THE FELLOWSHIP OF SAINT ALBAN AND SAINT SERGIUS - LONDON BRANCH 

“Repentance and Confession”

The conference will be held at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Herts from 20th to 23rd August.

For further details please apply to the Fellowship’s General Secretary,

Fr Stephen Platt, 1, Canterbury Road, OXFORD OX2 6LU, email gensec@sobornost.org, or consult the Fellowship’s website www.sobornost.org

THE ORTHODOX LITURGY AT ST ALBAN’S ABBEY

Monthly celebrations at 10am in the Lady Chapel will be on Tuesdays 15th May, 12th June, 10th July and 18th September.

DAY PILGRIMAGE TO BUXTED “THE NAZARETH OF SUSSEX”

The Ecumenical Marian Pilgrimage Trust has arranged a Day Pilgrimage on Sat.19th May to the Anglican Church of St Mary the Virgin Buxted, E.Sussex, with its Holy House Chapel and associations with Fr Hope Patten. The chapel was built by Fr Wagner who was well known for his work in Brighton.

The Pilgrimage will include a visit to the Roman Catholic Church at nearby Heron’s Ghyll, built through the munificence of the then Duke of Norfolk and consecrated in 1904. 

The programme will be:

12 Noon            Mass at Heron’s Ghyll through the kindness of the Parish Priest,  Fr Hardaker, and Talk by Mr Esme Howard. Time to explore.

Lunch               Please bring sandwiches; drinks will be provided

Afternoon          At Buxted: Talk by Mr Nigel McNeil on the Holy House, at St Mary’s Church (N.B. Buxton has two Anglican Churches).  Ecumenical Office, followed by tea – thanks to the Revd Evan France for his kind hospitality.

If you would like to join this Pilgrimage, please complete the enclosed green form, noting the travel arrangements/suggestions. There is a charge of £10 to cover administration, payable to the Trust. Your completed form should reach Fr Peter Marr by Saturday 12th May at the latest.

FUNERAL OF ROSALIND RUNCIE

A Requiem Mass for Lady Runcie, widow of the late Lord Runcie, former Archbishop of Canterbury, took place at St Albans Cathedral on 3rd February. Rosemary Carter, of the London Branch Committee, represented the Fellowship.

CHRISTIANITY IN IRAQ: AN ANCIENT AND ENDANGERED CHURCH

St Dunstan-in-the-West, Fleet Street, EC4.

Dr Hunter, Chair of the Centre of Eastern & Orthodox Christianity at the School of Oriental and African Studies, began with the early years of the church in Mesopotamia, When the Sassanids conquered the land in the third century the church was already well established. This “Persian Church” (the Church of the East) separated from Byzantine Christianity and acquired its own patriarchate. She described the varying fortunes of the church, which always had to live under non-Christian rulers: the Persian Zoroastrian Sassanids, Arab Abbasids, Shamanistic Mongols and Ottoman Turks. Christianity flourished for a time under the Mongol khans, one of whom, Oljeitu, was baptised; but in 1291 he converted to Islam and savage persecution followed. Under Tamerlane at the end of the fourteenth century the Church of the East, or East Syrians, became confined to the northern mountains of Kurdistan.

This situation continued until the first World War, when the East Syrians (or “Assyrians”) joined the Allies in the hope of gaining an independent homeland; but this led only to massacres by the Turks (allies of the Germans) and Kurds. 50,000 Assyrians fled from Kurdistan and became refugees. A diaspora of Assyrians and of “Chaldean” Catholics was thus created, though many stayed in Iraq under the British Mandate.

At the time of the Second Gulf War (2003) Christians were 8 to 9% of the population of Iraq. Economic sanctions following the First Gulf War and violence against them since the Second, have led to an exodus of Christians who make up 40% of all refugees from Iraq. Christians are now only 3% of the population. Sixty-six churches have been bombed and innumerable people, including clergy, have been killed. One christian refugee said, "We did not want to wait our turn to die".

Those who cannot leave Iraq try to move to Kurdistan, where a right of return based on historic tribal and family affiliations operates. The Regional Government provides political security but extra funds for social and economic needs are required; the Baghdad Government's response is that such funds should come from Europe, as if Iraqi christians are really European emigres.

The christians do not see any active campaign by the Government to stem the attrocities; the police are often powerless to prevent murders, abductions and bombings.

Despite this, Dr Hunter has hope that the resilience and stamina which history has taught Iraqi Christians, and the memory of collaborations between Muslims and Christians, will provide the Church with courage to face the future.

Neil Harrison

RAVENNA, CITY OF ROMAN,  OSTROGOTHIC AND EARLY BYZANTINE ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Talk by Dr Penelope Wallis on 10th March 2012

At St James’s Church, Sussex Gardens, W2

Dr Wallis’s talk was a slide presentation of some of the 5th and 6th Century mosaics, for which Ravenna is renowned and the buildings which contain them.

First she outlined the history of Ravenna, during the period from which the mosaics date, and its place in the Christian empires of that time. Ravenna with its port, Classis, was a coastal city in Roman times and became the capital in 402A.D. when Honorius was the Western Emperor. He was succeeded by his nephew Valentinian III in 423 with Galla Placidia, the sister of Honorius, governing as regent during her son’s minority with the protection of the Byzantine court. Under these three rulers, buildings and their mosaics were created which established an artistic tradition unique to Ravenna.

When Valentinian died in 455 Rome became the capital again only to be sacked by the Barbarians in 476. Their leader, Odoacer, proclaimed himself King of Italy and chose Ravenna as his capital. The Byzantine emperor regarded Ravenna as important to his plan to regain control of Italy. In 493 he sent the Ostrogoth leader, Theodoric, who had been brought up at Constantinople, to Ravenna to oust Odoacer, which he succeeded in doing. Theodoric made Ravenna his capital and established a strong Ostrogothic empire ruling wisely over Italy and other parts of Europe until his death in 526. During this time some notable buildings were added to the city. Now Theodoric was an Arian, not Orthodox, christian.

After Theodore’s death war eventually broke out between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantine Empire, whose Emperor, Justinian, sent a force to Italy under General Belisarius; they entered Ravenna in 540 and it became an exarchate of the Eastern Empire. It enjoyed a time of great prosperity as the major centre of trade between East and West; this period is called “The Golden Age of Justinian”. The major church of San Vitale dates from this time.

In 751 the city was invaded by the Langobards and the Byzantine exarchate was abandoned. The period of Ravenna’s greatness was over and its port at Classis was neglected and silted up.

Dr Wallis then presented over 100 photographs of some of Ravenna’s most interesting churches and other buildings:-

San Giovanni Evangelista dates from the time of Galla Placidia and is a good example of a “basilican” church with a nave and two aisles separated by columns. The mosaics have not survived.

San Apollinare Nuovo, was built as an Arian church in the reign of Theodoric - also “basilican” - has sumptuous mosaics running from east to west  above the arches of the nave, depicting twenty six scenes from the life of Christ, processions of male and female martyrs and the three magi approaching the Virgin and Child.

San Apollinare in Classe, consecrated in 549 - “basilican” - has wonderful 6th century mosaics in the apse and on the triumphal arch. St Apollinarius was the first Bishop of Ravenna and is shown with twelve sheep representing disciples. Above is the Transfiguration of Christ, with Moses and Elijah and three sheep (representing whom? No prizes! Ed.).

San Vitale, completed in 546-8 is a centrally planned church with an octagonal core like Justinian’s churches in Constantinople. The wealth of mosaics to be seen here defies description; they are not all that were there originally. They include two well known panels depicting Justinian and his court, and his empress Theodora and her court.

Two centrally-planned baptisteries, one Orthodox from the early 5th Century, part of the Cathedral complex, and an Arian baptistery from Theodoric’s time, both have Our Lord depicted in mosaic in the dome being baptised in the Jordan; the apostles are also depicted bearing martyrs’ wreaths.

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia has mosaics in Roman style with no Byzantine influence - modelled figures in landscape settings, with deep blue sky and an impression of depth and rippling waters.

Finally, the Archbishop’s Chapel - cruciform - has on the four arches, medallions with busts of Christ, the Apostles and other saints.

Ian Golds 

CENTRE FOR EASTERN AND ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY, SOAS

The Christianity in Iraq Day IX will be on Saturday 5th May in the Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre at SOAS WC1. The theme this year will be Martyrdom in the Iraqi Church. Further information from Dr Erica Hunter at SOAS, email eh9@soas.ac.uk

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER, DEPT. OF THEOLOGY and

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND

1662 Historical and Ecumenical Perspectives

A  Conference is to be held from 28th to 30th August at St Luke’s, University of Exeter. Further information from Professor Paul Avis, email: P.D.L.Avis@exeter.ac.uk

The Fellowship is a Registered Charity: No. 245112