The Shepherd, July 2009
THE COMING MONTH
THE MONTH of July falls neatly between the Apostles’ Fast and the shorter one of the Dormition, which begins on 1st/14th August and lasts fourteen days. In July there are no Great Feasts, and only the usual Wednesday and Friday fasting, and so it gives us a quiet pause at the height of the Summer. There are two Saints that we usually celebrate with Vigils, the Holy Prophet Elias [Elijah] the Thesbite (20th July / 2nd August), and the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon (27th July / 9th August), but this year both these celebrations fall on a Sunday, and as we will still be holding services in the hall of the Old Mortuary, we will, this year, keep to our normal Sunday schedule, with Vespers on Saturday evening, and Mattins before the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning.
Another celebration of particular significance for our people is the feast day of the Holy Peer of the Apostles, Mary Magdalene (22nd July / 4th August), which is kept as the foundation day of the Convent of the Annunciation in Willesden. It was on that day in 1960, that Archbishop (now Saint) John of Shanghai the Wonderworker, blessed their chapel for the Sisters. And it was under the guidance of Abbess Mary (Robinson) at the Convent of St Mary Magdalene in the Garden of Gethsemane, that the Willesden Sisters’ Amma, Abbess Elizabeth (Ampenoff, +1999) received her monastic formation. Naturally on this day, we shall celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Convent.
In July we also celebrate Saint Swithun of Winchester, who has two feasts during the month. The saint first comes to our notice as a priest in Winchester, and such was his prudence that he was chosen by King Egbert to be the tutor of the king’s son, Ethelwolf. When the Bishop of Winchester, Helmstan, died, Ethelwolf, now king himself, could find no better candidate for the episcopacy than his old tutor, and the clergy of the diocese readily assented to this, and so Swithun was consecrated Bishop. He was renowned for his humility and aversion to all pomp and display, and it is said that in visiting the parishes of his far-flung diocese, which in those days extended right up to the Thames at London, he would travel on foot and often at night to avoid notice. He is even more renowned for his gift of wonder-working, and it has been noted that most of his miracles were worked to benefit the poor and distressed, and so he became greatly loved. He reposed in the Lord on 2nd July, 863 A.D., and according to his express desire his body was laid to rest outside the Cathedral Church, where the rain might fall upon it, and where those entering the church would have to walk over him - so much did he abhor any thought that he would be honoured. The spot is marked to this day. In the reign of King Edgar the Peaceable, and during the lifetime of our St Edward his heir, Saint Swithun, who had continued to work innumerable miracles, appeared to a pious artisan and told him to go to Saint Ethelwold, then Bishop of Winchester, and instruct him that his relics should be taken up. As a sign that this message was from God, he told him that none but he would be able to raise the stone above his grave, and this proved to be the case. In accordance with his desire, his sacred relics were taken up and enshrined within the Cathedral Church itself. This took place on 15th July, 970 A.D., and the event gives us the second celebration of Saint Swithun within July, thirteen days after the first. It is reported that so many were the miracles worked at his shrine that the monks there became wearied with the constant stream of pilgrims, and they grew negligent in caring for them, until they were recalled to their duties of hospitality by a stern warning from the saint, who appeared and rebuked them.
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 
|
