Somerset: Monday 22 September
Dear brothers and sisters,
It has been a joy to celebrate the forefeast, feast and afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God across our Cardiff mission area over the last three days, with Saturday’s pre-festal Liturgy in Cheltenham, the festal Liturgy in Cardiff yesterday, and Compline in Warminster today, after a visit to Shaftesbury Abbey, the resting place of the relics of King Edward the Martyr until their rediscovery in 1931.
It was a pleasure to see parishioners that we had not seen for a while at yesterday’s Liturgy for the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and to welcome our recent arrivals to our joyful celebration of God’s foundation of the Incarnation in the birth of the Mother of the long-awaited Messiah and Saviour of the World. Many thanks to all who made it such a joyful celebration.
Thanks to our Cheltenham ladies for the flowers which have travelled with us from Cheltenham to Wales to Wiltshire, having adorned our icons at the services over the last few days, and which are now lending welcome colour to our Wessex home, in the Chapel of St Lawrence in Warminster.
Our supper and compline service in the chapel allowed us to honour St Joachim and Anna, and to congratulate Jessica Anne on her name day, wishing her “Many Years!”
Following a building committee meeting on Sunday 1/14 September, last week was one of behind-the-scenes activity with work being done on a parish gofundme page to raise money for our building fund, and this should be up and running in the next few days.
This week will see our usual pattern of worship, with small compline in Nazareth House on Thursday at 18:00, and a moleben to St Andrew (before his relics) in the Oratory on Friday at 15:00. Confessions will be heard before and after the service.
Further to Father Mark the Younger’s brief finance report on Sunday, may we encourage parishioners who are UK tax payers to register for Gift Aid, allowing the parish to claim back tax and increase donations at no cost to the donor. Please consider this, as for every £1 donated, we could receives an additional 25p, making a vast difference to parish finances. Please talk to Father Mark if you are interested and able to help in this way.
On the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, on Saturday, my intention is still to celebrate the feast in Lazarica, with the hope that some parishioners may join me in Birmingham. As previously requested, if you can go and are able to offer a place in your vehicle please let us know, to give others the opportunity to celebrate the feast.
As Saturday is a feast of the Cross, it is a Fast day, allowing wine and oil.
We look forward to the veneration of the Cross in St Philip’s on Sunday, the second day of the feast, when we also celebrate the Holy Great-martyr Nikita the Goth and the 0Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen.
Further to various conversations following confessions, may I stress that as Orthodox Christians, we live CALENDRICALLY.
This means not only keeping fasts and feasts, but knowing and celebrating the saints’ commemorations, day by day.
Reading at the calendar should be part of our daily spiritual routine, and we should remember that an even greater danger than New Calendrism (itself an undermining of sacred, patristic Tradition) is no calendarism, in which carelessness and neglect results in life oblivious to the Church’s commemorations, feasts, fasts, saints and seasons. As we look to the year ahead, please consider buying a physical, paper and print calendar to have in your icon corner.
In your prayers, please pray for the much suffering people of Gaza and for Metropolitan Theodosius of Sebastia; for the suffering servant of God, Metropolitan Tychikos, whose health is deteriorating in the light of his persecution and trials; for Porphyrios, matushka Alla and Joanna on their travels; for Pavel, Natalia, Martyn-John and Brigid among the sick; for the departed servants of God Yury and Inna; for baby Ezra and new parents McKenna and Joseph; and for our community to find and acquire its own temple!
Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.
May God bless you.
Hieromonk Mark
