January2016

No.110

TheOrthodoxParish
oftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
Lancaster,U.K.

TheStavronian

amonthlymagazine&newsletterpublishedbythe'HolyCrossSynodia'

TheParishoftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
belongstotheAntiochianOrthodoxChristianArchdioceseoftheBritishIslesandIreland.
ThePatriarchateofAntiochisthirdsenioroftheOrthodoxChurches.
ThePatriarchisHisBeatitudeJohnX.

ThediscipleswerefirstcalledChristiansinAntioch
(Acts11:26)

Christ is Born!
Nscut Christis


ul Messia hualde

WELCOMETO2016A.D.
GodKnows
AndIsaidtothemanwhostoodatthe
gateoftheyear:GivemealightthatI
maytreadsafelyintotheunknown.And
hereplied:Gooutintothedarknessand
putyourhandintotheHandofGod.That
shallbetoyoubetterthanlightandsafer
thanaknownway.SoIwentforth,and
findingtheHandofGod,trodgladlyinto
the night. And He led me towards the
hillsandthebreakingofdayinthelone
East.
"TheGateoftheYear"byMinnieLouise
Haskins.
AsweenterintoanotheryearofGrace,
wepraythattheHolySpiritwhoisthe
Comforter and guide will lead us to do
thewillofGod.ThetermannoDominiis
MedievalLatin,whichmeansintheyear
oftheLordbutisoftentranslatedasin
theyearofourLord.Itisnotouryearbut
theyearbelongstoGodwejustliveinit.
InGodsWillourOrthodoxCommu
nitymaybemovingsoontonewpremises
StMartinsChurchWestgate.Itisremar
kable that our Community has survived
formorethan20yearswithoutaTemple.
ItisevenmoreremarkablethatourCom
munity,thankstotheministrywhichGod
gave us, is not restricted or limited to
LancasterbutthroughourstrongStavro
niannetwork isto befound throughout
theworld; ourextended family is to be
found in Russia, Romania, Greece, Cyp
rus,Latvia,Kazakhstan,Canadaandthe
USA.Weareboundtogetherinlovefor

Christitisthiscommunionwhichleads
ustobeingperfectedthroughtheacquisi
tionoftheHolySpirit.
Wepraythatasweenterintoanew
year and a new chapter of a life an as
OrthodoxParish,wemaywitnesstothe
LoveofGodwherever Hesendsusand
whateverwefindourselvescommission
edtodo.
We go forward with faith, in hope
andlove,puttingourhandintotheHand
of God, who meets us, greets us and
welcomesusintoHisNewYearofGrace
2016.Colossians3:14;Butaboveallthese
things puton love, which isthe bond of
perfection.
FrJonathan

COMPLACENCY
WritesC.S.Lewis:Itishard;butthesort
of compromise were hankering after is
harderinfact,itisimpossible.Weare
likeeggsatpresent.Andwecannotgoon

indefinitelybeingjustanordinary,decent
egg.Wemustbehatchedorgobad.
Complacency is the catalyst for frustra
tion,itfoolsthemindintoastateofdull
acceptance. The first symptom is being
satisfied with things as they are. The
secondisrejectingpossibilities,ofthings
astheymightbe.Goodenoughbecomes
themottoandthestandard.Complacency
leads to fear and mistrust of the new.
Complacency cherishes sentiment rather
than love, nostalgia rather than the
dynamicoftradition,stubbornnessrather
than boldness. Complacency draws false
strengthfromlookingback.Complacency
isthefatherofindifference.
InC.S.LewisScrewtapeLetters,the
Devil says to his nephew Wormwood
whomheistrainingforeffectiveservice
intheworld.I,thedevil,willalwayssee
toitthattherearebadpeople.Yourjob,
mydearWormwood,istoprovidemewith
peoplewhodonotcare.
Christians must be like the two
headed eagle of Byzantium looking
forwardandback,lookingtothepastand
tothefuture,lookingtotheeastandto
thewest.
What if St Paul had said I dont
thinkIwillgoonthismissionaryjourney
Lord,it abittoo arduous Imeanjust
lookatthedistancetotravel,lookatthe
dangers,opposition,shipwrecks,beatings,
imprisonment, martyrdom! Antioch is a
goodplace,lotsofnicepeopleherefrom
allovertheworld inthiscitybecoming
Christians even prophets. I will stay
here.
Acts13; Nowinthechurchthatwas
atAntiochtherewerecertainprophetsand
teachers:Barnabas,Simeonwhowascalled
Niger,LuciusofCyrene,Manaenwhohad
beenbroughtupwithHerodthetetrarch,
andSaul.Asthey ministeredtotheLord
and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now
separatetoMeBarnabasandSaulforthe

worktowhichIhavecalledthem.Then,
havingfastedandprayed,andlaidhands
onthem,theysentthemaway.
WhatifStPaulhadchosentostayin
AntiochthennoChurchinCyprus,no
Church inGreece, noChurch inRussia
actually no Church. The church would
havebecomeacosylittleexclusivesectin
anenclaveinPalestine.Whenweconfess
in the Creed the Church as One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic we testify to
indissoluble link between tradition and
mission. The Holy Spirit sent Paul and
Barnabas away from Antioch to plant
new churches, so that theGospel could
reach people of all races and
backgrounds. The Good news was
revolutionary in the Roman world of
military domination and slavery. Two
premises of the Christian faith as
preached by the Apostle Paul resonated
and undermined the whole fabric of a
corrupt empire. (1) In Christ, God has
madeallpeopleequalandfree.(2)The
HopeoftheResurrectionisarealityfor
allwhobelieve.However,thereisathird
premise for the Church. It is the
command and commission that Christ
Himself gave to His disciples and
apostles.Itisthis: Go Go and preach
theGospeltoallnationsGoandBaptise
everyoneeverywhereintheNameofthe
Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.
Apostleship isaboutbeingsent and
goingnotstandingstill.Whenwedarein
faith to step outside our comfort zone
we fulfil the Apostolic nature of the
Church.
FrJonathan

LIVINGWATERS
Isaiah43:19
Behold,Iwilldoanewthing,
Nowitshallspringforth;
Shallyounotknowit?
Iwillevenmakearoadinthewilderness
Andriversinthedesert.
John4:10
Jesusansweredandsaidtoher,Ifyou
knewthegiftofGod,andwhoitiswho
saystoyou,GiveMeadrink,youwould
haveaskedHim,andHewouldhavegiven
youlivingwater.
John7:38
HewhobelievesinMe,astheScripturehas
said,outofhisheartwillflowriversof
livingwater.
John19:34
Butoneofthesoldierswithaspearpierced
hisside,andforthwithcamethereout
bloodandwater.
Listen!
ApersonsresponsetoGodsofferof
salvationisamatterofengagingthewill,
faithandaction.
Withoutthewillthereisnomovement,
Withoutfaiththereisnodirection,
Withoutactionthereisnoreward.
TodiscoverLivingWaterrequiresus
knowing:
WhoseopenHandprovidesthisblessing
andtreasure
Whatisitsmeasure
and
Wheretofinditflowing?
Wemuststartbydiggingforwaterinthe
cavernsoftheheart.
Ifthegroundisrocky,wemustdigin
silencewiththesharpadzeofpatience.

Listencarefully!
Doyourhearsomething?
Ifourgroundishard,wemustsoftenit
withmercyandrepentance:
Forthesoilofpridecanonlyberemoved
throughmeekdependence
OnGod.
Listen!
Doyouhearthedripofwateronstone?
Wemustnotsimplyremovetheweeds
whicharethefruitsofthepassions,
wemustexcavateeachdaywith
persistence
sincefamiliarhabitspossessastubborn
resistance;
whereasthehumusofhumilityisthe
placetolocatecompassion.
Inthisway,wemayevenleadinorderto
serve.
Leadingthewaytobuildaviaductforthe
KingofGlory
Orderourservicetoothersby
constructingaconduitforChrist.
Digthereforewithwisdom,
Digwithdiscernment,
Digwithlove,
Whilstguardingtheheartatalltimes
withdiligence.
Listen!
Doyouhearwaterflowing?
Becauseatthetimeappointed,
Attheopportunemoment,
Wewhoaredisjointed
arehealedand
SealedwiththeHolySpirit.
Godopensthefloodgatesofourhearts
WithHisownmasterkeyofhumility,
TobecomeachannelofHisgrace.

Justlistentothatsound!
ThesoundofLivingwaters;
anoceanwave,amightyriverinflood,a
cascadingwaterfall
afountainofbenediction;
heardbyearthssonsanddaughters
TobecomeforallaLifeGivingspring,
wellinguptoEternity.
Workhardtheneachdayanddig!
Listen,work,digdeep
headbowedwithsweatandtears,
extinguishingfearsofdeath,awakening
lifefromsleep,
exchangingsaltwatersforsweet
togreetLivingwaters.
Many rich and powerful men would pay
dearly to see the Lord or His Most Pure
Mother,butGoddoesnotappearinriches,
butinthehumbleheart...Everyoneofthe
poorestmencanbehumbledandcometo
know God. It needs neither money nor
reputationtocometoknowGod,butonly
humility. St. Silouan the Athonite,
Writings,I.11,21
FrJonathan

FrJonathan'sorchidwhichbloomedon
ChristmasDay!

BOOKONTHEBIOGRAPHY
OFMETROPOLITAN
AUGOUSTINOSKANTIOTES
Fr. Augoustinos Kantiotes was born in
1907ontheislandofParos,Greece.Asa
priestmonk he travelled throughout
Greece,wherehisfierypreachingstirred
people to a greater love for Christ and
theirsufferingnation.Butitwasthewar
yearsandthemessageshepreachedwere
notpopularwiththeGermanandItalian
Occupants, and later in the Civil War,
with the Communists. Fr. Augoustinos
adventurefilledlifeincludedmanytrials
and tribulations, and he miraculously
escaped death many times. Loved and
revered by the populace, Divine Provi
dencesawhimelectedbishopofFlorina
in1967,whereheenergeticallycontinu
ed to care for his flocks spiritual and
materialneeds.Buthisimmensepopula
rity and his battles against corruption
often disgruntled those in positions of
power,and Fr.Augoustinoswassubject
tomanypersecutions,includinga(failed)
attemptbythegovernmenttomedically
diagnose him as officially insane. How
evernoneofthesepersecutionsdeterred
himinhisquesttoupholdtheTruth,and
inspiredbyaselfsacrificingloveforGod
andhisneighbour,heinfluencedmyriads
ofpeopleandchangedcountlesslives,up
untilhispassingintoeternallifein2010,
atthegrandageof103.Eventoday,his
bold example, the numerous books he
authored,andthepublicationsofhisser
monsinprintandaudioform,continue
toinfluencepeopletoahigherstandard
ofliving.
Fr.Augoustinosiswellknownthrou
ghoutGreeceandtoGreeksabroad,but
thisisthefirsttimehisLifeispresented
inEnglish.Itisashortsummaryofalife
that,ifeverythingweretobewrittenin
detail,wouldfillencyclopaediavolumes.

WeinviteyoutojoinFr.Augoustinosin
hisjourneys
Youcouldorderthebookbycontactingthe
Holy Monastery of Agios Augoustinos,
Florina,Greece:
email:imaaflo@yahoo.gr
Fax:+302385024042
Phone:+302385028610and28868

havealookatthelink here forfurther

information.
Our Parish have received bountiful
gifts from our Stavronian brothers and
sisters:candlesfromThomasTziortiotis;
candles (large &small),wine, charcoal,
incensefromNikolaosGeorgopoulos,and
candles,wine,charcoal,incense,myrrhon,
booksand iconcardsfromFrAugousti
nos Myrou from the Monastery of St
Nektarios,Palaeogratsano,Kozani,Greece
andKleioKehagia,whosentalltheseby
postfromThessaloniki!
Weareindeedtrulyblessedtohave
suchgenerousspiriteddonorsandbene
factors who are treasured members of
our Orthodox family and Community.
MayGodseeandrewardaccordingtoHis
mercyandgoodness!

MAJORCELEBRATIONSTHIS
MONTH
NAMESOFDEPARTED
LOVEDONESTOBE
REMEMBEREDTHISMONTH
Jan.6:Fr.MichaelHarper
Jan.16:Fr.JacobMyers
MEMORY ETERNAL!
Pleasesendusthenamesofyourdepar
ted loved ones and date of their depar
tureinorderforthemtoberemembered.

PARISHNEWS
Fr Jonathan's book Fountains in the
desert was published in Greek by the
publishing company En Plo ( ),
based in Thessaloniki, Greece. Please

st
1Jan:St.BasiltheGreat,Archbishopof
CeasareainCappadocia
th
6Jan:TheTheophanyofOurLordand
SaviourJesusChrist
th
9Jan:St.AdrianandSt.Brithwald,
ArchbishopsofCanterbury(710and
731A.D.)
th
17Jan:St.AnthonytheGreat
th
18Jan:St.Athanasius,Patriarchof
Alexandria
th
20Jan:RighteousEuthymiustheGreat
th
24Jan:St.Xenia,theFoolforChristof
St.Petersbourg(1803)
th
25Jan:St.GregorytheTheologian
th
28Jan:St.EphraimtheSyrian
th
30Jan:SynaxisoftheThreeHierarchs:
BasiltheGreat,GregorytheTheologian&
JohnChrysostom
For the lives of Saints please visit the
CalendaroftheGreekOrthodoxArchdi
oceseofAmerica:www.calendar.goarch.org

HomeblessingatTheophany!PleasecontactFr.Jonathan
ServicesduringJanuary*
Sun.3rd
10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C.
Sun.10th
10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C.
Sun.17th
10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C.
Sun.24th
10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C.
Sun.31st
10:00am HolyLiturgyinQ.R.followedbyParishlunch
*Helpsettingupthechurchisgreatlyappreciatedandstartsfrom9.15a.m.

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
ThefollowingblogsofOldStavroniansareavailableinRomanian,ConstiintaOrtodoxa,in
English,Orthodoxcityhermit,andinGreek,Orthodoxyrainbow.

TopandbottomsketchesarecreatedattheHolyMonasteryofTheAnnunciationoftheTheotokosChios,Greece,courtesyofFrTheodosiosDendrinos,Ithaca,Greece.
ThesketchofChristbyPhotisKontoglouwasscannedfromtheOrthodoxcalendaroftheApostolikiDiakoniaoftheChurchofGreece.