On 6 May 2015, Abba Seraphim and Deacon Daniel attended the Licensing and Installation of a new priest in charge and a assistant priest for the Parish of St. George-in-the-East at Shadwell. The traditional legal formalities (which included ringing the church bell) took place during a Votive Eucharist of the Holy Spirit. These are the Rev’d Canon Dr. Angus Ritchie and the Rev’d Timothy Clapton.  Canon Ritchie is the Executive Director of CTC (Centre for Theology & Community) and Father Timothy is the Director of the Urban Leadership School. The work of CTC is to equip churches to transform their communities through community organising, theological reflection and prayer. It is already based in the crypt of St. George’s but now will enter into a partnership with the parish, the Bishop of Stepney (The Right Rev’d Adrian Newman)  and a lay resident community of up to six young people based at the Rectory.  It will initially run for an experimental period of 16 months.

Abba Seraphim was among a number of ecumenical guests who welcomed the priests to their new ministry and spoke warmly of the value of sustaining a core community of prayer and service at the heart of every larger Christian community. The Orthodox London Mission is in its fourth year of using St. George-in-the-East for Orthodox worship as well as the regular monthly Orthodox Study Group and is happy to play its part in the wider Christian witness centred on this historic church.

The Portsmouth Divine Liturgy celebrated on Saturday 2nd May included prayers and hymns of commemoration for the new Ethiopian and Eritrean Martyrs of Libya. Announcing the hymn “For all the saints who from their labours rest, who Thee before the world confessed” Father Simon emphasised how these martyrs had indeed confessed our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ before the whole world. Their murderers in releasing the video of their martyrdom no doubt had other motives and intentions but in doing so they had broadcast the martyrs’ confession of faith around the world. During the singing of the hymn Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox worshippers lit candles in commemoration of the martyrs. Father Simon also reminded the congregation that this was a war that ISIS and its allies could never win inasmuch that every martyr they create is yet another holy and powerful intercessor in heaven. Although there was sadness, natural, human and right, for the death of fellow Orthodox, fellow countrymen and fellow human beings, also concern for the bereaved families, there was also a mood of celebration and pride in the heroic faith of these fellow believers and countrymen.

Memory eternal! Memory eternal! Memory eternal!

On 23 April, Abba Seraphim welcomed for tea at the Church Secretariat in Charlton, Nermien Riad of Washington DC, the Founder and Executive Director of Coptic Orphans. She was accompanied by Jean-Paul Markos, manager of Coptic Orphans’ UK office in London. While visiting London they came to speak with Abba Seraphim about the amazing way their ministry has been blessed and grown over the more than a quarter century since it was founded. Abba Seraphim, who lost his father at the age of four, shared with them his own experience of being supported through his education by committed Christians and spoke of the importance of empowerment of young people through education and spoke appreciatively of the important work being done by Coptic Orphans.   

News of the brutal murder of Ethiopian migrant workers in Libya by the so-called Islamic state follows on from their relentless attacks on vulnerable Christians throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  It comes as the Archbishop of Canterbury visits Egypt on an eirenic visit to offer his condolences to His Holiness Pope Tawadros for the similar slaughter earlier this year  of twenty-one poor Coptic workers. Archbishop Welby also met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb. His description of the so-called Islamic state as “deeply evil” echoes the response of both Christian and Islamic leaders.

Writing to His Grace Abune Antonios, the diocesan bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Great Britain, Abba Seraphim offered his deepest sympathy at the shocking news of the brutal murder of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians at the hands of extremists in Libya. Coming so soon after the murder of the Coptic workers, he stated that he shared their grief and anguish. 

“These are terrible times for our Oriental Orthodox churches as we commemorate the centenary of the Armenian Genocide and Syriac Sayfo, to find that we now face the demonic destruction of Orthodox churches and cruel treatment of Christians across the Middle East and Africa at the hands of Daesh. We draw comfort from the knowledge that those who perish at the hands of these vicious murderers remain faithful unto death, have received the crown of life, and now dwell for ever in the presence of their Saviour. We also mourn the tragic loss of life of those recently drowned in the Mediterranean, among whom were Christians from Ethiopia and Eritrea.”

He assured Abune Antonios that the “British Orthodox Church shares your grief and joins with you in fervent prayer for the families and friends of all those killed, who are our brothers in Christ. We pray that these new martyrs will intercede for us with the Lord of mercy.”

Among the events organised by the Armenian Genocide Centenary Commemoration Committee (AGCCC) in the United Kingdom, was a special Service in Southwark Cathedral on 18 April, which Abba Seraphim and Deacon Daniel attended. The Cathedral was very full and people arrived to the sound of the duduk, an ancient double-reed woodwind flute made of apricot wood. It is indigenous to Armenia and was proclaimed by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The Dean of Southwark (The Very Rev’d Andrew Nunn) warmly welcomed those attending, recalling his fond memories of a recent pilgrimage to Armenia. A number of distinguished speakers were interspersed with cultural interludes of classical music (Handel and Bach) sung by Paula Sides (soprano) accompanied by Victoria Walker on the cello, who also performed a solo. Dr. Charles Tannock, MEP, a doughty champion of Armenia, spoke of the need to proclaim the fact of the Armenian Genocide as the way to healing the past and preventing such atrocities in the future. This theme was picked up and developed by His Eminence Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh (Russian Orthodox Church) who drew  parallels with current events in the Middle East; Baroness Cox of Queensbury, who emphasised freedom, justice and truth and Professor  William A. Schabus, a Genocide scholar, who warned of the dangers of denial. Towards the end, Dr. Armen Sarkissian, the Armenian Ambassador, spoke movingly of his childhood memories of conversations with his grandmother, a genocide survivor; and of the problems of keeping the ‘secret’ of the memory of the Genocide alive in the hostile environment of the Soviet Union.  The service ended with a prayer and blessing offered by the Bishop of Southwark (The Right Rev’d Christopher Chessum).