+St. John Maximovitch

"Never, never, never let anyone tell you that, in order to be Orthodox, you must be Eastern. The West was fully Orthodox for a thousand years, and her venerable liturgy is far older than any of her heresies." +Saint John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco

You are the inheritors of a precious treasure: the authentic and Orthodox rites that nourished thousands now in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Orthodox Church thanks you for preserving this tradition all these years, so that it could be restored to her through Western Rite Orthodox parishes. +Bishop Basil, Bishop of Wichita and the Midwest of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

Picture Gallery





We thank Father Thomas for coming to Weston super Mare on 18th November 2012 to celebrate our first Western Rite Liturgy of Saint Gregory the Great and for continuing to celebrate the Western Rite Liturgy for us as often as possible.

See NEWS section of our new website for details of recent events.
This is a new icon of Saint Aldhelm by the hand of our talented iconographer  Eadmund Dunstall of Folkestone


For details of services in the Wessex area, please consult Saint Aldhelm Orthodox Mission in Wessex





The Western Rite Altar at Saint Dunstan's Parish Church, Poole
Courtesy of Father Chrysostom, Parish Priest.
Saint Aldhelm's Chapel where we sing Matins is behind this altar and
can be accessed by the steps visible on the left side of this photo.











Saint Aldhelm's Chapel


















Pilgrimage to Saint Martin at Saint Martin's Church, Canterbury
30th November 2014
The entrance to Saint Martin's Church, the oldest church in continuous use in the English speaking world.
Father Thomas getting ready for the Asperges Me.
The Asperges Me.
Father Thomas brings the oblations to the altar before beginning the Mass.

Prayers at the foot of the altar
The Introit
Reading the Epistle
 The Consecration
The Epiclesis
The Blessing
Preparing to depart
It Missa Est
Prayers after Communion

The western wall of Saint Martin's church, the only remaining part of the original church.  The alcove at the right, half-way up, was in fact a doorway.





















Low Sunday (Easter I) 27th april 2014 at Headington, Oxford

Singing Terce
Confession


Blessing the Water


Mixing Salt with the Water

The following pictures are all from the Liturgy of Low Sunday, 27th April 2014.



Reading the Epistle


Sermon




Lavabo

Reading the Canon


Elevation


Epiclesis








Sexagesima Liturgy, 23rd February 2014


Choir

Reading the Epistle

Censing the Altar

Washing the Hands

Adding incense in the thurible


Communion


Suitably restaured!




Sunday 20th October 2013 at Headington Chapel, Oxford


 The Sanctuary is ready for the Liturgy

Ready to go home!



The reception of Nicholas Harris into the Holy Orthodox Church

Headington Chapel, 1st September 2013


Preparing for the service

Saying the Introductory Prayer

Confessing the Orthodox-Catholic Faith

Nicholas receives remission of his sins

The anointing of the brow


The anointing of the nostrils and lips

The anointing of the hands

The anointing of the feet

Welcome to our Congregation, Nicholas!


7th January 2013

Celebrating the Christmas Liturgy at Saint Dunstan’s, Poole

 We were very fortunate to have Father Thomas with us again, this time to celebrate Christmas.  The beautiful church of Saint Dunstan’s with its impressive acoustics was a very stunning setting for our Western Rite Liturgy.  We thank Father Chrysostom, the parish priest, very much for his generous help in allowing us to use the western style altar in the Lady’s chapel.



We had a very good attendance, considering it was the first Monday back to work for most people.  We were very happy to welcome some Russian and Romanian parishioners among our congregation.  Others came from Somerset and Southampton.






Our next Western Rite Liturgy will take place at Oxford during +Bishop Jerome's visit.  See Schedule of Services above.






October 5, 2012
Ordination of Father Thomas


Father Thomas and Father Anthony

On October 5, 2012, being the Ember Friday, Fr Anthony, Pastoral Vicar for
Western Rite (ROCOR) presented to His Grace, Bishop Jerome of Manhattan,
Vicar Bishop for Western Rite, Thomas Harry Cook of Nottingham, England for
ordination to the Holy Priesthood in St Ambrose of Milan, Putnam Valley New
York. Father Thomas will be Rector of St Edmund the Martyr Orthodox Church.
He is the first Western Rite priest to be ordained by ROCOR for England. Fr
Thomas is married to Matushka Jane and they have two children. Fr Thomas
has been Orthodox for 6 years and holds a BA with Honors in Philosophy from King's
College, University of London and a DipHE in Orthodox Christian
Studies from the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge. He
will receive his M. Div. in December. The Criminal Background Check required
of all Western Rite Clergy prior to ordination was completed by the
Nottinghamshire Police in June of 2012.

The Rev Thomas Cook
St Edmund the Martyr
7A Victoria Street, Geding
Nottingham, Notts. NG4 3JE
UK

"Dignus est!"

Fr Anthony, Pastoral Vicar
New York