PLEASE PRAY WITH ME. 

As we continue this period of lockdown I would like all of you to join with me each evening in your own homes, at 10pm, to say the short prayer rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov for our troubled world. 

If you are unable to say the rule at this time because of work or other commitments, then simply say it when you can. The saying is the most important thing. 

The Short Rule. 

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

(To be said three times in honour of the Trinity) 

"Hail Mary! Full of grace, the Lord is with Thee, O Virgin Mother of God: blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, for Thou hast borne the Saviour of our souls."

(To be said three times) 

"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. 

"And in One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, begotten of the Father before all worlds; Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation , came down from heaven; and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate and suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. 

"And I believe in the Holy Spirit the Lord and Giver of life who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. 

"And I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."

Much Love, 

Fr. George.

Welcome

Welcome to our website which we hope will be of interest or a source of information to you. Ours is a parish of the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, which is in communion with all the canonical Orthodox Churches and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In line with Orthodox practice, our services are in the language of the people; in our case, English, Orthodox visitors of other backgrounds saying the Lord's Prayer in their native tongue. 

The Orthodox Church lies in a tradition that goes back in an unbroken line to the Church of the Apostles and the earthly life of Christ Himself. We are often portayed as a very conservative church but this is a matter of faith and history; one cannot change the truth to fit into a very fleeting, passing, timescale when viewed with the eternity of God and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

In our church you will see many icons of Christ, the Mother of God and many saints and sacred events; a feature of Orthodoxy that proclaims the Incarnation of our Lord and God Jesus Christ and are often referred to as "windows into heaven". The priestly vestments are very beautiful; not for the glorification of the clergy but for the glory of sinful humanity transformed by the Grace of God. The Divine Liturgy is the principal service, when the faithful may receive the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Incense is used in all our services and permeates the fabric of the church itself. Thus we have a church that is internally very beautiful visually, has the aroma of sanctity and our ears are filled with beautiful music (Just human voices: instruments are not allowed). In some way the church building reflects the glory of Heaven and a place fitting for God.

Anyone may come to our church to "have a look" and you are assured of a warm welcome. Do not worry about how to act or what to do; just let the experience take care of itself. If you need any information about any aspect of our church or the Orthodox Church in general, do not hesitate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Fr. George (Evans), Parish Priest.

Fr George's Letter for June

HOLY PENTECOST

“The virtues build a new person radiating love to the world.”

(Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) who consecrated our temple.)

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points was tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16.)

Sunday 20^th June. 8TH SUNDAY OF PASCHA. HOLY PENTECOST. Hieromartyr Methodios, Bishop of Patara (312). St Kallistos 1, Patriarch of Constantinople (1363). St Nicholas  Kavasilas (c 1391).  

Saint Alban Protomartyr of Britain. Feast Day 22^nd June.

St. Alban was a citizen of the Romano-British town of Verulanium. At a time of persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, Alban sheltered a Christian priest in his home. He became so impressed by the priest, whose name has come down to us as Amphibolus, that Alban became a Christian. In order to help the priest escape Alban exchanged cloaks with him and he was arrested instead. Brought before the magistrate, Alban confessed to being a Christian and refused to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods. He was sentenced to be beheaded and legend has it that the crowd was so thick that they clogged the bridge over a river, leading to the place of execution on a hill. St. Alban made the sign of the cross and the water parted so that he could cross. He was beheaded according to St. Bede in 304 AD. The spot is marked today by the great cathedral named for him in the town of Saint Albans named after him. Holy Protomartyr of our land St. Alban pray for us.

During the time of Christ, the Jews celebrated Pentecost to commemorate the reception of the Ten Commandments by Moses on Mount Sinai.

A simple comparison between what happened on Mount Sinai (Ex: 20:18-19) and at the Upper Room (Acts2:1-11) reveals the similarity between the two events. The God who descended on Mount Sinai is the same God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, who descended today upon the disciples. The common signs during these two events reveal the presence of the same God. Sinai is a mountain, and the place of today’s event is an Upper Room. There, a thunder was heard and here the same sound. There thunder, lightening and smoke, and here, a rushing mighty wind. On the mountain, God descended with fire in the burning bush, and in the Upper Room, the Holy Spirit rested upon the disciples in the form of tongues of fire. There, Moses brought out all the people together at the bottom of the mountain to meet God, and here all the disciples meet in the Upper Room “with one accord”. (Metropolitan Paul Yazigi on Pentecost).

Today’s Gospel Reading: John 7:37-52; 8:12. “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”.................

“With the breath of Thy Comforter make me warm, O Lord.”

“Lift up your hearts. Keep them warm.”

“When God the Holy Spirit visits us and comes in the fullness of His unutterable goodness, then we must stop praying and detach ourselves from prayer itself. The praying soul utters words as an offering, but when the Holy Spirit descends it must be totally silent so that it can hear clearly and understand truly the words of eternal life which the Holy Spirit condescends to give it.”

(St. Seraphim of Sarov on the Holy Spirit.)

In today’s Gospel we have Christ’s promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit. In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles we have the account of the Holy Spirit descending on the Holy Disciples at the Feast of Pentecost. This same Spirit who is one of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity comes to His Church today and every day. When the priest during the Divine Liturgy pours hot water into the chalice does he not say “The warmth of faith full of the Holy Spirit.”? The Holy Mysteries are then communicated to the clergy and the Faithful.

This warmth brings the healing of God to us and our troubled world. This warmth brings comfort, like a warm fire on a cold dark night. This warmth comes to us freely, we only have to allow Him who is always present to enter into our souls and bodies. St. Seraphim of Sarov abhorred despondency and told us that it can be got rid of by turning to God. The great Mystery of the One God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit was explained by St. Patrick of Ireland who used the shamrock plant with three leaves coming out of one stem to illustrate the point. St. Seraphim felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit and his face shone with the Divine Light that emanated from it.

Do not worry about theological niceties, these are for the learned to keep them occupied. Listen to the words of the services. This is not only for the congregation. When our Patriarch John was Archbishop, he, at one of our conferences, told the clergy to listen to what the congregation was singing as well as expecting them to listen to the clergy. Throughout all of the services the Most Holy Trinity is invoked, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Let us not just take the words for granted, but take them into our hearts that we may truly understand what God does for us and share the Love that He gives us.

Much Love,

Fr. George