No.

079

June2013

TheOrthodoxParish oftheHolyandLifeGivingCross, Lancaster,U.K.

amonthlymagazine&newsletterpublishedbythe'HolyCrossSynodiaPress'

TheStavronian

TheParishoftheHolyandLifeGivingCross, belongstotheAntiochianOrthodoxDeaneryoftheUnitedKingdomandIreland, whichispartoftheAntiochianOrthodoxArchdioceseofEurope. ThePatriarchateofAntiochisthirdsenioroftheOrthodoxChurches. ThePatriarchisHisBeatitudeJohnX.

ThediscipleswerefirstcalledChristiansinAntioch (Acts11:26)

DISCORDANDHARMONY
Wemaynotbesimplythesumofourex periencesbutwearecertainlyshapedby them.ThecomposerSergeiRachmaninov (18731943)wastakentoChurchbyhis devout Orthodox maternal grandmother inordertobringspiritualsuccourtohis rather tragic childhood and youth, in which two of his sisters died and his fatherlefthome.Atthetenderageof22 yearsafterattendingSt.PetersburgCon servatoirehecomposedhisFirstSympho ny.Thepremierwasadisaster,thecon ductor was drunk and the music itself received severe and brutal reviews from thecritics.Thissenthimspirallingintoa deepandprolongedboutofdepressionin whichhewrotealmostnothingforthree years.Thetraumaoffailureparalysedhis creativeenergiesandstultified hismusi cal confidence. Perhaps this effect was accumulative rather than sudden? So what was the inspiration for the First Symphony?Itwasdedicatedtoacertain Anna Lodyzhensky, a woman who was marriedtohisbestfriend;thescorehada biblicalquoteastitle:Vengeanceismine, Iwillrepay!,Romans12;19. Theconcatenationofthesetwofacets ofthestorymaybeaccidental.Whatever theemotionalorspiritualmotivation,this first symphony was never performed againorpublishedinhislifetime.Sadness andsorrowareoftenfollowedbysilence. Lord Byron in his poem When we twopartedwrote: Insecretwemet InsilenceIgrieve Thatthyheartcouldforget, Thyspiritdeceive. IfIshouldmeetthee Afterlongyears, HowshouldIgreetthee? Withsilenceandtears.

Many of the greatest poems, plays, artworksandpiecesofmusicarebornof the suffering soul. Throughout the first symphonythereistheshadowofvenge anceandthemeofdivineretributionthe DiesIrae(DayofWrath)whichmayhave beentransposedtoservehisowncrisisof doomfilleddays. There is an eisegetical employment of scripture which serves to furnish or justify our own feelings, whether that takestheformofrighteousindignation, unfulfilledloveorthwartedambition. ThefactthatRachmaninovreturned to composition is testimony to the irre pressible demand of the human soul to expressitself.Hismusicislabelledroma ntic,butitismorethanacridecouer.Itis thesoulsneedforGodsuchasfoundin the words of the Psalmist who, being honestbeforehismaker,runsthewhole gamutofhumanemotionfromangerto exuberance, from bitterness to ecstasy. Psalm22:1and2;
MyGod,MyGod,whyhaveYouforsakenMe? WhyareYousofarfromhelpingMe, AndfromthewordsofMygroaning? OMyGod,Icryinthedaytime,butYoudonothear; Andinthenightseason,andamnotsilent.

Thereisnodoubtthathostingsuch passionsasremorse,jealousyandbitter ness is destructive and induces torpor, enslavesthemindandinhibitscreativity. Vengeance does indeed belong to God butnomorethanHismercyandlove! Rachmaninovs experience of life, thanks be to God, included those litur gicalchantsandthechurchbells,which he heard as a small boy when he was taken to Church by his grandmother. These would pervade and penetrate deeplymanyofhislatercompositions:In Psalm45weheartheopeningwords;
Myheartisoverflowingwithagoodtheme; IrecitemycompositionconcerningtheKing; Mytongueisthepenofareadywriter.

 My tongue is the pen of a ready writerasismyheartasismymind asismysoul! FrJonathan

PHOTOSFROM FR.JONATHAN'STRIP TOROMANIA

Answeringquestionsafterthetalktothe OrthodoxYouthLeagueatMizil

WithFr.BogdaninBlejoiChurch

MealwithStaretzCleopa,Fr.Petru,Fr. BogdanandothersattheVineyardinthe PrahovaValley

AtBusteinMonasterywithFr.Bogdanand hisdaughterAnnaMaria;theCarpathians arevisibleintheBackground

APilgrimagetoKrasnaMonastery

AddressingtheOrthodoxYouthLeagueat Mizil

MemorialserviceforFr.Constantininthe ParishChurchatBlejoi

LYRARUSSIANVOCAL ENSEMBLECONCERT
The Orthodox Parish of Holy Cross is happy to announce that Lyra will be performingatLancasteronJune17,from 19:00to21:00. Lyra isan a capella vocal ensemble fromSt.Petersburg,Russia.Itconsistsof singersfromSt.PetersburgConservatory. Theirrepertoireincludessacredmusicof the Russian Orthodox Church, and of RussianandUkranianfolkmusic. You may buy tickets or make donationstoattendbyclickinghere. Theconcertwillconsistoftwoparts. Inthe firstpart, sacredmusicofRussian OrthodoxChurch will beplayed. It will contain pieces of both famous Russian composers,likeBortnianski,Tchaikovsky, Tchesnokov,Rachmaninov,Grechaninov, and less famous or not wellknown composers out of Russia, but all great mastersofchoirmusic.Alsoexamplesof moreancientchurchmusicwillbeperfor med. In the second part of the concert there will be Russian folk songs in all their variety: comic, lyric, dancing, love songs. Announcements will be made in English throughouttheconcert program telling the audience about the Russian Orthodox tradition, church and folk musicaswellasthestorybehindevery piecebeingperformed. LyraarecurrentlyontourintheU.K.so ifyouareinterestedtohostaconcertfor Lyrapleasecontact: AndreiSysoev Tel:07729720461 Email:aasysa@gmail.com Web:www.lyra5.narod.ru www.lyraonline.org Facebook:LyraRussianVocalEnsemble

WithSingersfromthePatriarchalChoir aftertheHolyLiturgyontheFeastofSt. ConstantineandSt.Helen

AttheCaveofStAndrewtheApostleatthe MonasteryofStAndrewwithFr.Bogdan andMitu

PresentationtotheMayorofBlejoiofthe LancasterCoatofArmsfromtheMayorof LancasterandreceivingamedalofBlejoi fromtheMayorofBlejoi

GLOSSARYOFORTHODOX TERMS:V
VESPERS The evening prayer service in theOrthodoxChurch. VICEAparticularimmoral,depraved,or degrading habit, as contrasted with virtue.Christiansarecalled tofleefrom thevicesandpreservetheirpurity(Rom. 13:13;Eph.4:1724).SeealsoVIRTUE. VIRTUEArighteouscharacteristicsuchas selfcontrol, patience, or humility; the oppositeofviceorpassion.Asaperson grows spiritually, he or she grows in virtue while the passions are conquered bythegraceofGod.SeePhil.4:8;2Pet. 1:27.SeealsoPASSION. Fortheoriginaltextpleaseclickhere.

OLDSTAVRONIANCORNER
WewouldliketothankKostasVoutzouli dis from Patmos island, Greece, for sendingaparcelofcandles,incenseand charcoal as well as a cheque of a kind donation. He learned about our Parish from an Orthodox blog! May our Risen LordblesshimandhiswifeMariarichly fortheirkindnessandgenerosity! We also thank Maria Verra from Athens, Greece, for sending us a lovely book on Mt. Athos, incense and lovely fridgemagnets! VeraNeophytouandher daughter Loukia for the almond sweet spreads and the diptych from the HerakleidiosMonasteryinCyprus,aswell as Christina Krasakopoulou and her daughter Maria for the Olive Oil! It is alwaysgoodtohearfromthemandwe keep them in our prayers as we give alongoursincerethanksfortheirgenero sityandcare.

MAJORCELEBRATIONSTHIS MONTH
nd 2 June: TheSamaritanWoman,St. Photene th 5 June: HieromartyrBonifaceof Crediton,ArchbishopofMainz(754) th 9 June: St.ColumbaofIona,Enlightener ofScotland(597) th 12 June: ApodosisofPascha th 13 June: TheHolyAscension th 16 June: StTychontheWonderworker th 17 June: St.Botolph,Abbotofthe MonasteryofIkanhoe nd 22 June: St.Alban,Protomartyrof Britain(304) rd 23 June: TheHolyPentecost th 24 June: MondayoftheHolySpirit, NativityoftheForerunnerandBaptist John th 26 June: AppearanceoftheIconofour MostHolyLadyTheotokosofTikhvin th 29 June: PeterandPaul,theHoly Apostles

th 30 June: AllSaints,Synaxisofthe TwelveHolyApostles

For the lives of Saints please visit the CalendaroftheGreek OrthodoxArchdi oceseofAmerica:www.calendar.goarch.org

ServicesduringJune*
Sat.1 10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C. Sat.8th 10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C. Sat.15th 10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C. Sat.22nd 10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C. Sun.30th 10:00am HolyLiturgyinQ.R.followedbyParishlunch *Helpsettingupthechurchisgreatlyappreciatedandstartsfrom9:15a.m.
st

Godcaresforeveryone.Despairisineffectalackoffaith St.GeorgeKarslides

Forfurtherinformationpleasecontact:
FatherJonathanHemmings 67SibseyStr.,Fairfield,Lancaster,LA15DQ Tel:+441524840759,+441524580600 Email:frjah@yahoo.co.uk www.orthodoxlancaster.org.uk www.antiochianorthodox.co.uk

SketchesarecreatedattheHolyMonasteryofTheAnnunciationoftheTheotokosChios,Greece,courtesyoffr.TheodosiosDendrinosandthe ApostolikiDiakoniaoftheChurchofGreece.