Historic Concelebration

ON 6th APRIL n.s, the Sunday of Saint John of the Ladder, for the first time in our 26 year history, two Hierarchs served the Divine Liturgy together at Saint Edward’s Church. His Grace Bishop Ambrose of Methoni had come to this country to serve here on that Sunday and to celebrate the dedication festival of the Convent of the Annunciation with the sisters on the Monday. He was joined on both occasions by His Grace Bishop Sofronie of the Traditionalist Hierarchy of the Church of Romania, under the presidency of Metropolitan Vlasie.

As a thanksgiving for having found faithful hierarchs and being received last year into the Synod in Resistance of the Greek Orthodox Church under the presidency of Metropolitan Cyprian, our Brotherhood had commissoned an icon of the heavenly patrons of the monastery in which our Metropolitan resides, Sts Cyprian and Justina, flanked by Saint Glycherie of Romania and St Seraphim of Bulgaria. Both these latter hierarchs were leaders of the traditionalist resistance to ecumenism and modernism in their native lands, and were included as intercessors for our Sister Churches in those countries. The icon was painted by the sisters of the Convent of St Elizabeth of Russia, in Etna, California, and arrived earlier in the year. We thought it appropriate to ask our visiting Bishops to bless this icon for us, and they did so immediately after the reading of the Hours.

For the Divine Liturgy the Church was packed as at Pascha, and many of the participants received the Divine Mysteries. After the Gospel reading, Bishop Ambrose preached on the significance of the teaching of St John of the Ladder for us, both monastics and lay-people. At the end of the

service, it being the day after the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Father Stephen and Presbytera Joanna Fretwell, His Grace congratulated the couple and presented Fr Stephen with a mother-of-pearl pectoral cross from the Holy Land and, at our request, on behalf of the Brotherhood he gave the couple a small icon of their name saints, the First Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen and the Ointment-bearer Joanna, which also we had commisioned from the sisters at Etna.

For all that there were so many people in church, with help from the women of the traditionalist Romanian community in this country, we were able to provide everyone with a more than adequate breakfast, before taking Bishop Ambrose on to Willesden for the Vigil service at the Convent.

To the two Hierarchs, who during their brief visit to England, showed us such examples of pastoral love and care, of meekness and humility: Many Years!

Saint Edward Brotherhood,
Saint Cyprian’s Ave,
Brookwood,
Woking,
SURREY,
GU24 0BL

01483 487763

or email us at info@saintedwardbrotherhood.org

Historic Concelebration at St. Edward Brotherhood