Archbishop Mark's first visit to our new church - 16/07/2011

On the 16th of July, being the weekend before our patronal feast, our archbishop Mark visited our parish.  This was his first visit since we moved into the new church. He served the Divine Liturgy, blessed our iconostas and gave the parish a gift of some relics of Ss Elisabeth and Barbara, the New-Martyrs.  A Moleben was served before the parish icon and relics after the Liturgy (indoors, due to the rainy weather), and was followed by a festal parish meal.

We were pleased to welcome clergy from our sister diocese of Sourozh and friends from other ROCOR parishes, both in the Great Britain diocese and abroad, as well as Orthodox clergy and faithful from across the Northwest and Midlands.
Preparing to greet the bishop
The reception of the bishop
The reception of the bishop
The reception of the bishop
The reception of the bishop
The prayers of preparation
The vesting of the bishop
The deacon reads the vesting prayers
The vesting of the bishop
The vesting of the bishop
The vesting of the bishop
The vesting of the bishop
The vesting of the bishop
The vesting of the bishop