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.

80th Anniversary of the Repose of Bishop Nikolai

10/10/2012

2012 marks the 80th anniversary of the repose of the soul of the ever-memorable Vladyka Nikolai (Karpov), Bishop of London. During his short episcopacy, Vladyka had a seminal role in galvinising the fractured Russian Orthodox community in London, restoring unity through his godly example.

The forthcoming issue of Orthodox News will include a full obituary of Bishop Nikolai translated by Baroness Vera Wrangel.

New Priest to Serve UK Missions

09/10/2012

On the 5th of October, 2012, being the 22nd of September by the Church calendar, Deacon Thomas Cook was ordained to the priesthood to serve the Western Rite missions of ROCOR in the UK.

The ordination took place in the church of St Ambrose of Milan in New York, at the hands of His Grace Bishop Jerome of Manhattan, the Episcopal Vicar for ROCOR's Western Rite Vicariate.

Fr Thomas will be rector of St Edmund the Martyr Orthodox Church in Nottingham. He is the first Western Rite priest to be ordained within ROCOR to serve in England.  Fr Thomas is married to Matushka Jane and they have two children.  He has been Orthodox for six years and had previously belonged to a parish of the Diocese of Sourozh.  He holds a B.A. with Honours from King's College, University of London, and a Diploma in Orthodox Christian Studies from the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge.

May God grant the newly-ordained Priest Thomas many years!

Colchester Parish Video

18/09/2012

The parish of St John of Shanghai has launched a Youtube photo-collage giving a flavour of the worshipping life of the parish.

Cheltenham Mission: Important Notice

04/09/2012

Through pan-Orthodox collaboration, the mission serving Gloucester and the Cotswolds has secured a regular time for the Divine Liturgy.  Beginning on Sunday, the 7th of October, the Divine Liturgy will be served on the first Sunday of every month in the same location as before.

Through the kindness of Fr Anthimos Papandreou of the Greek Orthodox Parish of St John Chrysostom in Bentham, the Sunday morning Liturgy in that church on the first Sunday of the month will be under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox mission.  The Liturgy will be served by the clergy of the parish of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in Oxford, which is under the Diocese of Sourozh.  The mission remains a mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, under the omophor of His Eminence Archbishop Mark and the spiritual care of Father Vladimir Vilgerts.

Further details of services may be found on the mission website.