Posts
Services in September 2014 at Audley and Dresden
Wed 3rd 11am Divine Liturgy or Akathist
Sat 6th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 7th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Mon 8th 11am Divine Liturgy of the Feast of the Nativity
of the All-holy Theotokos
Wed 10th 11am Divine Liturgy or Akathist
Sat 13th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 14th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 17th 11am Divine Liturgy or Akathist
Sat 20th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 21st 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Wed 24th 11am Divine Liturgy or Akathist
Sat 27th 6pm Great Vespers
Sun 28th 10am Matins; 11am Divine Liturgy
Name Days
5th Emma Louise Elizabeth Bostan
8th Francesca Joy
9th Anna Oshkereli
17th Sofia
24th Thecla Read
26th John Roger, John Chadwick
Reposed
3rd Leon (2010)
10th Gearge Harry Fearns (2005)
24th Fr Dennis (2010)
Parish Feasts
14th Holy Cross, Lancaster
Two churches, one parish
As you
can well imagine, with the great blessing of two churches, there is twice as
much work to be done to preserve our Faith and Worship, not to mention our two
buildings, decently and in good order.
Very few
actually contribute to the “working” of the Church Worship and maintenance,
thus making it a heavy, though very enjoyable, burden on those few.
There
are the “visible”: servers; singers; readers; candle-tenders; and in the hall,
tea makers; servers and washers-up (and
Priest! - Ed.)
Then
there are the “invisible”: cleaners; candle-makers; bread-bakers; seamstresses;
kolyva makers; bookstall workers and flower arrangers.
The
parish council is needed to help organize the fund-raising and social life of
the parish. We are very short of members for the council.
All that
is needed for any of these “jobs” is the willing heart. Training can be given
for any of the specialist “jobs”.
The very least that is expected
of everyone is attendance at every Divine Liturgy, but much more is
needed to bring us great blessings and a real feeling of belonging to the
parish family. If you are willing to help in any way please speak to Fr.
Samuel.
Donations to Syria
The thousands of pounds we managed to
contribute to the Syria appeal through Fr Gregory have been dispatched to
Syria, but not quite in the way we anticipated. Fr Gregory came up against all
sorts of problems in transferring funds from the UK to Syria, there being
various roadblocks in place with banks and the Foreign Office to prevent foreign
funding of terrorist activities. He was not able to overcome these and so the
whole amount was contributed to the workings of an authorised charity working
in the area. UNICEF are carrying out similar work to the offices of our
Patriarchate in providing food, medical supplies and shelter to those of all
faiths in the area. Although essentially a children’s charity, the work
undertaken to improve the lives of children inevitably has benefits for their
families and the community. Please make further donations direct to that
charity or others of your choice, rather than contributing through St Michael’s
from now on – it will all end up in the same place anyway.
Work in the South Aisle
Varnishing of the floor in the South Aisle
was completed just in time for the arrival of the new icon of the Theotokos
“Life Giving Spring”.
Many murmurings over the past couple of
weeks have complimented Terence on his fine work.
The icon currently stands in isolation,
flanked by a couple of pews we found in the vestry, but it is anticipated that
over time, more icons will be added and the iconostasis effectively extended
right across the church.
Terence is of
course very happy to take commissions although I fear his waiting list is going
to be growing by the week! His next work for the church is, I am reliably
informed, a memorial cross to hang where the memorial candles are currently
located.
On the subject of candles…
In front of the
two principle icons, two silver candlesticks in the middle of the sand hold
small nightlights which will last for the whole service. This means that unless
you particularly want to add a new candle, one will always be lit at the icon and
you don’t need to wander to the back of church to replenish them when the last
orange one burns out. J
Note to our
younger parishioners – the candles represent people’s offerings and prayers.
Please don’t play with them or treat the whole as a sandpit for your
entertainment!
Autumn Fayre
The
preparations for the Autumn Fayre are already starting to get underway. Kim
tells me that it happens in October.
New
artefacts to sell would be gratefully received as stocks are running very low
after the success of previous Fayres and you cannot keep trotting out the stuff
that didn’t sell last time after all!
Please
sort through your cupboards, sheds, attics and especially under the stairs, and
bring whatever you find to add a little to church funds.
This is
also an excellent opportunity to volunteer to help, as
per Fr Samuel’s plea at the start of this newsletter. The Fayre will not set
itself up, and we all benefit in some way from the proceeds!
Nativity of the Theotokos
The Holy Virgin and Theotokos Mary was
born to elderly and previously barren parents by the names of Joachim and Anna,
in answer to their prayers. Orthodox Christians do not hold to the Roman Catholic
doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, in which it is supposed that
Mary was preserved from the ancestral sin that befalls us all as descendents of
Adam and Eve, in anticipation of her giving birth to the sinless Christ. The
Orthodox believe that Mary indeed received the ancestral sin, having been
conceived in the normal way of humanity, and thus needed salvation like all
mankind. Orthodox thought does vary on whether Mary actually ever sinned,
though there is general agreement that she was cleansed from sin at the
Annunciation.
On the eve of the feast, Vespers is served
and contains three Old Testament readings that have New Testament meaning. In
Genesis 28:10-17, Jacob's Ladder which unites heaven and earth points to the
union of God with men which is realised most fully and perfectly in Mary the
bearer of God. "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the
house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" In Ezekiel 43:27-44:4, the
vision of the temple with the door to the East perpetually closed and filled
with the glory of the Lord, symbolizes Mary. And in Proverbs 9:1-11, Mary is
also identified with the "house" which the Divine Wisdom has built
for herself.
Sometimes Matins is served on the morning
of the feast. The Gospel reading is from Luke 1:39-49, 56. It is read on all
feasts of the Theotokos and includes the Theotokos' saying: "My soul
magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has
regarded the low estate of his handmaiden, for behold, henceforth all generations
will call me blessed."
Divine Liturgy is served on the day on the
feast. The epistle reading is from Philippians 2:5-11, and speaks of
"Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery
to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men." The gospel reading is
taken from Luke 10:38-42 and 11:27-28 together; this reading is also always
read on all feasts of the Theotokos. In it, the Lord says, "blessed are
those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
