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Orthodox News, Summer/Autumn 2012, Vol. 24 No home news features sayings jottings links stock order s ORTHODOX NEWS Published by St George Orthodox Information Service The White House, Mettingham, Suffolk NR35 1TP 01986 895176 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.mettingham.org.uk ISSN 0267 8470 Summer/Autumn 2012 First Electronic Issue Vol. 24 No. 3 & 4 Archimandrite Nikolai (Karpov) with [moving right] Princess Catherine Galitzine and Grand Duchess Xenia MEMORY ETERNAL! 80th Anniversary of the Repose of Vladika Nikolai (Karpov) Bishop of London n September 1972, St George Orthodox Information Archimandrite Nikolai was 38 years old at the time. In Service published an article to mark the 40th 1915 he had finished his studies at the Moscow I anniversary of the repose of Bishop Nikolai Theological Academy, and afterwards he taught at (Karpov) of London who died on 11 October 1932. This theological schools in Russia, and preached at the year we have arrived at the 80th anniversary and it Oboyan Convent in the Diocese of Kursk. Abroad, in seems appropriate to reprint the article. Extracts from the kingdom of Serbia, he acted as priest in several Volume 5 of the biography of Metropolitan Antony parishes, before becoming lecturer at the Butol (Khrapovitski) of Kiev and Galicia, who later became Theological Seminary, where he was greatly loved by the first Chief Hierarch of the Synod of the Russian the staff and pupils. He was then appointed priest in Orthodox Church Outside Russia, form the basis of the charge of the Russian Orthodox parish in London, article. The book was written by Archbishop Nikon of which was rent by internal dissension at that time. Washington and Florida. The extracts, in Russian, were Archimandrite Nikolai not only brilliantly solved the sent to SGOIS by Abbess Tamara of the Mount of complicated problems, but brought peace to his parish, Olives Convent in Jerusalem and translated by by winning the hearts of his parishioners with his great Baroness Vera Wrangel. devotion. Thus he was given the honour of being elected first Russian Orthodox Bishop in London. Uniquely, Vladika Nikolai did have the title Bishop of London. This was because, at that time, the Orthodox The consecration of Archimandrite Nikolai took place community in London was unaware of the law in in London. Vladika Antony, Archbishop Seraphim of Britain that prevents the use, by anyone else, of any title Eastern Europe, Bishop Feofan of Kursk, Bishop that is used by the Church of England. Tikhon of Berlin, and Bishop Simon of Kreweketz officiated. The consecration of Archimandrite Nikolai (Karpov) as Russian Orthodox Bishop in London took place during After presenting the staff of office to Bishop Nicholas, All Saints Week on 30 June 1929, at the height of the Vladika Antony addressed him thus: Church disturbances abroad. “Dear, and most reverend, newly consecrated and ORTHODOX NEWS 24:3/4 blessed Bishop Nikolai, I greet you and congratulate “The Lord has decreed that you should start your you on your consecration. This is a great day in the life Episcopal office in a country which has many of every Orthodox bishop and he celebrates its enlightened sons who genuinely like our people and our anniversary with ardent prayers, a Divine Liturgy, and a Faith…You should turn your pastoral attention to those Moleben to the saint of the day. Thereafter that saint is English people, especially young ones, who wish to considered to be a special protector of the bishop in acquaint themselves better with Orthodox religion and question. The Lord has chosen All Saints Day for your Church. Welcome them with pastoral affection and pray consecration, and so on the day of to the Lord for the salvation of both its anniversary you will address Russian and English souls. your prayers to all of them. “Such must be the holy intention of “Of course you know that Russian every Orthodox bishop and yours people honour God’s saints more especially, as bishop to our refugee than any other nation; even those people, in a country which, though not who, like us, belong to the Orthodox, is friendly towards our Orthodox Church. The Russian has Church. May all the saints, whose day a touching love for the saints, it is, fortify you, true Russian and whom he regards not only as devout pastor, in your holy intention. patrons, but as his closest friends. You should also pray to the newly canonized Bishop John of Tobolsk, “At a time when people admire whose canonization you had the heroes of antiquity, or honour to attend, for his help. And philosophers, or scientists, the may the blessed prayers of the saints Russian honours the saints, protect you from all worldly believing rightly, that godliness temptations and evils.” must remain the highest human ideal, according to the words of the Bishop Nikolai remained in his Lord: ‘Seek ye therefore the Diocese only three years. In August kingdom of God and His justice, 1932 he attended the Council of and all these things shall be added Bishops in Yugoslavia, at the end of unto you’. Having been called to which he fell ill with appendicitis. By lead people, follow in turn their some oversight or inadvertence he example and share their virtue of loving and honouring was not operated on in time, and in the night of 28 God’s saints, and of loving spiritual perfection. September/11 October, he died. His last words were, ‘put a candle into my hands. I want to go to heaven.’ “Another order from above, on the day of your Having grasped the candle, Bishop Nikolai quietly consecration, bids you to be not only a servant of God departed into eternity. but a servant of our Russian people as well, sharing their ideals and their adoration of the saints. The His funeral service was celebrated on 29 September/12 Protestants affirm that the latter lessens Christ’s glory, October in the Iverskaya Cathedral in Belgrade, by but this is denied by the Lord Himself with the words: Vladika Antony, the Archbishops Hermogen and ‘And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given Feofan, 13 Russian and Serbian Orthodox priests, and them’. three deacons. The funeral service was touching and spiritually edifying, and Vladika Antony could not “As a good Christian and a Russian patriot, luckily you refrain from crying. Archbishop Feofan preached a will be far from the sinful chauvinism which afflicts so sermon about the deceased, and Vladika Antony said in many nations which call themselves Christian. conclusion, “In the name of the deceased I thank you Russian and Serbian clergy who have accompanied “One can confidently say that intellectual Russians do Bishop Nikolai on his journey beyond the grave. I thank not consider that patriotism and the love for other you also, laymen, for your ardent prayers. In the course nations need conflict, but believe that, on the contrary, of my life I have noticed that the Lord grants a quiet they can peacefully co-exist. and peaceful death and an edifying funeral to those who remembered the dead in their prayers. Death comes to “Our Lord Jesus Christ is a living embodiment of such all of us, and sooner or later we all must go. People a peaceful co-existence. Whilst showing love to have gathered at this funeral, not out of a sense of duty, Samaritans, the Saviour of humanity was a good Judaic but out of sincere affection, and this gives it spiritual patriot who shed tears over Jerusalem, exclaiming, beauty.” ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I Bishop Nikolai was buried under the ikon of Saint have gathered together thy children, as the hen gathers Nicholas Murlkisky, set in the outer wall of the her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not.’ Iverskaya Church. SGOIS supports the Mettingham Orthodox Trust (Reg. Charity No. 1145765) ORTHODOX NEWS 24:3/4 Statement of Archbishop Mark on the norm. the Protest in Christ the Saviour In the case of the punk band, there was a prior history Cathedral of disturbing the peace at various locations (including another church), shouting blasphemies, obscenities and insults, both against Christians in general and against the Church hierarchy in particular. Subsequently, there have been other acts of hooliganism in various countries that purport to demonstrate solidarity with those who do not respect religious freedom. In Kiev a cross commemorating the victims of Stalinism was cut down by female protestors, followed by mockery of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Russian Orthodox Church clearly condemns any such acts, as would any Christian, and presumably all those who believe in the rule of law. Under normal circumstances it would be expected that other countries would not extend their With regard to the now infamous event in the sympathies to those who perpetrate such acts, rather Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on 21 than condemning those who were at the receiving end. February 2012 and the subsequent prosecution of certain members of a Russian punk band, we invite Unfortunately, an act of hooliganism against a Christians and Non-Christians alike to consider the Christian church has been turned into a political event position of the Russian Church and her faithful both in of global proportions, which has resulted in the events Great Britain, Ireland, Russia and around the world. no longer being seen for what they are (acts of hooliganism and a breach of the public peace), but Christians in general and the Church in Russia in rather the events have been tainted by political particular, experienced an unprecedented persecution expediency and the value of young mothers as a media during the 20th century, with more than a million asset onto which certain groups can project their martyrs and the destruction or desecration of all but vested interests.
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