Christmas Around the Diocese

Below are details of Christmas services at some of the churches in our diocese.  The first date given is that in the Church calendar, followed by the civil calendar date in brackets.  The date in brackets is the date for your diary.

The Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs

Chiswick, West London

Thursday, 24th December (6th January) - Christmas Eve

8.00 a.m. - The Royal Hours followed by the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great

6.00 p.m. - The Vigil of the Nativity (Great Compline and Matins)

Friday, 25th December (7th January) - Christmas Day

10.00 a.m. - The Hours and Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom

The Parish of St Elisabeth the New-Martyr

Wallasey, Merseyside (near Liverpool)

Thursday, 24th December (6th January) - Christmas Eve

7.00 p.m. - The Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great

Friday, 25th December (7th January) - Christmas Day

9.45 a.m. - The Hours and Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, followed by a bring-and-share Christmas lunch

Sunday, 27th December (9th January) - The Commemoration of St James, Brother of the Lord

9.45 a.m. - The Divine Liturgy of St James of Jerusalem

The Parish of St John the Wonderworker

Colchester, Essex

Thursday, 24th December (6th January) - Christmas Eve

5.30 p.m. - The Vigil of the Nativity (Great Compline and Matins)

Friday, 25th December (7th January) - Christmas Day

10.00 a.m. - The Hours and Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom

The Church of the Mother of God: the Joy of All Who Sorrow
Mettingham, Suffolk


Thursday, 24th December (6th January) - Christmas Eve
9.00 a.m. - The Royal Hours
6.00 p.m. - Evening Service


Friday, 25th December (7th January) - Christmas Day
10.30 a.m. - The Hours and Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom


All enquiries ought to made to clergy of the respective churches, whose details may be found in the diocesan directory.

Matushka Mary Bond Reposes

17/11/2010

Of your charity, pray for the soul of Mary Bond (née Galitzine), the wife of Deacon Andrew Bond, who reposed in the Lord at All Hallows' Hospital on the 15th of November, 2010.

Thursday, 18th November

At 5p.m. Mary's body will be brought to church and evening service will begin at 6 o' clock, after which the Psalter will be read.

Friday, 19th November

9a.m. Requiem Liturgy

11a.m. Funeral Service

All services will take place at the Church of the Mother of God: the Joy of All Who Sorrow.

May our merciful God grant her a place of refreshment, light and peace.

May her memory be eternal.

Patronal Festival Celebrations in Mettingham

08/11/2010

The people of the church of the Most Holy Mother of God in Mettingham, the newest purpose-built Orthodox church in our diocese, celebrated their patronal festival on Saturday, the 6th of November, being the 24th of October in the Church calendar and the feast of the icon of the Mother of God, "the Joy of All Who Sorrow".

Small Compline was served on the previous evening and the Divine Liturgy was served on the day by the Revd Priest Philip Steer from our sister Diocese of Sourozh, who travelled with his Matushka Philippa and a parishioner from his church in Walsingham.  Friends from different parishes and jurisdictions were present for what was a beautiful celebration among friends and family in Christ at the church that is affectionately referred to as "Our Lady of Mettingham".  Also serving was the Revd Deacon Andrew Bond, whose Matushka Mary, the foundress of the church, is ailing and was unable to be present.  She was commemorated at the end of the Liturgy with the singing of a solemn Kyrie eleison.

A luncheon followed in a nearby church hall which had been graciously made available for the occasion.

Photographs of the church and the day's events may be viewed here.

Statement on the Departure of Fr Nikolai

22/10/2010

With the blessing of Archbishop Mark, Archpriest Peter Baulk of Dormition Cathedral, London, has issued the following statement about the departure of Priest Nikolai Savchenko from the position of Parish Priest at the cathedral.

The statement may be read in full here.

Decree

19/10/2010

His Eminence Archbishop Mark has issued a decree pertaining to the position of Parish Priestr of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs.

It is with sadness that the diocese says goodbye to Father Nikolai, Matushka Anna, and their family.

Vladyka Mark has appointed Priest Vladimir Vilgerts as Acting Assistant Rector.

The full decree may be read here.

New Reader

15/10/2010

Reader Antony Bardsley has been received into our diocese.  Antony was tonsured some years ago in our sister Diocese of Sourozh but has more recently been serving in the local Antiochian Deanery.  He is now part of our diocese and will serve with Deacon Andrew and Reader Mark at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God: the Joy of All Who Sorrow, in Mettingham.

We welcome Reader Antony and pray that his service may be a blessing to the church in Mettingham as it continues to grow.

Mettingham Patronal Festival

08/09/2010

Please mark Saturday, the 6th of November in your diaries as the patronal festival of the Mettingham Church of the Icon of the Mother of God: the Joy of All Who Sorrow.  This will be the 24th of October by the church calendar, and the feast of the icon.  The Vigil will be served at 6 o' clock on the previous evening and the Divine Liturgy will be served at 10.30 on the day.  As this will fall on a Saturday this year, please let us make a special effort to support our brothers and sisters on their parish feast.

Please support our Haitian Mission

05/09/2010

While the news channels are currently focussed on the tragic situation in Pakistan, for which we must offer our prayers and give practical and financial support where we can, let us not forget the other places where the people are still suffering the effects of natural disaster.  The situation in Haiti is still incredibly difficult after the devastating earthquake at the beginning of this year.  A large proportion of the population is homeless as towns lie in ruin, and the already desperate state of poverty of many people has worsened.  According to news reports, the vast majority of the financial aid that was pledged by the international community during the initial media focus on Haiti has not been delivered.  The news cameras may have moved on but the intense problems remain.

Our church has a number of missionary parishes in Haiti, some of whose people are among those suffering.  To worsen the blow, one of their churches and their school were destroyed by the earthquake.  His Grace Bishop Michael of Geneva made an archpastoral visiation to the missions last month with Priest Matthew Williams.  Father Matthew reports that the evidence now of the work of Non-Government aid Organisations is diminished.  A number of our people are living and worshipping in tents and are relying solely on Orthodox support.  Any financial help that you are able to give will help to relieve the suffering of our brothers and sisters.  Donations can be safely made either through the Fund For Assistance or through the specially-formed Haiti Orthodox Family Relief.

Please give as generously as you can and do continue to pray fervently.

Iconostas at St Elisabeth's Wallasey

30/08/2010

Readers may remember that the glorious new iconostas at Dormition Cathedral in London was consecrated by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion during his archpastoral visitation to our diocese last November.  The icons from the previous, temporary iconostas, however, have not been retired but have found a new home at the church in Wallasey, which was acquired for use last summer by the parish of St Elisabeth the New-Martyr.

These icons are part of the rich history of Orthodoxy in Great Britain and particularly of our Russian Orthodox Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland, and now, through the generosity of the cathedral parish in London, where they have been venerated for decades, they have found a new home in the Wallasey.  The final set of the Apostles was donated on the feast of the Dormition and will be mounted along the top of the iconostas on either side of the central Deisis.  It is hoped that they will be an inspiration and a call to prayer for all who enter the church, and may aid the mission of the Church in the northwest.  The parish of St Elisabeth is immensely grateful for this gift.

Feast of the Dormition

30/08/2010

His Eminence Archbishop Mark made an archpastoral visitation to the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs on its principal patronal festival, on the 15th (28th NS) of August.  Parishioners from elsewhere in the diocese made a special effort to attend the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the cathedral, at which Priest Peter Baulk of the cathedral parish was elevated to the rank of Archpriest and Priest Paul Elliott, of the Wallasey parish of St Elisabeth, was awarded the privilege of wearing the gold pectoral Cross.

A Cross-Procession followed the Liturgy and was blessed with sunny weather, and a ceelebratory repast followed in the parish hall.  As ever, it was a joyous occasion for our small diocesan family and it is hoped that others from across the diocese will be able to attend next year.

To the newly-elevated Archpriest Peter and Priest Paul, may the Lord grant many years!

Cathedral Patronal Festival

25/08/2010

Saturday, the 28th of August (being the 15th of August in the Church calendar) will be the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.  This is a time when we, as Christians, remember with joy the end of the earthly life of the Mother of God and her being received into eternal life, the first-fruits of the Christian people and a source of hope that we, too, may follow where she has gone.

This is also the patronal festival of the Dormition Cathedral in Chiswick, and Archbishop Mark will serve the Divine Liturgy there at 9.45 a.m.  This is a diocesan celebration and it would be good for as many people as possible to attend, properly preparing to receive the Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ.  Directions to the cathedral may be found by visiting the diocesan calendar.

Presviataja Bogoroditse, spasi nas!

Video of the Life of St Moses the Black

24/07/2010

Orthodox screenwriter Nathan Lewis has announced plans to put his script for a screenplay of the life of St Moses the Black into production.  A brief account of the life of St Moses may be read here.

Such videos of the lives of the Saints make the riches of our Faith more readily available to people who may otherwise have no contact with Orthodoxy.  Through the examples and intercessions of the Saints, many may find themselves led to the saving bosom of the Church.  This video of the life of St Moses will join those already produced and which have inspred thousands of people around the world.  However, the project requires monetary support.  If you think you might be able to help, please contact Nathan through his website.

Cathedral Patronal Festival

19/07/2010

His Grace Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh celebrated with the cathedral parish for their lesser Patronal Festival on Saturday, the 17th of July, being the 4th of July in the Church calendar and the feast of the Holy Royal Martyrs.  The lower church at the cathedral, which was consecrated some years ago, is dedicated in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, so this was a very special time in the life of the cathedral parish.

The principal Patronal Festival of the cathedral is the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.  On the 28th of August, (the 15th of August in the Church calendar), Vladyka Mark will serve the Divine Liturgy, which will be followed by a Cross-procession and a celebratory meal.  This is an annual diocesan celebration and as many as possible are encouraged to attend.

Kursk Icon Itinerary

15/06/2010

The Kursk Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" is currently gracing the shores of Britain and may be venerated in the following places.

Wednesday, 16th June - The Church of St Elisabeth the New Martyr, Wallasey

The Church will be open from approximately 6 p.m.  Great Vespers will be served shortly after 6.30 and an informal evening of veneration will follow, including a Moleben and Akathist.

Saturday, 19th June - The Church of St John the Wonderworker, Colchester

His Grace Archbishop Mark will serve the hierarchical Divine Liturgy.  The reception of the bishop will take place at approximately 9.45 a.m. and the Liturgy will follow.  The icon will be available for veneration until 2.30 p.m.

Saturday, 19th June - The Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints

The icon will visit the cathedral of our sister Diocese of Sourozh for the Resurrection Vigil on Saturday evening.  Their Graces Archbishops Mark and Elisey will concelebrate with other clergy.

Sunday, 20th June - The Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs

His Grace Archbishop Mark will serve the hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the presence of the Icon at the cathedral of our diocese in Chiswick.  Trapeza will follow in the parish hall.

Monday, 21st June - The Church of the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon of the Mother of God

The Icon will visit the church in Mettingham for services and veneration by the faithful from 6.30, when Compline and an Akathist will be offered.

The icon will leave Britain on Thursday, the 24th of June, being the 11th of June in the Church calendar, and the day that we commemorate the revelation of the hymn to the Mother of God, It is truly Meet.

Members of the Diocese Take Part in Sourozh Conference

07/07/2010

The 35th Annual Conference of the Diocese of Sourozh, our sister diocese in Great Britain & Ireland, took place over the weekend of the 4th to the 6th of June.  The topic was different states of the Christian life: marriage, monasticism, and the single life.  In addition to excellent and thought-provoking addresses and discussions on the above subjects, there were a number of other sessions dealing with spiritual and practical elements of Christian church and family life.

Made to feel very welcome were members of three parishes of our own diocese, who took full part at the conference.  His Grace Archbishop Elisey expressed his delight in the presence of members of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and his hope that this would become more of a regular occurrence in years to come.

More photographs from the conference may be viewed here.

Fund for Assistance

27/04/2010

Please remember to support the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Church Abroad.  The situation is still incredibly difficult in Haiti and Chile after the earthquakes of earlier this year and, while the news reporters have moved on, the suffering people of these lands still need our help.  Even if you are unable to give financially at this time, please continue to pray.

Sourozh Diocesan Conference

16/04/2010

The annual diocesan conference of our sister diocese of Sourozh is scheduled to take place from the 4th to the 6th of June this year.  Details of the conference and how to register may be found here.  Please note that registration applications and payment must be submitted by the 21st of April.

Paschal Letter of Archbishop Mark

 04/04/2010

 

A PASCHAL MESSAGE
TO THE PIOUS FLOCK
IN
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

 

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

(Jn 1, 4-5).

Christ is Risen, dear brothers and sisters!

After man had banished true life from this world through sin, it reappeared only with Christ. Until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ into this earthly world there had been neither life, nor light, but only darkness and the shadow of death. The holy Evangelist John the Theologian calls Christ the Word of life (1 Jn. 1, 1), Who giveth life unto the world (Jn. 6, 33) and came so that so that they might have life (Jn. 10, 10). Christ said,  'I am the resurrection and the life' (Jn. 11, 25), before raising from the dead his friend Lazarus, the four-day-dead whose corpse was already corrupt. Now, through his glorious Resurrection, together with Himself the Risen Christ has raised us, who were dead through sin, and scattered the darkness with his Divine Light: now are all things filled with light, heaven and earth and the places beneath the earth… The Church calls the light of the Resurrection unapproachable, but it is unapproachable only for a time, only for those who have not yet left this earthly vale, earthly logic, earthly limitations, the all too easy earthly inclination to sin.

It is good for us to ponder on this now, when we have run the course of the Great Fast and cleansed ourselves from the deathly sins that we have committed and so become the Lord’s own, become Christ’s. The Word, or Logos, of life allows us mortals even here on earth to partake of his heavenly Logic, of his everlasting Life and so cast off all that is logic-less, meaningless, wordless, logos-less, that is, to cast off the devil, sin and death. From the limitations of time and space we who live by Him and through Him, having Him in us, prepare to enter into another reality, into the realm of the new being of eternal life. From the realm of created darkness into the realm of uncreated and everlasting light. This light cannot be taken over by darkness. Thus, our souls, cleansed through repentance, also become inaccessible to the darkness of sin. Eternity is revealed to us by the Resurrection of Christ and we can freely enter into it through voluntarily rejecting sinful evil and sinful death, through love for goodness and light, love for Christ the Giver of Life.

As we live the Paschal celebration, we are of course aware that it is of short duration, passing, like everything else in this fleeting life. And after the feast the deeper we immerse ourselves in the everyday cares of this world once more, the harder it becomes to keep inside ourselves the awareness of the eternal Paschal celebration .

The Holy Scriptures warn us of the danger of flagging in our spiritual efforts, saying, 'In the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of heaven' (Rev. 11, 13). According to the holy Fathers, the seven thousand who perished refers here to those who are attached to this present life, which is reckoned as seven days, and do not await the eighth day – the resurrection.

In reality, we are called throughout our whole life to prepare for this very eighth day, for the age to come, for the everlasting Easter. This age to come is called a day because in it there will be no night. The sun will not incline towards the west, it will never set. And as the Angel proclaimed to St John the Theologian, there will be time no longer (Rev. 10, 6), and then the everlasting light of Christ the Giver of Light and Life will shine forth to us, as to the apostles on Mt Tabor, not for a mere instant, but for ever.

Of the Paschal celebration which is offered every day, St Theodore the Studite writes that it is ‘the cleansing of sins, heartfelt contrition, tears of compunction, a clear conscience, the mortification of the earthly members from fornication, impurity, passion, evil lust, and every other vice that operates inside us’. Thus, celebrating Easter every day by mortifying passions and resurrecting virtues, we put our hope in the gift of grace which the never-setting Sun, the Risen Lord Who suffered for us, will bestow on us, the Eternal Paschal celebration in the heavens.

Truly Christ is risen!

Archbishop MARK

Pascha, 2010

Holy Week and Pascha around the Diocese

29/03/2010

As we enter the most solemn time of the Christian year, let us make a special effort to attend the divine services and enter as fully as possible into the paschal mystery.  Details of the services for Holy Week and Pascha may be found on the respective websites of the different churches in our diocese, (accessible from the directory page).

For the Church of the Ikon of the Mother of God: the Joy of All Who Sorrow, please see below:

Monday

Compline & Canon and 6p.m.

Tuesday

Compline & Canon and 6p.m.

Wednesday

Compline & Canon and 6p.m.

Thursday

Service of the Twelve Passion Gospels (Matins of Good Friday) at 6.00p.m.

Friday

Royal Hours at 9.00a.m.

Vespers at 3.00p.m.

Lamentations and the Burial Service of the Lord at 6.00p.m.

Saturday

The Midnight Office at 11.30p.m.

Paschal Matins at 12.00 midnight.

Sunday

Paschal Vespers at 3.00p.m.

Kursk Root Icon to Visit the Diocese

06/03/2010

The miraculous Kursk Root Icon of Our Lady of the Sign will visit the Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland between the 18th and the 30th of June (NS).  A full itinerary will be published soon.  For further details, please contact Priest Nikolai Savchenko at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs.

Diocesan Anointing Service

24/02/2010

The time of year is again approaching when Orthodox Christians come together during the season of Great Lent to participate in the Mystery of Holy Unction.  It will be celebrated in our diocese on Saturday, the 20th of March, being the 7th of March in the Church calendar and the Saturday of the Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God.  This will take place at 3 o' clock in the afternoon at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs, in Chiswick, West London.

 

The service consists of seven epistles and seven Gospels, each reminding us of the healing brought to us by Christ.  In his general Epistle, St James, the Brother of the Lord, exhorts the local churches, saying 'Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord' (James 5:14).  Acknowledging our physical and spiritual sickness, we come to God in prayer, asking for healing of our souls and bodies, for the sake of our salvation.

 

In a time when the world presents us with all manner of alternative therapies, self-help books, and new age healing techniqies, relying on man's own power to heal himself, it is important for us Christians to remind ourselves that it is Christ Who heals us; it is Christ Who redeems fallen creation, with its suffering and pain; it is Christ alone Who has conquered the power of sin and death by his glorious Resurrection.  Therefore, it is to Christ that we must turn for healing of our souls and bodies; it is in the incarnate Christ that we must trust to raise us beyond the mire of fallenness through his Resurrection and Ascension, and it is to Christ that we must pray with compunction and humility.

 

Because Holy Unction is intrinsically bound to the physical and spiritual healing that we receive in the life of the Church, we must approach this Mystery as we would Holy Communion, and seek to free ourselves of the sins that separate us from the fullness of life in Christ.  Therefore, it is proper that we should confess our sins and be absolved before we are anointed.

 

May this anointing strengthen us in our pilgrim journey into the fullness of life in Christ, at the will of the Father, and through the power of the Holy and life-creating Spirit.

Haiti Appeal

24/02/2010

Please continue to pray for the much-suffering people of Haiti.  The news cameras have begun to move on but the situation is still dire.  If you are able to contribute financially to the aid work, please donate either to the ROCOR Fund for Assistance or the International Orthodox Christian Charities.

40th Anniversary of SGOIS

24/02/2010

The Saint George Orthodox Information Service, publishers of Orthodox News and distrubutors of numerous books, liturgical necessities, and devotional aids, marks its fortieth year of operations this year.  Tentative plans are for the Divine Liturgy to be served at the Church of the Mother of God, the Joy of All Who Sorrow, on Saturday, the 24th of July, followed by a reception at The White House.  Suggestions and enquiries should be directed to Father Deacon Andrew Bond.

Please continue to support the important work that they do.

The Lenten Epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion

15/02/2010

To the Archpastors, Pastors, Monastics and All the Faithful Children of the Russian Church Abroad

Dear archpastors, pastors, monastics, brethren, sisters and children, beloved in the Lord!

I congratulate all of you with the arrival of the salvific days of the Great Fast! If we turn to the sources, we see that, even as early as Old Testament times, fasting was one of the elements of the ascetic life. The prophets and teachers of Israel fasted; after his Baptism, Christ began his public ministry by first withdrawing into the wilderness, where He spent forty days fasting; and the Forerunner, Saint John the Baptist, fasted strictly before going forth to preach. Kings and simple folk all fasted to achieve reconciliation with God, to show Him their love.

The holy Forty-Day Fast is special, not only in the life of the Church, but in the life of each Christian, who often refers to it as the "springtime of repentance.” The divine services of the Great Fast begin with the penitent words of the Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete: "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me!" and with the hymn, "Open unto me the doors of repentance, O Bestower of life," thereby affirming that without repentance there can be no salvation. Repentance is the greatest gift God gives a man: it is a second baptism in which, cleansed of sins, we again find the grace which was lost in the fall. But repentance is also a heavy, painstaking interior labour of purifying the heart of moral impurity, which means seeking out the sin within oneself — in one's thoughts, words, actions — becoming aware of it, hating it, and ultimately employing the Church's grace-filled means to root it out. The fruit of repentance is amendment, the transformation of one's life.

It is for this reason that the Church calls us during the holy days of the Forty-Day Fast to fast "an acceptable fast, well-pleasing to the Lord". This is why we add to bodily fasting a spiritual fast: prayer, the doing of good works, the reading of the sacred Scriptures, attendance at the divine services, the offering of sincere repentance, and the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. This is what constitutes a true fast pleasing to God and saving for us all. The Holy Church calls us to examine our life during the time of the Fast, to test our conscience in the light of the truths of the Gospel. This means that we must not only call to mind our personal sins and sincerely repent of them, but by our personal life we must bring forth spiritual fruits worthy of repentance, such as "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, loving-kindness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23). The Fast is not a time for arguments or to look for others to blame. The meaning of the Fast lies in the perfecting of our love for God and our neighbour, because it is love that is the beginning of every virtue. Fasting is nothing, asceticism is nothing if love is absent, which is why it is written: "God is love” (I John 4:8), and "As ye will that others treat you, so ought ye to treat them' (Luke 6:31)," the Lord teaches us.

Fasting is liberation from everything extraneous that deprives us of precious energy and time, that distracts us from "the one thing needful" (Luke 10:42). This is a time when one should not only avoid excessive eating, but the purchase of luxury items; it is a time to restrict our access to vain information about this transitory life and open ourselves to the Word of God, the teachings of the holy Fathers and the history of the Church.

What else should we be doing during the Fast? Private prayer, the examination of our conscience and of our life and works in the light of the Holy Gospel, contemplation of the sufferings and death our Saviour endured for us, reconciliation with those close to us, conversation with pious people, charity, hospitality.

Let us especially remember that the Great Fast is a time when one should attentively examine everything one says. Our words possess great power: either positive or negative, destructive or edifying. This is why we will be judged not only for our actions, but also for our words. "I say unto you that for every idle word that men utter, they will give answer on the day of judgement; for one is justified by one's words and one is condemned by one's words," said Christ the Saviour.

Let us remember, dear brethren and sisters, that our faith consists of two wings: fasting and prayer. A bird cannot fly with only one wing; and so also every believing Christian must also fast and pray. As you begin the Fast, fear pride, self-importance, and self-love. Set as your principal goal the acquisition of humility and meekness. Patiently overcome temptations, humbling oneself again and again. Then the Lord will bless you to perceive a gracious influence of the Great Fast upon your soul and body. “Seest thou what fasting doeth?" writes the holy hierarch Athansius the Great; "It healeth sicknesses, driveth the demons away, banisheth evil thoughts, and maketh the heart pure."

I prayerfully desire that all of you pass through the course of the forthcoming Great Fast and arrive at the holy Resurrection of Christ with a pure heart. May the Lord grant you the strength to accomplish this. May He increase within you faith, hope, love, humble-mindedness and patience.

I invoke upon all the faithful children of the Russian Church Abroad the blessing of God.

With love in the Lord and a request for your holy prayers,

Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York,
First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad

Devotions for Lent

31/01/2010

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America has launched a website with devotional material for Great Lent and the Pre-Lenten period.

Priest of the Haitian Mission Alive

15/01/2010

Contact has been established today with Fr Gregory Legoute, one of the two priests serving the ROCOR missions in Haiti.  Communication is still very scant and details difficult to come by.  No word has so far been received about Fr Jean-Chenier Dumais, who is the other priest serving the missions, four of which are in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas.  Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers.

Further updates can be found on the website of the Fund for Assistance, where financial assistance to the Haitian ROCOR missions can be sent.  Donations towards the emergency relief effort can be made to the International Orthodox Christian Charities.

"In the Footsteps of the Forgotten English Saints" - 6th - 18th September, 2010

12/01/2010

In the Footsteps of the Forgotten English Saints is a religious pilgrimage to the shrines of the early English Saints that will also include visits to the most important historical and monastic sites of the ancient Anglo-Saxon church. Our pilgrimage offers a rare glimpse into the often misunderstood and marginalised history of the unique development of Christianity in the British Isles. During our pilgrimage we will visit many unique places, among them traditional pilgrim destinations at St Alban's, Canterbury, and Lindisfarne, the cities of London, Winchester, York and Durham, the painted churches of the southern English counties, and countless other sites and monuments scattered throughout the British provinces from the English Channel to the Scottish border. We shall be accompanied by Dr Paul Cavill, professor of Old English Literature at the University at Nottingham and author of several books on Anglo-Saxon Christianity.

The cost of this two week, largely all-inclusive religious tour is US$3000 per person, based on double occupancy in a group of 25 people. The price is subject to change based on the actual exchange rate or number of participants.

For more information, please visit www.orthodoxtours.com or contact Fr Ilya Gotlinsky.
E-mail: ortours@gmail.com
Tel: 00 607-797-1058

Nativity Epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion

07/01/10  

Archpastors and brethren, most honourable fathers, and all Orthodox children of the Russian Diaspora, beloved in the Lord!

I congratulate you with all my heart on the all-glorious and divinely salvific feast of the Nativity of Christ and the impending New Year!

Each year the feast of the Nativity of Christ enters into our hearts with ineffable spiritual joy — the joy that came to earth when the angel of the Lord announced the birth of Christ the Savior to the simple shepherds of Bethlehem. The feast of the Nativity also fills us with radiant joy through the profound content of its divine services, which illumine our souls: the deeply edifying and divinely inspired hymnody of the Nativity and the readings taken from the prophecies.

Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) wrote thus of the miracle of the birth of the divine Infant: "The heavens proclaimed the birth of God on earth, yet this proclamation was magnificent and silent, because the stars were the heavens' mouth. This event, which the whole Christian world now celebrates, at the time passed almost completely unnoticed." And this was probably because everything that is great takes place in stillness and mystery. In the night of the Nativity, near the city of Bethlehem, in a humble cave which shepherds used for penning their flocks, was born Him Whose name has become close to millions of people in our land. For Jesus, the divine Infant, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, came to proclaim to us the glad tidings of our salvation — the Gospel of joy and light, the good news of new life." The Son of God became man so that man might become the son of God," the Holy Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyon wrote of Christ the Savio4r. In the divine Infant our salvation became visible. In God, Who for our sake became man, we all sense ourselves beloved and cherished in the eyes of the creator. 

Rejoicing with the angelic hosts that unceasingly glorify God in the heavens, with them we sing the wondrous hymn of the angels: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men!" This joy is transmitted to all men, from age to age, from generation to generation. During the difficult 20th century this joy gave to our people the strength to endure persecution at the hands of their neighbo4rs and kin, wars, invasion by foreign foes, estrangements.

And today, when things are still unsettled in the world, when we are threatened by the economic disorders to which the unrestrained striving for wealth and profits, and the abandonment of moral principles have brought us, let us not be daunted by the stormy waves of the sea of life, for we are not alone in this world. In the hymnody of the Nativity of Christ we sing: "God is with us! Understand, ye nations, and submit yourselves, for God is with us!" If with all our mind, all our heart, all our life we will strive to be with God, then no difficulty or trial will discourage us. And no one will be able to deprive us of the joy that comes to us from on high, and which the Gospel tells us no one can take from us (John. 16:22).

This past year there took place in the life of the reunited Russian Orthodox Church an event long awaited by the faithful in the homeland: the all-pure Mother of God, in her miraculous image — the Kursk-Root Icon of the Sign — visited Russia and its native precincts in the Kursk-Root Hermitage. It was a joyful thing to behold the faith and zeal of the tens of thousands of believers who came to venerate the Directress of the Russian Diaspora. One may rightly say that this event brought them together spiritually and united them. All of this gives one hope that, with God's help, in the year 2010 also the good traditions of that spiritual life of prayer, the beginnings of which were laid by the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexy and Metropolitan Laurus, will develop further and become the surety of the spiritual unity of our Holy Church.

The year 2010 will mark the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Russian Church Abroad. Thus, we would like to thank the hierarchs and pastors who carry out their tasks with diligence and zeal, the staff members of the departments of the Synod, the Church-affiliated social organisations, the parish schools, the sisterhoods, and all who help strengthen the Church throughout the Russian Diaspora, and to call upon them to work toward the fulfilment of the goals which lie before our Church in the field of spiritual, educational, and missionary service.

With "Christ is born! Glorify Him!" the Holy Church addresses us during these radiant festal days. Let us follow this summons and glorify Him in our prayers, acts, words, and thoughts.

The day of the Nativity of Christ is a feast of peace, hope, and the love of God. Let each of us strive to translate this day into deeds pleasing to God — let us give alms and help our neighbours, treat each person with goodness and love, become better and, most important, closer to God. With all my soul I wish that you will greet and celebrate the radiant feast of the Nativity of Christ in the joy of the Lord Who came into the world "for our sake and for our salvation." Let the joy of the radiant Nativity of Christ enter into each home, each family, and warm our hearts with the fervour of divine Love.

May your souls be filled with splendour and joy, like the cave of Bethlehem, where the divine Infant, the Saviour of the world, was born. May God bless our homes and families with peace, happiness, and prosperity during the coming year and all the days of our life. May the star of Bethlehem guide you on the path to salvation.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has now been born of the Ever-virgin Mary, remain with all of you.

+Hilarion,
Metropolitan of New York and Eastern America,
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad

Nativity Epistle of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill

07/01/10

Beloved in the Lord Archpastors, Reverend Presbyters, and Deacons, God-loving Monastics,

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

On this bright day of the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, I send my heartfelt greetings to you.

For over two thousand years, Christians throughout the world turn their thoughts with joy and hope to the event that became a turning point in the history of mankind. Our system of counting years commences from the Nativity, and is the chronology of the Christian era, which in and of itself bears witness to the unique significance of the advent of Christ the Saviour.

The cave in Bethlehem, where animals would find shelter from the cold winter nights, was a symbol of the world, which had moved away from its Creator and had come to endure the sorrow and darkness of the abandonment of God. Yet the radiant night of the Nativity illuminated not only the cave which gave shelter to the Most-Pure Virgin Mary, but all of creation, for the birth of the Son of God “lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” as Evangelist John witnesses (John 1:9).

One might ask: what does the true Light mean? We find the answer to this question in the same Gospel passage from St John. The true Light is the Lord Himself, the Divine Word, “Which was made flesh, and dwelt among us… full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Through the Birth of the Saviour, people gained the possibility of obtaining grace and Truth (John 1:17). Grace is Divine power given by God to mankind for salvation. It is with this power that mankind defeats sin. Without grace evil cannot be defeated, nor all that which darkens our lives.

Truth is the fundamental value of existence. If the foundation of life were untruth, error, then life would not exist. Of course, the external life of a wayward person might seem fully satisfactory. But this does not mean that error is without consequence: sooner or later it will manifest itself, including the tragedy of the fates of men.

The true Light is Divine light, Divine truth. It is unchanging and eternal and does not depend upon whether we accept it or not. When man accepts Divine truth, it will determine first of all the character of his relationship with others, the ability, in the words of the Apostle, to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), that is, to display solidarity with one's neighbours, to participate in their joys and sorrows. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35), says the Lord. Yet these eternal Divine truths, which are the only ones that are able to transform our lives, are today no longer considered ideals. They are persistently pushed out of the consciousness of contemporary mankind by the propaganda of moral irresponsibility, of egotism, consumerism, the denial that sin is the main problem facing mankind.

It is precisely the substitution of genuine values with false ones that explains the growing so-called “human factor” in tragic events that destroys lives by the hundreds. This explains the crises which on a global scale shake the foundations of economics, politics, society, of family life, inter-generational relationships, and much more.

The meaning of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ is that it draws the Saviour closer to us, it helps us see his Face more clearly, to absorb his good news. The Lord again and again is mysteriously born for us in the depths of our souls, so that we “might have life, and… might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The event of that Bethlehem night enters contemporary life, helping us to see it in a new, sometimes uncommon and unexpected way. That which has seemed to us most important and enormous, suddenly becomes insignificant and fleeting, making way for the grandeur and beauty of eternal Divine truth.

The words of the Saviour resound with special power today: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). These words give us hope, founded on firm conviction, that no matter what temptations face us in this world, the Lord will not abandon his legacy.

Over this last year, the life of our Church was marked by many important events. Gathering in Moscow, at Christ the Saviour Cathedral, the Local Council elected a successor to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II following his repose. Strengthened by prayer and the support of the episcopacy, clergy and multitudinous flock, with trust in the will of God, I accepted the lot of the Patriarchal service that fell to me. While performing divine services in Moscow, in other Russian dioceses, and also in Ukraine and Azerbaijan, I experienced the joy of prayerful communion with our pious Orthodox people, with the young and the old, with people of middle age and with children. Everywhere I saw the bright faces of people expressing their profound faith. This for me has become the greatest spiritual experience and a visible witness of the unity of Holy Russia, which through the faith of its multi-national people overcomes social, material, generational, ethnic, and other boundaries, preserving within the conditions of today’s political realities their spiritual unity.

This unity is strengthened by a unified Church, in which, through Divine grace, all that is temporary and fleeting is overcome. Here, before the gaze of mankind, stands the true greatness of enduring values. This is why Divine truth must serve as the main point of orientation for all human endeavour, development and progress.

It is joyous to see how many more of our contemporaries are beginning to return to their spiritual wellsprings, to value their religious and cultural tradition. And today, the celebration of this feast is shared by those believers who are firmly rooted in Orthodoxy, but those, too, who are only on the path to recovering the salvific faith, and maybe are entering the doors of the church for the first time, their hearts responding to the call of the Gospel.

I prayerfully wish you, Most Reverend Bishops, Reverend Fathers, dear brothers and sisters, abundant mercies from the God-Child Christ born in Bethlehem, that by the grace of God your joys would multiply, your ailments would heal and sorrows be consoled. May the light of the star of Bethlehem be a beacon for each one of us, and may the Lord bless the labours in the harvest-fields of establishing the life of the Church, the state in which we live, and our societies, and may we all be granted unwavering presence in the Truth of the Gospel. 

+ KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA
Nativity of Christ 2009/2010
Moscow