Deanery of Great Britain and Ireland

By Irina von Schlippe and Mary Cunningham

Contents:
1. Christmas message of archbishop Job of Telmessos
2. Great is God in his Saints — Maastricht (Pays-Bas)
3. The Story of a Link between Orthodox Communities in England and Uganda
4. Fifty years of the Crypt of the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Paris

Dear Fathers, beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Year after year, the approach of the Feast of Christ’s Nativity fills with joy Christians who are preparing to celebrate this solemn Mystery. And it is right to so rejoice, for the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled: today, "unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9.6). In truth, the feast we are celebrating today is the feast of the God Who gives Himself by becoming incarnate and humbled for the life of the world. This is precisely what the Apostle John the Theologian declares, saying: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). Without this sacrificial gift from God, humanity would never have been able to truly know God and unite with Him, as much as this is possible for human nature, and so have access to the Heavenly Kingdom.

December 22, 2014

+ BARTHOLOMEW
By God's Mercy Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Plenitude of the Church:

Grace, mercy, and peace from the Savior Christ, born in Bethlehem
 
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,
 
"Christ is descending from the heavens;
let us meet Him!"
 
God has appeared on earth and, at the same time, we have seen the perfect man together with the inconceivable value of the human person. Today especially, we experience the condition of humanity after the fall, as we daily affirm with the Psalmist that "all have gone stray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good – no, not one!" (Psalm 13.3; Rom. 3.12-13)

Before the incarnation of Christ, humanity could never imagine the inconceivable value of the human person, which was weakened and distorted after the fall. Only the most illumined people could perceive, even before the time of Christ, the value of the human person and the response to the Psalmist's question: "What is man that God would remember him?" (Psalm 8.5), which they proclaimed in the Psalmist's words: "You have made man a little lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8.6)

1. Archbishop Job's namesday
2. The Divine Liturgy of St James
3. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh Centenary Conference - London
4. Seminar for young adults in Albstadt (Germany)
5. the Divine Liturgy according to the Church Fathers( Germany)
6. In memoriam Nicholas Ossorguine (Paris)

On 28 and 29 November 2014, His Eminence Archbishop Job of Telmessos went to London for the meeting of the clergy and of the annual Clergy Laity Meeting (CLM) of the Deanery of Great Britain, during which Archbishop Job spoke about the life of the Archdiocese and issues relating to the work of the Deanery were discussed.

1. St. Sergius Theological Institute 90th Academic year
2. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
3. Welcome address of Patriarch Theophilos III
4. First anniversary of repose of arch.

Anne von Bennigsen and I – the only members of our Deanery – took part in this year’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land, led so beautifully by Father Yannick Provost from Brittany.

Metropolitan Anthony Centenary Conference will take place on November 15 - 16, 2014 at King’s College London.

Please note that places for the conference are limited, therefore booking is essential.

As demand is high and the College will not allow us to exceed the designated number, please apply at latest by November 5, 2014.

After that please check with the organizers by telephone or e-mail to see if places remain.

1. The deanery in Scandinavia
2. Saint Alexis of Ugine 1934 – 2004 – 2014
3. Pastoral Visit - Stockholm
4. Feast at the Saint Silouan monastery