The following weekend, Bishop Ambrose came to Brookwood. At the fathers’ suggestion, he served in Romanian on Lazarus Saturday, so that the many Romanian faithful who now attend and support our church might have a service entirely in their own language. The church was full for the occasion. A Romanian choir was formed, and the Bishop served alone so that the clergy part would be in Romanian. However we did not quite manage to do it all in Romanian, and had to fill in a couple of small pieces in English. The Romanian faithful assuredly do not skimp in their devotion! They began with a service which contained the chanting of a canon, and the Akathist to the Sweetest Lord Jesus, which the Bishop led standing before the icon painted by the Romanian iconographer, Ingrid Clapham. Then they started the Hours and only then the Liturgy. Afterwards they provided a very ample meal in the Old Mortuary. The whole experience was most uplifting. After the meal, they cleaned up meticulously, and one young teenage lad, whose name we do not know, not only swept the floors but then washed them in the main hall, the kitchen, the utility room, the lobby and the porch! May his name be written in heaven. He was certainly brought up properly. And a further blessing was that, without any particular planning aforetime, this Liturgy was arranged on the day when, in the Apostle reading, we hear the injunction: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:1-2). We are sure we were blessed to do so.
Bishop Ambrose presided at the festal Vigil that evening for Palm Sunday and for the Liturgy on the day of the feast, blessing and distributing the palm crosses & branches to the faithful. The church was packed again, and the Romanian faithful provided the Parish Breakfast. On the same day there was a Liturgy at the Convent, so that their congregation was not neglected on a feast day when the Sisters particularly celebrate, having come the Orthodox School in Bethany. After the Brookwood Liturgy, the Bishop spoke with the people and heard more confessions, before returning to London to serve at the Convent in Holy Week. Throughout Holy Week, the two monastic communities served their services separately, with the Bishop leading them at the Convent. On the night of Pascha, Fr Hierodeacon Sabbas went to the Midnight Service at the Convent to support the Bishop, leaving Fr Alexis and Fr Stephen Fretwell here.
For Pascha, the church at Brookwood was packed as never before. Our apologies to the lady who complained afterwards that she could not so much as cross herself! After the Divine services, during which we read the Encyclical of His Grace Bishop Cyprian of Oreoi, the Acting President of our Synod, we had the usual celebration around the bonfire, with splendid paschal foods provided by all the women of the parish.
On Bright Monday, members of the Brotherhood and Fr Stephen and his Presbytera again travelled up to London where, on the last day of his visit here, Bishop Ambrose celebrated the Divine Liturgy. After the Sisters had provided everyone with breakfast, we just managed to get His Grace back to the airport in time to catch his plane to Greece.
We thank Bishop Ambrose for his extraordinary example of pastoral love in coming and helping to serve over these holy days, rather than simply making a prelatical visitation. At the Convent, he helped with the chanting and the reading; again doing parts in Greek and Romanian for the many parishioners there whose languages these are. He took opportunity to say a few words of instruction and guidance at nearly every service, and was available for any one who wished confess to him or simply speak with him. With all our hearts we can greet him: Eis polla eti, despota!
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