The Great Anointing

06/04/2013

The time of year is again approaching when Orthodox Christians come together during the season of Lent to participate in the Mystery of Holy Unction.  It will be celebrated in our diocese on Saturday, the 13th of April.  This will take place at 2 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.

Events in Cheltenham

06/03/2013

The next Divine Liturgy of the Cheltenham Nixon will be served at 10 a.m. on the 30th of March at the Church of St John Chrysostom, Bentham Lane. This follows a catechism class on the previous Tuesday evening, beginning at 6.30 p.m.

For your diary, the next Liturgy after this one is planned for the 11th of May, being the Saturday in Bright Week. Please bring your Easter baskets to be blessed.

Full details may be found on the mission website.

Cheltenham Liturgy

17/02/2013

The next Liturgy of the Cheltenham Mission will be served on this coming Saturday, 23rd February, at the Greek Orthodox church of St John Chrysostom.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy will begin at approximately 10 a.m.  All are welcome.

New Parish Newsletter

05/02/2013

The Parish of St Elisabeth the New-Martyr, Wallasey, has launched a new parish newsletter.

The first edition of The New-Martyr was published this month, and the archive may be found on the parish website.

The already-established newsletters of the churches in Colchester and Mettingham may be read on their respective websites.

Episcopal Visitation

28/01/2013

His Grace Bishop Jerome of Manhattan will visit the United Kingdom for a few days next month in his capacity as Episcopal Vicar for the Western Rite Vicariate.

This will be a pastoral visit to the ROCOR Western Rite missions in England, lasting from the 12th to the 16th of February.

Vladyka Jerome will be in Oxford for the duration of his visit, during which the following events are planned:

Thursday, 14th February

• 10.30 a.m. - Terce (The Third Hour) and Mass (Divine Liturgy of St Gregory) at Keble College Chapel
• 2 p.m. - Address and open forum at St Barnabas' church, Jericho.
• 6 p.m. - First Vespers of Candlemas at St Mary's church, Newnham Murren.

Friday, 15th February - Candlemas (The Presentation/Meeting of the Lord in the Temple)

• 10.30 a.m. Pontifical Mass (Divine Liturgy) for the feast of Candlemas at Keble College Chapel
• 2 p.m. Address and open forum at St Barnabas' church, Jericho.
• 6 p.m. Second Vespers of Candlemas at St Mary's church, Newnham Murren.

For further information about any of the events or locations, please contact Father Thomas Cook at fr.thomascook@gmail.com.  

The Western Rite missions in the UK are stavropegial missions of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.  They belong to the Western Rite Vicariate, an international grouping of ROCOR Western Rite parishes and missions directly under the authority of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of New York, and cared for by His Grace Bishop Jerome of Manhattan. They operate in the UK with the agreement of His Grace Archbishop Mark of Great Britain.

Cheltenham Mission Activities

19/01/2013

The next Divine Liturgy of the mission in Cheltenham will be on this coming Saturday, the 26th of January, being the Afterfeast of Theophany.  The Liturgy will be at 10 a.m.  Please arrive early for confession.

Catechism classes are also run by the mission, exploring different areasof the Christian life and teaching.  Study and discussion is in English.

Full details of the mission, including the location, contact details, and website may be found in the directory.

Archpastoral Christmas Message

07/01/2013

Archbishop Mark's Christmas message to the diocese is now on the website and may be read here.

Archimandrite Lazarus' 20th Anniversary

27/11/2012

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the repose of Archimandrite Lazarus (Moore), whose contribution to the missionary and liturgical Orthodox life in the English-speaking world was invaluable, and the fruits of which are seen today.

Further information may be found on the website of the Father Lazarus Moore Foundation.

Mettingham Patronal Feast

02/11/2012

Tuesday, the 6th of November, being the 24th of October in the Church calendar, will be feast of the icon of the Mother of God: the Joy of All Who Sorrow.  This will be the patronal feast of the church of the same name in Mettingham.

The Vigil will be served at 7.30 on the evening of the 5th of November, with a festal Divine Liturgy at 10.30 on the following morning.  This will be followed by refreshments in the College.  All are welcome.

Please pray for the community of the church and all who work towards realising the aims of the College of Our Lady of Mettingham.  Please also take note of the observance of Founder's Day on the 15th of November.

Russian Orthodox Bishops' Conference

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Conference of Russian Orthodox Bishops Serving outside of the territorial lands of the Russian Orthodox Church will take place in London from the 19th to the 21st of October. The event will mark the fifth anniversary of the re-establishment of canonical unity within the Russian Orthodox Church.  The conference will take place under the presidency of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

On the evening of the 20th of October, at 6 p.m. the festive Vigil will take place at our Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs at 57 Harvard Road, Chiswick, London W4 4ED.

On the following morning of the 21st of October, at 10 a.m. the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints at 67 Ennismore Gardens, London SW7 1NH.

The festive services will be presided by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, together with Metropolitan Hillarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and other bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church with their dioceses outside its canonical territory.