On 15 April Abba Seraphim was at St. Anne’s Hospital, South Tottenham, a centre for inpatient mental health care in Haringey, to visit Keith Watson, a reader at the Charlton parish. Keith has suffered from health problems for most of his adult life and has been cared for at St. Anne’s on a number of occasions. He took with him the good wishes and assurance of prayers from the clergy and faithful at Charlton.

Abba Seraphim chaired a meeting at the Church Secretariat on 14 April 2010 to discuss practical ways of assisting Coptic asylum seekers and to explore the possibility of establishing a charitable trust to fund some legal support and guidance. Following discussions Abba Seraphim gave his blessing for provisional plans to establish such a trust to be placed under the patronage of Archangel Michael.

On 10 April 2010, Abba Seraphim made his first visit to the British Orthodox Mission at Portsmouth in its present venue at St. Faith’s Church in Craswell Street, Portsmouth, where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy and preached. As it was the Saturday in Bright Week, Abba Seraphim preached on the theme of the Resurrection. Afterwards, there was a buffet luncheon, during which Abba Seraphim announced that following the growth in membership he was raising the ministry at Portsmouth from a mission to that of a parish.

At the end of Holy Week, the British Orthodox parishes all celebrated the Feast of the Resurrection (4 April) with enthusiasm. This year Holy Pascha coincided with the western Easter so we received few ecumenical visitors, although attendance overall in all parishes was very good. The clergy also reported that the Holy Week services were well supported. Abba Seraphim officiated at Babingley, where the mild weather enabled the procession to go round the outside of the church; whilst at Bournemouth torrential rain made this impossible. However, for the traditional requiem service and visiting of the graves of former church members at Wimborne Road cemetery the next morning, there was a good gathering. Dyed eggs and other traditional Paschal foods were also included in the festivities, whilst “Christ is Risen!” was repeated in English, Greek, Coptic, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Romanian, Amharic and other tongues.

Finding God in worship

“And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”  Jesus  “turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.   Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.   Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”

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