On 14 December 2016 it was with great joy that Abba Seraphim welcomed to the Church Secretariat three grandsons of a former British Orthodox bishop. Frederic Charles Aloysius Harrington (1879-1942) was consecrated to the episcopate in 1935, following the death of his wife, and largely ministered in the Islington area of London, where his service was based on a Chapel dedicated to St. Ignatius of Antioch. His early death was a great loss to the church, but he was greatly loved and his memory has always been cherished. His three grandsons, Leslie, Michael and David Harrington, who have been researching their family history, visited Abba Seraphim to hear about their grandfather’s  church ministry and to share family stories and memorabilia. Among the items preserved at the Secretariat is the pastoral staff made by their father, the late Patrick Harrington (1916-1989) for their grandfather’s consecration.

The news that a bomb containing 12 kilos of TNT and filled with ball-bearings had exploded in St. Peter’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Abbeseya, Cairo, during the morning Liturgy on Sunday, 11 December, only broke for many people after they themselves were leaving their churches. Such an atrocity, committed with blasphemous and evil intent, whilst pious souls – including many women and children – were struck down as they met together for communion with their God. The response, not only of churchmen, but of senior Muslim clerics, is universal horror and revulsion, recalling the late Pope Shenouda’s saying that religion has no part with violence. Speaking after hearing the news, whilst leaving the Church at Chatham, Abba Seraphim commented that this was clearly a “Satanic attack, the fruit of hatred, cruelty, intolerance, strife and every evil which foments violence.”

The Coptic Church has a long history of being the victim of violence, which has produced a multitude of glorious martyrs, but like the Crucified Saviour, has never responded in kind. The Egyptian government acted promptly by offering facilities for the injured at military hospitals whilst the public sympathy of the President, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, and other ministers recognises and respects the unity of all Egyptians, regardless of their religious affiliation. The proclamation of three days of national mourning invites all Egyptians to unite in condemning such violence.

St. Peter’s Church (al Boutrosiyah) forms part of the Cathedral complex of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate and stands next to St. Mark’s Cathedral, although its entrance is on Rameses Street. It brings violence very close to the heart of the Coptic Church, although His Holiness Pope Tawadros II was absent at the time on a pastoral visit to Greece, from which he immediately returned home to share the grief of his people.

The British Orthodox Church shares the grief of the worldwide Coptic Community and prays for the injured and the departed, as well as praying that peace and prosperity may soon be restored to Egypt, a country which has many historic links with the British Isles, whose past has so richly contributed to the civilisation of the world.  Abba Seraphim has sent a message of condolence to H.H. Pope Tawadros and on Sunday, 18 December Requiem Prayers for the departed victims will be prayed in all British Orthodox churches.

On Remembrance Sunday (13 November), at St. Alban’s British Orthodox Church in Chatham, Abba Seraphim preached on the significance of this national commemoration. Whilst observing that the church had its own seasons for commemorating the Faithful Departed, he noted that today was a national commemoration of those who had given their lives in the service of their country.

“There are those who feel that the church should have no part with the armed forces, but should be absolutely detached as an instrument of peace, yet we owe a great debt to those who place their own lives at risk in order to protect their fellows, whether they serve in the armed forces, the police service or as firemen. Sadly, the reality of a fallen world is that the forces of darkness are always ready to exploit the weak and vulnerable, and it is one of the first duties of governments to protect their citizens and ensure their security. Of course, there are moral issues about the use of force and we know that, like all things, it can be misused; but the record of our armed services stands high in the responsible use of military force and is essentially to protect life, not to take it. My own knowledge of those in our armed services, especially those with higher authority, is that they possess a profound respect for the sanctity of life, a deep awareness of the huge responsibilities they exercise and a heartfelt reluctance to kill or injure, if other options are available to them.

In remembering those who gave their lives in defence of our freedoms and peaceful way of life, we owe them an immense debt of gratitude. We live in troubled times and the years of total peace have been few. Our commemoration begins with our own servicemen, many of whom lost their lives and are buried in foreign lands, but we also hold before God those in every nation who have fought righteously and we implore a merciful and loving Saviour to grant their souls eternal rest and to guide us into the ways of peace.”

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy a full church, representing every generation, and holding candles of remembrance, joined in the memorial prayers and singing “Memory Eternal!”

Since his death in 1993, the friends of Archdeacon James I (Goddard) 1957-1993, have gathered each year on his birthday (21 October) to honour his memory with a commemorative dinner at which a collection is made in support of St. Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham. Abba Seraphim presided and his namesake and successor, Archdeacon James II (Maskery), joined the company. Speaking about the gathering, Abba Seraphim noted that, whilst the church liturgically commemorates her departed faithful at various times of the year, it is a significant tribute to the high regard in which he was held, that for almost a quarter of a century, his friends still meet together; and express the fruits of their fellowship in their laudable support for the hospice where he spent his last days. Archdeacon James – Memory Eternal !

On Sunday, 25 September, the congregation at St. Mark & St. Hubert’s Church in Cusworth Village, Doncaster, witnessed the admission of a new member of the Brotherhood of Monks. Father Alexis Raphael of Lincoln was admitted as a Rasophore Monk and ordained to the Order of Reader at the hands of Abba Seraphim, Metropolitan of Glastonbury; with Father David Seeds and Archdeacon James Maskery assisting. As Fr. Alexis received the tonsure twice on the same day, in his homily, Abba Seraphim spoke of the origins and symbolism of the tonsure, both for admission to the monastic brotherhood and for the clerical state. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the Cusworth congregation hosted a celebratory buffet lunch.  Father Alexis, who has been assisting at the Cusworth Church for some time, lives as a solitary in Lincoln.