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A Blessed Feast of the Nativity to Fr. Peter and the British Orthodox Church

ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
edited December 1969 in Random Issues
Since today is Christmas Eve Day, I thought it would be nice to offer our salutations, congratulations, and felicitations to Rev. Fr. Peter Farrington and the British Orthodox Church for a wonderful feast.

God blesses you dear father--always.

Enjoy it with your family and congregation.  May it be momentous with fulfilled prayers and joy.
You are truly a bright spot in the darkness of the internet.
We are all of benefit because of your academic character as hybridized with your paternal charm.

God elevate your priesthood and ministry for all of our sakes.

Just as a joke:  I'm sure Santa Claus (Father Christmas) won't be stopping by your house, but I am sure Saint Nicholas will bring blessings.

I hope everyone adds to this thread and offers their own greetings and thoughts.

Comments

  • marmar357marmar357
    Me too, I wish Father Peter and his British Orthodox church and Fr. Peter's family a great, wonderful amazing,
    blessed Christmas feast and also a happy new year 2011 and the new year will be much better than this year.
    I wish u a lot of succes and joy, peace, love and blessings Fr peter  :)

    Also to all the other christians here/copts:[move] Merry Christmas and a HAPPY NEW YEAR![/move] :D
  • mabsootamabsoota
    happy Christmas!
    may we all serve God and enjoy the 2 Christmases
    :)
  • TITLTITL
    I'm confused as to why you posted this now and not January 6th?

    I love you Fr. Peter :) Happy Advent Fast and almost Nativity!
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    The British Orthodox diocese keeps the Feast of the Nativity tonight on the 25th December.

    Father Peter
  • TITLTITL
    Oh. I thought we used the same calender. Do you break your fast tonight? Did we start fasting the same time? Do we have the same Easter?

    This is very interesting.

  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    We use the normal calendar for the fixed feasts because this is part of our mission to British people. The British Feast of the Nativity is on 25th December for instance.

    We keep the Paschal cycle of Lent, Holy Week and Pentecost on the same date as Copts and most other EO and OO Orthodox.

    Father Peter
  • TITLTITL
    Very interesting. Do you fast until January 7th with us? I guess not, huh? lol
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    No, but we started 13 days before you did.

    It makes sense for us to use the British calendar. When would be keep the Feast of St Alban, the Proto-Martyr of the British Isles? His feast is on June 22nd. Should we keep it then with other British Christians? Or should we keep it on July 5th according to the Julian calendar but with no-one else? His feast day has never been on July 5th, and 99.9% of Copts don't even know him, despite his great importance. So there would seem to be no value on keeping the feast according to the Julian Calendar but with no Copts or British people, or according to the British Calendar and with other British Christians.

    Likewise most of the fixed feasts of the Saints. St George is our national Saint. Should we celebrate his feast with all other British Christians or not?

    There are of course many other Orthodox who keep the fixed feasts according to the Western calendar and the Paschal cycle according to the Julian, as we do. It makes sense if we are missionary Orthodox in the West.

    Father Peter
  • TITLTITL
    I was about to ask who St. Alban was until you said 99.9% of Copts are unfamiliar with him :)

    Thanks for the explanation.

    I hope you have a blessed and joyful feast in the Lord. Merry Christmas :)

    Btw, I'm not even done with the first Chapter of St. Mark. 16 chapters... I don't know if my brain can hold that much information. Please refer to the topic on "Staying focused/forgetting everything".
    But I guess if a 47 yr old man can do it then so can I (only kidding!) ;D
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    St Alban was the first martyr in Britain, and his shrine has been a continual place of pilgrimage ever since the 3rd/4th centuries. We are blessed to have a portion of his relics in my little Church. He was a Roman officer who hid a Christian priest during the persecution and learned about the Faith from his guest. When the guards came to arrest the priest he disguised himself and offered himself in his place. The local Governor knew him and asked what he was doing but he confessed the Christian Faith and was taken outside the Roman city of Verulamium and beheaded. The place where he was marytred became a shrine almost immediately. The ruins of the Roman city remain, and the great Abbey/Cathedral which was built over his shrine has also survived. The shrine was destroyed by the Protestants but the pieces have been recovered and the shrine rebuilt. We have a large Coptic icon of St Alban in my Church.

    I am working on up to v20 of Chapter 1 now. I am sure that this is doable, especially if the remembrance is engaged in as a spiritual exercise. As you say, if someone like me with half his brain decayed because of age, can remember these verses then someone with a young and active brain can certainly do so.

    I am reading some of the biography of the actor who had a one man show performing the Gospel of St Mark and he seems to have learned 2 or 3 verses a day.

    God bless your efforts

    Father Peter
  • ophadeceophadece
    Merry British ORthodox CHRistmas to you FR. PETer. LUcky you: you will celebrate COptic CHRIstmas again soon... hehe... enjoy your turkey lest it flies. GOD bless you aof pray for us a lot
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