The Shepherd, May 2010
REPOSE OF A BELOVED PARISHIONER
ONE of the Convent parishioners, Christakis Cleovoullou, who has been ill for several months was treated at Northwick Park Hospital near his home in Wembley in the final weeks of Great Lent. On the Tuesday of the last week of the fast, the Brotherhood clergy, who had visited him several times previously, took him the Holy Mysteries. Two days later he was discharged, and attended the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on the last day of the fast, during which he served in the altar ad again received the Divine Mysteries. He then arranged for branches of olives to be supplied for blessing on Palm Sunday, both for the Convent and Brookwood. On the Great Feast itself (Palm Sunday) he again served in the altar at the Convent and received Holy Communion. On returning to his home, he collapsed in the mid-afternoon and died shortly afterwards, attended by his wife, Archondoulla. As soon as we were able the Brotherhood clergy returned to London to chant the first memorial at his death bed, around which his family and friends had gathered. The funeral service was held on Holy and Great Thursday after the Liturgy at the Convent and was chanted by His Grace, Bishop Ambrose. Because of the number of services at that time, we failed to attend on the ninth day, but after the Liturgy at the Convent on the Annunciation, two days late, the family gathered at his grave in Pinner Cemetery where the Brotherhood clergy again served a memorial service for him. His fortieth day will fall on the feast of St George. For a layman living in the world today one can hardly imagine a more Christian ending to this life - to receive the Holy Mysteries three times in a week, to serve in the altar on the very day of one’s repose, to have one’s funeral chanted by a confessing Bishop: all great blessings. Christakis and his wife had for many years been great benefactors of the Convent and Saint Edward’s, running errands for the sisters, preparing us meals and baking prosphoras for us. May the Lord now grant him rest from his labours, and may his Memory be Eternal.
NEW ICONS FOR SAINT EDWARD’S
ON THE EVE of the Annunciation, just as we were about to set out for the Vigil at the Convent in London, two beautiful hand-painted icons arrived, which we had ordered some time ago from the Convent of Saint Elizabeth in Etna, California. One, the gift of Michael and Margaret Woodrow, is a half-stature depiction of Saint Philaret the New Confessor of New York, shown in full paschal vestments. The other depicts St Philaret with St John of Shanghai the Wonderworker, and on this one the holy hierarchs are shown in the blue and purple mantias. At the time of going to press we are having this second icon, and one of St Dunstan of Canterbury, which was an earlier gift to our church from Michael and Margaret, reproduced as icon cards.
INTERMENT AT SAINT EDWARD’S
ON BRIGHT TUESDAY, Archpriest Alexander Fostiropulos served the funeral service of one of his London parishioners, Irina Gennadyevna Gourlo-Martynchyk, and laid her to rest in St Edward’s Cemetery. After the interment, the relatives and friends of the deceased enjoyed refreshments in the Old Mortuary building.
VISITORS
ON THURSDAY 13th April, the Monk Cassian, a Romanian father from a skete attached to the Sacred Monastery of Vatopedi on the Holy Mountain, briefly and unexpectedly visited the Brotherhood.
JOHN CLARKE brought a group of about 35 people to see the church and exhibition room on Saturday, 17th April.
ON THE FEAST of St Martin, the Pope of Rome, 13th / 26th April, Fr Geoffrey-Cassian Ready, his matushka Jolan, and their three young sons, Nathaniel, Jeremy and Owen, attended the Liturgy at Brookwood and stayed with us for breakfast and to see the new building here. Before emigrating to France, Fr Geoffrey-Cassian founded and was the first pastor of a ROCA mission in Belfast. He and his family are now returning to live in Canada, and he was in Britain saying farewells to old friends and acquaintances here.
DR JONATHAN CONLIN of Southampton University, who has visited us many times, brought a group of ten students specifically to study the Victorian monuments in the cemetery on 28th April. They also visited our church and exhibition, spending about 45 minutes with us.
FILMING AT BROOKWOOD
RETURNING from the taking Holy Communion to Tabitha Oliver in Brentwood, Essex, on 20th April we found, to our surprise, the Church surrounded and the lawns overrun by a filming crew of about 100. Carnival Film & TV were filming a sequence for a four-part serial, “Any Human Heart” which will be televised next year. The series stars Matthew Mcfayden, Jim Broadbent and Tom Hollander. Sadly we had heard of none of them, and so failed to be duly impressed by their presence here!
A SIGNAL HONOUR
THIS YEAR, Fr Alexis had the signal honour of celebrating the Queen’s Birthday in Swindon - a thing not granted all even once in their lifetime. He was invited to speak at a Breakfast Meeting of the local Rotary Club, at the King’s Hotel in the Old Town. The invitation came about because the son of his first cousin, Marjory, Mr Stewart Bell, is the president of the club this year. Father was asked to speak briefly (& amusingly) on how a West Country farmer’s son became an Orthodox priest. Two Anglican vicars, a Methodist minister & a Jewish gentleman purposely attended - perhaps hoping in vain to hear something profitable. Father’s cousins, Nancy & Marjory were there. Very kindly, it being a fast day, the club had provided a vegan meal for their guest.
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