NEW WESTERN RITE HERMITAGE

Father Joshua, with the patronal blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion has received notice that a donation of 48 acres of high desert land located at the foot of the Mazano Mountains (a spur of the Rocky Mountains) due East of Belen, New Mexico has been donated for an Orthodox Western Rite Christian Heremitage.

Furthermore, this project has elicited a pledge of between 30,000 to 50,000 cement blocks along with the donated services of a world-class architect! God bless all who have come forward to help this hermitage to come into existence! Glory to God!


TEN NEW WESTERN RITE PARISHES IN ROCOR

Wednesday 10th November 2010: His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion has received ten former Continuing Anglican Parishes into ROCOR and blessed them to the Western Rite. These parishes and their eighteen clergy bring to seventeen, the number of ROCOR Western Rite institutions in North America (with three more soon to come) and twenty-three Western Rite clergy. The former Continuing Anglican parishes had, for some time been calling themselves Orthodox as they studied the Faith. Their former married bishops are being Ordained as Priests and will function as Archpriests.





SERVICE IN CENTRAL LONDON

Saturday 6th November 2010: The Divine Liturgy of the Western Rite (English Liturgy from the Saint Colman Prayer Book) was celebrated at St. Magnus the Martyr church in central London at 11.00 am. It was be followed by a meeting where those clergy and laity interested in Orthodoxy explored the option of Western Rite Orthodoxy. About two dozen were present and from that it is thought two new missions will arise.


SAINT THOMAS MONASTERY MISSION

Wednesday 7th July 2010: We welcome Saint Thomas mission as a new Western Rite mission of Saint Petroc Monastery. With over a hundred people led by Fr. Janel, we wish this mission the utmost success.

SAINT ANASTASIA MONASTERY MISSION

Friday 2nd July 2010: We welcome the new Western Rite ROCOR mission of Saint Anastasia in Davao City in the Philippines. The mission is led by Chrysostom Canezal, and is planning to acquire a house in Davao City for use as the Saint Anastasia Orthodox Centre.


SAINT NECTAN MEETING

Wednesday 10th March 2010: Philip Pughe-Morgan will chair a meeting of the Saint Nectan Branch of the Saint Eanswythe Mission on Wednesday the 24th of March at 7pm at the South Molton Methodist church hall.


NEW ABBOT

Wednesday 10th March 2010: His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, Primate of ROCOR has issued a proclamation, naming Fr. David (Pierce) of Holyrood Hermitage as Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Dormition of Our Lady of Mount Royal. The proclamation names Abbot Augustine (Whitfield) as the Abbot Emeritus. Abbot Augustine remains in hospital under ongoing care. Mount Royal was originally received into Orthodoxy in 1962 by Bishop Dositheus.


NEW BRANCH OF SAINT EANSWYTHE MISSION

A new West Country branch of the Saint Eanswythe (Western Rite) Mission in England has been formed. Named Saint Nectan for the local fourth century hermit, the branch which covers the Swimbridge, South Molton and Barnstaple area is strictly a study society at the moment - with Mattins of a Sunday morning.


WESTERN RITE IN THE CATHEDRAL

Agreement has been reached for the Western Rite to be celebrated in the ROCOR cathedral in London on a regular basis, with the lower church as its home.


NEW WESTERN RITE MISSION

Metropolitan Hilarion has given verbal permission for the Saint Eanswythe Orthodox Study Society in Bournemouth to become a mission.


WESTERN RITE DECISION

FRIDAY the 13th of November. Bishop Jerome reports that the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia has decided that all Western Rite throughout the world shall henceforth come under the direct control of Metropolitan Hilarion.


FR. BARRY

THURSDAY 12th of November. Fr. Barry has taken charge of Saint Dyfan Mission in Hobart. Services will continue as usual, with Fr. Barry being assisted by Sub Deacon Peter Ball.


NEW WESTERN RITE ORTHODOX PARISH

MONDAY the 31st of August. Fr. James Hamrick has been Ordained by Bishop Thomas as the Orthodox Priest for Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Frederick, Maryland. He was formerly a minister in the Charismatic Episcopal Church - together with his whole parish. The parishioners were received in April after catechising by Fathers Nicholas Alford, Patrick Cardine, and Alban Waggener, and now their former minister has been Ordained as their Priest. Fr. Alban Waggener is a former Anglican bishop.


FR. BARRY RETURNS FROM CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

FRIDAY the 17th of July, 2009. Fr. Barry has returned to the Saint Stephen Monastery Mission in Launceston after eighteen months working with aboriginals in the far reaches of central Australia.
During most of his time in central Australia, he lived in caravans and had an open sided tent as his office. He returned to his base in Alice Springs only occasionally at weekends. He celebrated the Divine Liturgy at his base in Alice Springs.


FATHER MICHAEL RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
Friday the 28th of May, 2009. Fr. Michael, Superior of Saint Petroc Monastery was released from Royal Hobart Hospital today after having had a pituitary tumour removed. The neurosurgeon, Mr. Andrew Hunn was very pleased with the result since no damage appears to have been sustained by the pituitary gland. Fr. Michael was back in his office the next day. He is forbidden from singing for about six weeks to allow the grafts over the entry point to heal.

FATHER DAVID RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
Fr. David was released from St. Vincent's Hospital, Jacksonville two days after brain surgery had removed an entirely self-contained tumour. The neurosurgeon believes that this was a primary tumour. Fr. David will undergo further radiation therapy in order to ensure the demise of any remaining cells. Fr. David has returned to his cell at Holyrood Hermitage.

FR. MICHAEL IN HOSPITAL

Thursday the 21st of May 2009, Hobart, Fr. Michael of Saint Petroc Monastery was admitted to the Royal Hobart Hospital to have a pituitary tumour removed. He is expected to remain in hospital until the 27th.

FR. DAVID IN HOSPITAL
Jacksonville, Florida. Monday 18th May, 2009. Fr. David, the Hieromonk at Holyrood
Hermitage has been taken to St.Vincent's hospital having had a large brain tumour discovered. He will be operated on Tuesday. The surgeons are hopeful of a complete recovery. Fr. David has the care of the aged Abbot Augustine at the instruction of Metropolitan Hilarion.

CITY MISSION
Saint Petroc Monastery together with Fr. George Robinson and his family is planning a mission to the City of Hobart in September 2009. Fr. George will bring his collection of very large modern Russian religious art which will be set up in a central city hall. The ROCOR mission to the people of Hobart will be built around the exhibition.

WORKING WITH ABORIGINES
Fr. Barry Jefferies a Western Rite Priest working under Saint Petroc Monastery has been working for the past eighteen months in the desert centre of Australia in the tiny, scattered desert Aborigine communities. These Aborigines have a life expectancy well short of the white population and tend to regard Fr. Barry (in his late sixties) as an Elder if only because he is older that almost any of them. Fr. Barry's office is typically the open sided tent that he sets up whenever he arrives at a new community. There are no communications with the outside world other than satellite uplift phone. Metropolitan Hilarion has set up a new mission called the Australian Orthodox Indigenous Community with Fr. Seraphim Slade (himself an Aborigine) in charge.




HOLY WEEK SERVICES FOR SAINT BRENDAN OSS AT LYNN HAVEN

Easter 2009. Fr. David from Saint Petroc Monastery Holyrood Hermitage celebrated the Holy Week and Easter services for Saint Brendan Orthodox Study Society (ROCOR) in a borrowed Anglican Catholic church at Lynn Haven.



Fr. David blessing the New Fire



The Easter Divine Liturgy






GOOD FRIDAY WESTERN RITE LITURGY PICTURES
St. Benedict's Russian Orthodox Church, Oklahoma City, USA, is a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia. Much information can be seen at its website, Archpriest Anthony Nelson this year celebrated Western rite services on Good Friday which consisted of pre-sanctified Liturgy and veneration of the Holy Cross. http://www.russianorthodoxoklahoma.org.









NEW NOVICE FOR SAINT PETROC
April 5th 2009, Hobart. Novice Edward Waters
was admitted to the Novitiate of Saint Petroc Monastery. Novice Edward is presently finishing his honours year at Melbourne University doing statistical mathematics. He hopes to be admitted as a doctoral candidate at Reading University next year.



SAINT COLMAN PRAYER BOOK
30th of March, 2009. Fr. Michael of Saint Petroc Monastery announced today that a new, cheap edition of the Shorter Saint Colman Prayer Book is available. This is a stapled, 105 page edition which retails for $US18.00. It includes an introduction by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion of ROCOR and omits the entire cycle of Holy Week services.





NEW ORTHODOX PARISH CONVERTS
26th of March, 2009. Saint John the Baptist Mission in Lewistown. Maryland, formerly Methodist, and then Charismatic Episcopal has become an Orthodox Western Rite parish.

NEW CONVERT PARISH
February 8th 2009, Muleshoe, Texas. Saint Clement's, a small parish of forty-one people and their priest, formerly Charismatic Episcopal were received by Chrismation by Fr. Michael Keiser on behalf of Bishop Basil.

CHRISTMAS EVE MASS AT OUR LADY OF GLASTONBURY
This ROCOR church is attached to Christ the Saviour Orthodox (ROCOR) Benedictine Monastery in Ontario, Canada. Excerpts of its Christmas Eve liturgy are beautifully filmed in this linked video, and other services can be seen filmed by the same user.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAuGDdAbQes

NEW WESTERN RITE PARISH
30th of December, 2008. Oklahoma City has its second Western Rite parish - Saint Andrew's, with the Priest, Fr. Mark Wallace.

NEW WESTERN RITE ORDINATIONS
November 22nd, 2008. Fr. Kenneth DeVoie and Fr. Christopher Nerreau were Ordained to the Orthodox Priesthood in Worcester, Ms by Bishop Antoun. Frs Kenneth and Christopher are former Charismatic Episcopal Church. Their former parishes were received into Orthodoxy in October.

ARCHBISHOP PAUL ORDAINS NEW WRITE CLERGY
28th September, 2008. His Eminence Archbishop Paul Ordained nine converts to the Priesthood, blessed to the Western Rite in the Philippines. The men will serve fourteen parishes and missions which have recently converted to Orthodoxy. They have come from both Roman Catholic and Protestant pasts.

WESTERN RITE DISCUSSIONS
July 15th, 2008. Fr. Michael of Saint Eanswythe, ROCOR Bournemouth, flew to Sydney for discussions with Metropolitan Hilarion about the future of Western Rite. He also assisted the Metropolitan in the dedication of a new cemetary chapel.

ICONS BLESSED AT WESTERN RITE SERVICE
On Sunday the 9th of March 2008, after Divine Liturgy, Father Michael blessed icons for members of the ROCOR Saint Eanswythe congregation. Afterwards the congregation had lunch together.


Fr. Michael with some members of the congregation who had their new icons blessed.






LECTURES IN LONDON
25th of February, 2008 London. Fr. Michael and members of ROCORs Saint Eanswythe Society attended a weekend series of lectures given by Fr. Andrew Louth at Saint Botulph's Orthodox church in London. The Lectures were on the Orthodox attitude to Saint Augustine of Hippo. Fr. Andrew, an Orthodox Priest, is Professor of Byzantine and Orthodox studies at Durham University. He was joined in the lectures by Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Oxford. The lectures ran through the Saturday and Sunday.

HOLYROOD HERMITAGE VISIT

Monday 29th of September, 2008: His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, visited Holyrood Hermitage at Avondale (a Western Rite monastic house within ROCOR). His Eminence had talks with Fr. David and Fr. Augustine before blessing the chapel at Holyrood House. Holyrood has been affiliated with Saint Petroc Monastery since 2006. Fr. Augustine was received as a Western Rite monk into Russian Orthodoxy in 1962.

CHRISTMINSTER MOVE

Having obtained episcopal blessing, Fr. James, the Superior of Christ the Saviour Monastery (ROCOR) is preparing to move the monastery to Hamilton, Ontario.

In July, Fr. James visited Hamilton and celebrated the Divine Liturgy of the Western Rite at Our Lady of Glastonbury Oratory, which will be the new home of the monastery after the move.

WESTERN RITE IN OKLAHOMA CITY

Saint Benedict’s (ROCOR) Parish in Oklahoma City has been officially using the Western Rite since Bishop Peter of Cleveland blessed the Rector, Fr. Anthony Nelson, to to do so in 2006.




Saint Benedict’s church Oklahoma City.



Archpriest Anthony Nelson celebrating the Western Rite.

SOLEMN PONTIFICAL LITURGY

On Saturday the 7th of July 2007, His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion, Chief Deputy President of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, pontificated at a solemn celebration of the Western Rite Divine Liturgy to mark the centenary of the decision of the Holy Synod of Russia to authorise the adaption of services taken from the Book of Common Prayer for use by Orthodox people.

The day began with the Liturgical Reception of the Archbishop in the Nave of Saint Mary-the-Virgin church. Archbishop Hilarion was accompanied by his Chaplain, Fr. Seraphim Scheidler.


Matins was sung by Fr. Michael and Fr. Barry and the choir while the Archbishop vested assisted by Fr. Dcn John. This was followed by the Divine Liturgy.





The celebrant of the Solemn Liturgy was Fr. Michael, Superior of Saint Petroc Monastery, Cascades. The Deacon was Fr. Barry Jefferies, of Saint Stephen Monastery Mission, Launceston and the Sub Deacon was Fr. Dcn. John Whiteside of the Antiochian Orthodox Good Shepherd Mission, Clayton.


The Clerk for the Liturgy was Dr. John Ward of Saint Dyfan Monastery Mission, Hobart. The Deacon brought the Sacrifice from the Lady Chapel in the Offertory Procession.

Fr. Michael read the Last Gospel in the course of the Recession. The ceremonial for the "English Liturgy" is Sarum, taken from the ROCOR Saint Colman Prayer Book.



The singing was led by Sub Deacon Peter Ball of Saint Dyfan Mission and he was assisted by Anastasia Baines of Saint Dyfan Mission.


At the end of the Liturgy, Archbishop Hilarion, assisted by Fr. Barry, distributed the Eulogion to the congregation.

The Archbishop, clergy and some members of the congregation then went to lunch at a nearby seaside restaurant.