After a few hours of sleep, we were all up in time for Orthros at 4:00am followed by the Divine Liturgy. The next day our party split into two groups with five travelling to Simonopetra Monastery and five to Iveron Monastery. Our two groups reunited for our last stay on the southern tip of the peninsula at St Anna’s Skete. Before arriving at St Anna’s, we spent a little while at nearby St Paul’s, and were very blessed to venerate their many holy relics (including part of the skull of St Pantaleimon) and I was able to enter the holy altar where St Sophrony (Sakharov) was ordained as priest. Thanks to God, and The Panagia we all returned home safely to England on Sunday 12 October. I feel that I learned a great deal from this sometimes quite challenging visit. Having fervently prayed before I travelled to be granted some insight into my own spiritual condition, and the work of my priesthood, The Most Holy Theotokos, who so graciously admitted us all to her garden, saw fit in her kindness and mercy to answer my prayer. Pray for me that I will act faithfully and with courage on what I have learned and one day become worthy of her great favour. Fr Mark.

Afterwards everyone enjoyed a sumptuous feast which included delicious Arabic food brought by our dear brothers and sisters. After the feast the pilgrims visited St Helen’s Chapel where we venerated the saint’s holy relic and sang her troparion. My heartfelt thanks go to Fr Dmitry for bringing his people to us, for concelebrating the Holy Liturgy with me in brotherly love, and furthermore for serving the parish on Sunday 12 October while I was travelling back from Mount Athos.

A new course will start on Sunday 25 May 2025, in St Martin’s Church. All are welcome to attend. Start time is not exact but will be sometime after Father Mark has managed to get a cup of coffee! Please ask Father Mark if you have any questions about the course.

The course will run fortnightly for several months, allowing for contingencies. Sessions may be subject to change at short notice; every effort will be made to update attendees beforehand.

After the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday Morning, Sayedna again preached on the importance of self sacrifice, of giving ourselves to Christ and to each other by fully entering into the life of His Holy Church, with our time, talents and resources. He acknowledged Father Alexander’s great faith and diligence over the long years of his ministry, saying to him: ‘well done, good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:23). In a short service before the dismissal, Sayedna made Fr Alexander an Archpriest, presenting him with a cross and then declared his status as henceforth retired. Following this he announced that Fr Mark Shillaker will succeed him with immediate effect as parish priest. Father Mark acknowledged the great faith and trust bestowed upon him by Sayedna, Father Alexander and the parish, and thanked Father Alexander for the love he has shown him and for the teaching and wisdom he has imparted to him over the last few years, first as a deacon and later as priest. Father Mark went on to say that he and his Khouria Paula will inherit a great legacy of labour, devotion and love. It is a testament to Father Alexander and Khouria Hilary’s faithfulness and the love and respect in which they are held by so many folk, that our large St Martin’s church was absolutely full of people during the service, many of whom have known Fr Alexander and his family and the parish from the early days in the late 1990s. After the liturgy a feast was held in the hall at nearby Castle Methodist Church (good friends of the parish). The food was excellent, having been generously provided by many of the faithful. After prayers, speeches and further presentations, Sayedna took his leave. Heartfelt thanks to Saydena for his love and leadership and to Margaret Haig, who also joined us, for her help with the singing and chanting. It was a happy and somewhat poignant day, reminding us all to work diligently towards the building of God’s Kingdom in our own hearts and thereby in the world, while we yet have strength and life.