The Shepherd, March 2006
BROOKWOOD NEWS, 2
ROYAL VISIT
ON SUNDAY, 6th/19th February, Linda, the widow of Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia, visited the Saint Edward Brotherhood and joined our parishioners at the buffet meal after the Liturgy. She was introduced to us by Ariana Beatty, and she met and talked with a number of our people and told them about her work in trying to help the Serbian people and bring their present plight to the notice of the world. Prince Tomislav was the brother of the last reigning King of Yugoslavia, Peter II, and the uncle of the present head of the Royal House, Crown Prince Alexander.
BUILDING FUND PROGRESS
AT THE TIME of going to press, our Building Fund has reached £367,398.98, approx. 56.52% of our target figure of £650,000. Our agent, Tony Sumners of King Sumners Partnership met with Fr Alexis and the architect, Irina Aldersley on 13th February, and he has instructed companies to undertake a site survey and a site investigation (which are in progress), and, encouraged by our progress in fund-raising, he has drawn up a schedule anticipating that we will be able to begin the building work itself in June this year. Please keep this project in your prayers.
Again, we ask those of our readers who feel unable to give us a donation to consider giving an interest free loan, so that we do not have to borrow too large a bridging loan at commercial rates. If you are able to help in this way, please write to or e-mail the Brotherhood.
VISITORS FROM AMERICA
AS MENTIONED ABOVE, Fr Archdeacon Andronik was in London for the feast of the Meeting of the Lord. He had come over from San Francisco because of the illness of his father, Michael Taratuchin, Ataman of the Kuban Cossacks, who has subsequently reposed and is to be laid to rest in St Edward’s Orthodox Cemetery here on Wednesday, 1st March. Later his brother, Fr Michael Taratuchin, who serves at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, Brooklyn, NY, also came. The two brothers served with Fr Peter Baulk at the Convent on Sunday19th February, and Fr Michael visited us at Brookwood on the following day.
FREEWILL OFFERINGS
THE AVERAGE WEEKLY totals of monies donated in the almsbox at the back of the church for the last six months of last year were: July - £221.75; August - £266.71; September - £353.39; October - £233.23; November - £209.32; December - £323.04. God bless all of you who have helped support us by giving in this way.
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San Francisco Council in May
WE HAVE NOW heard Archbishop Mark explain the the rapprochement process between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Abroad, and have had an opportunity to question him. As most readers will know, Fr Alexis has been appointed as one of the British delegates to the All-Diaspora Council to be held in San Francisco in May to consider the matter. To help him better appreciate the feeling of the people of the diocese, would you please send him your thoughts, worries and queries about the process. Please either write or e-mail (it would help if anyone writing in Russian would type their letters - Russian handwriting is notoriously difficult to read!). Please do not expect prompt replies or authoritative answers to questions. We are primarily doing this simply so that your views will be taken into consideration. This request is naturally addressed to members of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in this country (although we are pleased to hear from others), so please state in your letter which parish you attend.
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PRACTICAL TIP
THIS has been said before, but as we approach Great Lent it bears repeating, because during weekdays in lent we make many more prostrations than at other times of the year. It is best when making a prostration not to simply fall to your knees and then flop forward. This is ungainly and can cause pain or damage to the knees. Mr Busch and the team at the Ashford Hospital did an excellent job on my knee, but Messrs Blair and Brown cannot be expected to plough too much money into the National Health Service, when they have wars to finance. A better way of making a prostration is to first bow from the waist, letting the arms fall straight from the shoulders. As your hands approach the ground, bend the knees gently. Then when your hands are firmly on the floor, continue bending the knees until you are kneeling, and bow your head and upper abdomen until the forehead touches the floor. Making the prostration this way, you will then relatively easily be able to push up on your hands to help you return to the standing position - better for the back too. Goodness knows how we would keep the war games going if too many people make demands on the NHS. Knees are bad enough, backs must be more expensive.
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