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Paul and Ludmilla's Wedding - 11/04/2010
Paul and Ludmilla were the first couple to be joined in Holy Matrimony in our new church. It was a joyous occasion when they were surrounded by family, friends, and their parish family, on a bright, sunny day. May God grant them many, many years.
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Michael Astley ordained Subdeacon - 20/03/2010
On Saturday the 7th (20th) March, 2010, Archbishop Mark ordained Reader
Michael Astley to the rank of subdeacon at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Chiswick, London.
Videos of the event may be viewed here.
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Metropolitan Hilarion of New York visits our parish - 10/11/2009
Our parish received a great blessing in the visitation of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, the First Hierarch of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Approximately 25 parishioners and friends of the parish came to greet the Metropolitan, who served a moleben at church. Here are a few photographs that were taken on the day. More may be found in the diocesan gallery.
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Patronal Festival - 18/07/2009
We moved into our new church on Saturday, the 5th (18th) of July, 2009, being the Feast of the Holy New Martyr Elisabeth. The church was still very much a work in progress but had begun to have the look and atmosphere of an Orthodox church. The day included the Blessing of the Waters, the Hours & Divine Liturgy, the outdoor Cross Procession, the showing of a DVD of the life of St Elisabeth, and Vespers.Here are some photographs of the day's events.
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A handful of photographs from the final Sunday at our Birkenhead chapel - 12/07/09
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Just a few of us this Sunday
Reader Michael pretending to be young
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Final preparations for the move - 11/07/09
As the day fast approaches for the move into our new church, parishioners gather to make final preparations. Throughout the day, a number of visitors came in to say hello and find out what was happening, and some even helped with the cleaning.The gallery cover picture is a photograph of our new sign, with an icon used by kind permission of Olga Ivkin, whose work may be seen here.
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The plashchanitsa (burisl shroud)
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The Paschal Vesperal Liturgy of St Basil - 18/04/09
The Paschal Vigil, when we watch and wait for the Resurrection of Christ is one of the most beautiful and well-attended services of the Church's entire year, when the people of God shine with the radiance of the risen Christ. However, what we know as the Paschal Vigil today actually replaced a more ancient vigil many centuries ago. This "old" vigil consisted of a number of readings from the Old Testament, tracing God's work of salvation throughout the history of mankind, fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection. The vestments and hangings would change from dark to light and it was the traditional time for the baptism of new Christians, who, after much preparation throughout Great Lent, would receive Communion for the first time at the celebration of the Divine Liturgy of the Resurrection.
This service is still done today in most Orthodox Churches but has been transferred to the late afternoon of Great and Holy Saturday, taking on the character of Vespers. It is often a quiet service, with only a handful of people present - usually those who, through infirmity, responsibility of care to the young or vulnerable, or living some distance from church, would be unable to come to the night vigil. This is their way of joining in the liturgical celebration of the bright Resurrection of Christ. Here are some photographs from our celebration of this Liturgy at our chapel in Birkenhead.
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The dark veil at the Royal Doors
Anthiny and Reader Michael
Confession
The plaschanitsa
Absolution
Censing the plashchanitsa
The Lesser Entrance
The Epistle
The Resurrection Gospel
Some of the faithful
The light veil at the Royal Doors
Venerating the plsahchanitsa
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Vladyka tonsuring Michael Astley
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Hierarchical Divine Liturgy - 21/02/09
On Saturday, the 21st of February, 2009, being the 8th of February in the Church calendar and the Commemoration of the Departed, His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany, and Great Britain visited our parish and served the Liturgy among his people.
The parish had gathered the evening before and served Vespers and a Pannykhida for the departed. Vladyka arrived on Saturday morning and was warmly greeted by members of the parish.
During the Hours, Michael Astley was ordained as a Reader to serve in the parish. The Divine Liturgy followed. It was the first Hierarchical Liturgy at our little chapel of St Elisabeth and it saw approximately sixty people come to worship, including some visitors and some who learnt of us for the first time due to news of the visitation, and who have faithfully remained with us since. Trapeza followed the Liturgy, and we sang many years for Vladyka.
Our parish is somewhat geographically isolated from the rest of the diocese and it was a great blessing indeed to have our bishop come to visit us, especially at this turning point in the life of our parish as we seek to move to a new building. We offer our thanks to the All-holy Trinity, and pray that Vladyka Mark be granted many, many years.
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The Ordination Prayer
Reader Michael, vested in the small phelon
Reader Michael reading the Epistle
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The pilgrims gather
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Parish Pilgrimage to St Winefride's well in Holywell - 26/05/2007
On the morning before Pentecost, a small group of parishioners and visitors met at the chapel of St Elisabeth for a Pannikhida, where we offered prayers and hymns for the repose of our departed loved ones, in the hope that God would show His mercy upon them and draw them to Himself.
Afterwards, we set off for the town of Holywell in North Wales where we were joined by more of our parish family and extended family to make pilgrimage to the holy well of St Winefride. At the generous hospitality of the custodian of the well, we shared lunch in the nave of the shrine church, before moving to the shrine shop and display, where we learnt more about the life of St Winefride.
We then moved to the well itself, which spring up on the site of the miraculous restoration to life of St Winefride after her beheading, by God's grace and at the hands of her uncle, St Beuno, at whose faith and intercession her head was restored to her. It was very moving indeed to learn of her faithfulness to God, even in the face of death. At the well, we sang Great Vespers of the Eve of Pentecost, and were sprinkled with water from the well. Some of the faithful drank of the water while others filled buckets and yet others bathed their feet in the pool which is fed by the well and which contains the very stone where St Winefride was beheaded.
The whole afternoon was spent in Christian love as we gathered in one place with one accord, as did the Apostles on the day of Pentecost so many years ago.
Holy Winefride, pray to God for us!
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Packing the picnic
Setting off
Pilgrims arrive at Holywell
Parking
Pilgrims on their way to the shrine
Pilgrims on their way to the shrine
The shrine church (left) and the Anglican parish church (right)
The sign on the shrine church
The poolside oratory (left) and museum (right)
Matushka Elisabeth at the shrine church entrance
Inside the church, even the littlest came to pay homage to St Winefride
The east window
The east window
Pilgrims
O happy band of pilgrims!
Group photo
A statue of St Winefride on the approach to the well
Pilgrims on their way to the well
A pilgrim having a moment at the pool, fed from the well
A pilgrim having a moment at the pool, fed from the well
The Cross in the oratory next to the pool
The statue of Our Lady with the infant Lord in the oratory
The statue of Our Lady with the infant Lord in the oratory
Fr Ian and Fr Paul preparing for Vespers
The holy stone where St Winefride's head came to rest
Preparing for Vespers
Pilgrims drinking water from the well
The well enclosure
The well enclosure
St Winefride's well
The well canopy
The holy well
Satisfied pilgrims returning home
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Vladika's friendly chauffeur
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Parish Pilgrimage to St Werburgh's Shrine - 13/02/2007
On the second day of his visitation to the parish, Vladyka led some clergy and a small group of the faithful in a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Werburgh in Chester Cathedral. St Werburgh was an Abbess at Ely and foundress of other monastic communities in the British Isles when these lands were still Orthodox.
We were treated to the generous hospitality of the Dean and staff at Chester Cathedral, who permitted us to use the Lady Chapel in the retro-choir for a Moleben service. We were then treated to a guided tour of the cathedral, and took a walk around Chester, visiting the ancient city walls, before returning to the cathedral refectory for a delicious lunch.
Some memories were captured in photograph and are reproduced here.
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Vladika sets off for the shrine
A view of Chester cathedral from the city walls
Fr Michael and Fr Paul on the way into the cathedral
Pilgrims on the way into the cathedral
Introductions
Vladika at the holy shrine of St Werburgh, with Fr Paul (right) and the Dean of Chester, the Very Revd Gordon McPhate (left)
Fr Michael speaks with the Dean
Pilgrims at the shrine
Pilgrims at the shrine
Pilgrims at the shrine
Vladika and the Dean
Marina at the shrine of St Werburgh
Seraphima speaks with Vladika
Seraphima speaks with Vladika
The Gospel Book and Icon at the shrine, for the veneration of the faithful
Michael bumps into a friend at the cathedral
Michael at a prophetic sign
A view from the city walls
Walking along the city walls
Fr Andrew and Michael at the ancient city wall
Vladika and Father Paul experience the effects of the wind
Fr Andrew in traditional ecclesiastical attire
The parish icon of St Werburgh
Father Michael takes a rest
Vladyka crosses the bridge
Vladyka with the pilgrims before he said goodbye
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Fr Andrew having a moment
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An evening with Archbishop Kyrill - 12/02/2007
The parish is very grateful to the Synod and to Archbishop Kyrill of the Diocese of San Francisco and Western America for the opportunity to discuss some of the issues surrounding the pending restoration of normal relations with the Church in Russia, scheduled to reach completion on the 17th of May this year. There have been some difficult times, especially with the recent schism in the Diocese of Great Britain and the departure of some of our beloved fellow parishioners, so it was good to have the chance to speak about this, face-to-face, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Vladika was helpfully clear and heart-warmingly candid about the situation and his own experiences, and many of us walked away feeling much more hopeful about our future as a church and a diocese.
This gathering also gave us the chance to see people whom we don't see very often and to welcome one of our friends from the Moscow Patriarchate, and, as is usually the case when Orthodox people get together, there was food aplenty. Also with us were Fr Andrew Phillips from the Parish of St John the Wonderworker in Felixstowe, and Fr Michael from the St Petroc Monastery in Tasmania.
Here are a few photographs of the evening.
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Fr Paul and Fr Michael discuss the finer points of art and architecture
Priest Descending a Staircase
Clergy and a parishioner at a relaxed evening with Vladika
Parish gathering with Vladika
Parish gathering with Vladika
Matushka with the newest addition to our parish family
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