Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Given the building works that will commence in St Philip’s, tomorrow, and the removal of most of our worship things from, our Liturgy was rather minimal, but this will only be for two or three weeks.
As we celebrate the memory of St Joseph the Betrothed and his oldest son, St James the brother of the Lord, we remember their rôle in protecting the infant Saviour and the Mother of God in their escape to Egypt. This great and ancient land was, even then, blessed by countless miracles through the presence of the Saviour and All-Holy Theotokos, and before the rise of Islam, shone as a radiant beacon of Christian faith and holiness, and the mother of saints.
Let us pray for the Christians of Egypt, now a persecuted minority, but examples of faith, courage and hope in the Lord, like St Joseph, who – despite challenges and uncertainty – submitted to God’s will, trusting Him and placing himself in His hands.
Thanks to you all for a wonderful celebration of the Lord’s Nativity, this week.
Our vigil in St Philip’s was particularly joyful, with the great amount of psalmody, prayers and readings being shared between our many volunteer readers, who took turns keeping vigil for the Lord.
I was glad that, the following morning, the Oratory Church was rather more temperate than last year, and thank not only parishioners, but also the Oratorian community for their welcome. It is always a wonderful blessing to celebrate in St Alban’s.
It was good to have our meal together after the Liturgy, and welcome friends from St Philip’s and the wider community.
Our resumed weekly visit to Nazareth House saw a quiet compline service, with the Akathist Hymn to the Lord’s Nativity chanted in English and Slavonic.
I always look forward to our weekly prayers and confessions in the convent church each week, and feel that we are very blessed to be able to continue our quiet presence in what was once the hub of our parish, where some of your children were baptised, where Father Mark was ordained deacon, and where we have celebrated so many feasts and special occasions.
It was wonderful to celebrate St Stephen’s day with the Terzic family slava, with the centuries old prayers, blessing of kolyvo in memory of the departed and the slavsky kolach (loaf) in honour of St Stephen, praying for the repose of Branka, Tara and Stefan’s forebears, and for God’s blessing and protection for the family. It is very important that these ancient traditions, passed from generation to generation, are faithfully preserved and kept.
This week, we will return to Nazareth House on Thursday at 18:00 and will chant the akathist to St Seraphim, whose feast it will be. Confessions will be heard as usual (and I trust that Father Luke will be happy for us to celebrate Great Vespers for St Seraphim’s feast the previous evening [Wednesday] at 19:00!).
We will return to celebrating our weekly Friday service (and confessions) in the Oratory at 15:00, and I hope we may start the year with a moleben before the relics of St Alban.
We will celebrate the monthly Cheltenham Liturgy in Prestbury United Reformed Church at 10:00, on Saturday, followed by our bring-and-share lunch. It would be lovely to welcome pilgrims from Cardiff.
As announced today, next Sunday will be the Eve of the Theophany, and the first Jordan blessing will follow Liturgy, so please bring a personal packed lunch, as there will be insufficient time for our usual shared lunch.
As it will be the Sunday after St Basil’s feast, we will also bless Vasilopita at the end of Liturgy.
Please remember that it will be a fast day, despite being a Sunday. Theophany itself – Monday 19 January (when we have no worship space) – will see some parishioners worship in London or Lazarica, depending on the outcome of discussions.
Please pray for Adam and Juliana as they escape for a belated honeymoon; for Joanna, as she travels back from Poland; and for Olga Alexandrovna as she recovers from the surgical procedure on her arm.
Finally, thanks to all for their generosity towards the clergy over the festal period. Your greetings and gifts were greatly appreciated… including the home-made cheese and slivovitsa, which Vlad has somehow managed to carry back from Romania!
Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.
May God bless you all!
Hieromonk Mark
