Dear brothers and sisters, having written the news email, I’m afraid that I’ve somehow wiped it from my draft documents, and apologise for the lateness of this rewritten post.
After Thursday and Friday memorial services for the departed servants of God, Nikolai and Lyudmila, Saturday saw our pilgrimage to Bournville’s church of St Lazar to mark the feast of St Vitus and the martyrdom of St Lazar and his Christian Serbian warriors by the Ottomans at the battle of Kosovo Polje.
We were greatly blessed to be able to venerate the relics of both St Lazar and St Vitus, and once more extend our thanks to Fr Nenad and his community.
Thanks to those who contributed to Sunday’s Liturgy and trapéza.
It was good to welcome parishioners back from their travels, as well as new and recent worshippers.
Having travelled to Wessex, I gave a talk on the senses in Orthodox worship in the minster church of St Denys in Warminster yesterday evening, and was happy to have some parishioners join me.
Our next celebration in Warminster will be on Saturday 12 July, and after our Liturgy for the feast of St Peter and St Paul, I will consecrate the bells in the restored medieval tower of the Chapel of St Lawrence. It will be something of a rare occasion and a real joy to perform the rite of the “baptism” of the bells, with their intended dedications to Saint Alfred the King, St Aldhelm and St Birinus.
We very much hope that parishioners from Cardiff and its environs will join us.
This Thursday will see a return to Nazareth House for our evening akathist at 18:00, with the opportunity for confessions before and after the service.
Friday afternoon’s Oratory service will be at 15:00, with confessions afterwards.
Next Sunday, following Liturgy, there will be a litia to St Calogèro the Hermit, whose icon was sent as a gift from Sicily whilst we were in Newman Hall.
His feast falls today according to the patristic calendar, but since receiving the gift of his icon, we have honoured his memory on the Sunday after his feast.
Venerable Father, Calogèro, pray to God for us!
Of your charity we ask your prayers for Matrona (unwell), for Nathalie (currently homeless due to a fire), Porphyrios’s sick father, Paul (non-O), for Anastasia (travelling), for the newly departed Valery, and for the departed Vladimir and Vladimir, whose anniversaries fall at this time.
We also ask your prayers for the newly ordained priest, Razvan, who was a friend of our parish during our sojourn in Newman Hall. Axios! Many years!
Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.
May God bless you.
Hieromonk Mark