Parish Newsletter
Parish Newsletter
Church Heating
We are seeking a certified professional to install two new gas heaters in our church building. Our current heaters, model 'DRU - Art 6', are 20 years old, and one has begun to malfunction.
We have two new heaters, still in their boxes, ready for what we anticipate will be a straightforward replacement, as the design of these remained the same.
As our building is insured, a professional installation by someone with the proper certification is required.
If you can assist us with this issue, please contact Fr. Gregory at fr.gregory@btinternet.com.
This years theme: 'In the Beginning was the Word: The Word of God in Creation, Scripture and Worship'
Where: Highgate House, Grooms Ln, Creaton, Northampton NN6 8NN. (link to googlemaps)
When: Friday, May 30th to Sunday, June 1st
Register now and more information at sourozh-conference.org
The cost of the weekend will be £225 and includes all meals; for children aged 6-16 years, £75. Day attendance is also possible. Talks will be given in English or Russian, with translation.
We have to confirm everything with the Conference centre much earlier than previously, so please apply as soon as possible. The closing date for registration is April 21st.
As far as resources allow, some financial assistance will be available for those who cannot otherwise afford the full amount of the fees – please apply at once.
In the Serbian parish dedicated to St. Prince Lazar, a copy of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Mother of God "Trojerucica" (Three-Handed) is kept. The original belonged to the renowned theologian, confessor, defender of icon veneration, and author of "An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith"—St. John of Damascus. He served at the court of the caliph in the 7th century when the heresy of iconoclasm arose and began to spread. He was slandered in the eyes of the ruler, for which the caliph ordered his hand to be cut off. St. John spent the entire night in prayer to the Mother of God, and in the morning, he found his severed hand restored to its place. Only a scar remained. In memory of this miracle, a third hand appeared on the icon of the Mother of God, which was made of silver and encrusted in an expensive silver setting. At the end of his life, St. John of Damascus gave the icon to the Jerusalem monastery of St. Sabbas the Sanctified. Then, miraculously, the icon ended up in Serbia. And during the Turkish rule, it reached Mount Athos. As a gift to the Serbian parish, a maximally accurate copy of this icon was created and brought to England. Miracles of healing began to occur along the way. All the testimonies of miracles—medical certificates "before and after"—are collected and kept by the rector of the parish, Archpriest Nenad Popovic.
St Cedd and Lastingham have deep connections with our own parish patrons St Aidan & St Chad. St Cedd was a bishop and was the founding abbot of the monastery at Lastingham in 658, he was a brother to St Chad, St Chad also being a bishop and abbot at Lastingham at a later date. St Cedd was also a contemporary of St Aidan, both at that time living on Holy Island. Lindisfarne.
St Bertram, Hermit of Ilam, lived approximately in the 8th century (Commemoration: August 10th). Saint Bertram is the patron saint of the town of Stafford in England. He was likely a Mercian prince, but preferred the solitary life of a hermit over authority. According to tradition, in his youth, he had a wife and son, who were killed by wolves. He first lived in Stafford, where he brought many to Christ, and then led a life of complete seclusion in the hills of Ilam. In the 12th century, a monastery dedicated to St Bertram was founded on the south bank of the River Mersey. The shrine with his relics is preserved in a chapel dedicated to him in the Church of the Holy Cross in the picturesque village of Ilam in Staffordshire – the place of his hermitic life. Numerous miracles of healing have occurred from the relics of this saint over the centuries. Regular pilgrimages of Orthodox Christians are made to Ilam. An English-language service to St Bertram was composed at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The topic of the meeting "Being the Church Today: Tradition and Mission"
The Sourozh Diocesan Conference is an annual gathering of clergy and laity from Britain and Ireland, together with guests from abroad. The tradition of holding this type of gathering was established in the 1970’s by the ever-memorable Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom). Distinguished speakers from Russia, Britain and other countries are invited to the conference.
On November 2022, we participated in the Pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Cedd in Lastingham