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Antiocian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland

The Orthodox Community of

St Anne and All Saints of Worcestershire meeting at

St John the Baptist Chapel Chapel Lane, Bransford

Worcestershire WR6 5JQ

Archbishop: Metropolitan SILOUAN.

Come and See!

No 30 March 2020

Great Lent is upon us! We have anticipated its arrival, and prepared for it, since the end of the Christmas season. How will we keep it? As Robert Herrick says in his poem…

To keep a true Lent. IS this a fast, to keep The larder lean? And clean From fat of veals and sheep?

Is it to quit the dish Of flesh, yet still To fill The platter high with fish?

Is it to fast an hour, Or ragg’d to go, Or show A downcast look and sour?

No; ‘tis a fast to dole Thy sheaf of wheat, And meat, Unto the hungry soul.

It is to fast from strife, From old debate And hate; To circumcise thy life.

To show a heart grief-rent; To starve thy sin, Not bin; And that’s to keep thy Lent.

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Keeping Lent is not about the diet of food…it is about a diet of the spirit, the body, and the lifestyle.

This Lent let us all try to follow the advice given to the Philippians:

“whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Refrain from indulging in criticism, gossip and complaint, look for the good in all people and all situations. Christ calls us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, and visit those who are in prison. The questions we are asked at the last and final judgement will revolve around these matters, how will we answer when asked “when did you welcome the stranger or visit the prisoners?”

Prisoners, hunger, nakedness and strangers come in all shapes and sizes. Apart from the obvious members of these categories, there are those imprisoned by their mental health or emotions, there are those who are naked through their vulnerability, there is emotional and spiritual hunger of many forms, including loneliness, and strangers in society through difference from the norm. All these need the healing touch of Christ through us, His body.

We also hunger and thirst and are in need of healing, we should minister to one another and to ourselves. Allow time for our Lord’s healing presence in our lives. We can do this by attending the services provided during the Lenten period, they are there for our nourishment and renewal. Perhaps read a Psalm a day. Or read a chapter of the Gospels each day (start with St. Mark’s Gospel). Pray regularly in our icon corners, say the prayer of St Ephrem each day, pray for one another in our community. A practical way to help our fellow churchgoers is through lightening each other’s workload in the Church by taking on a new role, there are plenty.

All of this takes humility and sacrifice, we are

called on to reflect on our lifestyles, to give up our time (do we need to watch quite so much Television, could we be using that time for God’s work?), to give up some of our pursuits (are we spending too much time gaming or going to events?), to give up our pride (is it so very difficult to forgive old grievances?) Ask for help in all of this through your prayers.

This Great Lent let us cut the fat out of our daily lives, not just out of our diets, and share that excess with the world.

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1st March: Sunday. Vespers 4pm. (Forgiveness Sunday). 2nd – 5th March: Great Canon of St Andrew. 6pm each day. 7th March: Saturday. Vespers 4pm. 22nd March: 10am Divine Liturgy. Third Sunday of Great Lent; Tone 7; Veneration of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. 28th March: Saturday. Vespers 4pm.

Please always check the web page and Facebook for any changes to the schedule:

http://allsaintsworcester.orthodoxcommunity.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/StAnneOrthodoxCommunity/

Remember it is time to change the clocks on 29th March.

Vespers moves to 6pm!

For your Diary: 4th April 2020: Saturday. Vespers 6pm. 12th – 17th Great and Holy Week services. 6pm. 18th April: 10am Earthquake Service (Subject to Confirmation) 11pm Paschal Liturgy, Lincoln 19th Paschal Feast, Lincoln 26th April: 10am Divine Liturgy.

The prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian – for daily use through Great Lent

“O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.” Prostration. “But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your servant.” Prostration. “Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sin and not to judge my brother, for You are blessed from all ages to all ages. Amen.” Prostration. Then, twelve repetitions of: “O God, cleanse me a sinner.” Bow. And then repeat the entire prayer all at once: “O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your servant. Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sin and not to judge my brother, for You are blessed from all ages to all ages. Amen.”

Prostration

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A useful printout for your fridge or messageboard!

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programmes:

Write letters

LETTER LINK

Provides hope and care through matching a prisoner with a PF volunteer who in turn writes letters that, in some instances, provide the only communication a prisoner receives.

Christmas giving

ANGEL TREE

Volunteers enable parents in prison to send a gift to

their children at Christmas, strengthening the parent-child relationship, and lessening the heartache often experienced.

Restorative justice

SYCAMORE TREE

A restorative justice and victim awareness course delivered to prisoners by trained volunteers. Learners explore the impact of their crime.

Faithful presence

CHAPLAINCY SUPPORT

Our volunteers provide much needed and wide-ranging support to busy prison chaplaincies, from running programmes to helping with a service.

To volunteer visit: https://prisonfellowship.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/

Supporting refugees. Rebuilding lives. www.restore-uk.org

Why not try volunteering as a Befriender to help those fleeing war and injustice find their feet in their new home. Restore runs regular befriender training courses. It is run by Birmingham Churches Together and welcomes and supports refugees, and those seeking sanctuary. It achieves this through befriending, social activities and training.

Other volunteering opportunities:

https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/

Worcester Community Action

Volunteering for All, volunteering opportunities for individuals. Some examples:

1. Community Transport Service Urgently Needs More Drivers

2. Volunteers For A Variety Of Roles A city centre based organisation which lends scooters and wheelchairs to assist people to get around the city, needs volunteers for a variety of roles.

https://worcestercommunityaction.org.uk/

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Syria and the Missing Bishops: + His Eminence Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo, and Archbishop John kidnapped and still missing in Syria.

Keep praying for them and for all the missing people, for their captors and for their homes and families. It is now six years and eleven months since Metropolitan PAUL and Archbishop JOHN were kidnapped. PRAY, LOVE, FORGIVE.

A multi­ethnic community of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland

http://allsaintsworcester.orthodoxcommunity.uk/

stanne.allsaintsworcs@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/StAnneOrthodoxCommunity/

Meeting at

St John the Baptist Chapel Chapel Lane, Bransford, Worcestershire.

Caretaker Priest: Fr. Philip twitter.com/FrPhilip https://www.facebook.com/Fr.Philip http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/comeandsee https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfWMaefJYqFEZkYiK2WmeEw

Newsletter Editor: Fr. Philip.

Safeguarding Officer: Melangell Roe-Stevens Smith

SAFEGUARDING: EVERYONE who regularly comes into unsupervised contact with children and vulnerable adults MUST be cleared by our Safeguarding team in the Archdiocese. Each of them MUST also do training in SAFEGUARDING.

EVERYONE ELSE must treat SAFEGUARDING as a high priority in the Church: it is EVERYONE’S DUTY to ensure that everyone who comes to our Church Community is safe, secure and will come to no harm.

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Saints for March

Saint Darerca Mother of Saints and Evangelist

Reposed: 5th century

Remembered: March 22

She was sister to St. Patrick and had 19 children, many of whom became bishops and saints themselves. She and her children helped St. Patrick evangelize Ireland.

Much obscurity attaches to her history, and it is not easy to disentangle the actual facts of her history from the network of legend which medieval writers interwove with her acts. However, her fame, apart from her relationship to Ireland's national apostle, stands secure as not only a great saint but as the mother of many saints. When St. Patrick visited Bredach, as we read in the "Tripartite Life," he ordained Aengus mac Ailill, the local chieftain of Movilla, now a

seaside resort for the citizens of Derry. Whilst there he found "the three deacons," his sister's sons, namely, St. Reat, St. Nenn, and St. Aedh, who are commemorated respectively on 3 March, 25 April, and 31 August. St. Darerca was twice married, her second husband, Chonas, founded the church of Both-chonais, now Binnion, Parish of Clonmany, in the barony of Inishowen, County Donegal. She had families by both husbands, some say seventeen sons, all of whom, according to Colgan, became bishops. From the "Tripartite Life of St. Patrick" it is evident that there were four sons of Darerca by Chonas, namely four bishops, St. Mel of Ardagh, St. Rioc of Inisboffin, St. Muinis of Forgney, County Longford, and St. Maelchu. It is well to note that another St. Muinis, son of Gollit, is described as of Tedel in Ara-cliath.

St. Darerca had two daughters, St. Eiche of Kilglass and St. Lalloc of Senlis. Her first husband was Restitutus the Lombard, after whose death she married Chonas the Briton. By Restitutus she was mother of St. Sechnall of Dunshaughlin; St. Nectan of Killunche, and of Fennor (near Slane); of St. Auxilius of Killossey (near Naas, County Kildare); of St. Diarmaid of Druim-corcortri (near Navan); of Dabonna, Mogornon, Drioc, Luguat, and Coemed Maccu Baird (the Lombard) of Cloonshaneville, near Frenchpark, County Roscommon. Four other sons are assigned her by

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old Irish writers, namely St. Crummin of Lecua, St. Miduu, St. Carantoc, and St. Maceaith. She is identical with Liamania, according to Colgan, but must not be confounded with St. Monennia, or Darerca, whose feast is on 6 July. St. Darerca is honoured on 22 March, and is patroness of Valencia Island, the westernmost point of Co Kerry.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04635b.htm St Herbert of Derwentwater

Ascetic

Reposed: 687

Remembered: March 20

Saint Herbert was the priestly disciple and good friend of Saint Cuthbert (f.d. 20 March). He lived alone on the island on Lake Derwentwater, later called Saint Herbert's. Each year Herbert would visit Saint Cuthbert at Lindisfarne. In 686, the year before Saint Cuthbert died, he travelled to Carlisle, and Herbert visited him there instead.

Saint Cuthbert told Herbert on this visit that if he had anything to ask he must do so at this time because he foresaw that he would die and the Herbert would not see him again in this world. Herbert wept and begged him not to abandon him, but to pray that since they had served God together in the world, they be taken at the same time.

Saint Cuthbert prayed for a moment and then predicted that this would be so. Soon afterward Herbert fell ill and his illness lasted until March 20 of the following year, when both saints died. Ruins of a circular stone building on St. Herbert's Isle there may be connected with him.

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Children’s Space:

Troparion — Tone 1 When You, O God, shall come to earth with glory, / all things shall tremble / and the river of fire shall flow before Your judgment seat; / the books shall be opened and the hidden things disclosed! / Then deliver me from the unquenchable fire, / and make me worthy to stand at Your right hand, righteous Judge!

Kontakion of Hieromartyr Polycarp— Tone 1 Through godly virtues, thou broughtest forth for the Lord God much spiritual fruit, O thou most blessed Hierarch, and so didst prove worthy of God thy Lord, O wise Polycarp. Wherefore, on this day we who have all been enlightened through thy holy words extol thy praiseworthy mem'ry and glorify Christ the Lord.

Read: Matthew 25:31-46 WHAT DO YOU THINK?

1. What does today’s Gospel say about the coming of the Son of Man? 2. What does it say about His Kingship? 3. What does it say about how He relates to the nations? 4. Jesus called himself the Son of Man. What does that mean He was saying about himself? 5. Why does this matter

Icon Colouring for February:

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February’s Puzzle