Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Risen! Христос Воскресе! Hristos a înviat! Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!
Many thanks to all who laboured for the Lord, not only in Sunday’s Liturgy, but also for our weekday services.
Particular thanks to our first-time servers who stepped up despite never having done so before, and to Yuriy, for being extremely industrious and preemptive in his serving, despite his tender years. Most impressive!
Unfortunately, parishioners were less proactive than our servers when it was time to roll up their sleeves and chip in to pack away after Liturgy. The time for us to sit down or to chat is AFTER we’ve cleared and tidied the church and are ready to eat. Again… please do not wait to be asked, but show some resourcefulness and willingness, so that we can pack away as quickly and efficiently as possible. By the autumn, this will be a thing of the past, but for now, we still have labours before and after Liturgy.
Though our Sunday Liturgy was dented by the Bank Holiday weekend, our Thursday services have seen increased attendance in addition to our usual students and parish youth, who have continued to form the core of our Cathays services that grew out of our Orthodox chaplaincy presence, when I was very happily ensconced in Newman Hall. Despite the moves and changes over the past four or five years, it is a joy and blessing that our presence in the convent chapel in Column Road continues.
Though the academic year draws to an end for our university students, there are busy and challenging weeks ahead for our younger students, with school and college exams on the horizon. We ask your prayers for Tara, Stefan, Panagiotis and Jovana, as they revise and prepare for exams.
This week will see our usual Thursday evening service in Nazareth House, at 18:00, when we will chant Small Compline, followed by a litia for the newly departed Dochița.
Our 15:00 service, in the Oratory Church on Friday, will be a moleben to St Mark the Evangelist as it will be his feast day: the name day of Father Mark the younger.
Given that I have to travel to Wiltshire after the service, it will be appreciated if confessions can be made on Thursday, and BEFORE the Friday moleben, if possible.
On Saturday, we shall belatedly mark St George’s Day (feast on Wednesday) with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Chapel of St Lawrence, at the usual time of 10:30.
After next Sunday’s Liturgy, a small group of us will be departing for our Georgian pilgrimage with Father Paul and Wallasey parishioners, so please try to make your confession if you are to commune in the next few weeks.
Father Mark will be the only priest serving on Sunday 17th May, and I will be serving without him on Sunday 24th May. We will endeavour to celebrate the proskomedia early, to allow for maximum confessions.
We congratulate David, who was admitted to the catechumenate, yesterday, after four months of solid attendance, during which he has been Joanna’s chief help in setting up St Philip’s for worship, week-in, week-out.
We ask your prayers for all who will be travelling to Georgia, and for Lilia, as she travels to Moldova.
Please make lists of intercessions for commemorations in Georgia.
May God bless you all!
Asking your forgiveness, for Christ’s sake.
Hieromonk Mark