Following the death of Lyndsey Clare Pratt on 26 April at the age of 48, following a long battle with cancer, her funeral was held at Sacred Heart Church in Waterlooville, Portsmouth, on 9 May. Lyndsey’s husband, David, and her two children, Hannah and Samuel are members of the British Orthodox Church and, although a Catholic, she was always very supportive of their church membership and often attended services with them. The Church was full for her Funeral Mass, which was celebrated  by the parish priest, Father Kevin Bidgood. Abba Seraphim and Father Simon Smyth and several members of the BOC congregations in Bournemouth and Portsmouth also attended because of the high regard in which she was held. In his homily, Father Kevin emphasised that throughout her long illness she had shown great Christian fortitude and was determined to live her life to the full, undertaking several strenuous sponsored activities to raise funds for cancer charities and demonstrating her strong Christian Faith.

At the end of the service, Abba Seraphim was invited to intone an Orthodox Prayer of Commendation whilst at the graveside in Catherington Cemetery he led the Orthodox mourners in singing the Paschal Troparion.

On 5 May, during the regular monthly celebration of the Divine Liturgy for the British Orthodox London Mission of SS. George & Paul the Hermit at St. George-in-the-East, Shadwell, Abba Seraphim ordained Daniel Malyon as a Subdeacon. Daniel is a member of the BOC Portsmouth Parish but whilst teaching near St. Albans, has been serving as a Reader attached to the Secretariat staff, so has been serving with Abba Seraphim at Babingley, Charlton and Shadwell.  A graduate in theology, he is currently studying for his Master’s degree in Orthodox Theology at the University of Winchester. 

Assisting Abba Seraphim at the Liturgy were Fathers Simon Smyth and Peter Farrington as well as Deacon Theodore de Quincey. They were joined by two of Daniel’s fellow Readers from Portsmouth, James Kelly and Anthony-Paul Holland. 

On 2 May, during a brief visit to the United Kingdom, Father Abraham Thomas, Secretary of the Department of Ecumenical Relations of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, accompanied by Father Thomas P. John, Parish Priest of St. Gregorios Indian Orthodox Church at Brockley, paid a fraternal call on Abba Seraphim at the Church Secretariat at Charlton. Over lunch they were able to discuss matters of common interest as well as renew an old friendship dating back to when Father Abraham served as Parish Priest in London.

On 26 April, Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, Syrian Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, dined with Abba Seraphim in London. Mar Gregorios had recently attended a meeting of politicians and other leaders in Liechtenstein to explore ways of resolving the problems in Syria. As a spokesman of the Syriac Orthodox Church who has long worked for good inter-communal relations, he is anxious to explore all peaceful options. Both hierarchs, who have been friends for a nmber of years, were able to share their insights into current political and religious developments in the Middle East as well as discussing issues of common interest, including research into church history.

London’s Warburg Institute hosted a lively colloquium on Indian Christianity 25 & 26 April under the title “Apostles and Heresiarchs. Representations of Early Christianity in 16th-17th Century India.” Abba Seraphim was among those who attended to listen to a number of scholars examine the crucial period when, in the wake of Portuguese colonialism, the Synod of Diamper (1599) subjugated the ancient Church of Malabar to the See of Rome. Of foremost interest was the evidence of the survival of a significant number of ancient theological and liturgical texts, previously believed to have been destroyed. Professor Istvan Perczel of Budapest,who has been among a dedicated team who have collected, digitalised  and catalogued over 1000 Syriac and Garshuni Malayalam manuscripts, spoke about the significance of these. Later papers on Portuguese missionary activities, and the interrelationship of the local and Portuguese clergy, provided deeper understanding on not just the theological and personal issues of the time but also economic and cultural  factors.