Oriental Orthodox Festival in the UK

[Father Peter]

Dear brothers and sisters,

This is an invitation to the Oriental Orthodox Festival which will be taking place on Saturday May 8th, at the Coptic Centre, Shephalbury Manor Broadhall Way, Stevenage SG2 8RH from 10:30 am to 4 pm.

The Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches in the UK organises the Festival, and this year is grateful to His Grace Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church for offering the hospitality of the Coptic Centre at Stevenage.

The Festival includes a con-celebrated liturgy in which clergy of all of the member churches of the Oriental Orthodox community participate. A buffet lunch follows, made up of contributions brought by all of the participants at the festival, and the festival will conclude with a number of contributions from various Orthodox communities, which may include choirs performing hymns and songs from the various Orthodox traditions represented, and one or more short talks by some of the clergy.

The festival is an important opportunity for the various communities of the Oriental Orthodox communion in the UK to meet together to express our unity in the Orthodox Church, and to develop bonds of friendship and fellowship. It is important that as many clergy and people attend as possible to make the festival a success.

TIMETABLE

The festival will begin with a liturgy at 10:30 am which will conclude by 12:30 pm.

A shared lunch will follow.

After plenty of time for lunch and conversation it is hoped that a number of churches will provide contributions in the form of choral performances, and it is hoped that there will be one or two short talks.

The festival will conclude at 4pm.

ORGANISATION

Please advertise the festival among the clergy and people of your own Orthodox community. It would be helpful to have the festival added to the notices and news of your community over the next weeks. Please encourage your community members to attend the festival, where they will be able to worship with and meet members of all the other communities in our Oriental Orthodox communion.

It would be helpful if clergy could reply to this email indicating whether or not they will be leading a group to the festival. Please ensure that details of the festival are passed to other clergy and congregations in your Orthodox community.

If your churches have a choir then you are invited to perform a number of hymns or spiritual songs according to your own musical tradition. If your choir would like to perform for 10-15 minutes then please also reply to this email with details of the materials you would like to perform. If there are many choirs wishing to perform then the time for each choir may be shortened.

Please ensure that people and groups wishing to attend the festival are aware that they should bring a contribution of food for the shared meal. In the past this has been most enjoyable and the various Orthodox churches have brought their own traditional foods for others to share.

It would be most helpful if you could indicate if you will be attending, and how many people you expect to attend with you. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. I cannot guarantee to have the answer, but I will attempt to find out an answer for you.

Seeking your prayers

Father Peter Farrington

Secretary to the Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches

[Salpy]

The Festival includes a con-celebrated liturgy in which clergy of all of the member churches of the Oriental Orthodox community participate.

This is great.  We don't do enough of this sort of thing.

[Alpo]

The Festival includes a con-celebrated liturgy in which clergy of all of the member churches of the Oriental Orthodox community participate.

Since just about every patriarchate of yours has it's own rite I'd like to know how this works in practice?

[Father Peter]

It works quite beautifully.

The liturgy will be that of the host community, so in this case that of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The various concelebrating clergy will pray various of the prayers, sometimes according to their own chant. It all works well.

Last year the Festival was hosted by the Indian Orthodox, and I have attended Pan-Orthodox concelebrated liturgy at the Eritrean Orthodox Church as well. Oh, and when I was at the enthronement of Patriarch Mesrob II in Istanbul all of the Oriental Orthodox churches were represented by bishops who concelebrated at the Armenian liturgy. It works fine, and it is a powerful witness to our unity of faith in diversity of culture.

And I remember in Sweden I attended an inter-Orthodox conference on Christology and there was an Oriental Orthodox liturgy which was that of the Syrian Orthodox but at which all the other Oriental Orthodox bishops concelebrated. The Eastern Orthodox bishops obviously did not concelebrate but joined in prayer. 

Father Peter

[Salpy]

Father,

This is all very wonderful.  It looks like the OO's in the UK are setting an example for the rest of us in the diaspora.  I hope the bishops here in the US see this and are inspired by it. 

If any videos or pictures are taken of the liturgy or the festival, please post them here for our edification.   

[Salpy]

I'm just bumping this thread to remind people about the festival on May 8.  If you are reading this and you live in the UK, it will be a fun thing to go to.

If you're in the US, and you live anywhere near New York, there will be a concert at St. Vartan Cathedral on May 8:

http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,16742.msg429596.html#msg429596

Those of us who live on the West Coast of the United States shall be very bored on May 8.  Those of you who make it to the festival or concert will have to tell us how much fun you had.   

I'm reiterating my request for pictures and/or videos of the festival.   

[Salpy]

I just found out that the British Orthodox Church has given its website a new look:

http://britishorthodox.org/

Very nice.  


In the News and Events section, I found this picture from a past festival:

[Orthodox11]

I really wanted to come down to Stevenage to attend, but don't think I'll get time To those in charge of the event, please put up as many videos on youtube as possible 

[Father Peter]

The pan-Orthodox liturgy and festival was a great blessing yesterday. There is a report and some photos here...

http://britishorthodox.org/912/2010-oriental-orthodox-festival-at-stevenage/

Most of the Oriental Orthodox communities were represented, with many ecumencial guests and friends. It was great pleasure to meet with Coptic, Indian, Ethiopian and Eritrean brethren, and a joy to concelebrate with brother priests and Abba Seraphim and HG Bishop Angaelos. The Ethiopian and Eritrean chant was, always, an other-worldly experience, and we were very fortunate to have a choir from the Indian Orthodox who sang during the communion, and then gave a presentation to six of their traditional songs after the buffet.

And let me mention the buffet! It is always a treat to eat Indian food actually prepared by Indians as if for themselves, as well as food from the other communities. But I only managed to get to the Indian table, and then my plate was too full for anything else.

I guess that there were 2 bishops, 7 priests, about 40 deacons and 200 laity from the various communities. I am already starting to think about advertising for next year to ensure that all of the bishops resident in the UK can attend.

Father Peter

[Iconodule]

And let me mention the buffet! It is always a treat to eat Indian food actually prepared by Indians as if for themselves, as well as food from the other communities. But I only managed to get to the Indian table, and then my plate was too full for anything else.

If you haven't had it before, Ethiopian/ Eritrean food is not to be missed.

[Salpy]

Everyone knows that the Oriental Orthodox have the best food.   

[Salpy]

It looks like they had fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml87fEAKbFw

[Father Peter]

Here is a photo of the clergy and deacons...

[Orthodox11]

Abouna Shenouda  Love that man

[Father Peter]

There is good quality video online here....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcfr8jjoOeo&feature=channel

Father Peter

[Hiywot]

Very interesting. Watching the videos, I felt that I myself was there at the festival.

Hiywot

[Iconodule]

Everyone knows that the Oriental Orthodox have the best food.   

At a family event yesterday and my Armenian aunt made the best stuffed grape leaves I've had.

[Salpy]

You have an Armenian aunt?

[Iconodule]

You have an Armenian aunt?

Yeah. Armenian-American to be exact (she's never been to Armenia- her grandparents came here fleeing the genocide).

[CoptoGeek]

There is good quality video online here....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcfr8jjoOeo&feature=channel

Father Peter

How wonderful! Thank you for posting this, Father.

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