Dear brothers and sisters,
Thank you to everyone who has supported the shared life of our community over the past week, and to both parishioners, friends and benefactors of the parish, who have been generous in so many different ways.
In the absence of both Olga and Masha, we are grateful to our young men, who in Joe’s case defied a sore and croaky throat to sing parts of the Liturgy, including a lovely Athonite setting of the first antiphon. Thanks also to Father Hierodeacon Avraamy for chanting on the kliros and lending his support. We look forward to our gentlemen contributing more traditional Russian and Byzantine chants to our Liturgy, and broadening our musical tradition.
For a second week, both the “digital collection plate” (card reader) and remote-giving greatly increased our weekly offering, and Father Mark reports that this week’s total electronic payments were £1,735, which we most definitely don’t expect to happen too often, but which does show the benefits of multiple options for donating to the parish.
From next week Joanna will be organising volunteers to take the candle and prosphora offerings and look after the candle tray, and we will hopefully expand this to reinstate our parish lavka/kiosk, once we have acquired suitable items.
Joanna has written to Vladyka Irenei, updating him about our bid offer on the building in Taff’s Well, and I will personally update him on the progress of the gofundme page, hoping that together with other proactive individuals, he will promote our fundraising, regardless of the outcome with the chapel.
Thanks to our parish youth, for their ongoing labours around fundraising and social media. It’s very good to see them involved and dedicated to parish life.
Branka has asked me to announce that on forthcoming ordinary Sundays, refreshments after Liturgy will be limited to cake and hot drinks, given the time it is taking to wash up and clean, which usually sees us leaving later than our planned exit.
Though we previously asked offerings to be limited to finger-food for ease of clearing up and cleaning, this went unheeded, making a fair amount of work for a relatively small handful of people, so as of next week, let’s please stick to this simplified trapeza, and look forward to feast days for shared meals together. We will be strict in keeping to this plan for ease of clearing and cleaning St Philip’s, and to make this easier, may we also ask that parishioners take any used cups, plates etc., to the kitchen hatch when they have finished, so that our sisters are spared the task of having to go round church picking things up. Thank you.
We are grateful to those who pack things away after Liturgy, but I would like to clarify an important point. Can we please not remove principal icons from the stands until the end of the thanksgiving prayers and the priest’s dismissal? Our worship has not finished until that point, and the dismissal is given on the “solea” (liturgical are between he screen and the nave), which must remain complete until then. By all means, pack away the peripheral icons, but please wait until the last “amen” before removing the icons from the stands.
As announced, this week should hopefully see our usual meeting to pray Small Compline and an akathist to the Mother of God in Nazareth House at 18:00, with confessions before and after the service.
We shall chant vespers for the eve of the feast of St Vyacheslav (Wenceslaus) on Friday at 15:00, and given my journey to Warminster after the service, it would be a great help to hear confessions beforehand, if possible.
On Saturday, we will continue the feast, and also honour St Chariton the Confessor, with the celebration of our monthly Warminster Liturgy for parishioners living in Wessex, the service in the Chapel of St Lawrence at 10:30. Confessions will be heard before the service, and we will have our customary bring-and-share lunch afterwards.
On Sunday, we will have the joy of celebrating the feast of the Uncovering of the Relics of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco (1993), and the variables for Liturgy may be found here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yFjVTgYsuSbfKAgUoIfk7DlsPZ_9lpzd/view
As announced on WhatsApp, through the generosity of the Oratorian Fathers, we will have the blessing of celebrating the feast of the Protecting Veil (Pokrov) on the Oratory Church on Tuesday 14 October (1st Old Style) and will commence the Hours and Liturgy at 10:45. It will be a joy to celebrate this wonderful feast of the maternal protection, and loving care of the Theotokos, and we will share refreshments in the lower sacristy after the Liturgy.
We ask your prayers for Olga, Valentina and Svetlana on their holiday travels; for the sick servants of God Pavel and Brigid; for Liza as she has a hospital visit and procedure tomorrow (Monday); and for the newly departed servants of God, Protodeacon Peter and Natalia of our Geneva parish.
Don’t forget that we across the miles we pray together for the future mission-base for our parish at 20:00 each evening.
Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.
May God bless you.
In Christ – Hieromonk Mark