The Shepherd, February 2006
BROOKWOOD NEWS, 1
BAPTISM AT SAINT EDWARD’S
ON ST NIPHON’S DAY, 23rd December/ 5th January, catechumen Steven Cable, a former Anglican, was baptised and chrismated at St Edward’s Church. During the Divine Liturgy he partook of the Divine Mysteries, and he stayed with us for the eight days in which he wore his chrism robe, so that he might receive every day. His sponsor was Marko Stojovic. We ask the prayers of the faithful for both Marko and Steven, who was named for the Holy Protomartyr, whose feastday fell within his eight days.
VISITORS FROM AMERICA
ON SAINT SERAPHIM’S DAY, Sunday 2nd / 15th January, Archpriest Sergei Kotar of the Holy Virgin Cathedral, San Francisco, joined us and concelebrated at the Divine Liturgy. Father Sergei was accompanied by his matushka, Maria, and their daughter, Alexandra. After the Parish Breakfast, he and a small group of pilgrims chanted a moleben before the Shrine of St Edward.
CHRISTMAS & THEOPHANY CELEBRATIONS
THE ORTHODOX CELEBRATION of Christmas fell on a Saturday this year, and because of the cramped situation within the Brotherhood house, after the Divine Liturgy, we held the Parish Breakfast in the Lord Pirbright Hall on Pirbright Green, this year using the larger main hall rather than the side one that we hired last year. For technical reasons we were unable to show the DVD of the Metropolitan’s May visit to Brookwood, but did show the interview which the Lomonosov University made with Fr Alexis. After the food, we had our usual carol singing, and then first the Serbs, then the Bulgarians and the Romanians sang carols from their home countries. Then led by little Joanna Rotherham the Russians contributed some carols and songs. The Greeks, naturally, were too shy and bashful to sing. Our special thanks are due to all those who contributed to the success of the celebration, and to all who helped in preparing foods and the mulled wine, and especially to those who stayed over to help clear up and leave the hall in the state we found it. At four o’clock we returned to the church for Vespers and thus drew a close to the day. For the Theophany we had the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon with us as a great blessing, and we took it with us on our “Procession to Jordan” - actually a trip to Chertsey, where, as has become traditional, we bless the waters on the site of the seventh century monastery, founded there by St Erkenwald. After the ceremony which was held on the riverside patio at the home of Robin and Mary Haigh, we were kindly treated to tea, coffee and cakes by our hosts in the medieval barn which once belonged to the monastery. We had also been specially invited by Emma Warren, the curator, to visit the Chertsey Museum and so made our way there, they talked to us about the plans for the Museum’s future and showed us the Viking sword, which was found at Chertsey, and which may have been used in the slaying of the venerable martyrs in the ninth century. The Chertsey Museum has asked permission to use a full colour copy of our icon of St Erkenwald in their display in the proposed Runnymede Room.
VISIT OF THE KURSK ROOT ICON
AS ANNOUNCED in our last issue, over the feasts of the Nativity and the Theophany, the miraculous Kursk Root Icon was in England. In addition to a short three-day trip to Ireland, the Icon’s time here was shared between the Church of the Dormition on Harvard Road in West London, the Convent of the Annunciation and the Saint Edward Brotherhood. It was also taken to many of the sick and elderly, who otherwise would not have had an opportunity to venerate it. While the Icon was at Brookwood, Fr Stephen Platt brought a group of pilgrims from the Parish of the Annunciation in Oxford to pray before the icon, and on Friday, 7th/20th January, they chanted a moleben before the Icon after joining the monastic community for Vespers. Later they came into the Brotherhood house for coffee and cakes. Early on the Monday morning, Fr Vadim Zakrevsky brought a parishioner for the beginning of Mattins, and during the same service we were joined by more Russians and Ukrainians. In the evening a group of Romanian Orthodox pilgrims led by Hieromonk Luke of the Holy Spirit Metochion of the Manastirea Rafaila came and chanted an Akathist before the Mother of God. Before leaving the Romanian pilgrims generously had a collection among themselves to contribute to our Building Fund. Early next morning, Fr Alexis took the Icon back to Munich, from whence it was to be returned to America.
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