember the clergy in your prayers.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Weekly News – Monday 12 February

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings to you all after another busy weekend, with Liturgies in Cheltenham and Cardiff, the joy of sharing the celebration of Faith with so many people, and the unexpected arrival of geographically distant parishioners and friends not seen for a while. It’s also wonderful that recent visitors are now clearly new parishioners, looking very much at home in the parish. Praise God!

Before the busy week ahead, I’m happy to be soaking up the sun on a bus wending its way over the Mendips for a quiet, prayerful day in Glastonbury – having just glimpsed the Tor rising above the Somerset Levels – before a house blessing and time with our Wessex parishioners, the feast of the Meeting of the Lord in Llanelli, then confessions and pastoral time in Cardiff before another weekend.

Our third week back in St John’s was blessed with another well-attended Liturgy (which constantly sustains forty adults or more, plus the children every week), with parishioners from across Wessex joining us for our celebration, which ended with the admission of young Maximilian to the catechumenate after around six months of dedicated participation. We are very grateful to his dad for driving him the considerable distance from Monmouth week by week.

Thanks to our choir, who sang a linguistically well balanced Liturgy, with English alongside the Slavonic, reflecting the developing dynamic of the parish, and thanks to all who contributed to trapeza by bringing food and so warmly and generously looking after everyone.

Parishioners are clearly enjoying being in St John’s, though we are still getting used to things, with a rather minimal set up. However, without the rather stark interior of Nazareth House, even the minimal Orthodox setting feels much warmer. We are very pleased that the large shrines for our iconostasis now flank the high altar when not in situ for Liturgy, and look forward to the frontals that Georgina will be making for them (as well as new analoy covers) after her current Walsingham visit.

The return of weekly trapeza has made a great difference to parish life, and it was heartening to hear my nephew say what a welcome change it was to be surrounded by so many kind and generous people. This is a prime way in which we can touch those who come through our doors with God’s love working in us and through us.

As clarified on messenger, our LOCAL pilgrimage will involve venerating St Alban’s relics in SPLOTT, not Hertfordshire. I have emailed Fr Sebastian to check the availability of the hall for a bring-and-share lunch, as this could make things more straightforward. ‎

We shall celebrate the moleben to St Alban in the Oratory Church in Swinton St, at 10:30, venerating a portion of the protomartyr’s sacred relics, and then have lunch if the hall is free. We shall then head to Caerleon, weather permitting, to visit the amphitheatre and remains of the garrison where Saints Julius and Aaron would have lived. Notification of your intention to attend would be appreciated, so that we can endeavour to match places in cars with non-drivers for the journey to Caerleon. Lifts will be greatly appreciated for those of you with spare places in your vehicle.

The lack of availability of St John’s on Thursdays means our Liturgy for the Meeting of the Lord will be in the little chapel of St David and St Nicholas, at 11 New Rd, Dafen, Llanelli SA14 8LS.

The Hours and Liturgy will commence at 10:00. I will travel to Cardiff after the Liturgy so that confessions may be heard in Nazareth House in the late afternoon and early evening. Please contact me by 18:00 on Wednesday, though I have already received some verbal requests at Liturgy. Notification of those intending to confess on Sunday is also greatly appreciated, so that we know how many people are expected within our limited time-frame.

Thanks to all who have started contributing to St John’s food bank, and also to all who contributed to the extra collection for leprosy Sunday, a few weeks ago, raising over two hundred pounds, before any offerings from further west.

I look forward to the celebration of the after-feast of the Meeting of the Lord and feast of St Agatha, on Sunday, for which the variables may be found at “orthodoxaustin”:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NkfW1Mouqk4Z6UidAr1yfia6Ij2BC3WZ/view

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

 

 

Parish News: 5th February

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Dear brothers and sisters, 

Our week begins after a characteristically busy Sunday, with a well attended Liturgy in St John’s, and a larger than usual number of the faithful confessing and communing, though the number of communicants has been significantly growing over the last five or six weeks. I am grateful for the patience of our parishioners as confessions were concluded during the preparation of the chalice with the Holy Gifts.

It was wonderful to look out of the altar at the beginning of the Liturgy and see all of our children assembled to join in the chanting of the litanies before the Gospel. It was equally wonderful to see so many flowers in vases and adorning the icons.

I was very happy to see so many people enjoying trapeza after Sunday Liturgy, and particularly to see so many young people enjoying one another’s company, with students from Cardiff, Bristol and Bath joining other young people from our South Wales parishes.

A thank you to all who have been helping in the setting up and rearrangement of the church before and after Liturgy, and remind all that everyone’s aid makes these movements considerably quicker and easier.

With the growing numbers of worshippers, with more people staying for this bring-and-share lunch, I hope that we may ensure that there is enough food to at least offer some simple refreshment to all who join us.

Again I would like to thank parishioners for their greetings and gifts for the feast of St Mark of Ephesus. Having a Torte Napoleon to share with our students was very much appreciated and made for a festive student gathering.

Intercessions 

As we begin our week, the news is dominated by the cancer-diagnosis of His Majesty the King, and we offer our prayers for his health and treatment during his illness, and for a swift and speedy recovery, turning to the Mother of God ‘the Queen of All’ before whose icon we pray for all of those – including our own loved ones and parishioners – affected by cancer.

Among those who are sick, we also pray for Ludmilla, Brigid, and for Steven, Martin, Nigel and Jacky among the friends a family members of our parishioners.

Having chanted a post-Liturgy memorial service for the newly-departed Alexey, we continue to pray for the repose of his soul, also remembering His Grace Archbishop Anatoly, Yulia and Barnabas. Memory Eternal!

Confessions in Nazareth House this week

Given the limited time we have before Liturgy, if you know that a confession lasting more than five minutes is required, we will need to hear such longer confessions and commune the faithful after Liturgy. We must be firm in starting the Hours and proskomedia at 11:00, but will find appropriate ways to meet the pastoral and sacramental needs of the faithful.

Of course, we very much hope that those living in Cardiff will avail themselves of the opportunity to make their confession on Thursdays, when they may do so in the afternoon or evening, according to circumstance and need. Please email by 18:00 on Wednesday to arrange a Thursday confession, and by Saturday midday to notify us of Sunday confessions, purely to give me an idea of number.

Thursday confessions continue to be heard in Nazareth House!

Cheltenham Liturgy: 10 February

Next Saturday will be our February Liturgy in Cheltenham, when we will celebrate the feast of Saints Ephrem and Isaac the Syrian in Prestbury United Reformed Church, Deep St, Cheltenham GL52 3AN.

Due to the pastoral needs for confession, as well as setting up the church for Liturgy, from Saturday, the Hours and Liturgy will now start at 10:30: half an hour later than previously. However, confession will still begin around 9:20, and will end at 10:20. We will have our customary bring-and-share lunch after the Liturgy, and look forward to spending time with both parishioners and visitors.

Llanelli Liturgy for the Meeting of the Lord: 15 February

As the coming feast of the Meeting of the Lord on 2/15 February falls on a Thursday, we are unable to celebrate in St John’s, due to weekly use in the morning. Therefore, the Divine Liturgy of the feast will be celebrated in the chapel at Father Luke’s home in Llanelli, with the Hours and Liturgy commencing at 10:00.

Pilgrimage to the Oratory Church and Caerleon: 24 February

Looking forward to the coming months, we will recommence our pilgrimages on the fourth Sunday of each month, and will begin with a local pilgrimage in honour of the protomartyr of Britain, St Alban, and the protomartyrs of Wales, Julius and Aaron. Through the good offices of Father Sebastian and the Cardiff Oratory, we will head to the Oratory Church in Swinton Street, Splott, where we will offer a moleben before the sacred relics of St Alban at 10:30, before heading to Caerleon for lunch and a visit to the amphitheatre and Roman excavations, offering prayers to Saints Julius and Aaron,

Pilgrimage to Margam Abbey: 23 March

Our pilgrimage on Saturday 23 March, in honour of the Mother of God, will be to Margam Abbey, near Port Talbot, where we hope to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, share a picnic lunch and explore the church and neighbouring abbey ruins, returning to church for devotions to the Theotokos, whose shrine in the abbey was destroyed during the reformation. We will announce details after further discussions with the Margam clergy.

Food Bank

Thank you to all who contributed to St John’s Food Bank on Sunday. I hope that those parishioners who are able might make Sunday contributions of non-perishable foodstuffs part of their weekend routine.

Telephones

May we remind everyone to turn off their telephones before the beginning of Sunday worship, and stress that it is not appropriate for children to be using smart phones for entertainment/occupation during the Liturgy. We have some very young children who need occupying during the service, and recognise this, but ask that they play in the children’s corner, so that there is are no distractions for the clergy and faithful at the front of church during our worship.

I look forward to being with our Cheltenham parishioners on Saturday, and Cardiff parishioner on Sunday, which is the feast of the Translation of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer.

The variable of the day may be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HDV9a4R90dQWfAgp8DXETQnOP39NLCq0/view

May God bless you.

Hieromonk Mark

Parish News: 29 January

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Dear brothers and sisters,

The obvious first comment in this week’s news is obviously our return to St John’s, Canton, with the setting bringing an instant change to the feel and dynamics of Liturgy.

I have to admit to missing the sanctuary/altar of Nazareth House, but the layout of St John’s brought an intimacy and warmth to Liturgy, in terms of the faithful being in proximity to one another rather than being scattered across a vast building, the gentler light, and – of course – the very welcome opportunity to share a relaxed and sociable trapeza, with a designated eating area and the kitchen.

Though our set-up (pre-unpacking!) was rather minimal, we shall make ourselves more at home next week, and I will ask some of our young people to help distribute icons and candles around the building.

It was good to have Father Luke and some of the Llanelli mission-parish with us, and a pleasure to welcome new parishioners, and especially for time to talk and get to know one another over our bring and share lunch.

We are very grateful to all at St John’s, especially given the surprise of our arrival with everything from Nazareth House, rather than the limited possessions we had us when we previously used St John’s.

I very much hope that after discussions with the church-warden, we may be able to celebrate more services when the building is quiet, and not in use. However, having just arrived we need to be patient on that front.

We are fortunate that the Sisters in Nazareth House are happy for us to continue hearing confessions in the chapel, and this week, I will hear confessions on Thursday, so requests by noon on Wednesday, please.

Sunday’s confessions were held up by numerous preliminary conversations regarding storage and sacristy use, but this Sunday, confessions should commence around 10:15. I was pleased to able to start proskomedia at the designated time of 11:00, when the blessing was given for the Hours, and this will be our pattern.

Please be aware that confessions will ordinarily end with the dismissal of the Hours in future, even with a second priest, as there should be no confessions during Liturgy.

Our first Liturgy back in St John’s came after an extremely busy week following the previous Sunday’s Liturgy, and our Wessex parishioners were happy to have house-blessings, a narrow-boat blessing, the blessing of the River Wylye at Hanging Langford, and a pilgrimage for a carload of us, with Whitchurch Canonicorum and the shrine of St Wite as our sacred destination.

We look forward to our Wessex prayer meeting on the last Monday of the month, and the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on the second Saturday of the month. Through the good offices of the feoffees who hold the trust of the Chapel of St Laurence in Warminster, and the parish of St Laurence in Bradford on Avon, we hope to have liturgies in Wiltshire, with Warminster offering a little more warmth in the colder months of the year! St Laurence of Rome seems to be in charge here, which is wonderful, given what an inspiring martyr-saint he is.

Thanks you to all in Wessex for such a wonderful few days, and the foundation of what is to come.

My return to Cardiff was necessitated by our Wednesday move to Canton, and am grateful to Norman for organising things.

Sunday evening saw a student gathering for supper, and it really is good to know that our band of students enjoy one another’s company outside services, some of them shared a Burns Supper last week, as well as meeting socially and having musical events to look forward to attending, whether in the Royal College or venues in the city. 

Turning to even younger parishioners, we look forward to having the parish children contribute to Liturgy by singing the responses to some of our litanies, and working with members of our kliros and me to learn some chants. Also, as we look forward to festal processions, I hope to find ways in which the children may participate in liturgical life.

Thank you all who contributed to the collection for Leprosy Sunday. Together with previous donations we have £200 to pass on to the Commandery of the Knights of St Lazarus, for international leprosy projects. If anybody would like to contribute, we will be happy to receive donations next week.

As Deacon Mark requested, please endeavour to find parking in the area around St John’s, rather than on church grounds, leaving the very limited parking space for clergy, for those with limited mobility and small children. The Anglican parish breakfast will mean that parking around the church will not be available until considerably later than before.

When you are in St John’s, please not that there are collection baskets for the food-bank behind the main-door, and considering contributing something each week, even if it’s only a tin or packet. Now that parish-life has returned to St John’s, we really should be part of the mission area’s support of those in need.

On a final note, just a reminder that the service ends with the last amen of the thanksgiving prayers, and that thanking the Lord for His self-giving in the Holy Gifts, is an important part of our worship. So let’s listen to the prayers attentively, as they are offered on behalf of all who have partaken of the Holy Mysteries.

May God bless you all.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Parish News – 14 January

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings for the forefeast of the Baptism of the Lord, and the feast of the repose of our dearly loved St Seraphim of Sarov! It is always so heartening when we celebrate a saint who is so universally loved, especially in such fractious and divisive times. May he pray for us, and for true Orthodox unity in the face of schism and such betrayal of Faith.

This weekend’s services saw the leave-taking of the feast of the Nativity, with the Divine Liturgy being celebrated in Cheltenham, and the feast of the Circumcision and St Basil in Cardiff. It was a very joyful weekend, though much quieter than last weekend, with our Nativity services.

We were very glad to arrive in Cheltenham in bright winter sun, and under the now expected blue skies, sharing a joyful Liturgy for the Leave-Taking of the Nativity, with Masha visiting and helping to sing the festal chants.

We thank her and our usual singers for their labours on the kliros, and we are very grateful to our sisters for a generous meal, enjoyed by all. It was lovely to have Cardiff parishioners join us, as well as brothers from the Oxford parish. I am extremely happy that the next Cheltenham Liturgy, on Saturday 10th February, will be on the feast of Saints Ephrem and Isaac the Syrian, a double-joy and double-blessing!

Our Cardiff Liturgy today was a little different to usual, with three principal singers away, but it was good that our very capable Hierodeacon Avraamy and Marina were joined by some of our sisters, and that our brother, Alexander, was able to move from the sanctuary to the kliros to rouse the Liturgy with Byzantine chant. We look forward to more Byzantine chant in our services, after the joy of the polyeleos at our Nativity vigil and today’s Liturgy chants.

With Christmas behind us, today’s feast and joyful celebration stood between the Nativity and Forefeast of Theophany, and it was lovely that we were able to bless Vasilopita in honour of St Basil the Great at the end of Liturgy, and to see the pleasure that the shared cakes brought to our congregation. With the prayers for the Lord to bless our ‘comings in’ and ‘goings out’, this seemed very apt, as we prepare for our return to St John’s.

Sadly Thursday morning activities in the chapel at Nazareth House make the usual services for the eve of the Theophany impractical, though I will hear confessions in the afternoon, before my journey to London. Please email me by 18:00, on Wednesday.

The coming weekend will see our last Liturgy in Nazareth House, and we will perform the Great Blessing of Water at the end of Liturgy, so please bring bottles to take Theophany water home, and send any requests for houses of flats to be blessed.

Following the service and packing ready for our move to St John’s, I will be heading to Wiltshire for a few days, where our new Wessex mission will hold its first prayer meeting and where I will bless the River Wylye and the homes of some of our parishioners in both Wiltshire and Dorset, hoping also to visit St Wite’s shrine with parish pilgrims.

After returning on Tuesday and Wednesday’s move, I look forward to Theophany home-blessings in Cardiff.

On behalf of the clergy, may I extend thanks for the generosity and kindnesses shown to us over the festive period.

May God bless you all.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

 

Parish News at Nativity

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Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Born!

Greetings and congratulations on the Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God! Please do something on this second day of the Nativity feast to honour and thank the Most Holy Theotokos for the wonder of her birth-giving.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone for such a bright and radiant celebration of the Lord’s Nativity, which brought great joy and a lovely memory for us to hold as our time in Nazareth House draws to a close. We look forward to Theophany, hoping that the same radiant joy will mark our last Cathays Liturgy on the Sunday after the feast, when the great blessing of the waters will be performed in Nazareth House.

The services of the Nativity brought together around seventy of the faithful from South Wales, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Bristol, and it was a blessing to have parishioners back from Ukraine and Czechia for the feast.

I was pleased that our Nativity vigil was inclusive, ensuring that there was plenty of English singing, perhaps even the majority of our chants, and I am grateful to Masha and our ‘Wiltshirites’ for their hard work, and also to our young brothers who joined me to chant the Polyeleos in skipping, joyful Byzantine chant.

It was wonderful to see people look so joyful, particularly after communion and at the end of the Liturgy during the kissing of the Cross, as our choir sang carols in Russian, Ukrainian and English, even continuing to sing after a wonderful buffet trapeza had been blessed and people broke their fast. Our trapeza reminded us how important this post-Liturgy fellowship is, and gave us something to look forward to, as our return to St John’s, Canton approaches.

Thanks to Olga and our choir for our joyful services; thank you concelebrants; thank you readers; thank you flower arrangers, bakers, cooks, cleaners, drivers… and all, whose presence and labours made the feast such a joyful occasion. Congratulations to all who partook of the most pure Mysteries, which seemed an endless number of people, with the communion queue reaching the back of the convent church.

At the end of the afternoon, prayers were offered and the kolach (festive bread), žito (kolyvo) and wine blessed in preparation for the Terzić family slava, in honour of the Holy Apostle, Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen on Tuesday, which – of course – is also the first name-day of our newly-baptised brother, Stephen, as well as our dedicated oltarnik Stefan, who assisted in the slava prayers as the man of the family. We look forward to congratulating our men named for St Stephen when we next celebrate Liturgy.

I will hear confessions on Thursday, this week, and would appreciate requests by Wednesday noon.

Saturday – the leave-taking of Nativity – will see our Nativity Liturgy in Cheltenham, with the Hours and Liturgy starting at 10:00, at Prestbury United Reformed Church, 5 Deep St, Prestbury, Cheltenham GL52 3AW. There will be. Bring-and-share lunch after the Liturgy, wo which everyone is most welcome.

Enjoy the Nativity feast and all of the Sviatky – Holy Days – from now until the Baptism of the Lord, and try to maintain the momentum of prayer and spiritual watchfulness after the days of the Nativity Fast.

May God bless you all, and may the joy of the Saviour fill your hearts, your families and your homes – where Christ has been welcomed and His Nativity glorified.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Weekly News – 25 December

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Dear brothers and sisters,

I hope that those of you sharing western Christmas with your families have a been blessed with a time of sharing and joy.

Though the festivities may last for a day or two more, it is important for us to focus on the remaining week and half of the Nativity Fast, preparing for the coming feast prayerfully and with spiritual focus.

Given it was western Christmas Eve, we expected our Sunday Liturgy to be low in attendance, but we were surprised by the number of people who made their way to Nazareth House, and we were pleased to welcome new visitors. We were relieved that Mass ended earlier than usual, allowing more time to set up the church. Thanks to all who helped with this, and we are – as always – grateful for those who played their part in the celebration of the Liturgy.

The Sunday of the Holy Forefathers reminded us that we are in the last two weeks of the Fast, and the coming weekend – with the Sunday of the Holy Fathers – will be our last before Nativity, marked by the reading of the genealogy of Christ, when we will hear the generations through which Christ came in the flesh: the generations through which God descended to humanity, and humanity was raised up to heaven.

The variables for next Sunday’s Liturgy may be found at orthodoxaustin, as usual:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o6DSbO4bxCMTGZmWcycUANl7L-tdZkzy/view

Confessions will be on Thursday, so I would appreciate emails/texts/messages by 19:00 tomorrow evening to allow time to get in touch with those who would like to attend. Please remember that there are some parishioners who are unable to come for confession in the week, and really need time on Sunday.

The following weekend, our service on Christmas Eve will be at 19:00, possibly simplified due to us having limited singers, and the Christmas Day Liturgy at our usual Sunday time – starting as close to. 11:00 as possible.

Our sisters have started discussing food for Christmas trapeza, and I would direct you all to the WhatsApp group, where discussions are going on, though our senior-sister Menna can also be contacted regarding food you may wish to bring. Let’s remember that Christmas refreshments are not only the responsibility of our sisters, and that we ask all to try and make an offering in some way.

This Saturday will bring the joy of Stephen’s baptism at 13:00, at the Old Church Hall in St Nicholas.

Anyone wishing to attend should contact me or Menna, so that we know that you are coming, and give directions, if needed We greatly look forward to this and welcoming Stephen to the Holy Mysteries on Sunday morning. Glory to God for all things!

Struggle on during the remaining days of the Fast, and if things have previously not gone according to plan, shake off the dust and pick yourselves up. If you’ve not prayed much, then start NOW. If you’ve neglected the Fast, them start NOW, even at the eleventh hour – remembering the encouraging words in St John Chrysostom’s wonderful homily that we hear at Pascha.

It applies equally to the coming feast, and to the whole of our Christian lives!

“For the Master is generous and accepts the last even as the first. He gives rest to him who comes at the eleventh hour in the same was as him who has laboured from the first. He accepts the deed, and commends the intention. Enter then, all of you, into the joy of our Lord. First and last, receive alike your reward.”

Let us spiritually make our way to Bethlehem, to contemplate the wonder of Love-Incarnate: Emmanuel – God With Us.

May God bless you all.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Weekly News 18th December

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings for the feast of St Nicholas the Wonderworker! S prazdnikom! We especially send our warmest greetings to Kolya and to Olga’s son Nicholas, who has just graduated.

Though the Nativity is still a while away for us, the holiday season has certainly arrived, with our students having departed at the end of term and parishioners going to Russia, Ukraine and other destinations for the feast. This evening, carols and mince-pies in Splott brought a pre-festive reminder with the words and melodies that many of us knew growing up, shaping our childhood images and language of Christmas.

We also enjoyed listening to some traditional carols at Wednesday’s charity concert for Christians in the Holy Land, with the money raised following a Sunday collection of over £450 in Cardiff, a Llanelli collection, and several more personal donations. Many thanks to Masha, Edmund and Aldhelm, to all who supported the event, and those who have given with such generosity. It was lovely to be in a warm, candlelit St John’s, the parish not having used the church since Pascha.

Though I expected Sunday’s Liturgy to be thinly attended, we still mustered more than forty souls, with the possibility of confessing all who needed to approach the Holy Mystery, some of those having confessed outside the Little Oratory. We were pleased to welcome visitors for the first time, and hope that they will join us again for Liturgy soon, and perhaps join us in the cafe for a cuppa after we have packed away.

At the end of the Liturgy, the litia for the departed was offered for the repose of the souls of the newly departed handmaidens of God, Nadezhda, Galina and Viera, whom we ask you to remember in your prayers.

As already communicated, we are now unable to have confessions during mass – something that only became necessary due to changes in Nazareth House, but as guests we must ensure that there are no distractions during catholic services. With this in mind, for as long as we continue to celebrate Liturgy in Nazareth House, worshippers should try not to arrive before 10:45, unless instructed otherwise.

I received no answer from Nazareth House regarding this week’s confessions (as also to the matter of the Christmas Vigil), so through the good offices of the Oratorian Fathers, confessions will be heard in St Alban on the Moors on Thursday. Please email by Wednesday at 18:00 to make arrangements. I hope that will shall offer devotions to St Alban whilst we are there. It was a great joy to catch up with the Fathers this evening, and they reminded us that the Oratory Church is always there for our needs.

We look forward being together on Sunday, when we will celebrate the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, and the variables may be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PaTtqf89_PFAFe-ifSzoVL4IwBw2jpxK/view

It will be a great help to know who will need confessions, so please let me know.

We ask your prayers for the sick – Ludmilla, Brigid and Margarita.

Finally, Sunday brought a surprise to those in the congregation who were unaware that the Paddy who had died in the city centre, was NOT the Paddy who had become a friend of our parish whilst in Canton. His presence at Liturgy was a shock to some of our parishioners, and I was happy that we were able to chant many years for him, as well as for Andrew, who celebrated his nameday last week.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Weekly News: 11th December 2023

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Dear brothers and sisters,

After the forbidding weather of the last few days, I’m very happy for a sunny (and smooth) journey back to Wales from a visit to Cheltenham, for the funeral of the newly-departed handmaiden of God, Galina, asking your prayers for the repose of her soul: memory eternal!      

After a quieter week than usual, Deacon Mark and I were, of course, in Cheltenham on Saturday as well, celebrating the December Liturgy for our mission.

We were pleased to welcome visitors from Oxford, and despite extremely unpleasant driving conditions between Llanelli and Cardiff, we were blessed with our usual Cheltenham weather, with the sun coming out during confessions and filling the chapel with sunlight. By the time we left, the sun and primulas outside the chapel made it feel more like spring than winter. Thanks to mama Galina and mama Liuba for taking the reins and overseeing things in Natalya’s absence. Our next Cheltenham Liturgy will be on the Sunday after Nativity: 13 January, new-style.

The weather certainly impacted upon Cardiff attendance on Sunday, with a smaller than usual congregation of around thirty adults. With the last university lectures of the term this week, our students will be leaving for the Christmas vacation, so things will be quiet in the weeks ahead. I have greatly enjoyed spending time with the students and young people over the current term, and hearing their discussion on theology, history, the arts, culture and politics has been an antidote to the consumerist-mindlessness of much of the world around us. We pray for safe journeys for them – as well as parishioners from eastern Europe – as they rejoin family, both a home and abroad. May God bless them, and the holy angels guard them and guide their steps.

Sunday brought the contrast of our Cheltenham Liturgy in our very humble non-conformist setting with Nazareth House, in which our depleted congregation on such a windy and rainy day seemed somewhat swamped in the vastness of the chapel.

Our choir was also reduced, but what particularly struck me was how a quartet singing with confidence and focus can lead the Liturgy so effectively. In the absence of our usual basses, Hierodeacon Avraamy moved to the choir, which always sings with great confidence when he moves from the sanctuary to the kliros. Thank you, Father, and thanks to Olga for her direction of the choir during such a lovely Liturgy for the feast of the Kursk-Root Icon.

It was good to hear from Marina about the shipments of blankets, bedding and clothes to Ukraine, with the hope that the next collection will start being arranged after Nativity, when I hope that we will be able to contribute towards the costs of transportation as well as much needed donations.

On Wednesday (13th December), Masha will sing in a charity concert in St John’s Church, Canton, CF5 1NX at 19:30, with accompaniment by Edmund and an original piece for organ and electronics by Aldhelm, our Royal College master’s composition student. Money raised by charitable giving will be used for the support and relief of our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Israel’s West Bank and Gaza. Please endeavour to bring a friend and show your appreciation for the musical offerings in the evening’s collection.

As I have made known, during this period of rail disruption and overcrowded trains I will be limiting my journeys, and will be in Cardiff on Wednesday and Thursday, this week, with the availability of confessions on Thursday after the catholic morning mass, and in the afternoon and early evening. Please email requests by Thursday. As on the last two Thursdays, an Advent Moleben will be chanted at 16:00. As many of you will be in St John’s for Wednesday’s Concert, I will also be happy to hear some confessions there, if it helps.

Given the severe overcrowding of trains on Saturdays at this time of year, invariably resulting in a ninety minute homebound journey standing up – often with inebriated and anti-social company – I will not be in Cardiff on any of the remaining Saturdays in December – though we look forward to Steve’s baptism in St Nicholas on Saturday 30th!

Our remaining December dates follow:

Wednesday 13th December: 19:30 – Holy Land Charity Concert, St John’s Church, Canton, CF5 1NX. Confessions in St John’s by arrangement.

Thursday 14th December: 16:00 – Advent Moleben. Confessions will be heard before and after service.

Sunday 17th December: 11:00 Hours and Liturgy in Nazareth House, Cardiff. Confessions from 10:15.

Monday 18th December: Great Vespers for the Eve of St Nicholas Day, Nazareth House, Cardiff.

Tuesday 19th December: 10:00 Hours and Liturgy for St Nicholas Day, Llanelli.

Wednesday 20th December: 19:00 Compline in Llanelli.

Thursday 21 December: 16:00, Vespers for the Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos, Nazareth House, Cardiff. Confessions will be heard before and after the service.

Sunday 24th December: 11:00 Hours and Liturgy in Nazareth House, Cardiff. Confessions from 10:15.

Friday 29th December: 16:00 – Advent Moleben, Nazareth House, Cardiff. Confessions will be heard before and after service.

Saturday 30th December: Steve’s baptism in St Nicholas in the Vale. Details from clergy.

Sunday 31st  December: 11:00 Hours and Liturgy in Nazareth House, Cardiff. Confessions from 10:15.

May God bless you all, and give you strength as we continue our preparation for the Nativity, during this Advent Fast.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Weekly News – Sunday 3 December

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Today saw the celebration of the first Sunday of the Nativity Fast in Nazareth House, and we were relieved that we had fifteen minutes more than usual to set up for Liturgy – not much it may seem, but a significant help for us. I was happy that though today saw a fair few parishioners with commitments or circumstances keeping them away from Cardiff, we still mustered a goodly sized congregation for the beginning of Advent.

We were glad to have Hierodeacon Avraamy back with us, after being in Florence and only arriving home in Swansea in the early hours of last Sunday morning. We are very fortunate in having two deacons for Liturgy, and the solemnity that their concelebration adds to our services.

Thanks to all who contributed to today’s celebration, especially our servers, who though only two in number did so much, especially with the tidying up and packing away of the church.

It was lovely to see such sociable post-Liturgy fellowship as eighteen of us relaxed in our local café, with the clergy and students being the last to make their way home after animated conversation.

I neglected to announce that tomorrow’s Liturgy for the feast of the Presentation of the Mother of God in the Temple will be in Llanelli, with the Hours at 10:00 and the Liturgy at 10:30.

At least one person has understandably asked why there would not be a Liturgy in Cardiff in the morning, and that is due to a few reasons and not a casual decision.

With the parish lacking clergy-accommodation in Cardiff, it is not always possible to stay in town, and – as mentioned in the announcements – the present industrial action already has a major impact on travel from Llanelli to Cardiff. I spent ninety minutes standing and squashed in a corner on extremely crowded trains yesterday, after and before  three mile walks at either end of the journey. As some of our parishioners know, trains are constantly cancelled or late, making the those that are running extremely overcrowded, and every journey a gamble.

Each Liturgy requires the church to be set up after the end of Catholic masses of various and unpredictable length, someone to sing the Liturgy, and then for everything to be put away again. Without a guarantee that this support can be provided, Liturgy is Cardiff will not be practicable and our weekday Liturgies will be in Llanelli when there is no assistance for me in Nazareth House.

Such decisions are not taken casually, and I would ideally wish to see every festal Liturgy in Nazareth House, not to mention the celebration of Saturday Liturgies, but for this to happen, we need guaranteed support.

Given this weekend’s Saturday mission Liturgy in Cheltenham, I will make Thursday the confession weekday, and will fit in with parishioners’ needs in the afternoon and evening, though there will be a pause in confessions to chant an Advent Moleben at 16:00, as was done last week. May I have confession requests by noon on Wednesday, please.

Confessions can also be heard at the time of setting up the church in Cardiff, but we would like requests, given that we will be doing so on the way back from Cheltenham.

Looking ahead, may I remind you that Monday 11th December will see the Penarth Community Choir’s Christmas Concert, which our parishioner Marina (who sings in the Community Choir), hopes parishioners will be able to support. The performance will be in Tabernacle Baptist Church, Plassey St, Penarth CF64 1AE and starts at 19:00. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £4 for children.

Later in the week, Wednesday 13th December sees the charity concert in St John’s Church, Canton, CF5 1NX at 19:30. Masha, Edmund and Aldhelm will perform to raise money for the support of our communities in Israel’s West Bank in this time of crisis and urgent need. There is no entry fee but there will be a retiring collection to raise money for this needy and worthy cause.

Finally – we have heard the sad news that Paddy, whom we first met at St John’s died last week. Few people understood that this homeless man was a man of faith, with a deep knowledge of the scriptures and lively trust in God. His cancer noticeably wasted him over the time in which we knew him, and during that time he never asked for anything material, though members of community tried to give a little financial assistance. He did, however, always ask to pray, and constantly gave thanks for life, despite being destitute, seriously ill with little hope of recovery, enduring homelessness to avoid the culture of drugs and alcohol in hostels.

After our return from St John’s, he was able to overcome his fears and visit us, having grown up as an abandoned child in Nazareth House. Having talked of moving to accommodation in Northampton to have a clean break from negative influences in Cardiff, we were unaware that he was even in the city, until hearing the sad news. Please remember him in your prayers. Memory eternal! May the Lord have mercy upon his soul, and remember him in His Kingdom.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark