The Shepherd, August 2004
BROOKWOOD NEWS
MEMORIAL ICON
A HAND-PAINTED ICON of the Holy Apostle Aristobulus and Sts Spiridon & Nikodem the Prosphora-Bakers of the Kievan Caves Monastery has been donated in memory of the late Archbishop Nikodem of Richmond and Great Britain (+ 1976 A.D.). Archbishop Nikodem was named for St Nikodem the Prosphora-Baker, and one of the festivals of St Aristobulus, who was one of the Seventy Apostles, falls on the same day as the commemoration of Sts Spiridon and Nikodem (31st October / 13th November), the Archbishop’s nameday. St Aristobulus was the first Bishop of Britain, and Archbishop Nikodem was the last hierarch consecrated to a see in Britain. The new icon, painted by the sisters of the Saint Elizabeth of Russia Convent in Etna, California, is being photographed at the present time and we hope, as requested, to publish prints of the icon in memory of Archbishop Nikodem, who now rests in Brompton Cemetery, West London.
ROOF CROSSES
WHEN, in March 1982, we arrived at Brookwood, the Old Mortuary chapel was semi-derelict. In time we had essential works done, and the building was converted to be our present house-cum-parish centre. Back then in ‘82, the Victorian crosses that had adorned each of the four gables of the building were largely broken or rotten, some missing. This year we have concentrated on the exterior decoration of the building, as our contribution to the 150th anniversary of the cemetery, and we have now largely finished the decoration. We are extremely thankful to Peter Woodrow who has made copies of the original crosses, so that at long last we can replace the originals and return the building to something nearer its original appearance.
KEOTCoLtd AGM
THE MEETING was held in the Brotherhood office on Sunday, 4th July n.s. Two new members of the King Edward Orthodox Trust Company Limited (registered charity number 284929/0) were elected and have since consented to join us. They are parishioners Irina Aldersley, who has worked so long and hard as our architect on the new building project, and James Merritt, who has helped us on numerous occasions with legal advice. We also take the opportunity to tell our readers that one of the longer standing KEOTCoLTd members, Mr Ivan Aleksic has been honoured by being awarded the MBE. Our Congratulations to him!
BABY NAMED
ON TUESDAY, 29th June, after the usual chanting of the Supplicatory Canon to the Mother of God, the baby Maxim Ivanov Nenov was named at Saint Edward’s Church and had the fortieth day prayers read for him. He is named in honour of the New Hieromartyr Maxim of Serpukhov, who was blessed by St Tikhon the Confessor of Moscow to be consecrated as a secret Bishop “in case the leading hierarchs of the Church should betray Christ and give over to the Soviet regime the spiritual freedom of the Church.” In 1929, when he separated from Metropolitan Sergei over the latter’s unhappy Declaration, he was sent to the concentration camp at Solovki. He was shot on 23rd June / 6th July, 1930.
BOOK LAUNCH
WOKING GALLERIES hosted a book launch for John Clarke’s London Necropolis at the Cemetery on Wednesday, 7th July. The reception was held near the administrative offices in a marquee in the presence of Mr and Mrs Ramadan Guney, the cemetery owners, and a number of local dignitaries. Fr Niphon and Brother Andrew attended to represent the Brotherhood. Unfortunately extraordinarily bad weather rather dampened the occasion, but fortunately that in no way distracts from the excellence of the book itself.
GIFTS AND VISITORS
BROOKWOOD ART GROUP visited the Church on Monday 19th July and were given a short talk about our community.
John and Ekaterina Harwood kindly brought various gifts for the Brotherhood after their recent pilgrimage to the Ukraine, among then a new censer and a hand-painted icon of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian. And recently Mrs Justina Trollope gave an old icon of the Mother of God, Quick to Hear, in an enamelled riza. May the Lord bless them according to their generosity.
PRACTICAL TIP
HAVING STARTED LIFE as something of a “convert clique,” our church here is singularly lacking in one of the most essential ingredients in the composition of a proper parish: dragons! In “ethnic” parishes there are plenty of these splendid creatures: old ladies who have been standing there praying for decades and know exactly how to keep everyone else (including the clergy) in order. This lack means that often small children are a little noisy or unruly. How to keep them in order? [This is essential for them as well as other parishioners, so that they may learn to be still and to pray in church, and we can pray also.] In the secular world at the moment there is a great deal of debate about smacking and whether it is permissible or not. It seems the problem exists there too. But to this rather less than casual observer, one remedy springs to mind which does not seem ever to occur to parents and carers: cuddling/touching. The modern practice seems to be to have as little contact with your children as possible; they are strapped into various conveyances or left to their own devices, but no one ever seems to think to hold them, to cuddle them, simply to be in touch with them, so that they have assurance, so that they do not feel at a lost, abandoned or literally out of touch with everything and everyone around them. It might be worth a try. 
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