Parish News – 20 October

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

Posted in Newsletter, Parish News.