PILGRIMAGE TO WINCHESTER - 16TH OF SEPTEMBER 2023

With the blessing of His Grace, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, our pilgrimage will take place in the city of Winchester, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Wessex. We shall celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the majestic 12th century church of the Holy Cross, by kind permission of the Master of the associated Hospital of St Cross. Weather permitting, we shall have a picnic lunch on the banks of the nearby River Itchen, before walking to the historic cathedral in the heart of the city. There we shall celebrate a moleben at the shrine of St Swithun, a bishop of Winchester in the 9th century who was subsequently glorified by God by numerous miracles. His shrine in the cathedral was a popular pilgrimage destination until its destruction in the reign of Henry VIII. The contemporary symbolic shrine remains a focus of prayer and has recently been adorned with a number of icons depicting the Lord, the Mother of God, St Swithun and other local saints, including St Birinus, Apostle to the West Saxons.

 

Timetable

from10:40 Arrive at the Hospital of the Holy Cross
(please do not enter the church before this time as there will be a service taking place).

11:00 Hours & proskomidia

11:30 Divine Liturgy - Feast of the Translation of the Relics of St Edward, King & Martyr

13:15 Time to look round church

14:00 Picnic lunch (bring your own) in nearby park (if wet, in St Faith’s Parish Hall nearby)

15:00 Bus (1 or 69, 10 min) or walk (20 min) to Winchester Cathedral
(At the entrance, say that you are coming for the Orthodox service at the shrine.
Hopefully, they will waive the usual £12.50 entry fee)

16:00 Moleben at shrine of St Swithun behind the High Altar

16:30 Depart

NB There is virtually no parking near Holy Cross. We suggest to park at the Railway Station car park and take a no. 1 bus to the Bell Inn, from which it is a very short walk to Holy Cross.

We suggest you join the pilgrimage WhatsApp group for updates to the programme and practical information.

PILGRIMAGE TO ST BOTOLPH'S MONASTERY IN SUFFOLK -24 June 2023

On Saturday, June 24, with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, we had a pilgrimage to Iken, Suffolk, the site of St Botolph's monastery (Church Ln, Iken, Woodbridge IP12 2ES).

The Pilgrimage has ben coinsided with the commemoration day of St Botolph (happens on the last Saturday in June June 30). 

We took part in a molieben with the Akathist to St Botolph. 

This Pilgrimage has been joint with the ROCOR Diocese and has been organized by the parish of 'The Joy of all who sorrow' icon of the Mother of God in Mettingham (ROCOR).

Sourozh Pilgrims have been led by Fr Evgeny Selensky, rector of Parish of St Olga in Peterborough.

PILGRIMAGE TO ST ETHELDREDA IN ELY -18 JUNE 2023

On Sunday 18 June, with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, and following the celebration of the Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of All Saints who shone forth in the Lands of Rus’ about 60 members of the Parish of St Ephraim the Syrian, in Cambridge went on pilgrimage to St Etheldreda in Ely.  They were joined by three members of the London Cathedral parish.

The pilgrimage was led by Archpriest Raphael Armour, Rector of the Cambridge Parish. A a Moleben was served in the Roman Catholic Church of St Etheldreda in Ely, where  the saint’s left hand is displayed.

Following the Moleben the pilgrims venerated the relic of the saint and went on to enjoy a picnic in park in the city.

2023, marks the 1,350th anniversary of St Etheldreda’s foundation of the monastery in Ely. It is also the 50th anniversary of the first celebration of the Divine Liturgy in Cambridge, from which the St Ephraim’s Parish traces its formation. 

PILGRIMAGE TO VENERATE RELICS OF ST ETHELREDA IN ELY, CAMBRIDGESHIRE - 18 OF JUNE 2023.

With the blessing of His Eminence Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, our parishioners are warmly welcome to participate in one-day Pilgrimage to Cambridgeshire, Ely on 18th of June, Sunday, 2023 to venerate the relics of St Ethelreada, 7th century British Saint. Pilgrimage is coincided with the 1350th anniversary of the foundation by St Etheldreda of her monastery at Ely in 673. 

The pilgrimage will be led by Archpriest Raphael Armour of Sourozh Diocese.

 Program:

1. 7.30 am. The Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served in Cambridge at 07.30, as usual, that day Refreshments will be served after the Liturgy. The address is as follows: Church St Ephraim the Syrian, St Clément’s Church, Bridge Street, Cambridge, CB2 1UF. https://saintephraim.org.uk/#/

2. Refreshments will be served after the Liturgy.

3. 30 minutes. Individual car journeys (should be arranged privately) to St Etheldreda's Church, Ely

19 Egremont St, Ely CB6 1AE. https://elyrcchurch.com/. By car the journey along A10 will take about 30 minutes.

4. 13.30 pm Moleben at the Roman Catholic Church of St Etheldreda, Egremont Road, Ely at 13.30. 

Veneration of the relic of the saint which is kept in the church.

5. Following church services, there will be 'bring and share' picnic near the river in Ely.

Please bring some food to share between pilgrims, which would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Pilgrims are advised to make their own, individual way to pilgrimage location, as no transport has been provided.

 

Pilgrimage is free, but any contributions are welcome. 

Contact phone. Pilgrimage dept. Sergey 07772222117.

PILGRIMAGE TO THE PLACE OF REPOSE OF SAINT JOHN OF BEVERLY - 20 OF MAY 2023

Dear Sourozh Pilgrims

With the blessing of our ruling hierarch, His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh,

everyone is warmly welcomed to participate in pilgrimage to the tomb of St John of Beverly. 

The pilgrimage will take place on 20th May 2023 (20th May is the saint's feast day).

Pilgrimage will be led by our Sourozh Priest, fr Anatoliy (Vihrov).

On this day we have got permission to celebrate Divine Liturgy in Beverley Minster where St John is entombed.

Program of the Pilgrimage

9.15 am - Hours.

9.30 am - Divine Liturgy,

12.00 am - Festive meal.

For your information:

Today, a majestic minster stands in the small Market Town of Beverley, situated between York and Hull. In the centre of the Minster are the entombed relics of St John of Beverley.

St John was born in Harpham, 18 miles northeast of Beverley, to a noble family in the mid-seventh century. He left home to study at the famous school in Canterbury under the direction of the Holy Abbot Hadrian and the Holy Archbishop Theodore. After completing his studies John returned to his native Yorkshire where he joined the double monastery of Whitby under the holy Abbess Hilda.

In 687, a new period in St John’s life began as he succeeded St Eata as Bishop of Hexham. Having served on the see of Hexham for eighteen years, St John became the Bishop of York in 705, following the repose of Bishop Bosa, another alumnus of the monastery of Whitby. St John stayed in York for the next 13 years of his life.

Over time, the saint's heart was drawn to the solitary life of a hermit. During one of his journeys the saint discovered a spot which captivated him. It was "a wild area rich in woods and waters with a small church in honour of the Apostle John the Evangelist standing here". The site subsequently became known as Beverly meaning "beaver stream" because many beavers lived in a stream nearby. Here St John obtained a small parcel of land, enlarged and decorated the church and converted it into a double monastery.

Thus, in his advanced old age, having served as a bishop for 31 years, St John retired to Beverley where he spent the 3 final years of his life in peace and quiet. The saint reposed on May 7, 721, on the eve of the feast day of St John the Evangelist, his monastery's patron saint, providential beyond a doubt. The veneration of St John began immediately after his death.

St John loved Beverley dearly and down the centuries he was called not St John of York, which would have been logical, but St John of Beverley. He remains the patron saint of the town up to the present day.

Sourozh Pilgrimage department - 07772222117 (Sergey).