New Guide for Altar Servers

Available here is a free download of a guide for altar servers at the Divine Liturgy in the Slav-Byzantine Rite.


It started life as a guide for servers at my parish, particularly now that, for the frst time since we moved into our church and found ourselves with the space and resources to perform the services more fully, we seem to have a modest but slowly growing number of servers. I was encouraged by a friend to produce something for more general guidance, that could be used in any parish. This seemed like a worthy project with potentially useful results, and I was flattered to be thought capable of such a venture, so I began to amend it accordingly.

However, after some efforts in that direction, it began to become apparent that, not only would the inclusion of all the myriad of possible variations be incredibly time-consuming and turn the guide into a study book for use at home rather than the handy, practical guide that it was intended to be, which could be quickly glanced at during the course of a Liturgy, but also such a venture would be beyond my knowledge and capabilities. Also, it meant that some of the directions that would be needful for my parish's servers due to the peculiarities of our building and circumstances would have to be omitted, thus reducing its usefulness to the very people for whom it was intended in the first place.

In the end, a little saddened that I could not go ahead with the bigger project, I decided to revert to the original plan. The result is a guide for the servers at my parish, based on what I understand to be standard Russian Orthodox custom but adapted to our local use. Please feel free to take as much or as little from it as you find helpful, even if that means none at all.

Great and Holy Week

Here are a few photographs and video clips from my parish this Holy Week. We had two servers serving for the first time, along with a choir who did exceptionally well from memory given that the music for various things had been mislaid. This has been the most moving Holy Week that I have ever experienced and it has been in large part due to the dedication of my parish priest and fellow parishioners who, this year, seem to have made a special effort to assist with the various practical preparations for the services. There really has been something of a feel of communal effort and ownership of the liturgies that has been very encouraging.

What The Filioque?

Seriously, what is going on in Russia? Why are Orthodox Christians, fresh out of the Russian Federation, reluctant to ask for blessings for travel, memorial services for their departed loved ones, or any of a number of other prayers offered by the Church, simply because they do not have money? What sort of situation have they become accustomed to that leads them to think that they will be refused if they cannot afford it, or that they would be expected to pay a fee for such things in the first place, or that would cause them to greet with such surprise the glad tidings that there is no charge? I can understand some people making some sort of donation to the church as a token of gratitude but that should come from their heart, no? This seems a different matter.

Has anybody else encountered this? Does it make anybody else feel as unwell as it does me? Have I painted a bullseye on myself by daring to mention it? Something smells foul to me.

Fans

My parish purchased a pair of fans over the summer, which we only started to use regularly a month or so ago, (when we finally got enough altar servers to be able to do so). I had seen them used before in other places and had myself borne fans while serving at the cathedral. However, they were new to most of our people and, while I was able to explain their use and purpose, it occurred to me that I knew very little of their history and development. So I decided to do a little bit of googling and reading. This, of course, meant that a post about liturgical fans was destined to appear here sooner or later, and I must confess to having really enjoyed doing the background work for this. It has been educational and rather good fun.

First of all, the nomenclature is interesting. There is no doubt about the purpose of these implements: they were most definitely functional fans at one point, and the names by which they are called today simply reflect this. In the west, the liturgical fan goes by the name flabellum, which is simply the Latin word for fan. In the Russian church, it is called the ripidi, from the Greek word ripidion, again meaning fan. However, in the Greek church, the fans are generally no longer known as ripidia but rather hexapteryga, meaning six-winged, reflective of the ancient six-winged seraphim that are often depicted on them. Curiously, it seems that this name is applied even to examples that do not bear the image of the seraphim, (which many do not). Better, I think, to stick with fan. I rather like ours. They are a wooden pair, and form a complete set with our processional Cross and icon, which we keep at the High Place when not in use:

It seems that the use of such implements dates from the time of the ancient Egyptians,

Read more...

Time for a Break

My parish priest goes away tomorrow and will be away for three weeks. Our parishioners are spread somewhat far and wide so it is often easier to pray together at home if there is no Liturgy. Last year, a handful of us met for the Hours and Typika on the Sundays when Fr Paul was away and it was quite lovely. However, this year, this will be difficult.

What this means for me, however, is that I get three weeks where I don't have to compile services for a deadline, work out rules of occurrence, typeset music, or journey forty miles and back twice over the course of a weekend. I actually enjoy most of those things but it can be a little tiring at times and it's just good to have a break.

So, what shall I do? Well...

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The Curtain Falls

I sent my parish priest an e-mail a few weeks back, asking whether we could either have the veil at the Royal Doors put on a drawstring or I could be given £1,000,000. I made it quite clear that I was quite happy to settle for whichever was easier. Anyway, to my disappointment, he appeared at church one Saturday shortly afterwards with a corded curtain rail which, he explained with great delight, he had procured from B&Q for some ridiculously tiny sum of money - think single figures.

Having reconciled myself over the course of the afternoon to not having just become a millionaire, I found some pleasure in the new rail, until it became apparent that the hooks didn't move properly along the track because the tension in the cord of this costly masterwork of engineering wasn't quite right. Not only that, but the whole apparatus came crashing down in the middle of Vespers, causing the aposticha to come grinding to a halt while the two of us on the kliros looked up in bemusement. It is my parish priest's frugality that has seen our parish survive difficult times so we have much for which to be grateful. However, on this occasion, I was very pleased today to stay in awaiting the arrival of a rather smart corded curtain rail from John Lewis. Having removed the unnecessary parts, (the designers assume that one will be suspending two curtains that meet in the middle, which is, of course, not my intention), and having worked out how it all fits together, I shall make my first attempt at ecclesiastical DIY during the course of this coming week.

Watch this space.

In the meanwhile, I leave you with this song, the opening lines of which seem particularly pertinent:

Missed a Trick

It occurs to me only this evening, on election day, that, had we thought of it, my parish could have made enquiries about having our church used as a polling station. I don't know whether groups can volunteer their buildings or whether they must be approached but it would have been a good way of getting local people in through the door to see what it's like while they went to cast their vote. Who knows whose curiosity may have been piqued?

How disappointing!

Cross Processions

One of the most exciting of the occasional services in the Byzantine Rite, and one with which I have fallen in love since having become Orthodox, is the Cross Procession. It is one in which there is much active participation from the laity, in which the gathered people of God raise their hearts and voices to God in prayer, invoking the intercessions of his Saints while making procession around the outside of the church. It is a joyous service, offered in a celebratory spirit.

It is clearly rooted in an incarnational and sacramental understanding of the church building, that it is a physical space, set aside and consecrated to the honour and worship of God. As such, the Cross Procession is customarily performed at the founding of a new church or monastery, and each year upon the church's patronal festival.

I am not sure where exactly the name Cross Procession originates as the Cross does feature heavily in it at different points. Firstly, the procession is headed by a Cross, which makes it stand out as a special event because the people will know from observation that the Cross is not carried during the processions at the Lesser and Great Entrances at the Divine Liturgy, (actually it is, but only when the Patriarch or other Primate/First Hierarch serves - which most people would not have witnessed regularly). Secondly, there are four stations made during the procession, forming a Cross around the outside of the Church. Thirdly, at each station, the priest blesses the people in four directions, again forming a Cross.

The Cross Procession takes one of two forms. The first is also known as the Litya (not to be confused with the Litya inserted into Vespers on the eves of Great Feasts or at Vigil on Saturdays and at other times, as appointed). This is the form that appears in the Trebnik published by the St Tikhon's Seminary Press, which has a note at the beginning saying that it is a remnant of a much grander procession which would take place around the great city of Constantinople during times of crisis. I have only ever seen this form done once. It was at my own parish because at the time we had not been taught how to do these processions so took it directly from the book. In this version, there is a Gospel and a Litany at each of the four stations, and a blessing of the church, town, and people with holy water at the first three, (the fourth litany is of the departed founders, builders, benefactors, and adorners of the church, so is not followed by a blessing of the living); the procession leaves by the west door of the church and proceeds, anti-clockwise, three-quarters of the way around the church before making each station. This way, the people make a total of three circuits of the church.

At each station (with the aforementioned exception), the priest blesses in four directions with holy water - while a second priest, if there is one, stands beside him, blessing alternately with a blessing Cross and the icon of the feast - asking God's mercy on the people, the church, and the local community, as he faces towards each.

The other main form of Cross Procession has quite a different origin to the other, and is the processional Moleben, which is just what it sounds like: the oft-served office of supplication slightly rearranged and done in processional form. As such, this form will be much more familiar to most people. At my parish we were taught how to do this by none other than our First Hierarch himself when he came to visit us last November, so this is the form that we shall use in future. It seems to be very common in the practice of the Russian Church Abroad where the Litya form appears to be generally unknown. That isn't to say that it doesn't happen elsewhere but it seems that we in ROCOR do it at every opportunity because we love it so much. You can a video of one of the stations in this video:



In this much simpler version, only one circuit of the church is made, and only one Gospel is read (taken from the menaion service to the Saint). After the Prayer Below the Ambo during the Divine Liturgy, the servers and other laity, with lantern, Cross, and banners, form up, and the clergy remain before the central icon. The people sing the "O heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth", and then the deacon leads the "God is the Lord, and hath appeard unto us" in the tone of the tropar of the Saint, as at a normal Moleben. However, once the tropar begins, the procession sets off, somebody - often one of the laity - picking up the icon of the patron Saint, draped with a scarf, and joining in the procession. From that point, the clergy and people sing as they go, "Holy (name of Saint), pray to God for us!", alternating with "Glory... Both now", from the Moleben service. At each of the four stations, the senior priest blesses in the four directions. At two of the stations, he blesses with the blessing Cross, invoking the mercy of God. At the other two stations, he blesses with the icon, invoking the prayers of the Saint. Each time, the deacons stand opposite, censing the icon or Cross as the priest blesses, while a second priest (if there is one), simultaneously blesses with holy water.

The people re-enter the church while singing the "It is truly meet", and the procession concludes with a form of the Litany of Fervent Supplication and the concluding prayer (taken from the Akathist to the Saint), then the Liturgy continues. It is a beautiful way for a parish or monastic community to celebrate its patronal festival. If your parish doesn't already do this, why not accost your priest and demand it, or even take him aside and politely suggest it while offering him chocolate? Here is the form that will be used at my parish in future. I leave you a with a video of this service (in a slightly adapted version of the Moleben form) from St Elias' church in Brampton.

Christ is risen!

Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; let them that hate Him flee from before his face. As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish, as wax melteth before the fire. So let sinners perish before the face of God, and let the righteous be glad. This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein!

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life!

A blessed and Holy Pascha to all!

It was the first Holy Week and Pascha that my parish celebrated in our new church and it was splendid. The joy of the Resurrection permeated the whole affair. We finished at 3 o' clock in the morning and were all surprised that it had been that long because it really didn't seem it. For the first time we were able to process around the church and we had bells that we learnt to ring in something approximating the proper way. We had 64 in the night (the previous highest number being 37), and 16 for the afternoon vigil (up from about 5 in previous years). We had Britons, Russians, Armenians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Romanians, Cypriots, Moldovans, and Latvians, so it was truly a uniting celebration. The Thursday and Friday services were also very special and I thoroughly look forward to it all again next year, especially Matins of the Twelve Passion Gospels, which we did for the first time this year.

Sadly, I hadn't made arrangements for photographs to be taken. I managed to take a small number on Friday but then left my camera at church. I shall retrieve it next weekend and post what I have.

Please do share how your celebrations went.

Now I shall finish preparations for the first wedding in our new church next Sunday, which should be very special, both for us and for the truly lovely couple, who did a great deal to help at Pascha.

After that, the big special event will be the visit of the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God to our parish at the end of June. God has really blessed our parish and I'm so pleased to be able to be part of it all.

The Angel cried unto the Lady, full of grace: 'O pure Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, rejoice! for thy Son is risen from the grave on the third day. And He hath raised all the dead.' O ye people, be joyful! Shine, shine, O New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord hath arisen upon thee. Dance, now, dance and be glad, O Sion. Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, in the Resurrection of thy Son.

- The zadostoinik of Pascha

Busy, Busy, Busy

I'm sorry things have been quiet here lately. I haven't really been following any of the blogs I usually like to visit and I haven't got round to putting any thought into some decent posts for my own. Even the recent book review isn't new but has been saved to drafts for a few weeks as I didn't want to post it until the current edition of Orthodox News had been posted out.

The simple truth is that I'm busy. Holy Week and Pascha are fast approaching and I have to prepare all of the services, including music and such like. Also, because this is the first year my parish is worshipping in an actual church rather than a private home, we are offering a fuller provision as far as the services go, so there is more to learn, and more to get ready. It's all very exciting and I very much appreciate having this sense of worthwhile purpose but it just keeps me busy. I also realise that, now that we are operating more publicly and people are beginning to come to us who were not part of the tight-knit group who met in the house, and who are perhaps new to Orthodoxy, service booklets would be very beneficial for some of our regular services in addition to these seasonal ones.

We have four weddings coming up as well, the first being on St Thomas Sunday, so straight after Pascha. I think it is wonderful that our church is being used in this way and that we can open our doors to people who are ready to take this important step in their lives. Weddings in the past have always been informal affairs for us, usually with the bride or bridegroom being a parishioner, with a few people in our house chapel. There haven't been a great many - perhaps one every couple of years - so we have never had service wedding booklets and we have always just found some music from somewhere as and when needed. Now that they seem to be happening more frequently, I have compiled, (and in part composed), a collection of music for weddings, and a choir book, and service booklets will be needed as well.

This past year has seen a series of "firsts" for us. I don't think any of us really anticipated just how much of an impact moving into a new church would have on us, how we worship, how we function, how others relate to us, or indeed how much work would be involved. We are learning, and slowly adapting.

Aside from parish life, I am in the middle of deadlines at the moment for a periodical, the editorial team of which I was recently invited to join. I have been assigned my first issue. This is all very new to me and I just hope I can meet people's expectations. I must admit to a certain amount of fumbling in the dark, but hopefully a conversation this weekend should help.

This weekend is the diocesan service of Holy Unction at the cathedral, which I first experienced last year. It was incredibly moving and reminded me of the excitement and awe that I felt when I first visitied an Orthodox church. It will be a full weekend, however. I plan to set off from home in the wee hours of Saturday morning to get to the Liturgy at the cathedral for 9 o' clock, (I'm sure it was 10 o' clock last year, which seems more reasonable). Then the Unction service will be at about 3 o' clock in the afternoon, followed closely by the vigil. I plan to stay in London overnight and go to the cathedral again on Sunday for the Liturgy, before setting off for home in the afternoon. Then I shall come home and sleep for a very long time.

I hope to be able to post more soon, perhaps with a little news next week.

My Parish

Here is a short photo collage showing a little bit of the life of my parish. I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I enjoyed compiling it.

New Church in Wallasey - part 2

Taking up the Cross of Christ, thou didst pass from royal glory to the glory of heaven, praying for thine enemies, O Holy Martyr Princess Elisabeth, and with the Martyr Barbara, thou didst find everlasting joy; therefore pray ye on behalf of our souls! - Troparion, tone 4

Hello, friends!

Please forgive my absence from the blogosphere over the past few weeks. I have been very busy with church stuff in the run-up to our move into the new church. There were practical matters to do with the building and lots of fun to do with things musical and liturgical. It all paid off. We had a splendid and blessed day on Saturday, with parishioners, friends, and visitors coming from Chester, Manchester, Oldham, Liverpool, Southport, and Stonyhurst, in addition to the local residents and visitors from the other local churches, and members of the local council, who came for various parts of the day.

It was really a joyous time in the life of our parish, and now that there is a little more canonical normality than only a few years ago, we were able to welcome Fr Pancratios of the Constantinople patriarchate and Fr Gregory of the Antiochian church, to concelebrate. Father Paul preached a very moving sermon about the life of St Elisabeth and our need to follow in her footsteps in giving of our time, our love, and our resources for others, especially in a time when the world teaches us to climb over everybody in order to get what we want. Daniel from St Aidan's gave up his day to be with us, for which I personally am very grateful because he was a great help. The Cross-procession went exceptionally well.


The building is still being worked on. The iconostas has yet to be finished and the floor sealed but we're slowly getting there. That should all be finished by this week. There are some photographs on the diocesan gallery. Please ignore the ones of the fat reader. :-)

Now we just have to prepare for the visitation of the relics of St Elisabeth on the 1st of August. What a marvellous way to start life in a new church!

Holy New-Martyr Elisabeth, pray to God for us!

Patronal Festival

In that meekness, humility, and love, which made their abode in thy soul, thou didst diligently minister to the suffering, O holy Passion-bearer Princess Elisabeth, and with faith didst endure suffering and death for Christ with the Martyr Barbara. With her do thou pray for all that honour thee with love! - Troparion, tone 2

The 18th (5th) of July is the feast of St Elisabeth the New Martyr, whose relics are currently in the UK. It will indeed be a blessing to have her relics here for her feast.

It is also the patronal festival of my parish, and the day when we plan to move into our new church. To mark the occasion, we are planning a full day of events to which all are welcome.

The plan is to begin at 10 o' clock in the morning with the Lesser Blessing of the Waters, followed by the Hours and Divine Liturgy. If the weather permits, we shall have a Cross Procession, which is a traditional act of worship for patronal festivals, which involves processing around the outside of the church three times, making four stations, forming the points of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross around the building. All the while, hymns will be sung and prayers offered for the church, the parish, the town, and the departed, while the people are blessed with holy water and the icon of St Elisabeth.

We shall then take a break for lunch (bring and share), then watch some videos of the life of St Elisabeth and the work of the nuns of St Elisabeth's Convent in Minsk. Some of you will probably know the nuns as some of them travel around Europe in a van, selling their wares - icons, vestments, other liturgical accoutrements - and they come to Britain usually twice each year.

We then plan to close the day's events with Vespers at half past three in the afternoon.

There is a flyer here.

I do hope some of you are able to come.

O Thou Who didst proclaim that even if thy disciples were silent, the very stones would cry out, so also grant that this holy house may proclaim Thee and draw all who dwell in this town and county to worship Thee in spirit and in truth. Inflame our hearts with love for Thee that we may offer to Thee ourselves and all Thou hast given us to the glory of thy holy Name. We fervently entreat Thee, O merciful One, hearken and have mercy!

- petition for the founding of a new church, from Augmented Litany at the Divine Liturgy

Spiridon

Spiridon Stuart

I have received news within the past half hour that a member if my parish, known to me simply as Spiridon, reposed in the Lord last evening at approximately ten o' clock. He had been in ailing health for some time, having had a stroke some years ago, reducing his mobility, and having had a number of accidents in recent weeks.

Spiridon lived some considerable distance from our parish - up in Lancaster, in fact - and was seldom able to make it to church, although we kept in regular contact with him, and Father Paul and I visited him. He was always a bright character and had the most amazing stories to tell, including playful tales from adolescence, and stories of some of the delightfully colourful characters that he encountered over his years in ROCOR.

Before becoming Orthodox, Spiridon had been Catholic, and was in fact in the final weeks of his novitiate at Ampleforth Abbey when he felt that he could no longer participate in those forms of worship. In telling me his story, he shared that the last straw for him was the casual lack of reverence that was common, even at the monastery, in preparing the bread and wine for the mass. He saw this in comparison to the care and devotion that goes on, unseen, in Orthodox churches, (at the proskomedi), and felt that this was the way that the Eucharist ought to be treated and the this was the honour with which creation should hold its Creator. He left before taking final vows.

Yet he retained the link to monasticism. I was delighted to learn last year of his correspondence with Blessed Seraphim of Platina, for whom I have a great devotion but who reposed in the year before I was born. Spiridon was kind enough to share with me something of the love that he found in Father Seraphim.


Father Seraphim of Platina

Sadly, I shall now never see the letters that he had planned to show to me but to have had that sort of contact with somebody who had benefitted directly from the spiritual wisdom of Father Seraphim is good enough for me.

Spiridon's close ties to the monastic life were also manifested in his close friendship with the monks at Vashon Island, of whom he could not possibly have spoken more fondly. He would often spend months at a time at the monastery, and had expressed a desire for it to be the final resting place of his mortal remains.


Father Spiridon with Father Tryphon

What Spiridon had managed to keep very quiet was that he was, in fact, Father Spiridon, having been made a monk during one of his visits to the monastery. This has only now come to light since he was taken to the hospice last week. This had been known only by the monks, their bishop, and Father Paul.

Monk Spiridon received the Mysteries of Holy Unction, Confession, and Communion during Holy Week, and was anointed both by Fr Jonathan of the Antiochian Deanery and by our own Father Paul, during the last days of his earthly life, so he has been well prepared for his journey.

In a blessed falling asleep, grant, O Lord, eternal rest unto thy departed servant the Monk Spiridon, and make his memory to be eternal.

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery: and their going away from us, for utter destruction: but they are in peace.

And though in the sight of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality. Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded: because God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace he hath proved them, and as a victim of a holocaust he hath received them, and in time there shall be respect had to them.

The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. They shall judge nations, and rule over people, and their Lord shall reign for ever. They that trust in him, shall understand the truth: and they that are faithful in love shall rest in him: for grace and peace is to his elect.

The Wisdom of Solomon 3: 1-9

When Russia invaded Antioch

I had a lovely morning today. I usually travel about forty miles to get to church but, this weekend, my parish priest and his family have been staying much closer to where I live, so we all trundled along to my local Antiochian parish.


The iconostas at St Aidan's Orthodox Church, Manchester

Father Paul stood in the altar during the Liturgy but I didn't serve, standing instead with the merry bunch from Birkenhead. We all sang along with the choir and I vested at the appropriate point and received Communion. It was so lovely to be able to do that. Father Gregory and the good people at St Aidan's were welcoming hosts, as ever, and it just felt so natural for us to be there.

Only two years ago, while this would not have been impossible, it would certainly have been far less likely to have happened. I find this development very encouraging, as it is a sign that we are beginning to be more properly integrated into Orthodox life in the UK. May things continue to move in this direction.

New Orthodox Church in Wallasey

From celestial realms descending,
ready for the nuptial bed,
to his presence, decked with jewels,
by her Lord shall she be led;
all her streets and all her bulwarks
of pure gold are fashioned. - Urbs Ierusalem Beata

After years of worshipping in a converted room in a private home, my parish is hoping to move to new premises in July. We have secured a redundant cemetery chapel in Wallasey, not far from where we are now, so our people will be able to travel there. We have use of it for 25 years. The cemetery and its chapel mean a lot to the local people and already we have had positive responses from people in the area. Some have begun reading up on Orthodoxy and hope to come to some of our first services in the new church. It's all very exciting.

From our perspective, it means that we shall have a visible place of witness that is recognisable as a church, and space to meet for social functions, catechesis, and perhaps other activities, without feeling as though we are imposing on the generosity and hospitality of a family. Who knows what may come of this in time, with prayer and effort?

A great deal of work needs to be done but there will be photo updates on the parish website as things progress. You need some imagination at the moment to see what it could be but by allmeans look at the "before" photos and see what you think. Let's see how things develop.

Daily, daily, sing the praises
of the city God hath made;
in the beauteous fields of Eden
its foundation stones are laid.

O, that I had wings of angels,
here to spread and heavenward fly,
I would seek the gates of Zion,
far beyond the starry sky!

All the walls of that dear city
are of bright and burnished gold;
it is matchless in its beauty,
and its treasures are untold.

In the midst of that dear city
Christ is reigning on His seat,
and the angels swing their censers
in a ring about His feet.

From the throne a river issues,
clear as crystal, passing bright,
and it traverses the city
like a beam of silver light.

There the forests ever blossom,
like our orchards here in May;
there the gardens never wither,
but eternally are gay.

There the meadows green and dewy
shine with lilies wondrous fair;
thousand, thousand, are the colours
of the waving flowers there.

There the wind is sweetly fragrant,
and is laden with the song
of the seraphs, and the elders,
and the great redeemèd throng.

O, I would my ears were open
here to catch that happy strain!
O, I would my eyes some vision
of that Eden would attain!

St Elisabeth's Convent, Minsk

Remember everything I told you, my dears. Always be not only my children, but obedient disciples. Keep together and be like one soul - everything for God - and say like St John Chrysostom, as he was sent into exile: "Glory to God for all things!" - St Elisabeth the New Martyr

Some of you will know of the travelling nuns. At least one a year, two of the nuns from St Elisabeth's convent in Minsk, Belarus, travel to Great Britain in a van, and drive across the country, visiting parishes, selling their wares, and taking orders for other things. Usually Mother Maria and Sister Tatiana come to raise funds to enable to the work that the nuns do with children with special needs. Some months ago we watched a DVD at church showing some of the work that they do and it really was tear-jerking. It was actually quite funny to see nuns with painted faces and bee antennae on their heads, dancing around with the children.

Our parish commissioned an icon of our patron Saints, which arrived and was blessed last month. It is truly beautiful. The detail and colour combinations blend so well and it is clear that the nuns take to heart the words of St Elisabeth, which are remarkably similar to the Benedictine dictum ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus, (that in all things God may be glorified). The cost was also a fraction of what it would have been had we ordered something like that in the UK. While it would be good to support our local iconographers, the truth is that many people cannot afford to pay the sort of prices that are charged by people who write icons in order to earn a living. Understandably they must charge for their time and I do not criticise them at all but the nuns produce so many icons for churches and individuals that everything is readily available to them, and, because they live communally and much more simply than most of us do, the costs are kept quite low. It would be good to be able to support them and their work. If I remember, I shall take a photograph of our parish icon and post it here.

Sadly, I don't actually know how to contact them but I'm sure I can find out easily enough if anybody were to want to know.

Stuff

Our parish is on a bit of a break at the moment, only for a few weeks while my parish priest is away. Perhaps if we get our own building we could have Reader services during August.

Oh well, it gives me the opportunity in a few weeks' time to visit the cathedral in London. I have wanted to go for some time but my plans have always been thwarted by people or circumstances. Our bishop is visiting the diocese at the end of the month and will serve an Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the cathedral, and perform a diaconal Ordination as well. I suppose that a few of you will have had the letter from Reader Andrew Bond that accompanied the most recent edition of Orthodox News, alerting us that he is to be ordained to the diaconate. Am I right in believing that he will need to be ordained to the subdiaconate the day before? Or does the "no two orders in any one day" rule only apply to the diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopate? If he is ordained the day before, it will probably be a quiet affair. In any case, I'm quite excited at the prospect of seeing my first Ordination and visiting the cathedral of my diocese for the first time.

Trampling down death by death!

Absolutely wonderful!

Following from my last post, I arrived at the church yesterday (which is in the priest's house), at about 10 past 12 in the afternoon, just in time to catch the beginning of the Liturgy of S. Basil, which was absolutely amazing. There were only four of us plus the priest, but the wonder of it was overwhelming, with the strewing of flowers and the blessing of figs and dates. I was very nervous at first, having arrived later than planned and so not having been introduced to anybody first, but one of the ladies introduced herself to me during the liturgy and asked a few questions. We spoke later on. This liturgy finished at 10 minutes past 2 and then we prepared for the Baptism at 3, which was a wonderfully joyous occasion, with a remarkably well-behaved baby. There was a little get-together in the house afterwards, during which I got to talking with a few people. I helped Father to prepare the church for the evening, which provided a perfect opportunity for us to talk about my thoughts and his in more detail. I then had a look at some of the evening's music with Matushka (who is still adjusting to being called this).

The reading of the Acts of the Apostles began at 9.30, and was sung in English by the sub-deacon and a cantor, alternating chapters, with one chapter done in Slavonic by a member of the church. There was then Matins, which got about 25 people, and which I ended up helping the choir of two with, and then there was another service at about 11.30, which culminated with an outdoor, candlelit procession and proclamation of the Gospel. The Liturgy of S. John Chrysostom followed, which I also helped with the music for. At about 1.30, I had to sit down and by 1.45 I was falling asleep, and so gave up and retired to bed. I was fetched by Father's 8 yr old daughter at half past two, to be informed that I was missing the food, which news got me promptly out of bed and to the kitchen.

It was simply marvellous, even if I am now extremely tired. I think that if there were any doubts, these have been erased by my experience of last evening.

On top of all of the above was the warmth and love, and total lack of any sort of inhibition that was there. This was the place where, in one room, were Russians, Ukranians, Lithuanians, Romanians and Britons, all conversing and worshipping together, where a 16 yr old young man was quite happy to sit on his father's lap when there were no seats available, and to hug his father (not an embarrassed masculine "hug" with a pat on the back, but an actual loving embrace), in front of everyone, with no qualms whatsoever. There was no pretence, no obsession with how people interpreted others' actions. People just felt, and physically expressed what they felt. It was wonderful!

I can't wait to go back.