The Shepherd, May 2005
BROOKWOOD NEWS
METROPOLITAN’S VISIT
WE HAVE now received confirmation from Archbishop Mark, that His Eminence Metropolitan Lavr, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, has consented to come to Brookwood on 29th May, after the blessing of the lower church at Harvard Road, London, and bless the site of our new monastic house. The blessing is scheduled for 5.30 p.m. (for six o’clock) and afterwards those who join us are invited for light refreshments. Peter Woodrow has made a large wooden Cross which will be set up on the site to mark the occasion.
The Blessed and Ever-Memorable Metropolitan Philaret, a predecessor of Metropolitan Lavr, once visited Brookwood, but that was before we had purchased the present Brotherhood property here. Metropolitan Vitaly also visited us, but shortly before he was elevated to Metropolitan, when he was Archbishop of Canada, and he came only for talks about our work here. And so to have the present President of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad visit our Mission will be a great blessing for us, and we hope that as many of our readers as possible will join us on that occasion, or if unable to do that, will support us by their prayers.
NEW ICONS AND VESTMENTS
WEHAVE been given an icon of All the Saints of London by John Harwood. The icon was painted by the Sisters of the Convent of Saint Elizabeth of Russia in Etna, California, and “London” is rather extended to include St Alban and the Chertsey Martyrs. In addition to these we have the sainted hierarchs who were Bishops of London, and King Sebbi; they stand beneath the Waltham Cross which is flanked by London’s patron saints, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
An anonymous donor has also given an icon of the Communion of the Apostles for the high place in the church. The Apostles are flanked by Sts John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and James the Brother of God. It had been intended that St Gregory the Great would have been included, so that we would have the four Liturgists, but the Theologian obviously wanted to be there. At the moment, this icon, which was also painted by the Etna Sisters and which is nine feet long, is being professionally mounted. The icon was given in memory of the
The two Archimandrites, Alypy and Pavel, and the Hegoumen Iov, who visited us last year from the Monastery of St Sergius of Radonezh, Sergiev Posad, have kindly sent us through Dimitri Popov an icon of St Sergius from the Monastery.
On Palm Sunday, for the first time we had new green vestments for the priest, deacon and subdeacon, also given for the repose of benefactors who have recently died. The vestments were sewn by the Sisters of the Holy Nativity Convent in Boston.
FUND-RAISING PROGRESS
We have now (29th April n.s.) raised a total of £230,445.10p (35.45% of our target figure). Of this £180,000 has been deposited in an account giving 5.2% interest p.a,, which thus brings in a further £780 per month. Our thanks are especially due to: Steven Cable, Laurence Bloom-Davis, Gabriel & Helena Lawani, David Dromgoole, Michael & Margaret Woodrow, Natalia Macdonald, Terry Pearson, Barbara Woodford, Lydia Roskill, David Jepson, Collin & Anna Skyers, Marko Stojovic, and Leo & Gabriella Pepper, who responded to our Christmas Appeal to Parishioners and are now contributing regularly to the fund through pledged gifts. Our thanks also to those of you who have given individual donations, particularly to those who have gift-aided them. 
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PRACTICAL TIP
REMEMBER one of the greatest responsibilities of Christian parents is the Christian upbringing of their children. This will not be achieved simply by bringing them to church every week and allowing them to attend the Sunday school lessons. Such minimal observance has never been effective, and is perhaps even less so in our days, living as we do in a post-Christian society. One needs also to instruct them at home, not only by teaching them the tenets of the Faith and how that Faith must be lived out in their lives, but also by praying with them every day, reading the Scriptures to them or with them, and most importantly of all, by evangelising them by your example. If they see you, striving to live according to your professed Christian principles (even if you often fail), that will benefit them a great deal more than knowing that you maintain certain religious observances, but in fact live in every other respect as do the hosts of materialists around you.
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