Lent
It's been a busy few days, with the first visit of the new Pope to South Africa, and the beginning of Lent, so I haven't had much time to write, or even read my friends LJ.
We took members of our mission congregation at Tembisa to the Patriarchal Vespers at the Church of St Nicholas of Japan in Johannesburg, which is virtually the only English-speaking parish. Their response was like that of the emissaries sent out by St Vladimir: we thought we were in heaven. Now we know that we want to be Orthodox.
But because of the Patriarchal visit, St Nicholas did not have Forgiveness Vespers for the first time in 17 years, as the Patriarch wanted all the clergy to go to the church at Germiston for it. A strange church, it looks Methodist rather than Orthodox, though apparently designed by a Greek architect.
And last night was half an hour late for the Presanctified Liturgy -- left home at 3:45, and finally got to the church at 6:30, through bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway.
So though it is late, I ask anyone I've offended by anything I've written here to forgive me...
We took members of our mission congregation at Tembisa to the Patriarchal Vespers at the Church of St Nicholas of Japan in Johannesburg, which is virtually the only English-speaking parish. Their response was like that of the emissaries sent out by St Vladimir: we thought we were in heaven. Now we know that we want to be Orthodox.
But because of the Patriarchal visit, St Nicholas did not have Forgiveness Vespers for the first time in 17 years, as the Patriarch wanted all the clergy to go to the church at Germiston for it. A strange church, it looks Methodist rather than Orthodox, though apparently designed by a Greek architect.
And last night was half an hour late for the Presanctified Liturgy -- left home at 3:45, and finally got to the church at 6:30, through bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway.
So though it is late, I ask anyone I've offended by anything I've written here to forgive me...