The Shepherd, June 2004
BROOKWOOD NEWS
New Catechumen
ON Sunday 2nd May (n.s.), the Sunday of the Paralytic, Terry Pearson made his vows and was enrolled among the catechumens at Saint Edward’s Church. He was named for the holyMartyr Terence, whose feastday falls on 28th October / 10th November. May the prayers of the holy Martyr guide, protect and illumine him, bringing him in due time to Holy Baptism. We ask the faithful also to support him by their prayers.
Baptism
SEBASTIAN, the eight-month old son of John and Liora Russell, was baptised at Saint Edward’s Church on Saturday, 9th / 22nd May. Mr. Vassily Sotiras stood as his sponsor. After the Baptism itself there was a buffet style reception in the Brotherhood house. On the next day, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Council, Sebastian received the Holy Mysteries for the first time. May God grant the newly illumined servant of God, Sebastian, His mercies and at the end crown him with the prize of his high calling.
Congleton Visit
OVER THE WEEKEND of 8th and 9th May, Fr Alexis visited the Saint Werburgh Mission in Congleton. Having some time, en route he visited Stone and Burston in Staffordshire, where St Werburgh’s brothers, Sts Wulfhad and Ruffin, were martyred. On the Saturday evening the Vigil service was chanted in the garden chapel at the home of Mrs Barbara Worth, and in the morning Father Paul Elliott and some of his parishioners from Birkenhead joined us for the Divine Liturgy. After the service, the two priests visited one of the oldest parishioners, Mrs Catherine Bromley, who is now cared for in a home and was unable to attend church. The Congleton parishioners gave Fr Alexis three wrought-iron votive candle stands and a censer stand, which they are kindly donating to the St Boniface Mission at Ryde in the Isle of Wight.
Visits to St Edward’s
ON MID-PENTECOST, Wednesday 22nd April / 5th May, Fr Martin Budge, the Roman Catholic priest at Marnhull in Dorset, brought a coach full of his parishioners to visit the church. They had made a pilgrimage to nearby Farnborough Abbey and on their way home spent an hour and a half with us, before leaving and promising to come again. On Ascension Day, Thursday 7th / 20th May, about thirty children from St Hugh of Lincoln Roman Catholic School visited Saint Edward’s and were shown around by Father Niphon.
New Sign
VISITORS to the Brotherhood may have seen that we now have a road sign indicating our church. A short time ago, right opposite the Saint Cyprian’s Avenue entrance, a signpost was erected with a board indicating Guildford. We took the opportunity to write to the County Council and to ask whether we might not have an arm put on it, pointing to the Church. After some hesitation, Mr Kevin Patching, assistant engineer at the Local Transportation Service of the Surrey County Council, agreed that this could be done, and within a matter of three or four weeks, the sign, reading rather grandly “Orthodox Church and Monastery,” was in place.
Thanks
Special thanks are due Michael and Margaret Woodrow and Justina Trollope for acting as ambulancemen in Father Niphon’s recent illness, and also to David Jepson, for helping out with the reading in church during the period when Fr Niphon was in hospital and convalescing. God’s blessings be yours for helping us in this way.
Special Collection
THE PRIEST IN BARI, ITALY, Father Andrew Trufanov died suddenly after celebrating the Divine Liturgy on the second day of Pascha. Fr Andrew was 44 years of age, and leaves his matushka a widow with four children. In a circular, Archbishop Mark pointed out that Fr Andrew had been ordained in the German diocese and had earlier served there, and he asked that collections be made to help support his bereaved family. At St Edward’s, a retiring collection was made on Sunday 9th May, and we collected £279.25. In the next ten days or so, parishioners sent in a further £150. With other donations, we have now been able to send a total of £500 to help the Trufanov family. God’s blessings be on all who contributed to this appeal.
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