The Shepherd, December 2008
SiR UK* NEWS
* Synod in Resistance Churches in the UK
A FUNERAL, A WEDDING AND A BAPTISM
AT BROOKWOOD
THE FUNERAL of six-month-old Isabella Maria Rakshani, who had been a patient at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, was chanted at Saint Edward’s on Saturday 8th November. Her mother Natalia is Romanian, and her father, Omid, Jewish; however a week after the funeral he was baptised in the Romanian Church in Poole and has been renamed Gabriel. The service was led by Father Ioan Fodor, who had baptised Isabella, and by Fr Sorin Chirila. During the service, Fr Ioan gave a moving address in English, drawing on his own experience of losing an infant child, and Fr Sorin spoke at the grave side in Romanian. Woking Funeral Services and Nurse Kye Matthews of the Bristol hospital both gave enormous support and help, and made it possible for the funeral to take place only 24 hours after Isabella’s repose. May she now find rest with the Saints.
THE WEDDING of Stuart and Natalia Webster of Southampton was celebrated, with the blessing of Bishop Ambrose, at St Edward’s after Vespers on Sunday 9th November. The church was filled with flowers by the bride’s mother, Tanya James, and by her godmother, Catherine Dunseath, and, after the ceremony, the reception was held, as is appropriate, in The Mortuary. The friends of the bridal pair cleared up beautifully after their meal, and left food enough for the Brotherhood to enjoy for days to come. As the service was after Vespers, we were fittingly celebrating the festival of the Holy Martyrs Terence and Neonilla and their Seven Chlidren, and we hope and pray that their intercessions and their example will bless the newly married couple and their family for Many Years.
THE BAPTISM of Anna, the infant daughter of Borislav and Marina Popov of Rochester was celebrated at St Edward’s on Saturday 2nd / 15th November at noon. Elena Holden stood as godmother to the baby, who is named after the Venerable Anna Kashinskaya, a Russian monastic saint, whose feast day falls on the same day as Sts Cyprian and Justina. Anna received the Holy Mysteries for the first time on the next day, and came a week later for the eighth day prayer to be read over her. This was done by Fr Stephen Fretwell.
These three services indicate the properly ecumenical nature of Orthodoxy. The first was of a Romanian baby, in the second the bride was of Russian extraction, and in the third the family were Bulgarian.
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