London Liturgy to pray for the Church in Egypt

On Saturday, 13th April, 9:30 am. His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of the British Orthodox Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate will celebrate the Liturgy and invites all who wish to pray for the peace of Egypt and the safety of the Coptic Orthodox Church to unite with us in prayer.

The Liturgy will take place at St George in the East, Cannon Street Road, Shadwell, London, E1 0BH, beginning at 9:30 am with the Raising of Incense, and at 10:00 am with the Liturgy itself.

All interested and faithful Christians who are able to pray with us on this occasion are most warmly invited to do so.

Our worship will be in the English language.

The Church of St George in the East is only 4 minutes walk from Shadwell DLR station.

On 5 December, Abba Seraphim and Subdeacon Daniel Malyon attended a performance of scenes from the York cycle of the mediaeval mystery plays, which was being performed at St. George-in-the-East Church at Shadwell. This was the first year that the Players of St. Peter, a long established group of amateur and professional actors, had performed at Shadwell. The extracts ranged from the Fall of the Angels and Moses and Pharoah through the Annunciation, Nativity and Baptism and concluding with the Last Judgement.

Mystery plays, depicting biblical stories from Creation to Doomsday were a common way of marking religious festivals in towns and cities and traditionally performed by different trade guilds were widespread throughout England, but fell into disuse at the Reformation when puritans disapproved of religious drama as much as they did of liturgical worship.

Commenting on the genre, Abba Seraphim observed that they had served as a catechetical device for rustic people of simple but strong faith at a time when the scriptures were not readily accessible. They were sound in doctrine and encouraged a good knowledge of both old and new testaments as well as a lively sense of good and evil.  Despite our sophistication and ready access to the scriptures, we live in a society where the Bible is a little-read best seller and, apart from regular church goers, knowledge of God’s purpose in creation and redemption, is abysmal today.  He commended such plays and agreed with the Players’ desire to feel in touch with a very ancient English tradition  of celebrating religious festivals.

The new series of monthly meetings under the auspices of the British Orthodox London Mission at Shadwell got off to a good start with a well-attended session on The Didache on 18 October.  This was the first of an Introductory Course of Study and Discussion of the earliest Patristic sources under the title, “The Apostolic Fathers.” Abba Seraphim led the discussion and study and Father Peter Farrington will follow up with the second in the series on “St. Ignatius of Antioch” on Thursday, 15 November at 7.30 p.m. 

The British Orthodox London Mission of SS George & St. Paul meets at St. George-in-the-East, Cannon Street Road, London, E1 0BH (nearest station Shadwell DLR). The next Liturgy will be on Saturday, 3 November, the day before the Altar Ballot in Cairo to select the new Pope & Patriarch of Alexandria.   

The first Liturgy to be celebrated for the new British Orthodox London Mission of SS. George & Paul the Hermit was preceded by a baptism.

On 31 March at St. George-in-the-East, Shadwell, Abba Seraphim baptised, Athanasios, the infant son of Father Yonas Tesheme, one of the priests of  the Eritrean Orthodox Diocese of Europe.

During the Liturgy Abba Seraphim was assisted in the sanctuary by Fathers Simon Smyth, Peter Farrington, Seraphim Mina and Yonas Tesheme with Subdeacon Michael Kennedy and Reader Daniel Malyon. Abba Seraphim preached on a text from the Gospel of the Day, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark X: 46-52). Canon Michael Ainsworth, Rector of St. George’s, joined the congregation and Abba Seraphim publicly expressed his thanks to him and St. George’s Church Council for their hospitality.  The congregation was a happy mix of British, Coptic & Eritrean Orthodox as well as visitors. Afterwards there was a lively time of fellowship with tea, coffee, biscuits and Ambasha.

The next Saturday Liturgy will be on 5 May because of the Western Easter and Holy Pascha falling in April. At 7.30 p.m. on 12 April there will be the Ninth Hour Prayers of Holy & Great Thursday followed by a talk on prayer by Father Peter Farrington.

On 20 February Father Silas Spear flew into London on a stop-over for his traditional three-month visit to St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Kitchener, Ontario, where he assists Father Athanasius Iskander. Abba Seraphim was at the airport to meet him and take him  back to the Church Secretariat at Charlton. After a brief rest he accompanied Abba Seraphim and Father Peter Farrington to the meeting at St. George’s-in-the-East at Shadwell. On 21 February Father Silas accompanied Abba Seraphim to Morden College at Blackheath to visit Father Michael Robson, who was delighted to see him. Whilst there Father Silas also visited the College Chapel and met with Father Nick Woodcock, the College chaplain.