On 12 April the new BOC Stoke Mission at Stoke-on-Trent hosted its first celebration of the Divine Liturgy.  This memorable event took place at St Paul’s Church, Church Square, Burslem, Stoke on Trent, ST6 4BY and was celebrated by Abba Seraphim, assisted by Fathers David Seeds, Peter Farrington, Archdeacon Alexander Astill, Deacon Daniel Malyon and Reader Petrous Louis, on his first visit to the UK from Melbourne. The celebration  received warm support from our ecumenical partners and especially from the Suffragan Bishop of Stafford, (The Right Rev’d Geoff Annas), who also attended.

Following the Raising of Morning Incense, Father David received four local enquirers as catechumens with prayer and anointing with oil. There are now five adult catechumens in Stoke preparing for baptism and the first of these will take place on 7 June. Father Peter plans to visit Stoke on a fortnightly basis to build up the Mission, when he will celebrate the Liturgy, share a communal meal with them and lead a study & instruction session.  

During his homily, Father Peter used the Gospel account of the raising of Lazarus to illustrate our need for commitment and responsiveness to the divine call. Following the liturgy, all those present shared a buffet lunch and time of Christian  fellowship.

Ecumenical representatives attended a memorial service for the late Patriarch of Antioch, His Holiness Mar Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, held at the Syriac Orthodox Cathedral of St. Thomas in Acton, West London. His Eminence Archbishop Mar Athanasius Toma Dawod, presided, assisted by the priests and deacons of his diocese. Among the speakers were His Grace Bishop Vahan, Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Great Britain & Ireland and President of the Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches. Abba Seraphim, Father Peter Farrington, Deacon Daniel Malyon and Subdeacon Trevor-James Maskery attended from the British Orthodox clergy in London. Archbishop Athanasius warmly welcomed all those who attended and spoke lovingly of the late Patriarch, like many, recalling with affection, his presence at the Cathedral in Acton when he consecrated it in July 2010.

Photos of the event can be found on the BOC Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishorthodox/sets/72157643526552524/

Having received the news of the death of His Holiness Patriarch Mar Ignatius Zakka, Abba Seraphim wrote to Archbishop Athanasius Touma, Patriarchal Vicar fore Britain of the Syriac Orthodox Church, to offer on behalf of the clergy and people of the British Orthodox Church, sincere condolences on his passing. In the tradition of the Coptic Patriarchate, the Patriarch of Antioch is commemorated at every service when prayers are offered for the Pope & Patriarch of Alexandria, and in recent months those prayers have been offered with deep intent.

In his letter Abba Seraphim wrote, “In all my personal meetings with him – in Damascus, Cairo or in London – I found him kind and gracious. Our hearts were greatly touched by his attendance both at the funeral of the late Pope Shenouda and the Enthronement of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, even though he himself was in frail health. As his body began to fail, the strength and determination of his spirit was symbolised by the power and beauty of his voice, which remained strong.

The clergy and people of the British Orthodox Church are saddened that His Holiness ended his long and distinguished pontificate amidst such trials and tribulations for the Syriac people, especially in Iraq and Syria, as we know his heart was staunch in defending goodness and truth. We pray that he will rest in peace and awake to a joyful resurrection and trust in our Merciful Saviour to raise up a worthy successor to this great high priest”.

During the 40 days of mourning prayers for the repose of Patriarch Zakka will be offered in all British Orthodox churches and missions. 

Memory Eternal!

On Saturday 15th March, the Orthodox Midlands Mission of the British Orthodox Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate organised a study day in Stoke on Trent as The Orthodox Way of Prayer.

Thanks to the kind hospitality of the Revd. Darren McIndoe and his congregation at St Paul’s, Burslem, participants from many different backgrounds came together to study the Orthodox spirituality of prayer in an atmosphere of friendship and Christian fellowship.

The event began with Morning Prayer from the Coptic Daily Office, and then a series of short talks on various themes such as The Prayer of the Heart, Prayer with the Scriptures and Developing a Prayer Rule were interspersed with practical opportunities for prayer and discussion.

On Saturday, March 15th, Father Peter Farrington will be leading an ecumenical study day at St Paul’s Church of England, Burslem, Stoke on Trent. This event is the first public activity of the Orthodox Midlands mission in Stoke and has already drawn the interest of clergy and laity from many local congregations representing various Christian traditions in the Stoke on Trent area.

This exciting and interesting day of prayer and study has been organised as The Orthodox Way of Prayer. This will take place in Burslem, Stoke on Trent on Saturday, March 15th, and all are welcome to come and experience a taste of the Orthodox spiritual life of prayer.
 
Saturday 15th March

Orthodox Way of Prayer : 9:30 am – 15:30 pm
Refreshments provided
St Paul’s, Burslem, Stoke on Trent

Registration and coffee begins at 9:30, a light lunch will be provided, and the event will conclude at 15:30.

The programme will include:

Orthodox Morning Prayer
What is Prayer?
Morning Coffee Break
The Prayer of the Heart
The Prayer of the Liturgy
Buffet Lunch
Prayer with the Scriptures
Developing a Prayer Rule
Afternoon Coffee Break
Orthodox Afternoon Prayer

All are most warmly invited to this event, and we would be grateful if you shared this information with any others who might be interested. We also have a website with details at www.orthodoxmidlands.co.uk.

To allow us to plan for refreshments and teaching materials it would be very helpful to us if you replied to this email indicating that you intend to participate.