The Shepherd, January 2010
VISITS to OUR WEBSITE
DURING 2009, our website, address <www.saintedwardbrotherhood.org>, received a total of 102,230 “unique visits.” On it each month, we publish a full copy of this magazine and of the calendar insert. We are thankful to those of you, who, reading the magazine in this way, nonetheless support our efforts by sending donations, as also those who show a lively interest in our efforts by sending comments, corrections, or items that might be included. We alsosend special thanks to David Jepson for putting the calendarinsert on the website every month for us.
VISITORS
LED by Kate O’Shea, a group of about 30 visitors from the Pilgrimage Walking Group of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth came to see the church on 4th December, n.s. There they were given a short talk by Father Niphon.
FREEWILL OFFERINGS
AS REGULAR WORSHIPPERS at Saint Edward’s know, we do not have collections during the Divine services, so as not to disrupt the most holy parts of the services with the hubbub. However, freewill offerings are made in the alms box at the entrance to the church, and the weekly averages of these offerings for 2009 were as follows: January £201.75; February £266.89; March £448.89; April £540.33; May £197.11; June £185.45; July £140.48; August £183.77; September £247.99; October £204.99; November £202.27; December £304.70. Our thanks to all who have supported us in this way, to those who make regular bankers’ orders payments, to those who have donated to the Roofing Fund, and to those who have wisely “gift-aided” their donations. May the Merciful Lord reward you greatly.
DATES for 2010
IN the coming year, Pascha (Easter) falls on the earliest date possible, 22nd March / 4th April. This means that various adjustments are made, and so to help you make provision to keep the feasts, here are some of the most important commemorations:-
The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the start of the Lenten Triodion, falls on the Sunday immediately after Theophany - 24th January n.s.
Meatfare Sunday falls on 7th February, n.s., and thereafter we do not eat any meat products until Pascha.
Great Lent begins on Monday 15th February.
The Great Feast of the Lord’s Meeting in the Temple properly falls on the same day, but as we have to serve here and at the Convent, we have the Bishop’s blessing to keep it on the previous Saturday, 13th n.s. It is customary in the Russian practice to move it on such occasions, sometimes to the Saturday and sometimes to the Sunday.
The feast of St Edward’s Martyrdom falls properly on Holy and Great Wednesday, but similarly, with the blessing of the Bishop, we are transferring it to Bright Monday, 5th April, n.s.
PRACTICAL TIP
THIS is not a specifically Orthodox point, but one which would have been common sense to earlier more commonsensical generations. In correspondence, or on the phone, always give your name in such a way that your correspondent knows exactly and immediately who you are. Almost weekly we have messages from people who present themselves as “John,” “Daniel,” “David,” “Mary,” “Ann”- or in the Eastern European tradition, “Ivan,” “Kolya,” “Costas,” “Katya,” “Nadya,” “Valya.” Of the dozens of people we know with these names it is often difficult to know which is which. Perhaps if your parents had given you one of the beautiful names that are rarely used, Smaragdus, Menas, Modestus, Eulalia, Charitina, or the like, using the Christian name alone might be sufficient. But few parents these days venture far from a few popular names (although those few names do vary a little from generation to generation), and ever fewer know the lives of the Saints and name their child with a particular Saint in mind. Nearly every week we receive a phone message, even from people we have had no contact with before, which begins something like this, “My name is Natalia and I am Russian, please phone me back on xxxx.” That leaves the field wide open for a considerable number of people who are both Russian and have that name! This year, we even received a Christmas card, signed (if that is the word) with two squiggles, such as bank clerks use in endorsing a payment. The postal franking was illegible, even the “initials” could not be deciphered, so we have no idea who wasted their time and money to send what, to all intents and purposes, was an anonymous greeting. May God bless them, but, if you want someone to respond to your initiative, at the very least show them the courtesy of introducing yourself clearly.
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