During his recent visit to the Bournemouth Parish of Christ the Saviour on 1 July, Abba Seraphim ordained two new subdeacons for the Portsmouth Parish, James Anthony Kelly and Anthony-Paul Holland. During the Liturgy Abba Seraphim was assisted by Father Simon Smyth and Subdeacon Daniel Malyon. Preaching to a full church on the Sunday Gospel (Luke X: 1-20) he draw parallels between our Lord’s commission to the LXX and the present mission of the church. Following the Liturgy Abba Seraphim chaired a parish meeting to explain the electoral process for choosing a new Pope & Patriarch, answered questions from the congregation and passed on Metropolitan Bakhomios’s invitation to all church members to express their opinion on the selection of the future patriarch.

Abba Seraphim was pleased to welcome to Bournemouth, Archimandrite Deiniol of the Wales Orthodox Mission of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who attended the Divine Liturgy. Afterwards Fr. Deiniol was able to chat to most of the people present.

After a pause last year, the Glastonbury Pilgrimage resumed its annual commemoration at Glastonbury Abbey this year on 16 June. Abba Seraphim was the Orthodox celebrant in the morning in the abbey’s undercroft, assisted by Father Simon Smyth, Deacon John Stuart, Subdeacons Paul Ashdown and Daniel Malyon  and Readers Anthony-Paul Holland and James Kelly.

Although the weather was blustery and threatening, the rain providentially held off and did not disrupt any of the pilgrimage. The Anglican Liturgy followed the Orthodox Liturgy at noon. The principal celebrant was the Bishop of Beverley (The Right Rev’d Martyn Jarrett) and the preacher was the Bishop of Ebbsfleet (The Right Rev’d Jonathan Baker) who preached an eirenic sermon about our Lord’s kingship, rich in patristic as well as historical references to St. Dunstan and the English coronation service.  At its conclusion the Bishop of Plymouth (The Right Revd John Ford), who is also of the Glastonbury Pilgrimage Association, specifically welcomed Abba Seraphim and his clergy. After lunch Abba Seraphim and his clergy joined in the Procession of Witness through the centre of Glastonbury.

During a visit to the clergy and faithful of the new Eritrean Orthodox Diocese of Europe in the UK, His Grace met with Abba Seraphim in London. On 12 June following pastoral visits to his communities in Manchester and Birmingham, Bishop Makarios was greeted at Euston Station by Abba Seraphim who accompanied him to Southwark Cathedral, where they were welcomed by the Bishop of Southwark (The Right Rev’d Christopher Chessum). Accompanying Bishop Makarios were Father Teklemariam (Frankfurt) the likekahnat (hegumen) of the European diocese, Father Habtom Ftuwi (Manchester), Deacon John Gebrehewit (Manchester), Deacon Teklit Eyob (London), Deacon Habtom Tesfahuney (Birmingham) and Deacon Robel Fessahaye (Birmingham). After showing them some of the highlights of Southwark Cathedral, Bishop Christopher entertained his visitors to tea and discussed the issues related to the current situation of Christians in Eritrea. After an exchange of gifts, prayers were said for Eritrea and especially Patriarch Antonios in his imprisonment. The two bishops and their party joined Bishop Christopher at Choral Evensong, which was led by Canon Paul Saunders, the Sub-Deacon & Canon Pastor.

In the evening Abba Seraphim entertained Bishop Makarios and his clergy to supper at the Church Secretariat at Charlton, where they were joined by Subdeacon Daniel Malyon and James Carr. Bishop Makarios stayed overnight at the Secretariat.

On 13 June Abba Seraphim and Bishop Makarios and his party visited the Old Naval College at Greenwich, where they viewed the Painted Hall and the Chapel and were received by the Rev’d Jeremy Frost, the chaplain. In the afternoon they visited St. John’s Church, Walham Green, Fulham, where they were welcomed by Father Mark Osborne, the priest-in-charge. On Saturday, 16 June Bishop Makarios will inaugurate Eritrean Orthodox worship in this church with a service commemorating Eritreans who have died in recent wars.

Bishop Makarios’s visit followed his attendance at recent meetings of the Holy Synod in Cairo where he was recognised as the sole canonical representative of the Eritrean diaspora rather than the government controlled hierarchy in Asmara.

Following the successful commemoration of the Millennium of the Martyrdom of St. Alphege at Southwark and Greenwich in April, the celebrations of “Alphest 1000″, with the motto ‘Remember & Rejoice’ concluded with a National Pilgrimage to Canterbury and Ecumenical Vespers. This was held on 9 June, the day following the feast of the translation of St Alphege’s body from St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, to Canterbury. By contrast with the celebrations in April, the day was warm and sunny.

Presiding at the service was the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Rowan Williams) and Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Church Unity since 2010. At the conclusion of the service, a tribute of red roses was placed at the altar steps and the Archbishop and Cardinal lit candles in honour of St. Alphege. Abba Seraphim, Father Peter Farrington and Subdeacon Daniel Malyon from the British Orthodox Church were seated in the Presbytery, as were representatives of the Byzantine churches, the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church as well as the many Anglican parishes dedicated to St. Alphege.

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.