We are a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in the Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland (ROCOR), striving to live the Orthodox Faith.

We are a small but growing community from various backgrounds, with people from The Russian Federation, The Baltic States, Romania, Serbia and  the USA with some converts to Orthodoxy  and others exploring the Faith. At the last count we had 16 nationalities. We use the Julian Calendar and our services are mainly in English with some Church Slavonic. We are a traditional parish  and very welcoming. If you are Orthodox already and looking for a parish, we are a lovely community to join. If you are interested in the Orthodox faith you are most welcome to visit us. Please note that we do not use the little chapel in Father Paul's house for Sunday services.

                     Father Paul, our parish priest, can be contacted on 07926194031 or frpaulelliott@aol.com

• The Divine Liturgy is served every Sunday at 10.00 a.m. Please try to arrive early if you wish to make your confession.
• Fr Paul is next in Belfast on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th September which is the beginning of the Church's New Year. The following month he is in Belfast again on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October when Bishop Irenei is visiting the parish there for the altar feast of St John of Shanghai (Winter Feast of opening of his relics). Fr Spyridon will be covering the Liturgy in St Elisabeth's.
• The Cathedral keeps its Altar Feast on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st of September being the Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Fr Paul will be at the Cathedral for the Hierarchal services.
• There will be a pilgrimage to the Holy Land next year from our parish from the evening of Sunday the 24th May to the afternoon of Tuesday the 2nd of June. Fr Paul is gathering names and finding out about flights. Presently we are looking for 20 to 25 people from our parish and from parishioners within the diocese. Details will appear here as they are are worked out.
• The new heating system is now installed and appears to be very successful.
• There will be a guitar concert on Friday 6th December at 7.30 p.m. 10% of sales go to the window appeal and any donations for refreshments. The Guitar Duo will be playing mainly Russian Music. tickets are on sale online shortly at www.eleanorguitar.com Volunteers to help with refreshments of vegan mince pies and mulled wine will be very welcome.

Children are welcome at the Divine Liturgy. If they need a bit of "time out" there is a place for them in the side porch where mums or dads can sit with them with some toys and books and they can still see what is happening in the Liturgy.

Provisional outline is as follows: 24/ 25th May to 1st or 2nd June 2020

Father Paul and Matushka Elizabeth are booked on El Al Flight from Manchester Airport departing at 22.15 on Sunday 24th May and arriving at 05.30 at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International. They are returning on Tuesday 2nd June on El Al from Tel Aviv at 17.30 arriving in Manchester at 21.10. Flights appear to be booking up quickly so pilgrims should book their own flights as soon as possible.

If you are travelling from Manchester, you are recommended to take these flights as they are direct. If you are travelling from London or Germany please let us know arrival times etc so that our journey from Tel Aviv on Monday 25th May can be coordinated.

• Monday 25th May Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Transfer to Jerusalem. Check into Pilgrims Hostel
• Tuesday 26th May Hebron's Monastery and the Oaks of Mamre,: Cave of Mahpella, Tomb of the Forefathers; visit to Bethlehem and Shepherds Field.
• Wednesday 27th May Jerusalem Old City; Walking Tour, Gethsemane, Tour of the Holy Sepulchre, Evening service in one of the Monasteries
• Thursday 28th May Ascension of our Saviour. Divine Liturgy in Gethsamene. Visit to tomb of the Mother of God, Visit to Eleon Convent.
• Friday 29th May Visit to old Samaria, Jacob's Well and site of the death of St John the Baptist
• Saturday 30th May Transfer to Mount Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery.
• Sunday 31st May Liturgy at the Summit of Mt Sinai
• Monday 1st June  transfer to airport and return home to the UK.for those not travelling on El Al
• Tuesday 2nd June Transfer to airport and return home to the UK for those travelling with El Al (4 pilgrims are staying on for a few extra days)

Our main pilgrim Hostel is called Foyer Mar Maroun. It is in Jerusalem. There are twin rooms and currently 15 rooms have been reserved. We will stay in the Pilgrim Hostel at St Catherine's Monastery with possibly a second night's stay in Taba. The provisional programme above may well be changed slighly in its order because El Al does not have return Flights to Manchester on Monday 1st June. Consequently, we may travel to Sinai early in the Pilgrimage and be in Jerusalem for the rest of the time. Our guide is Father Roman, one of our ROCOR Priests in the Holy Land. The flights are extra...see above...these are currently between £320 and £380 return including Airport Taxes but with Hand Baggage only.

Father Paul will open a payment scheme next Sunday so that pilgrims can begin to spread the costs of their stay in the Holy Land over the next 8 months. This makes a payment of £96 per month. Should Pilgrims wish to pay in full, payments should be complete by 24th April 2020 as Father Paul will have to pay the company in the Holy Land in advance for the number of Pilgrims staying. Cheques should be made payable to "The Parish of St Elisabeth the New Martyr".Pilgrims will need some spending money for lunches/ snacks /drinks etc, for donations to the Holy Sites and for shopping.

The parish has committed itself to a completely new heating system using German Technology. This has cost us exactly £12,000. The heating has now been installed. Please note, you do not need to wrap up quite so warmly as before as it is very efficient! The floor has also been resanded and looks beautiful. There is still a lot of pointing to be done and at least 6 more windows to be restored. The estimate for the East Window alone is £3,400. The two side windows in the altar will cost £800 each. There will be additional costs for redecoration of the interior. An appeal for the windows and associated poining will be launched shortly with the blessing of Bishop Irenei. Further details of our appeal will appear very soon.

This Parish supports the Fund for Assistance. Please consider this in your giving.

Thank you for all your generosity. May God bless you!

Here is a little cartoon with Lizzie Elliott playing. It has a few ideas for raising funds for this charity

https://youtube.be/XwZcoGHAO-k 

Last year Lizzie's concert raised £400 and so the parish match funded and sent £400  This year we have sent £500 ($615)

Well done St Elisabeth's!

Fr Paul is retired from his secular work and can now serve a few more weekday services. 

Anointing Service

Fr Paul hopes to serve the Anointing Service  on Tuesday 2nd July at 6.30 p.m.

Moleben of intercession

There will be a Moleben of intercession before the relics of St Elisabeth, St Barbara and St John of Shanghai  served on some Wednesdays at 6.00 p.m.   These services may be subject to change due to Fr Paul's commitments. It is best to text Fr Paul on 07926194031 to check if it is going ahead.

Great Vespers

Great Vespers  on Thursday 11th July for the Feast of St Peter and St Paul.

Divine Liturgy

The next weekday Liturgy will be served on Monday 19th August for the Feast of the Transfiguration 10.00 a.m. 

Church Singing is a very important work in any Russian Orthodox Parish. Matushka Elizabeth is the choir director and works hard to enable the choir to sing as beautifully as possible. We are blessed with some very good singers and the choir does a wonderful job creating the right prayerful atmosphere for the Holy Liturgy. We still lack alto voices though. If you feel you are able to sing alto, please speak to Matushka.

Since the earliest times young men served in the altar. This is important work as it enables the Bishop or Priest to concentrate on the prayers. The traditional vesture for a server is the Stichar, which was originally a decorated garment which covered the toga in the Eastern Roman Empire. The vesture assists the server to step into the role and stay focused upon spiritual work. We have a number of servers at St Elisabeth's who greatly add to the solemnity of the service and therefore the sense of holiness. Some new vestments have just been made for them at the Convent of St Elisabeth, in Minsk. Some of the funding for this has come from Lena Miloshovich in memory of her mother Dushanka. Father Paul is very grateful for those who assist him in the altar. If you are interested in serving in the altar, please talk to Reader Chad.

We are delighted that you would like to have your child baptised in our church. Baptisms are normally conducted at about 10:30 on a Saturday morning though other arrangements can be made. The post code of the church is CH45 5DE. Father Paul’s phone number is 07926194031 and his email is frpaulelliott@aol.com  Please fill in the online Baptism Registration form and email it to Fr Paul. For details of having your son or daughter baptised in St Elisabeth's please follow this link : Baptism in the Russian Orthodox Church

Getting married in St Elisabeth's can be arranged. Normally, the couple must be married in the Registery Office first unless the Registrar is present. The couple should both be baptised and free to marry. The chief bridesmaid and the best man should be of the Orthodox faith. Couples should normally ask Fr Paul to seek a blessing from Bishop Irenei before the wedding is arranged especially if either the bride or the groom are not of the Orthodox Faith. A blessing can be granted, though any children of the marriage must be brought up Orthodox. Weddings take place normally at 13:00 on a Sunday and only then outside the church fasts.

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St Elisabeth's Russian Orthodox Church - Liverpool, Wallasey, Birkenhead