RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH DIOCESE OF SOUROZH CATHEDRAL OF THE DORMITION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD 67 ENNISMORE GARDENS, LONDON SW7 1NH Cathedral Newsletter July 2016 The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul 29 June / 12 July Troparion Ye princes of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Teachers of the universe, entreat the Master of all that He grant peace to the world, and great mercy to our souls. Kontakion O Lord, Thou hast taken for the enjoyment of Thy blessings and for repose the firm and divinely inspired preachers, Peter and Paul, the leading apostles. For Thou hast accepted their labours and death as above every burnt-offering, O Thou Who alone knowest the secrets of our hearts. July 2016 List of contents Diocesan News July 2016 In this issue: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Diocesan News DIOCESAN NEWS..............................3 OF GOD The Ninth Commandment ..................19 CatHEDRAL NEWS..........................4 Thoughts on the Diocesan NOTES ON THE CHurcH Conference....................................20 calendar FOR JULY: The Holy Glorious and All-Praised ParisHIONERS OF THE catHEDRAL Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Interview with A.I. Smirnova. Paul ..................................................6 Part 3....................................................21 Sunday of All Saints of Russia ..............7 Sunday of All Saints of Britain and HOW I BECAME ortHODOX Ireland...............................................9 “In an Orthodox Church I began crying spontaneously”.......................23 LEGacY OF MetroPolitan ANNUAL DIOCESAN CONFERENCE ‘OUR VOCATION’ ANTHONY OF SouroZH RUSSIAN CHurcH IN london The annual diocesan conference took place at the High Leigh Conference Cen- Sermon on the Occasion of the First A Brief History. Part 6 ......................26 tre not far from London. The conference formed part of the celebration of the Celebration of All Saints of the British catHEDRAL NEWSLETTER 30 300th anniversary of Russian Orthodoxy in Great Britain and had the theme Isles......................................................12 YEARS AGO of “Our Vocation”. It was attended by clergy and laity of the diocese as well BRITISH AND IRISH SAINTS Russian Religious Broadcasts ..............27 as guests from abroad. It was a particular blessing to welcome Bishop Flavian Holy Hierarch Swithin, Bishop of A visit to the Danilov Monastery of Cherepovets and Belozersk and Bishop Matthew of Skopin and Shatsk, the Winchester, Wonderworker..................14 in Moscow.............................................28 latter with a large group of clergy and laity from his diocese. Both bishops were HOLY Places IN LONDON folloWING THE PILGRIMS’ formerly priests of our diocese (Frs Maxim Mitrofanov and Gennady Andreev, St Botolph’s Church without Aldgate..17 PatH respectively). The speakers were well-known church and lay people: Archiman- St Botolph’s Church Pilgrimage to St Walstan of drite Meletios (Webber), Archpriest Alexey Uminsky, Sister Vassa Larin and without Aldersgate...............................18 Bawburgh.............................................31 Mikhail Sarni. Each speaker gave his/her own view on the theme of Christian vocation. There were also discussion groups, where people could raise the ques- Dear Readers, tions that concerned them in an open way. At the Sunday Liturgy several of the We are happy to inform you that the Media and Pub- diocesan clergy were granted awards for their zealous service to the Church. By lishing Department of the Diocese of Sourozh now the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, Archpriest Daniel Joseph was award- has an online store, Sourozh Publications, where ed the mitre, Archpriests Raphael Armour and Stephen Platt, the palitza, and you can obtain the publications of the diocese. You Priest Gregory Butler was raised to the rank of Archpriest. Archbishop Elisey of can subscribe to the English or Russian editions of Sourozh awarded the gold pectoral cross to Priest Nikolay Evseev. Cathedral Newsletter, and purchase the diocesan jour- nal ‘Sourozh’ and the Diocesan Calendar and Lec- tionary. For prices and full information please visit the Can’t wait to get your hands on store at the latest Newsletter? https://sourozh.myshopify.com. Subscribe now! Cathedral Newsletter was prepared by: Archpriest Joseph Skinner, Sarah Skinner, Elena Creswell, Elena Kuzina,Robert Collins, Richard Hill, Julia Pliauksta. 2 3 July 2016 Cathedral News Cathedral News July 2016 PAN-ORTHODOX DIVINE LITURGY CELEBRATED IN OXFORD planned inside the bell-tower with the year term specified by the Statues, installation of a number of new bells, Natalia Tkachuk was re-elected as the On June 20th the Divine Liturgy for on one of will be depicted the profile churchwarden for the next three years. the Day of the Holy Spirit was cel- of Queen Elizabeth II to mark her 90th Under the agenda item dealing with ebrated at the Church of St Nicho- birthday. It is necessary to renew the property and finances the Assembly las the Wonderworker by Orthodox side panels of the gallery, to finish off discussed the current state of the hous- clergy from various jurisdictions who manufacturing the icon-cases for the ing fund which remains unused but serve in or around Oxford, along column pillars and place the icons in all should not continue inactive to avoid with a congregation of parishioners of the icon-cases. from the various Orthodox commu- becoming devalued. Instead, this fund nities in Oxford. It is planned to reorder the temporary should be used for purchasing essential small church, previously known as the housing for the clerics. “Hall”, where services have been tak- The Assembly entrusted the study of ing place when work has been going Cathedral News these questions to the Parish Audit on in the main church. It will become Committee in the context of other cur- a special place, sanctified by the many rent matters of a juridical nature such Divine Liturgies and other sacraments MEETING OF THE events dedicated to this anniversary as managing the church finances and that have been served there. In future, CatHEDRAL ParisH was the Diocesan Conference that took property. ASSEMBLY place from 10th – 12th June in Hert- some occasional services, meetings and fordshire. The conference was organ- various Parish events will take place There were also elections for the repre- On the 14th June 2016, a Parish Assem- ised mainly by clergy and parishioners there. This should become a place of sentatives of the parish on the Dioce- bly meeting was held at the Dormition of the Dormition Cathedral. true spiritual interaction for the parish- san Assembly and new members of the Cathedral in London. According to ioners, where pastors will have the pos- Audit Commission. the Statutes of the Russian Orthodox The highlight of this festive anniversary sibility to be together with the church Church, the Assembly is the governing is planned for the 16th October 2016, community, with a good book in their body of the Parish. 29 out 46 registered the date of the Great Consecration of hands or over a cup of tea or coffee, Assembly members were present at the the Cathedral following the extensive and share happy and sad moments with meeting. refurbishment. The members of the the parishioners, following the example Parish Assembly meeting confirmed The participants prayerfully remem- set by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) that parishioners of the Cathedral and bered Svetlana Hvorostovskaya, an of blessed memory. other members of the Russian Ortho- active member of the Parish Assem- dox Church living in Britain wish that During the Assembly the churchward- bly, who had died suddenly in January the festive events would be headed by en Natalia Tkachuk reported on the 2016. During the meeting, new Parish His Holiness Kirill, the Patriarch of administrative and housekeeping mat- Assembly members were elected. Moscow and All Russia. A correspond- ters in the Parish and gratefully not- The full account of the topics discussed Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh, Dean of ing invitation had been sent to His Ho- ed the active help of volunteers. The and decisions taken, as well as the full list the Cathedral, congratulated the par- liness by Archbishop Elisey. importance of helping our elderly pa- of the members of the Assembly is avail- ticipants on the 300th anniversary of rishioners was underlined and special able on the Diocese of Sourozh website: The Assembly members discussed the the Russian Orthodox presence in Brit- attention was paid to the question of www.sourozh.org final stage of the ongoing refurbishment ain which is celebrated this year. His taking care of the graves of our parish- works in the Cathedral. Restoration is Eminence noted that one of the main ioners. Due to the expiry of the three 4 5 July 2016 Notes on the Church calendar for July Notes on the Church calendar for July July 2016 Church. He was present at the stoning of St Stephen (Acts 7: 58). Then, on the Notes on the Church calendar for July road to Damascus, he was converted when Christ appeared to him. Blinded by the vision, he was healed when Ananias laid his hands on him. After his cure, he was baptised (Acts 9:18). St Paul preached the Gospel in Greece, Asia Minor, THE HOLY Glorious AND ALL-PRAISED LEADERS OF THE and in Rome, and wrote fourteen Epistles. Tradition says that he was martyred APOSTLES, PETER AND Paul in Rome about the year 68. Commemorated on 29th June /12th July Source: website of the Orthodox Church of America The hymns for their Feast speak of Sts Peter and https://oca.org/saints/lives/2016/06/29/101841-the-holy-glorious-and-all-praised- Paul as leaders (koryphaioi), and chiefs of the leader-of-the-apostles-peter https://oca.org/saints/lives/2016/06/29/101842-the-holy- Apostles. They are, without a doubt, foremost in glorious-and-all-praised-leader-of-the-apostles-paul the ranks of the Apostles. The koryphaioi were leaders of the chorus in an- SUNDAY OF ALL SAINTS OF RUSSIA cient Greek tragedy.