Dear brothers and sisters,

We must begin by congratulating the newly-enlightened servants of God, Maxim and Joseph on their baptism after yesterday’s Liturgy: the community’s first, and presumably last adult baptism in St John’s. We pray that God may grant them many, blessed years!

The weekend’s services were blessed by the presence of a small relic of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, and we were very happy to have this blessing: in Splott, in Warminster and in Canton.

God’s Grace continues to touch the world through the relics of those who became living temples of the Holy Spirit, and tabernacles of His glory, and to be able to worship in the presence of the relics of the saints is a great blessing and inspiration.

Holy Glorious Apostle, Andrew the First-Called, pray to God for us!

This week will be a quiet week, in which I will catch up with some medical appointments before western Christmas.

As I forewarned last week, I will assist Father Luke as he celebrates St Nicholas’s feast this Thursday: one of the Llanelli altar-feasts.

Having travelled to Cardiff after Liturgy, I will head to Nazareth House, where will chant the akathist to St Nicholas. Confessions will be heard after the service and on Friday in the Oratory, where will chant the Advent moleben at 15:00.

This lovely service of supplication, centred on the canons of the forefeast of the Nativity has been a great blessing and encouragement during the Fast.

Next Saturday sees the Cardiff clergy serve in Cheltenham, where the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 10:30 in Prestbury United Reformed Church, Deep St, Cheltenham GL52 3AN.

We will enjoy lunch together after the service, and welcome all who are able to join our little Gloucestershire community.

Again, as announced, with the oddities and limitations of transport in western Christmas week, I will not venture onto the very limited public transport, and will spend the week close to Lazarica, in Bournville, so as to be able to pray in church during the week. I will return to Cardiff on Saturday 28 December.

As Father Mark the younger is away that weekend, the opportunity for morning confessions on Sunday 29 December will be extremely limited as I have to perform the proskomedia.

Just a reminder that ALL of our Nativity week services are in the Oratory Church, in Splott – not in St John’s.

Monday 6 January: Christmas Eve (Rozhdestvenskyi Sochelnik) Vigil at 18:30.

Tuesday 7 January: Nativity Liturgy at 10:30. Great Vespers (for the Synaxis) at 15:00

Wednesday 8 January: Synaxis of the Mother of God, Liturgy at 10:30. Great Vespers (for St Stephen) at 15:00.

Thursday 9 January: St Stephen: Liturgy at 10:30. Vespers at 15:00.

(Additional services may be celebrated if support is forthcoming)

The Liturgy for the feast of the Holy Innocents, will be celebrated in Warminster on Saturday 11 January.

We will have a bring-and-share lunch after Nativity Liturgy on Tuesday 7 January, and we will have an extended trapéza on Sunday 12 January, welcoming hot food. Please let Branka know what you are able to bring.

Next Sunday will be the feast of the Conception by St Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the variables may be found at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bq-LyGBGgL3Oiwd6KtvqJxiaYp5LEUUe/view

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

Having been buffeted and soaked for several days, it was lovely to travel to Cardiff on such a beautiful, sunny morning, and after doubts about numbers to still muster around thirty locals for Liturgy, despite the lack of parishioners from Gwent and the English side of the Severn. Father Mark and I drove into the most beautiful blue and fiery orange sunset on our westward home journey, and it was hard to believe that a storm had passed through a day earlier.

Thanks to all who contributed to our celebration.

When we gather next week, we look forward to baptising Joseph and Max after Liturgy, and welcoming them to the Holy Mysteries, as we did today with Sasha’s twins Alexander and Danil for their first Holy Communion in the parish. Glory to God!

This week’s services will be on Thursday and Friday in the Oratory Church at 15:00. In a reversal of the usual pattern, we will celebrate Great Vespers for the feast of St Andrew on Thursday, venerating the house’s relic of the Holy First called Apostle, and the Advent Moleben on Friday.

Confessions will be heard after Thursday’s service and BEFORE Friday’s, given that I have to travel to Warminster. Please let me know if you require confession on Friday.

To give a little advance notice, the following week, the feast of St Nicholas falls on Thursday 19^th (6^th Old Style) and as I will assist Father Luke with the altar feast Liturgy in Llanelli in the morning, I will not be in Cardiff until later in the afternoon than usual. The akathist to St Nicholas will be chanted in Nazareth House at 18:00, and I will then hear confessions.

Given the significant change to public transport in western Christmas week, there will be no weekday services, as already long travelling days (typically six hours) will grow significantly longer.

On Saturday 28^th December, there will be an early celebration of the Ninth Hour and Vespers, in the Oratory Church at 14:00, followed by confessions. Given that Father Mark the younger will be away in Minsk, there will only be VERY limited time for confessions in the morning, as I will have to celebrate proskomedia. Those who confess in preparation to commune the previous Sunday, will be blessed to commune the following week, unless something arises and they need confession before they next commune.

Our Orthodox Nativity services will be in the Oratory Church in Swinton Street, so that all services of the week can be in the same location.

Monday 6 January: Christmas Eve (Rozhdestvenskyi Sochelnik) Vigil at 18:30.

Tuesday 7 January: Nativity Liturgy at 10:30. Great Vespers (for the Synaxis) at 15:00

Wednesday 8 January: Synaxis of the Mother of God, Liturgy at 10:30. Great Vespers (for St Stephen) at 15:00.

Thursday 9 January: St Stephen: Liturgy at 10:30. Vespers at 15:00.

(Additional services may be celebrated if support is forthcoming)

The Liturgy for the feast of the Holy Innocents, will be celebrated in Warminster on Saturday 11 January.

The arrival of January is uncomfortably close, and we are currently disappointed by the lack of any move forward on the question of where we will worship in February, so we may have to look at options less central to the city.

We have been very fortunate to have been so central for the history of the parish thus far, and so convenient for students, but this may change as our options become limited. Please pray fervently for God’s guidance. Perhaps we are simply not praying hard enough! With tomorrow being a feast of the Kursk-Root Icon, we should all turn to the Mother of God with renewed dedication and prayer!

I am very grateful that Father Sebastian has already suggested that the portable shrines that form or iconostasis should be kept at the Oratory Church until we have a place of worship where they may remain in place, and these would be then used during our weekday services, which we are pleased to be able to celebrate in St Alban’s.

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

May God bless you.

Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

I hope that the first days of the Nativity Fast have been ones of concerted and concentrated prayer and reflection as we begin our spiritual journey towards the celebration of the Saviour’s birth, and trust that our brothers and sisters have been able to put aside earthly cares through fasting, to focus on what is needful in the spiritual life.

After services for the first two days of the Fast in the Oratory Church, and Liturgy in Lazarica in Bournville with the chance to collect much-awaited prayer and service-books, it was a joy to celebrate the first Sunday of the fast in Cardiff, with so many confessing and communing. Congratulations to all who partook of the Holy Mysteries!

I was particularly glad to have the support of Father Mark the Younger, freeing me for extensive confessions, and – indeed – for completing the Liturgy, after my blood pressure seemed to have very unusually and rather unexpectedly dropped. Thank you Father!

Having discussed plans with Joseph and Maximilian, it is our intention to baptise them after Liturgy on Sunday 15 December. Max will be named for the Holy New-Martyr, St Maxim Sandovich, and Joseph for the Holy and Righteous Patriarch. Please keep them in your prayers.

Tomorrow, the eve of the feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God in the Temple, we will chant Great Vespers in the Oratory Church at 15:00, with the Liturgy being celebrated the following morning at 10:00 in Llanelli. As Masha, our usual weekday chanter for Liturgies is away, and a funeral has meant that Father Luke’s chanter for the feast also has to be away, I will fulfil this role for Father, so that the Liturgy can be celebrated. As usual, the Liturgy is in the Chapel of St David and St Nicholas, in the garden of Father Luke’s home, at 11 New Rd, Dafen, Llanelli SA14 8LS.

There will be afternoon services at 15:00 in the Oratory Church on Thursday and Friday: the Advent Moleben on Thursday, and Great Vespers for the feast of the Holy Great-Martyr Catherine on Friday. I will, of course be glad to hear confessions after the service, and ask that any requests for evening confessions in Nazareth House are made today or tomorrow, so that I can give Sister Marie notice.

As many of you will be aware, there are some fasting differences between calendars, and we simply ask that the faithful stick to the calendar that they ordinarily use, mindful of some differences. As previously stressed, when we have the consolations of wine and oil, or fish, we should be honouring the saints whose feasts have these blessings – doing something additional in prayers and devotions to celebrate the memory of the saints.

Using the St Herman Calendar, as a pretty typical norm for fasting, this week’s order is below…

• Monday 4 Dec – Prophet Obadiah: strict fast.
• Tuesday 5 Dec – St Proclus – Forefeast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple: wine and oil.
• Wednesday 4 Dec – Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple: fish, wine and oil.
• Thursday 5 Dec – Holy Apostle Archippus: wine and oil.
• Friday 6 Dec – St Amphilochios of Iconium: strict fast.
• Saturday 7 Dec – Great Martyr Catherine: fish, wine and oil.
• Sunday 8 Dec – Hieromartyr Clement of Rome – fish, wine and oil.

I hope that parishioners are finding spiritual reading to nourish the soul and focus the mind during the Fast, and I was glad to hear parishioners talking about the works of St Ignaty Brianchaninov, readily available to buy in English translation. (Amazon link only for ease of information, not to necessarily encourage purchasing form the said retailer!)

The Field: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Cultivating-Salvation-Complete-Ignatius/dp/0884653765/ref=sr_1_1

The Refuge: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Refuge-Anchoring-Complete-Ignatius-Brianchaninov/dp/088465429X/ref=sr_1_2

The Arena: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arena-Guidelines-Spiritual-Monastic-Complete/dp/0884652874/ref=sr_1_6

Harbor for Our Hope: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harbor-Our-Hope-acquiring-Suffering/dp/0884654222/ref=sr_1_9

Other excellent resource, always valuable for the spiritual life are the Spiritual Psalter of St Ephraim the Syrian, and the Paradise of the Holy Fathers (available online as well as easily ordered in book form). The second volume of the Paradise addresses the spiritual life in thematic chapters.

As posted on WhatsApp, the excellent and soul-profiting works of St Paisios of the Holy Mountain are available in English translation for White Horse Wares – the source of our church candles.

Please endeavour to read something spiritual each day, and to add to your prayers.

In our prayers, among the Orthodox, we continue to pray for the newly departed Archbishop Peter, and for the newly-departed Maureen, of the Father Dean’s Anglican Parish in Butetown – also holding her children Daniel and Nicole, as well as the whole family in our prayers. She will be greatly missed by the St Mary’s clergy and parishioners. May the Lord God remember her in His Kingdom.

Praying for you struggle well and pray fervently in the week ahead, and asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

May God bless you.

Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

The last week has been a celebratory one of much activity and great blessings, having seen the visit of the Myrrh-Streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icon to Cardiff and its veneration in the Oratory Church before its subsequent short visit to Chippenham, where it was also venerated and the faithful anointed, as they were in Cardiff the previous evening.

Several hundred people gathered at St Alban’s, greeting the icon with hymns and flowers, before a full moleben chanted according to the typikon, with both canon and akathist – the service being celebrated by the South Wales clergy, with the welcome presence of Father Sorin, and Father Youhanna from Risca.

We were pleased to have so many visitors from across South Wales and the West of England, and especially to have so many families, and to see people stay until so late.

Though there was little evidence of myrrh streaming on Tuesday, on Wednesday morning the icon streamed much myrrh, soaking a cloth on Branks’s sideboard, allowing us to soak it up with our prayer-ropes and cotton wool pads.

Even though the visit to Chippenham was very short, with the icon heading to our new monastic podvorie in Abingdon, those gathered enjoyed a festal day of chatting in the sun, enjoying a meal together, before the Cardiff pilgrims returned to South Wales and a few Wessex parishioners chanted the akathist hymn in honour of the Mother of God.

Back in Cardiff, the Marian festal-mood continued with the public offering of the Rule of the Mother of God in the Oratory Church, on Thursday.

On Saturday, the Cardiff clergy celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the Gloucestershire faithful, marking the feast of the Dedication of the Church of the Holy Great-Martyr George, in Lydda.

Back in Cardiff, it was wonderful to have a full complement of singers on the kliros, and we are grateful to them for their chanting, and – of course – for all who contributed to our Sunday service, which ended with another anointing of the faithful with myrrh from the Hawaiian Icon. We were glad to have new faces among the faithful, making up a little for those absent due to the virus that is doing the rounds.

Tomorrow, I will offer a moleben before our copy of the Hawaiian Icon here in Wiltshire, where I am staying so that I am able visit some of the local faithful, before continuing visits in Glastonbury and serving a moleben and house-blessing. I pray that the grace of the Mother of God will touch those who were unable to visit the icon, but who will be anointed in tomorrow’s visits.

On Thursday, we will gather in St Alban’s Church at 15:00 and offer a moleben for the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other Bodiless Powers: the Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Salaphiel, Jegudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel. Confessions will be heard after the service, and can also be heard in the evening for those who make a prior arrangements. Please ask, if needed.

I will serve a funeral in Newport on Friday morning, asking your prayers for the newly departed Nicholas, and back in Cardiff we will chant the akathist to the Precious and Life-Giving Cross at 15:00.

Saturday will see our local pilgrimage to the churches of St Cadoc and Merthyr Dyfan, in Barry – early Christian sites associated with Saints Cadoc, Deruvian and Teilo. Our pilgrimage will start with a bring-and-share lunch at Tracy’s house at noon, before heading to St Cadoc’s for pilgrim prayers at 14:00, and then devotions in Merthyr Dyfan. Please contact me or Tracy if you require further details.

I am very happy that next Sunday coincides with the feast of the Holy Great-Martyr Menas, and look forward to offering prayers for the future of the parish before his icon. Some of us have received great favours and blessings through his prayers, and know him to be a fervent and swift intercessor.

As Advent approaches, we look forward to baptising our catechumens, Max and Joseph, and formalising catechesis with the other young people who would like to enter the catechumenate, considering Holy Baptism.

May I remind you that we need an indication of how many people would like to order a copy of the 2025 St Herman of Alaska Calendar, dedicated to the Saints of Wales and costing around £10. Please let us know asap, so that a order may be submitted.

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

Many thanks to all who contributed to yesterday’s parish celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, following Monday’s celebration of the feast on its proper date.

It was lovely to celebrate the feast in the Oratory on Monday, even though most people were unable to be with us, hence Sunday’s continuing parish celebration, with a longer chance to spend time together after Liturgy.

It was lovely to have Father Mark, Alla and Yuriy back, with Father’s presence freeing me to help on the kliros.

We look forward to our Marian celebrations continuing with tomorrow’s arrival of the Wonderworking Hawaiian-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Cardiff, after a parish visit to Pontypool.

Whilst understanding the unpredictability of evening traffic, we will be ready to greet the icon at 18:30 at the doors of the Oratory Church, Swinton St, Cardiff CF24 2NT.

We will the chant the moleben to the Mother of God, and you are invited to submit names for commemoration by the clergy throughout the service, and it would be helpful for you to prepare clearly written or printed lists in advance. Please let us know the names of the Orthodox sick, for Hierodeacon Avraamy to commemorate in the litanies.

There will be a collection basket for the Hawaiian Icon Association next to the icon, and we ask the faithful  to be generous in their support for the grace-filled visits of the icon throughout the world. 

You are also invited to remember the Oratory Church in your giving, being mindful that this event is not isolated, but indicative of the hospitality that the Oratorians show to the Orthodox faithful week after week, as we gather to pray and serve in St Alban’s, surrounded by such warmth, generosity and kindness.

On its eastward progress, the Wonderworking Icon will stop to Chippenham on Wednesday morning, making a station there for a moleben and veneration at Masha’s home around 10:30.

It was only yesterday that the parishioners of St John’s were informed that we will be leaving, and this was a cause of sadness for some of them, and emotional upset for one parishioner (who has been very supportive of our presence), who was comforted and reassured by Father Mark the Younger. We are very grateful for the immense warmth and kindness that has been shown by rank and file parishioners. It is unfortunate that the explanation for our departure hides behind “orders from above” and seeks to absolve and exonerate the West Cardiff Ministry team of any responsibility for their actions, and of the fact that our move back was with the support and encouragement of their lead minister, whose judgment and authority were trusted, to our cost and disadvantage. Our thoughts are with those who have been so kind and generous to us.

Our parish committee is waiting to hopefully view a property owned by the now defunct Free Serbian Orthodox parish. Due to charity regulation, this property, in Ely will go to auction, but we are very interested to see it. We know there are structural issues, and need to ascertain the degree to which this affects the building and its use. Several other possible buildings are being explored for hire.

We must pray fervently for our parish and its future, and increase our prayers, so that our present trials bring us closer to God: tomorrow being a prime opportunity to pray together.

As we have said on WhatsApp, some of our sisters are offering prayers to the Mother of God every evening at 20:00, praying the much loved prayer – 

Ца­ри́­це моя́ Преблага́я, На­де́ж­до моя́, Бо­го­ро́­ди­це, При­я́те­ли­ще си́­рых и стра́н­ных Предста́тельнице, скор­бя́­щих Ра́­дос­те, оби́­ди­мых Покрови́тельнице! Зри́ши мою́ беду́, зри́ши мою́ скорбь; помози́ ми, я́ко не́мощну, окорми́ мя, я́ко стра́нна! Оби́ду мою́ ве́­си, разреши́ ту, я́ко во́лиши: яко не и́мам ины́я по́­мо­щи, ра́­зве Те­бе́, ни ины́я Предста́тельницы, ни благи́я Уте́шительницы, то́кмо Те­бе́, о Бо­го­ма́­ти! Я́ко да сохрани́ши мя и покры́еши во ве́­ки ве­ко́в. Ами́нь.

O my most blessed Queen, O Theotokos my hope, guardian of orphans, intercessor for strangers, joy of the sorrowful, protectress of the wronged: Thou seest my misfortune, thou seest mine affliction; help me, for I am weak; feed me, for I am a stranger. Thou knowest mine offence: Absolve it as thou wilt, for I have no other help beside thee, no other intercessor, nor good consoler, except thee, O Mother of God. Do thou preserve and protect me unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Please consider joining them, or joining your voice in offering prayers to the Mother of God, in honour of her Kursk Root Icon, or to St John the Wonderworker. In addition to the akathists available online, I posted an English language canon to St John earlier today: 

https://russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/a-canon-to-st-john-the-wonderworker

After the icon visits, Thursday will see a service at 15:00 in the Oratory Church, and I will then hear confessions either side of the service, as well as hearing evening confessions in Nazareth House.

Saturday will see the clergy fulfil their monthly obedience in serving the Liturgy in Cheltenham, and the faithful there would very much like to welcome Cardiff parishioners. Given that virtually none of them drive, they are rather cut off and isolated, but always keenly ask about the Cardiff faithful that have supported them over the years.

This month’s quite simple pilgrimage will see us visit the ancient Christian sites of St Cadoc’s and Merthyr Dyfan in Barry, and I would appreciate an indication of who will be able to attend to help decide what services will be celebrated. Please let me know as soon as possible.

May I ask your prayers for the newly departed Nikola, and for the Sesević family, as arrangements are made for Nikola’s funeral in Newport, next week.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters,

Thanks to all who contributed to our services over the last week, in which it was a blessing to celebrate a service every day other than Monday – Friday seeing an unplanned chanting of the akathist to the precious Cross, after extra confessions. Yesterday saw a belated celebration of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, in Cheltenham, and today saw a litia to honour the feast after Liturgy.

Two of the week’s services were molebny (supplicatory services) offered for our parish in its present unsure circumstances: one to honour the feast of the Protecting Veil and the other to honour the Cross.

Each week, one of our services in the Oratory Church will be for the welfare of the parish, with the chanting of the canon and akathist for the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God.

We continue to ask that parishioners pray the akathist hymns in honour of the Kursk Root Icon and St John the Wonderworker on behalf of our community.

Parallel English/Slavonic text of the akathist in honour of the Kursk-Root icon:

http://orthodox-europe.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Kursk-RU-EN-pdf.pdf

English text of the akathist to St John the Wonderworker: http://sfsobor.com/service-texts.php

Slavonic text (Russian orthography) of the akathist to St John the Wonderworker:

https://azbyka.ru/molitvoslov/akafist-svjatitelju-ioannu-arhiepiskopu-shanhajskomu-i-san-francisskomu-chudotvorcu.html

Today saw our second Sunday with time pressure on the parish and we are extremely grateful for all who are working hard to make things work.

It was good to have so many in church, with more new faces and so many young people. Please make sure you say hello and welcome our visitors!

We must insist that next week ONLY FINGER FOOD is brought to trapéza, and nothing needing cutlery or china from the kitchen is brought to the table. We need to avoid washing up and keep cleaning straight forward and easy. Our senior sister will need to be strict on this front, so please work with us to make things work! Thank you.

As announced, this week will be slightly different.

The need for me to stay on Wednesday for a Thursday morning funeral will mean that we have afternoon  services in the Oratory Church on Wednesday and Thursday at 15:00.

Parishioners will head to Lazarica in Bournville on a parish pilgrimage this weekend, with the Liturgy at 09:00. I will hear confessions before the Liturgy.

Finger food for post Liturgy refreshments will be greatly appreciated.

As Father Mark the Younger explained, he is away for the next two Sundays. This will make usual confessions impossible, so those who confessed today are blessed to commune next weekend. I have a few prearranged confessions next Sunday morning, but these will be the only ones heard. This is unfortunately unavoidable.

I will hear confessions on Wednesday and Thursday, with the opportunity to hear evening-confessions on Thursday if needed, but please message me to arrange this.

The next few weeks will be a challenge, and require flexibility and generosity.

Please pray for Father Mark, Matushka and Yuriy as they head away for a break, and forward any prayer requests to be offered before the relics of St Nicholas, St Spyridon and St Theodora the Empress.

Finally, may I again request prayers for the newly departed Nun Joanna, Natalia (fortieth day on Wednesday), Mykola (funeral on Thursday), Sveta’s aunt Halina, and for Igor, Lydia and Halyna? Memory Eternal!

Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake, with thanks for your labours.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Dear brothers and sisters, a blessed and joyful feast of the Hawaiian-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. 

It was lovely to have the chance to tell the children about the icon whilst Father Mark the Younger prepared the chalice for Holy Communion – especially as we anticipate the icon’s November visit to South Wales and Wessex.  

It was a joy and relief to have Father Mark the Younger back after last weekend’s throat problems.

As you may know, I also concelebrated in Bournville with Father Nenad, in Lazarica, this weekend, with the Divine Liturgy and parastas for the departed yesterday morning.

I greatly enjoyed spending time with the youth of the community, and answering their questions and sharing some perspectives on our Orthodox spiritual life. I was also able to discus some parish matters with Fr Nenad – this being a major reason for my visit. Thanks to everyone for such warmth and kindness!

We will return to Bournville for our parish pilgrimage on Saturday 26th October. 

If you are able to offer free places in your car, please let Tracy know, and we will ensure that as many as possible enjoy the blessing of the visit, during which I am particularly keen for our young people to meet their peers in Bournville.

Despite the half-marathon and our brothers on the Holy Mountain, our Liturgy was pretty well attended, and it was good to welcome back our recent visitors and share not only Liturgy, but trapéza with them.

As we try to economise a little, due to the considerable rise in rent, we set 15:00 as the end of trapéza and pack away time, and this seemed to work well. We will review this as the weeks pass.

In the week ahead, we will offer a moleben for the protection and well-being of the parish on Tuesday – meeting in the Oratory Church at 15:00. Vespers will be celebrated at the same time on Friday (not Thursday, this week), after which I will travel to Warminster, where we will celebrate the Hours and Divine Liturgy for our west of England parishioners in the Chapel of St Lawrence at 10:30.

Parishioners from the Welsh side of the Severn will be enthusiastically welcomed!

Confessions may be heard before and after our Oratory services, but please give notice if you wish to do so beforehand.

Amongst the newly departed, please remember Halyna, whose funeral I will celebrate in Barry tomorrow; Nikolai who reposed on Tuesday; Edmund’s father-in-law, Igor, and Lydia and Natalia.

We pray for our regent Olga and for Valentina Nikolaevna on their travels, and for Lazarus, George, Nikolai, Porphyrios, Vlad and Gleb on their Athonite pilgrimage.

It has been lovely to see their photographs, including Athonite cats, and we look forward to hearing of their experiences on the Holy Mountain.

Wishing you a prayerful and productive week.

May God bless you.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

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