The Shepherd, January 2008
CANDLE FACTORY
IN MID-DECEMBER, just in time to help us catch up on our candle orders, the new candle-making equipment arrived from our suppliers in Denmark, and so the Candle Factory, which is part of the New Monastic House, is now up and running again. The new facilities were blessed in a short service immediately after the Divine Liturgy on the feast of St Philaret the Merciful, 1st / 14th December. The new equipment is considerably safer that the old Heath-Robinson set-up we had in the caravan, as the vats are properly insulated and thermostatically controlled. It also allows us to make candles at approximately twice the speed we were able to hitherto. Our thanks to all those who were patient with us at the end of last year when the stocks we had put aside were running low. We tried to make sure orders for Christmas were fulfilled and we hope now to resume production on a regular basis.
PLANTING DAY
LED by Annie Shaw, we had a planting day on Saturday 8th December. We were unable to achieve as much as we had hoped, as, because of a hitch, the plant order was not processed, but a goodly number of people turned up to do the work, and heroically worked in pouring rain, thus at least starting this important part of the project. Our thanks to all who helped. Special mention should be made of our Serbian helper Dusan Barac and his friend, Frank, who although considerably older than most of us put us to shame by their hard work.
FUNERAL AT BROOKWOOD
A VERY OLD FRIEND and supporter of our community, Irina Bontea, was laid to rest in the St Edward’s Cemetery, after a funeral in the Cemetery Chapel, on Friday, 14th December. The service was served by Father Eugen Darie of the Romanian Patriarchal Church, who kindly at the graveside thanked the Brotherhood for helping to care for Irina.
VISITORS
AMONG the visitors that we have welcomed in the past month, we have had Archimandrite Daniel (Toyne) of the Holy Resurrection Church in Singapore (Œcumenical Patriarchate), who stayed with us for two days, Hegoumen John (Smelic) who visited on his return from Odessa where he had been raised to Hegoumen (Synod of Bishop Agafangel), Fr Alexander Fostiropoulos (Parishes of the Russian Tradition under the Œcumenical Patriarchate in Western Europe), Fr Gabriel Lawani (Synod of Archbishop Chrysostomos II, Greece), and the Nuns Ioannichia and Cherubima of the Maramures Monastery in Romania (Romanian Patriarchate), who arrived with a group of Romanian pilgrims from London during Vespers on Boxing Day. Dr Nick Needham, a Baptist minister and lecturer in church history at the Highland Theological College at Dingwall also stayed with us for a few days. Nick has been a friend of our community for years, and is perhaps best known for his work “2,000 Years of Christ’s Power,” a comprehensive history of the Christians of East and West.
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