Saint Athanasius III of Rethymnon and stories of Byzantine intrigues, murders and persecution

An icon Saint Athanasius Patellarios of Rethymnon, Patriarch of Constantinople, completed by Alexandra Kaouki in 2011 (icon © Alexandra Kaouki)

Patrick Comerford

Saint Athanasius was a 17th century saint who was born in Rethymnon and who was twice Patriarch of Constantinople on two brief occasions, in 1634 and 1652. His story is entwined and entangled with Ottoman intrigue, that saw patriarchs removed, returned, deposed, exiled and even strangled at the whim of capricious sultans. Many Patriarchs held office for a few days and no more, while others returned to the throne, two, three, four and five times, and in one case six times.

I was reminded on Friday of these intrigues and the persecutions and traumas that faced the church in Orthodox Church over the centuries after my friend Alexandra Kaouki (Αλεξανδρα Καουκι), the foremost icon writer in Rethymnon, posted an icon she had completed in 2011 of Saint Athanasius.

Saint Athanasius Patellarios ((Άγιος Αθανάσιος ο Πατελάρος), commonly known as Saint Athanasius of Lubny or the Wonderworker, was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for two brief periods, in 1634 and again in 1652, and had also been the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki.

He was born Ἀλέξιος Πατελλάριος (Alexios Patellarios) ca in 1597 in the village of Axos, in the hills above Panormos, east of Rethymnon, when Crete was under Venetian rule. His ancestors were Greek noble family with ancestry dating back to the Byzantine imperial house of Palaiologos. His father Georgios was a scientist and publisher, and his elder brother Eustaphios became a physician.

Saint Athanasius studied at Arkadi Monastery, near Rethymnon and his home village of Axos (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

He studied at Arkadi Monastery, near Rethymnon, where his studies included studied rhetoric, grammar and poetry, mathematics and astronomy, music and literature, theology and philosophy, sciences and languages (Greek, Latin, Italian, Arabic and Hebrew). He lived at Arkadi until he was 26 and then, after his parents died, he shared his property among the poor and with the name Ananias was became a novice in a monastery in Thessaloniki.

From Thessaloniki, he moved to the Monastery of Esphigmenou on Mount Athos, then travelled on to monasteries in Jerusalem, Palestine and Mount Sinai, and was tonsured with the name Athanasius.

When he returned to Thessaloniki he was ordained priest and worked as a missionary among the Vlachs and the Moldovians. At times, he returned to Mount Athos in search of solitude.

His work drew him to the attention of the controversial Patriarch Cyril I (Lukaris) of Constantinople (1621-1623), who appointed him a preacher of the patriarchal throne. He became the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki in 1622, and remained there as bishop until 1634 when he was chosen as the Ecumenical Patriarch in controversial circumstances.

The Church of Saint Gregory Palamas has been the cathedral of Thessaloniki since the end of the 16th century … Saint Athansius became the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki in 1622 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Cyril I, who was also from Crete, was a controversial patriarch, known for his supposed attempts to reform the Eastern Orthodox Church along Calvinist lines, although those attempts were rejected and his actions, motivations and opinions are still debated.

Cyril I, who had been the Patriarch of Alexandria as Cyril III, was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on six occasions, constantly deposed, banished or forced to resign several times at the instigation of both his Orthodox opponents and the French and Austrian ambassadors. He was the Patriarch for 21 days in October 1612; for 29 months from 4 November 1620 to 12 April 1623; for about 10 years from 22 September 1623 to 4 October 1633; for 4½ months from 11 October 1633 to 25 February 1634; for 11 months from April 1634 to March 1635; and, finally, for 15 months from March 1637 to 20 June 1638.

When Cyril I was deposed for a fourth time in 1634, he was succeeded by Saint Athanasius, who lasted as Patriarch for little more than month, and Cyril returned to the patriarchal throne for a fifth time.

Cyril Lucaris was born in Candia, present-day Iraklion, in Crete in 1572, and travelled throughout Europe, studying theology in Venice, Wittenberg and Padua, and in Geneva, where he was influenced by Calvinism and Reformed theology and developed great antipathy for Roman Catholicism. During that time, he may also have been the Rector of Ostroh Academy, in present-day Ukraine. In 1596 he was sent to Poland by Patriarch Meletius I of Constantinople to lead Orthodox opposition to the Union of Brest, a proposed union of Kiev with Rome.

He became the Patriarch of Alexandria at the age of 29 in 1601. Apart from his first brief time as Patriarch of Constantinople in 1612, he remained in Alexandria for 20 years until he became the Patriarch of Constantinople for the second time.

As Patriarch, Cyril I adopted a theology that was heavily influenced by Reformation theology. Faced with Turkish oppression on the one hand, and on the other by Jesuit missionaries working among Orthodox people, he recognised the need for schools teaching Orthodoxy and the Greek language, and founded a theological seminary on Mount Athos and a Greek printing press in Constantinople. However, the French government protested when the press began publishing anti-Catholic pamphlets and the Ottoman authorities forced it to close.

In his efforts to reform the Eastern Orthodox Church along Calvinist lines, Cyril I sent young Greek theologians to study in Switzerland, the Netherlands and England. He was particularly interested in the Church of England, corresponded with William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, and sent Metrophanes Kritopoulos, a future Patriarch of Alexandria (1636-1639), to study at Balliol College, Oxford.

His Confessio or the Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith, was published in Geneva in two Latin editions In 1629, with four French, one German and one English edition, and a Greek edition in 1633.

Saint Athansios moved to the Monastery of Esphigmenou on Mount Athos at an early stage in his life (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Cyril I was deposed by the sultan for a fourth time on 25 February 1634, and was imprisoned on the island of Tenedos. He was succeeded by Athanasius III, who assumed the Patriarchal throne on the Feast of the Annunciation, 25 March 1634. But he was Patriarch only for less than 40 days until April 1634, and he was deposed in intrigues that brought Cyril I back to the throne.

After he was deposed, Saint Athanasius was exiled to the island of Rhodes. He then lived in solitude on Mount Athos for over a year, fasting and praying at a that later became the Skete of the Prophet Elijah, near the Pantocrator Monastery.

For a time, Saint Athanasius lived in Ancona and Venice in Italy, where the Pope tried him to induce him to become a Catholic, promising to make him a cardinal.

Meanwhile, Cyril I, who had returned to Constantinople and replaced Athanasius as Patriarch, remained in office for only 11 months, and was deposed yet again in March 1635. Cyril returned as patriarch for his sixth and final time in March 1637 but was deposed on 20 June 1638. When Sultan Murad IV was to setting out for the Persian War, the Patriarch was accused of a design to stir up the Cossacks. To avoid trouble during his absence, the Sultan had him strangled by the Janissaries on 27 June 1638 aboard a ship in the Bosporus, and his body was thrown into the sea. The Council of Constantinople in September 1638 anathematised both Cyril I and his Eastern Confession.

Meanwhile Athanasius became Bishop of Thessaloniki once again in 1638. Because of a problem with paying metropolitan taxes, he was imprisoned and but was released through the intercession of Tsar Mikhail Romanov.

Athanasius was invited to Moscow in 1643, but on the way he fell ill in Moldova. He stayed there and founded there the monastery of Saint Nicholas near Galaţi, where he remained until 1651, returning often to Mount Athos where he hoped to spend his last days.

However, at the beginning of 1651 he returned to Constantinople. When Patriarch Cyril III was deposed in June 1652 after eight days, Athanasius was called back as Patriarch and was enthroned once again on 25 May was again enthroned. But on this occasions he remained patriarch for only 15 days. He found he was not acceptable to either the Muslims or the Catholics in the city, and in his sermon at his final Patriarchal service he denounced papal claims to universal jurisdiction over the whole Church.

After two weeks, he stepped down as Patriarch of Constantinople in favour of Metropolitan Paisius of Laureia, who remained in office as Patriarch Paisius I for only nine months, from July 1652 to April 1653.

After he was deposed a second time, Athanasius returned to Thessaloniki once again and renewed his connections with Mount Athos, expressing the hope that he could live out his life there.

Saint Athanasius visited Russia in April 1653, and he was met with honour in Moscow by Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658) who donated generously to his monastery. He left to return to Galaţi in December 1653, but on the journey he fell ill and stayed at the Monastery of Transfiguration Mhar near Lubny in Ukraine in February 1654. When he died on 5 April at the Mhar Monastery, Abbot Petronios and the monks buried the former patriarch in a sitting position, according to the Greek custom for a bishop.

Saint Athanasius was recognised as a saint by the Russian Church on 1 February 1662 and his feast day was 2 May, the feast of Saint Athanasius the Great. His relics were later moved to Cathedral of the Annunciation in Kharkiv in Ukraine. Today the Mhar Monastery is part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, affiliated to the Moscow Patriarchate, while the Annunciation Cathedral is the main Orthodox church of Kharkiv and the seat of the Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

A part of the saint’s relics, said to be a fragment of a finger, was brought to his home village of Axos near Rethymnon in 1993, and is kept in the Church of the Saint Athanasius Patellarios, built in 2008. The day the relic was moved, 21 August, is kept as his feast day in Crete. Alexandra Kaouki shared her icon of Saint Athanasius last Friday (21 August) to mark that feast day in Crete.

As for Cyril I – the controversial patriarch whose career is intertwined with the life story of Saint Athanasius – his body was recovered from the Bosphorus and was buried in Nicomedia, and after many years was brought back to Constantinople. He has been reappraised in recent decades, and the overwhelming majority of Greek and Russian Orthodox scholars today deny the authenticity of the Eastern Confession. This recent rehabilitation has led to the canonisation of Cyril I by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria in 2009 and by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 2022.

The Church of the Four Martyrs in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

There is widening chasm between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Russia today, and it is in danger of becoming a real schism. On the surface, these problems centre around the attitude of the two churches to the competing claims of Orthodox churches in Ukraine at a time of war in Ukraine. But at its heart this is a deeper conflict about the attitude of the Patriarchate of Moscow towards the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Moscow has refused to take part in many Pan-Orthodox initiatives, including the synod in Kolymbari in Crete ten years ago (19-26 June 2016) and has since continued to undermine the Ecumenical Patriarchate in intrigues and conflicts that have drawn in other Orthodox churches, including those in Greece, Romania and Alexandria.

An example of how divisions within Orthodoxy have been exploited by the Patriarchate of Moscow has been seen in recent days with the visit to Moscow by Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu with relics of Saint Spyridon. The bishop’s decision to concelebrate with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has caused controversy within the Orthodox Church of Greece, with church circles in Greece describing the visit as a ‘coup’ and questioning why the bishop celebrated with a patriarch who does not commemorate Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, the head of the Church of Greece.

The Moscow Patriarchate suspended Eucharistic communion with the Church of Greece in October 2019 after the Church of Greece recognised the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Metropolitan has been criticised for praising and presenting honours and medals to Patriarch Kirill who supports Russia’s war in Ukraine. There are in Greece that visit is being exploited by Moscow for its own purposes.

The life of Saint Athanasius is a reminder that there is nothing new in these conflicts and intrigues and that they stretch back many centuries. But there is also a reminder in the story of this one saint from Rethymnon of the thread that links together all these churches, including Constantinople, Greece, Crete, Alexandria, Romania, Ukraine and Russia.

The Cathedral of the Presentation of the Theotokos in Rethymnon … Saint Athanasius is commemorated in Crete on 21 August (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Two experiences of Orthodox Lenten traditions in Walsingham with the Akathist Hymn and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Father Stephen Platt serves the Akathist Hymn before the icon of the Theotokos Hodogetria in the Shrine Church in Walsingham last night (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Patrick Comerford

I have spent the last three or four days staying at the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, where I was speaking at the Ecumenical Pilgrimage to Walsingham yesterday on ‘A Priest along the Way of a Pilgrim’.

This ecumenical pilgrimage was organised with the support of the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius and the Society of Saint John Chrysostom and yesterday’s programme included interesting experiences of Lenten liturgical observances during in Lent.

In the morning, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the Shrine Church was served by Father Stephen Platt of Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Oxford, and of the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius, assisted by Father Ian Graham, Parish Priest of the Greek Orthodox Community of the Holy Trinity in Oxford.

Then, at the end of the day, Father Stephen and Father Ian led us in the Akathist Hymn, an experience unique to the Orthodox Church. Introducing the Akathist Hymn in the Shrine Church, Father Stephen explained how the Akathist Hymn and Small Compline are two services which are sung on the first five Fridays during Great Lent. The Small Compline, and the canon, is sung on each of the five Fridays. This is also true of the prayers beginning with Holy God and continuing to the end of the service with the exception that the Holy Gospel is read only on the First Friday.

The canon is sung on each of the first four Fridays. At the same time, one of the four stases is also chanted by the priest on each successive Friday.

The late Metropolitan Kallistos has written about the Akathistos Hymn as one of the greatest marvels of Greek religious poetry, with a richness of imagery that is the despair of any translator, the Akathistos Hymn has 24 main stanzas, alternatively long and short: each long stanza bears the title ‘Ikos’ and ends with the refrain ‘Hail, Bride without bridegroom’, while each short stanza is termed ‘kontakion’ and ends with the refrain ‘Alleluia’.

The title ‘Akathistos’ means literally ‘not sitting’, because while the hymn is sung all remain standing. The greater part of the hymn is made up of praises addressed to the Holy Virgin, each beginning with the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel, ‘Hail’ or ‘Rejoice’ (Luke 1: 28). Theh hymn recalls the main events connected with the Incarnation, starting with the Annunciation (first ikos) and ending with the Flight into Egypt (sixth ikos) and the Presentation in the Temple (seventh kontakion).

The Akathistos Hymn was originally composed at an epoch when the Annunciation was still celebrated together with Christmas and had not yet become a separate festival. The Annunciation probably first began to be celebrated on 25 March during the reign of the Emperor Justinian (527-565), and the Akathistos Hymn was appointed to be sung on 25 March. Later, after the fall of Constantinople (1453), the hymn was transferred from the fixed to the movable calendar, and instead of being sung on 25 March it was appointed for Saturday in the fifth week. The custom of singing a portion of thehHymn at Compline on the first four Fridays of Lent is more recent still among Greeks.

Most of the texts at Friday Vespers before the Vigil of the Akathistos are taken directly from the office for 25 March. The Annunciation almost always falls within the period of the Great Fast, and that is why this special office of praise to the Mother of God has found a place in the Lenten Triodion.

A Kontakion greatly loved by Orthodox people is sung at the beginning of the Akathistos Hymn, ‘To thee, our leader in battle and defender …’. It celebrates the deliverance of the city of Constantinople from its enemies through the aid of the Mother of God. The Kontakion was written most probablyn by Patriarch Sergios to celebrate the escape of the Byzantine capital from the attack of the Persians and Avars in 626; it may also have been sung at the thanksgiving celebrations after Constantinople was saved from the Arabs in the mid-670s and in 717–718, and from the Russians in 860. The Kontakion expresses the Orthodox faithful sense of continuing dependence on the protecting intercession of the Holy Virgin at all moments of crisis and peril.

The Akathist Hymn is one of the most well-loved services of devotion in the Orthodox Church. Many scholars agreethat the Akathist was composed by Saint Romanos the Melodist, who reposed in the year 556. It has also been suggested that the Kontakion ‘To thee, our leader in battle and defender …’ was written in 532, to celebrate the safe escape of the city from the Nika riots. On such a hypothesis the Kontakion could be contemporary with the rest of the Akathistos Hymn, and might even be the work of Romanos.

The majority of the hymn is made up of praises directed to the Mother of God, always beginning with the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel: ‘Rejoice.’ In each of them, one after the other, all the events related to the incarnation are contemplated. The Archangel Gabriel (in Ikos 1) marvels at the Divine self-emptying and the renewal of creation which will occur when Christ comes to dwell in the Virgin’s womb.

The unborn John the Baptist (Ikos 3) prophetically rejoices. The shepherds (Ikos 4) recognise Christ as a blameless Lamb, and rejoice that in the Virgin ‘things on earth rejoice with the heavens.’ The Magi (Kontakion 5), following the light of the star, praise her for revealing the light of the world.

As the hymn progresses, various individuals and groups encounter Christ and his mother. Each has his own need; each his own desire or expectation, and each finds his or her own particular spiritual need satisfied and fulfilled in Our Lord and in the Mother of God. So too, each generation of Orthodox, and each particular person who has prayed the Akathist, has found in this hymn an inspired means of expressing gratitude and praise to the Mother of God for what she has accomplished for their salvation.

The authorship of the Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God is the subject of much discussion, though many reputable scholars attribute it to Saint Romanos the Melodist. The poem defies every translator and it is virtually impossibleto translate all the rhetorical devices that are such a striking feature of the Greek original. The original has an alphabetical acrostic for the first word of each Kontakion and Ikos and the lines begining ‘Hail!’ are marked by many internal rhymes.

The Greek ‘Chaire!’ is translated by Metroplitan Kallistos as ‘Rejoice’ as the most natural meaning of the Greek. Even though etymologically it means ‘Rejoice!’, it is a standard greeting, like the Latin ‘Ave!’, which is what the Roman soldiers presumably said to the Lord as they mocked him. In the New Testament it often translates the Hebrew ‘Shalom!’

Liturgically the hymn forms part of Matins on the Saturday of the Akathist, and in the monasteries of the the Holy Mountain it is read each night at Compline. In Greek use, it is chanted solemnly in four sections at Compline on the first four Fridays of Lent, the whole being chanted at Compline on the fifth, the eve of Akathist Saturday.

The Akathist hymn to the Theotokos is the original of all Akathists. It is a type of Kontakion. In a regular Kontakion, There is one (or more) Proëmion or opening hymn (now called confusingly ‘the Kontakion’ of the hymn) followed by several Ikos hymns. All the hymns have the same or nearly the same refrain. The acrostics vary, and therefore, so do the number of Ikos hymns. In the Akathist, the acrostic is the Greek alphabet, so there are 24 hymns. All akathists follow this number, even if they do not produce an Alphabetical acrostic. These 24 hymns vary between long hymns, called Ikos hymns, that have the same refrain as the Proëmion, and shorter hymns with the refrain ‘Alleluia’, (also, confusingly, called ‘Kontakia’).

On the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent, the Saturday of the Akathist, the Orthodox commemorate the ‘Laudation of the Virgin” icon of the Theotokos.

Father Stephen Platt introduces the Akathist Hymn in the Shrine Church in Walsingham last night (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Akathist to the Theotokos:

Troparion

Taking knowledge of the secret command, the bodiless Archangel went with haste to Joseph’s dwelling and said to her that knew not wedlock: ‘He who in his self-abasement bowed the heavens and came down is housed wholly and unchanged in thee. I see him take the form of a servant in thy womb and in wonder cry to thee: Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom.

Kontakion 1

To thee, our leader in battle and defender, O Mother of God, we thy servants, delivered from calamity, offer hymns of victory and thankgiving. Since those are invincible in power, set us free from every peril that we may cry out to thee: Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom. Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom.

Ikos 1

A prince of the angels was sent from heaven, to say to the Mother of God, Rejoice! And seeing Thee, O Lord, take bodily form at the sound of his bodiless voice, filled with amazement he stood still and cried aloud to her:

Rejoice, for through thee joy shall shine forth:
Rejoice, for through thee the curse shall cease.
Rejoice, recalling of fallen Adam:
Rejoice, deliverance from the tears of Eve.
Rejoice, height hard to climb for the thoughts of men:
Rejoice, depth hard to scan even for the eyes of angels.
Rejoice, for thou art the throne of the King:
Rejoice, for thou holdest Him who upholds all.
Rejoice, star causing the sun to shine:
Rejoice, womb of the divine Incarnation.
Rejoice, for through thee creation is made new:
Rejoice, for through thee the Creator becomes a newborn child.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 2

The Holy Maiden, seeing herself in all her purity, said boldly unto Gabriel: ‘Strange seem thy words and hard for my soul to accept. From a conception without seed how dost thou speak of childbirth crying: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 2

Seeking to know what passes knowledge, the Virgin said to the ministering Angel: ‘From a maiden womb how can a Son be born? Tell me.’ And to her in fear he answered, crying:

Rejoice, initiate of God’s secret counsel:
Rejoice, faith in that which must be guarded by silence.
Rejoice, beginning of Christ’s wonders:
Rejoice, crown and fulfillment of His teachings.
Rejoice, heavenly ladder by which God came down:
Rejoice, bridge leading men from earth to heaven.
Rejoice, marvel greatly renowned among the angels:
Rejoice, wound bitterly lamented by the demons.
Rejoice, for ineffably thou shalt bear the Light:
Rejoice, for thou hast revealed the mystery to none.
Rejoice, wisdom surpassing the knowledge of the wise:
Rejoice, dawn that illumines the minds of the faithful.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 3

Then the power of the Most High overshadowed her that knew no wedlock, so that she might conceive: and He made her fruitful womb as a fertile field for all who long to reap the harvest of salvation, singing: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Bearing God within her womb, the Virgin hastened to Elizabeth; whose unborn child, knowing at once the salutation of the Theotokos, rejoiced, and, leaping up as if in song, cried out to her:

Rejoice, vine whence springs a never-withering branch:
Rejoice, orchard of pure fruit.
Rejoice, for thou tendest the Husband-man who loves mankind:
Rejoice, for thou hast borne the Gardener who cultivates our life.
Rejoice, earth yielding a rich harvest of compassion:
Rejoice, table laden with mercy in abundance.
Rejoice, for through thee the fields of Eden flower again:
Rejoice, for thou makest ready a haven for our souls.
Rejoice, acceptable incense of intercession:
Rejoice, propitiation for the whole world.
Rejoice, loving-kindness of God unto mortal man:
Rejoice, freedom of approach for mortals unto God.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 4

Tossed inwardly by a storm of doubts, prudent Joseph was troubled: knowing thee to be unwedded, O blameless Virgin, he feared a stolen union. But when he learnt that thy conceiving was from the Holy Spirit, he said: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 4

The shepherds heard the angels glorify Christ’s coming in the flesh.

Quickly they ran to the Shepherd, and beheld Him as a lamb without spot, that had been pastured in the womb of Mary; and they sang praises to her, saying:

Rejoice, Mother of the Lamb and Shepherd:
Rejoice, fold of spiritual sheep.
Rejoice, protection against unseen enemies:
Rejoice, key to the door of Paradise.
Rejoice, for heaven exults with earth:
Rejoice, for things on earth rejoice with the heavens.
Rejoice, never-silent voice of the apostles:
Rejoice, unconquered courage of the victorious martyrs.
Rejoice, firm foundation of the faith:
Rejoice, shining revelation of grace.
Rejoice, for through thee hell is stripped bare:
Rejoice, for through thee we are clothed in glory.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 5

Seeing the star pointing to God, the Magi followed its radiance. Keeping it before them as a beacon, with its help they sought the mighty King; and attaining the Unattainable, they rejoiced and cried to Him: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 5

The children of the Chaldaens saw the Virgin holding in her hands Him who with His hands fashioned mankind. Though He had taken the form of a servant, yet they knew Him as their Master. In haste they knelt before Him with their gifts and cried out to the Blessed Virgin:

Rejoice, Mother of the Star that never sets:
Rejoice, bright dawn of the mystical day.
Rejoice, for thou hast quenched the furnace of deception:
Rejoice, for thou dost illumine all who love the mystery of the Trinity.
Rejoice, for thou hast cast down from his dominion the tyrant that hates man:
Rejoice, for thou hast made known the Lord Christ who loves mankind.
Rejoice, deliverance from the worship of pagan idols:
Rejoice, liberation from the filth of sin.
Rejoice, for thou hast quenched the worship of fire:
Rejoice, for thou hast released us from the flames of passion.
Rejoice, guide of the faithful to chastity:
Rejoice, joy of all generations.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 6

Becoming God’s messengers, the Magi returned to Babylon. Having fulfilled the prophecy concerning Thee, and preaching Thee to all as Christ, they left Herod to his raving, for he knew not how to sing: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 6

Shining upon Egypt with the light of truth, Thou hast dispelled the darkness of falsehood; for the idols of that land fell down, unable to endure Thy power, O Saviour, and all who were delivered from them cried unto the Theotokos:

Rejoice, restoration of men:
Rejoice, downfall of demons.
Rejoice, for thou hast trampled on the delusion of error:
Rejoice, for thou hast exposed the snares of the idols.
Rejoice, sea that has drowned the invisible Pharoah:
Rejoice, rock that gives drink to all who thirst for life.
Rejoice, pillar of fire, guiding those in darkness:
Rejoice, protection of the world, wider than the cloud in the wilderness.
Rejoice, food that takes the place of manna:
Rejoice, minister of holy joy.
Rejoice, promised land:
Rejoice, source of milk and honey.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 7

As Simeon drew near to the time of his departure from this world of error, he received Thee as an infant in his arms, but he knew Thee to be perfect God; and struck with wonder at Thine ineffable wisdom, he cried: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 7

A new creation has the Creator revealed, manifesting Himself unto us His creatures. From a Virgin’s womb He came, preserving it inviolate as it was before: that, beholding the miracle, we might sing her praises, crying:

Rejoice, flower of incorruption:
Rejoice, crown of chastity.
Rejoice, bright foreshadowing of the resurrection glory:
Rejoice, mirror of the angels’ life.
Rejoice, tree of glorious fruit on which the faithful feed:
Rejoice, wood of shady leaves where many shelter.
Rejoice, for thou hast conceived a Guide for the wanderers:
Rejoice, for thou hast borne a Deliverer for the captives.
Rejoice, intercessor with the Righteous Judge:
Rejoice, forgiveness for many who have stumbled.
Rejoice, robe for the naked and bereft of hope:
Rejoice, love surpassing desire.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 8

Seeing this strange birth, let us become strangers to the world, fixing our minds in heaven. To this end has the most high God appeared on earth as a lowly man, because He wishes to draw heaven-ward all who cry aloud to Him: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 8

The boundless Word was wholly present here below, yet in no wise absent from the realm on high: God descended to earth yet underwent no change of place. He was born of a Virgin, over-shadowed by divine power, and unto her we sing:

Rejoice, enclosure of the God whom nothing can enclose:
Rejoice, gate of the hallowed mystery.
Rejoice, tidings doubted by unbelievers:
Rejoice, undoubted glory of the faithful.
Rejoice, most holy chariot of Him who rides upon the cherubim:
Rejoice, best of all dwellings for Him who is above the seraphim.
Rejoice, for thou bringest opposites to harmony:
Rejoice, for thou hast joined in one childbirth and virginity.
Rejoice, for through thee our sin is remitted:
Rejoice, for through thee Paradise is opened.
Rejoice, key of Christ’s Kingdom:
Rejoice, hope of eternal blessings.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 9

All the ranks of angels marveled at the great work of Thine incarnation. For they saw God, whom none can approach, as a man approachable by all, dwelling in our midst, and hearing from our lips: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Eloquent orators we see dumb as the fishes in thy presence, O Theotokos, for they are at a loss to say how thou remainest virgin and yet hast power to bear a child. But we, marvelling at the mystery, cry aloud in faith:

Rejoice, vessel of God’s wisdom:
Rejoice, treasury of His providence.
Rejoice, for thou revealest lack of wisdom in the lovers of wisdom:
Rejoice, for thou provest devoid of reason those skilled in reason’s art.
Rejoice, for the cunning disputants are shown to be fools:
Rejoice, for the myth-makers have withered into silence.
Rejoice, for thou hast torn asunder the tangled webs of the Athenians:
Rejoice, for thou hast filled the nets of the fishermen.
Rejoice, for thou dost draw men from the depths of ignorance:
Rejoice, for thou dost illumine multitudes with knowledge.
Rejoice, ship of all who would be saved:
Rejoice, haven for the seafarers of life.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 10

Wishing to save the world, the Fashioner of all things came to it of His own free choice. As God, He is our Shepherd, yet has He appeared for our sake as a man like us; and calling like by means of like, as God, He hears our cry: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 10

For virgins and all who flee to thee thou art a wall, O Virgin Theotokos undefiled: for the Creator of heaven and earth has made thee ready and adorned thee, dwelling in thy womb, and teaching all to sing to her:

Rejoice, pillar of virginity:
Rejoice, gate of salvation.
Rejoice, beginning of the new and spiritual creation:
Rejoice, provider of God’s mercy.
Rejoice, for thou hast given birth to those conceived in shame:
Rejoice, for thou hast given good counsel to those robbed of understanding.
Rejoice, for thou bringest to naught the corrupter of man’s mind:
Rejoice, for thou bringest to birth the Sower of purity.
Rejoice, bridal chamber of a marriage without seed:
Rejoice, for thou joinest in union the faithful to their Lord.
Rejoice, fair nursing-mother of virgins:
Rejoice, bridal escort of holy souls.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 11

No hymn can recount the multitude of Thy many mercies. For though we offer unto Thee, O holy King, songs numberless as the sand upon the seashore, yet we do nothing worthy of the blessings Thou hast given us, who cry unto Thee: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 11

We see the Holy Virgin as a lamp to those in darkness. Kindling the immaterial Fire, she guides all men to divine knowledge; she illumines our mind with radiance, and we sing these praises in her honour:

Rejoice, beam of the spiritual Sun:
Rejoice, ray of the Moon that never wanes.
Rejoice, lightning flash that shines upon our souls:
Rejoice, thunder that brings terror to our enemies.
Rejoice, dawn that makest the manifold Splendor to arise:
Rejoice, spring that makest the River with many streams to flow.
Rejoice, for thou dost prefigure the baptismal font:
Rejoice, for thou takest away the filth of sin.
Rejoice, water washing clean the conscience:
Rejoice, cup wherein is mixed the wine of mighty joy.
Rejoice, scent of Christ’s fragrance:
Rejoice, life of mystical feasting.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 12

Wishing to release from ancient debts, the Redeemer of all men came of His own will to those who were exiled from His grace; He has torn up the record of our sins, and from all He hears the cry: Alleluia! Alleluia.

Ikos 12

We all sing in honour of thy Son, O Theotokos, and praise thee as a living temple. For the Lord who holds all things in His hand made His dwelling in thy womb; He hallowed and He glorified thee, teaching all to cry to thee:

Rejoice, tabernacle of God the Word:
Rejoice, greater Holy of Holies.
Rejoice, ark made golden by the Spirit:
Rejoice, never-empty treasure-house of life.
Rejoice, precious crown of orthodox kings:
Rejoice, honored boast of godly priests.
Rejoice, unshaken fortress of the Church:
Rejoice, unconquered rampart of the Kingdom.
Rejoice, for through thee the standards of victory are raised on high:
Rejoice, for through thee our enemies are cast down.
Rejoice, healing of my body:
Rejoice, salvation of my soul.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Kontakion 13

O Mother worthy of all praise, who hast borne the Word, the Holiest of all Holies accepting this our offering, deliver from every ill and from the punishment to come, all those who cry aloud to thee: Alleluia! Alleluia. Alleluia! Alleluia

Kontakion 13 is read three times, and then Ikos One is read again:

Ikos 1

A prince of the angels was sent from heaven, to say to the Theotokos, Rejoice! And seeing Thee, O Lord, take bodily form at the sound of his bodiless voice, filled with amazement he stood still and cried aloud to her:

Rejoice, for through thee joy shall shine forth:
Rejoice, for through thee the curse shall cease.
Rejoice, recalling of fallen Adam:
Rejoice, deliverance from the tears of Eve.
Rejoice, height hard to climb for the thoughts of men:
Rejoice, depth hard to scan even for the eyes of angels.
Rejoice, for thou art the throne of the King:
Rejoice, for thou holdest Him who upholds all.
Rejoice, star causing the sun to shine:
Rejoice, womb of the divine Incarnation.
Rejoice, for through thee creation is made new:
Rejoice, for through thee the Creator becomes a newborn child.
Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

And then again the First Kontakion:

O Victorious Leader of triumphant hosts, we, thy servants, delivered from evil, sing our grateful thanks to thee, O Theotokos. As thou dost possess invincible might set us free from every calamity so that we may sing: Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!

Priest: Glory to thee, O Christ our God, and our hope, glory to thee.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord have mercy. Father give the blessing in the name of the Lord.

Priest: May Christ our true God, at the prayers of his most pure and holy, Mother, by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, and the protection of the honoured, spiritual powers of heaven, at the intercession of the honoured and glorious prophet, forerunner and Baptist, John, of the holy, glorious and righteous forebears of God, Joachim and Anna and of all the saints, have mercy upon us and save us, for he is good and he loves mankind. Amen.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

We were all then invited to venerate the icon of the Mother of God and receive the priest’s blessing.

Father Stephen Platt serves the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the Shrine Church in Walsingham earlier yesterday (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Father Gregory Wellington and the Greek Orthodox community in Stony Stratford had much to celebrate with Archbishop Nikitas

With Archbishop Nikitas at Matins and the Divine Liturgy in the Greek Orthodox Church in Stony Stratford on Sunday morning

Patrick Comerford

I was honoured to be a special guest yesterday (7 December 2025) at Matins and the Divine Liturgy in the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Ambrose and Saint Sylianos in Stony Stratford, celebrated by Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain.

This was a patronal festival liturgy, celebrating the two patron saints of the church. But it was a joyful morning additionally because Archbishop Nikitas had decided to elevate the priest in the parish, Father Gregory Wellington, to the rank of archimandrite within the monastic priesthood.

After the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Nikitas led us in some impromptu carol singing, and Charlotte and I were special guests at a celebratory lunch afterwards in the Swinfen Harris Church Hall seated alongside Archbishop Nikitas and Father Gregory. It was very much a Greek community event for Greek and Cypriot families in the greater Milton Keynes area, but the church celebrates its diversity, with Romanians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Russians, Slovakians, and many other backgrounds, including English-born people too.

This was an opportunity too to renew old friendships with people like Marina Robb, who had been a student with me on a number of summer courses at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

Archbishop Nikitas presiding at Matins and the Divine Liturgy in the Greek Orthodox Church in Stony Stratford on Sunday morning (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Archbishop Nikitas is the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, since he was elected at the Ecumenical Patriarchate six years ago (12 June 2019). It is a large diocese with more than 100 churches and monasteries in England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Before his election as archbishop, he was the Metropolitan of the Dardanelles and director of the Patriarchal Institute of Orthodox Theology in Berkeley, California, and before that, from 1996, he was the first Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Hong Kong and South-East Asia.

Archbishop Nikitas and I first met at San’Anselmo, the Benedictine abbey and university in Rome, when I was chair of the Dublin University Far Eastern Mission and took part in a conference in Rome in September 2005 on the Church in China. We met again when I accompanied the then Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, on a visit to China and Hong Kong in 2006 to meet Church leaders, visit theological colleges and to build links between the Church of Ireland and the Church in China.

In Hong Kong, Archbishop Nikitas presented me with a scroll that says in rich Chinese calligraphy:

The Apolytikion of the Chinese Saints Martyred 11 June 1900 at the Boxer Uprising, Tone Three:

Let us, the flock of Christ, with love and piety now glorify with hymns and truly joyous odes the faithful Martyrs of the truth who suffered for Christ in China. For having confessed the Faith, they all bravely went unto death as lambs which were sacrificed for our Shepherd and Master Christ. And therefore to the Martyrs we cry out: Remember us all, who sing your praises!

Father Gregory Wellington (front, left) was raised to the rank of archimandrite by Archbishop Nikitas (centre) in Stony Stratford on Sunday morning (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Archbishop Nikitas Lulias was born in Tampa, Florida, in 1955. He studied at the University of Florida, where he received a BA degree in religion (1976). He then attended Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, where he graduated with the degree of Master of Divinity in 1980. He completed his postgraduate studies at the Theological School in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1982). He later he studied Russian at the St Petersburg Theological Academy in Russia (1992-1993).

He was ordained a deacon in 1985 by Archbishop Jacob of America and was ordained priest later that year. After working in diocese in the US, he was elected the first Metropolitan of Hong Kong and South-East Asia in 1996, and he was ordained bishop at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar in Istanbul. His new diocese included churches in South East Asia, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.

When he moved to California in 2007 as Director of the Patriarchal Orthodox Institute in Berkeley, California, he was also appointed Metropolitan of the Dardanelles Metropolis.

Archbishop Nikitas has spearheaded the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Committee on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery since 2017, meeting with various leaders and organizing three international forums on the issue in Istanbul (2017), Buenos Aires (2018) and Istanbul (2019).

He was elected Archbishop of Great Britain in 2019 and was enthroned in the Cathedral of the Divine Wisdom in London on 27 July 2019. He is a patron of the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius, and he took part in the coronation of King Charles III in May 2003.

With Archbishop Nikitas after the Divine Liturgy in the Greek Orthodox Church in Stony Stratford on Sunday morning (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Daily prayer in Easter 2025: 43, Sunday 1 June 2025, Seventh Sunday of Easter

The head of Medusa, depicted with snakes in her hair, at the Temple of Apollo in Didyma (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Easter is a 50-day season, beginning on Easter Day (20 April 2025) and continuing through Ascension Day until the Day of Pentecost or Whit Sunday next Sunday (8 June 2025). Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter (Easter VII).

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is presiding at a Patriarchal and Synodal Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar today commemorating the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, and the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed. During the Divine Liturgy, a special Patriarchal Encyclical will be read aloud.

In the Jewish calendar, the holiday of Shavuot or Shavuos (שָׁבוּעוֹת‎, ‘Weeks’), or the Festival of Weeks, begins at sunset this evening.

Later this morning, I am singing with the choir at the Parish Eucharist in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, Stony Stratford. The Stony Live Festival, which began yesterday, has a number of events I am looking forward to later in today, including Classic Stony.

But, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, reading today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Delphi and the ruins of the Temple of Apollo … the slave-girl in Philippi was part of the cult of Apollo (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

John 17: 20-26 (NRSVA):

[Jesus said:] 20 ‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 ‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’

An icon of the Mystical Supper or the Last Supper in a shop window on Eth Antistaseos street in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Reflection:

This is the Seventh Sunday of Easter, or the Sunday after Ascension Day. We are, I suppose, in some ways, caught in an in-between time, between Ascension Day, last Thursday, and the Day of Pentecost, next Sunday [8 June 2025].

In this ‘in-between time,’ the disciples and other followers of Jesus and their family members are gathered together in an upper room, devoting themselves to prayer (see Acts 1: 13-14), and there Matthias is chosen to join the Twelve (see Acts 1: 23-26).

The Gospel reading this morning (John 17: 20-26) is part of Christ’s great prayer at the Last Supper for his disciples and for the future Church after his departure, after the Ascension. All the readings this morning are a call to look forward to being with Christ in glory, which is an appropriate preparation for the Day of Pentecost, next Sunday.

Today’s reading from the Book of Revelation (Revelation 22: 12-14, 16-17, 20-21) is the promise that Christ is coming, and that with him he brings the New Jerusalem, the new Heaven and the New Earth. He is our Beginning and our End.

But how do we respond to him in this in-between time?

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 16: 16-34), Saint Paul has arrived on European soil for the first time, and he is in Philippi. We heard last Sunday how he and his companions were welcomed by Lydia, a prosperous businesswoman who becomes a Christian.

Now we hear of two miracles: the curing of a slave-girl who is possessed, which puts Paul and Silas in prison (verses 16-24), and the miraculous earthquake that leads to the conversion and baptism of the jailer and his family (verses 25-34).

The slave-girl’s cry when she realises who Saint Paul is and the response of Saint Paul to her plight are reminders of the stories of the exorcisms carried out by Christ himself. There too evil spirits recognised God and spoke the truth. Saint Paul continues what Christ began; it is Christ who cures (‘in the name of Jesus Christ,’ verse 18).

The slave-girl’s owners bring two false charges against Paul and Silas. They stir up the crowd and justice follows swiftly: Saint Paul and his companions quickly find themselves in jail.

But even this has interesting consequences, for instead of killing himself, the jailer and his family are baptised too, and they join the heavenly banquet, they share the meal, rejoicing (verses 32-34), and so they come into Communion with the whole Church.

Taken out of context, this first reading is quite stark and raises many questions.

The first woman Saint Paul meets in Europe is Lydia. She is from Thyatira, a city in the area of Lydia that was a centre of the cult of Apollo and Artemis, and one of the great Lydian temples to these twins was at Didyma, near the Lydian city of Sardis.

Lydia’s wealth, social standing and independence are unusual for a woman of her time. She and her household are baptised, and she provides lengthy hospitality for Saint Paul and his travelling companions.

Lydia’s freedom of choice when it comes to religious matters contrasts with the plight of the second woman Saint Paul meets in Europe. She is an unnamed woman, a slave-girl who is described in some translations as a ‘damsel’ (e.g. KJV). Unlike Lydia, she has no name, no wealth, no independence from men, and no freedom of religious choice.

This poor girl is possessed – the translation we read this morning says she has ‘a spirit of divination.’ And other people make money out of that. The Greek here is much more specific than this English translation: she ‘has the spirit of Python’ (εχουσαν πνευμα πυθωνος).

No, she is not possessed by the humour of Monty Python. Nor has she swallowed a snake. Πύθων in Greek mythology was the name of the Pythian serpent or dragon that guarded the oracle at Delphi and was slain by Apollo.

And so, Python became one of the names of Apollo, the Greek god of light and the sun, the fine arts, music, poetry, medicine, eloquence and prophecy, the patron of shepherds and the guardian of truth. He is the son of Zeus, and in Greek mythology he dies and rises again.

The oracle at Delphi, the priestess of Apollo, was said to be inspired by Apollo. Her words about the future were regarded as the oracles of the god.

This possessed young woman is a minor oracle of the cult of Apollo. She is exploited by a group of men who make a pretty income from her utterances, what the reading describes as her ‘fortune-telling.’ The original word to describe her (μαντεύομαι) tells us she is not just some ‘Mystic Meg’ in a red-top tabloid or a fortune teller with a turban in a circus tent looking at the palms of hands. She is a seer, she delivers an oracle, she is a priestess of the cult of Apollo.

The priestesses of Apollo were said to give their answers from their bellies – the seat of emotions – while their mouths were closed.

How does this oracle of Apollo behave when she is confronted with the disciples of the good shepherd, the one who is the way the truth and the light, the Son of God who died and rises again?

But there is a contradiction here: if she is an oracle and slave of Apollo, why is she proclaiming that Saint Paul and his companions are the slaves of the Most High, proclaiming the way of salvation?

And I find myself asking, why does she keep on doing this, for days and days on end (see verse 18)?

Why is Saint Paul so annoyed with what she says?

Was he right to ignore her for the first few days?

Or has he come to realise her plight, the full enormity of her religious enslavement?

If she is already proclaiming, for many days, the God that Paul and Silas proclaim as the Most High God, and she is acknowledging that they are preaching salvation, surely she has already lost her value to her owners before they start blaming Saint Paul and his exorcism?

She may be stating the truth, but she is not serving the truth. How often are we deceived by people who claim to speak the truth but whose intentions are so contrary to what is truthful and wholesome?

And if the financial dependence and the religious slavery of this girl are in contrast to the financial independence and religious freedom of the more mature Lydia, then her slavery to exploitative religion, her imprisonment to those who make a fortune out the cult of Apollo, is in contrast with the subsequent imprisonment for Christ’s sake suffered by Paul and Silas.

The story comes between two sets of conversions and baptisms – those of Lydia and her household and of the jailer and his entire family.

Of course, later, when Saint Paul challenges the cult of Artemis in Ephesus, he is jailed by those facing financial loss, just as he is jailed in Philippi for challenging the exploitative cult of Apollo.

But this reading raises a number of questions:

Are there appropriate and inappropriate times, means and places for proclaiming the Gospel?

Is there an appropriate time or place to be annoyed or irritated by what other people are saying in the name of Christianity?

Are we aware of times when religion is used as a way of trapping and abusing vulnerable people because of their social status, their gender, their sexuality, their marital status or their ethnic background?

Are there times when religion is used for making a great deal of money for others?

Do we appreciate and pray for those who suffer for the faith, sometimes in hidden and unseen circumstances, perhaps even in the silence of their own homes?

Apart from acknowledging God most high and preaching the way of salvation, which even this oracle of Apollo can acknowledge, how do we show our faith and our life in Christ in the way we live our own lives?

Is Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper for his Church, which we hear in the Gospel reading, brought to life in the way we live as the Church, in this parish, in this diocese, in this land?

Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

The Temple of Apollo in Didyma … one of the most important shrines and temples in the classical world to Apollo and his twin sister Artemis (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Sunday 1 June 2025, Easter VII):

I am one of the contributors to the new edition of Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), covering the period from 1 July to 20 November 2025.

My contribution, for the week 20-26 July, reflects on ‘Diversity in Sarawak’ (pp 20-21).

The theme in the prayer diary this week (1-7 June) is ‘Volunteers’ Week’ and is introduced today by Carol Miller, Church Engagement Manager, USPG. She writes:

‘Read I Corinthians 1: 1-3.

‘I grew up in the Southern American states of Tennessee and Virginia. My five sisters may not have agreed, but according to our local Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church I was considered a saint. Saved by grace, yes, but a saint!

‘There are saints in your local church, too. Individuals who offer rides home from church each week, or offer to hand out service sheets and make visitors feel welcome, or organise collections for the local foodbank. They do these things out of compassion and kindness, or a desire to meet basic needs and to see justice done. USPG’s partners across the Anglican Communion are no different. Within provinces, dioceses, deaneries, mission areas, benefices and local parish churches, there are the saints “in every place” sharing God’s love.

‘Saint Martin and Saint Jane in the Diocese of Bath and Wells host a curry night each year to raise funds for USPG. Saint James ran a half marathon to raise awareness and support for the Churches of South Asia. Saint Richard in Derby organises a 20-mile sponsored walk each year to benefit USPG’s church partners around the world.

‘There are so many more saints, hosting bake sales, plant sales, blind raffles, canal walks and wine and cheese nights. All for sisters and brothers they’ve never met, but with whom they stand together against injustice and believe together for a world where individuals are loved, accepted and thriving.

‘From 2-8 June, we’re celebrating Volunteers’ Week. A chance to say a huge thank you to all our wonderful USPG ambassadors.’

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Sunday 1 June 2025, Easter VII) invites us to pray in this way:

Read and meditate on Ephesians 1: 15-19. Lord God, we thank you for the ambassadors of USPG who inspire local churches and communities to support mission around the globe through prayer, worship and financial support. Strengthen and bless their work, we pray.

The Collect:

O God the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,
but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us
and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion Prayer:

Eternal God, giver of love and power,
your Son Jesus Christ has sent us into all the world
to preach the gospel of his kingdom:
confirm us in this mission,
and help us to live the good news we proclaim;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect:

Risen, ascended Lord,
as we rejoice at your triumph,
fill your Church on earth with power and compassion,
that all who are estranged by sin
may find forgiveness and know your peace,
to the glory of God the Father.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

An icon of the first Council of Nicaea in 325 ... the 1,700th anniversary is being commemorated throughout the Orthodox Church today

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Frating Hall Farm in Essex was once home to a pacifist experiment in community living

‘Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice’ (Psalm 96: 12) … the sun sets behind the fields at Frating Hall Farm, near Colchester in Essex (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Patrick Comerford

I have been writing these evenings about our visit to Colchester earlier this week. But for two of us the primary purpose in being in that part of Essex on Monday was to visit Metallic Elephant, a printing machinery business based in Frating Hall Farm Industrial Estate.

Frating is almost half-way between Colchester and Clacton and the home of Metallic Elephant, a family-owned business with a lengthy experience in the printing industry and a team of dedicated, skilled craft workers and engineers.

Frating is a small village with a population of about 540, on the Tendring Peninsula, about 8 km (5 miles) east of Colchester and 15 km (9 miles) north-west of Clacton-on-Sea. The nearest railway station is 3 km (2 miles) away at Great Bentley, so Charlotte and I took a taxi from Colchester through the village of Elmstead Market.

Frating includes both Frating Green and Hockley. The parish church is now a private house and Frating also has a village hall, Frating War Memorial Hall, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022, and one public house, the King’s Arms.

Frating is recorded as Fretingham in the Domesday Book and Frating Church dates from the 12th century. Frae is the Saxon word for a lord, and the name means the settlement of the people of Fraete.

The village sign incorporates a fruited apple tree, recalling the apple-growing industry in Frating during the 20th century, a bell representing the three church bells of Frating Church, a cartwheel representing the 19th century wheelwright of Haggar’s Lane, and a ram’s head from the coat of arms of the Bendish family of Steeple Bumpstead.

Sir Thomas Bendish (1540-1603) of Steeple Bumpstead married Eleanor Ford, a daughter of John Ford of Frating Hall, and was buried at Frating Church. Their son, Sir Thomas Bendish (1568-1636), was created a baronet in 1611 and was High Sheriff of Essex in 1618-1619 and 1630-1631. His son, the royalist Sir Thomas Bendish (1607-1674), was the English ambassador to the Ottoman court in Constantinople in the mid-17th century. Another son, Richard Bendish, inherited Frating Hall.

The barns on Frating Hall Farm, near Colchester in Essex, probably date from the 17th or 18th century (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The barns on Frating Hall Farm probably date from the 17th or 18th century. The more recent history of Frating Hall Farm is an interesting chapter in the history of pacifist communitarianism, and the links between pacifism and agrarianism, or the ‘back-to-the-land’ movement, in the mid-20th century, when farm work offered a way for pacifists and conscientious objectors to remain within the law.

Frating Hall Farm is associated with key figures in the pacifist and anti-war movements from the 1930s to the 1950s, including Vera Brittain, author of Testament of Youth and a founding figure in the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) in 1936, along with the Dean of Canterbury, Dick Sheppard (1880-1937), the poet Max Plowman and the literary critic John Middleton Murry, a friend of DH Lawrence.

For many years, a photograph of Dick Sheppard, a former Vicar of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields, hung over my desk in my study in the house in Firhouse where I lived for 20 years until the mid-1990s. His pacifism and his social activism were among the many influences on the development of my Anglicanism and my spirituality.

By the end of the 1930s, the Peace Pledge Union had almost 100,000 members, all of whom had signed a pledge declaring: ‘War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determined not to support any kind of war. I am also determined to work for the removal of all causes of war.’

Two pacifist settlements in Essex played a major role in developing the link between the peace movement and farming: the Adelphi Centre in Langham (1934-1942) and Frating Hall Farm (1943-1954).

The Adelphi Centre at the Oaks, a rural Edwardian mansion at Langham near Colchester, was a socialist education centre with a degree of agricultural self-sufficiency, and had links with George Orwell, John Middleton Murry and other intellectuals.

Frating Hall Farm, on the other hand, was a Christian pacifist community where a 300-acre arable and livestock farm was home to more than 50 people, including refugees and former prisoners-of-war. The story of Frating Hall Farm is told by Ken Worpole in his recent book No Matter How Many Skies Have Fallen: back to the land in wartime Britain (2001). The title of his book is from the opening paragraph of DH Lawrence’s novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928), and Worpole charts the history of the Frating community over 11 years.

The pacifist community at Frating Hall Farm lasted from 1943 to 1954 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

A group from Murry’s failing project in Langham took over Frating Hall Farm in 1943 and ran it as a radical pacifist settlement until 1954. At its peak, more than 50 people lived and worked at Frating, one of the most successful of the pacifist rural initiatives providing legitimate alternatives to conscription during World War II.

The settlement also provided shelter and accommodation for visiting supporters at harvest time, and offered sanctuary to refugees and former German prisoners-of-war. Over time, Frating Hall Farm became a centre for the arts, winning the grudging respect of their neighbours.

It was an extraordinary geographical and international cultural mingling of religious and political interests – between the steelworks and mines of north-east England, bohemian London, rural Anglicanism, Russian anarchism and Jewish phenomenology. Many of the community members at Frating Hall shared strong religious beliefs and an interest in the works of Leo Tolstoy, DH Lawrence, and religious philosophers, writers and theologians such as Nikolai Berdyaev, Martin Buber and Simone Weil – all referred to in letters and farm broadsheets.

Shirley Williams (1930-2021), later a Labour cabinet minister, went to work there as the ‘second cowman’ after leaving school at the age of 18. She was in charge of ‘a herd of Ayrshire dairy cows, handsome red-and-white animals of a certain temper.’

Her mother Vera Brittain (1893-1970) contributed towards buying the farm. Shirley Williams learnt much of her politics at Frating from the earnest radicals there, particularly the charismatic Joe Watson. She later recalled her experiences at Frating in her autobiography Climbing the Bookshelves.

When the co-operative structure was dissolved in 1954, a former Quaker member bought the farm at Frating Hall, and eventually bequeathed it to his stepson, Martyn Thomas, who arrived there at the age of four and then continued to farm there with his wife Barbara.

Frating is part of Clacton constituency, where the MP is Nigel Farage. I had thought of visiting Clacton-on-Sea for a walk on the beach. But, by the time we had finished our afternoon business, darkness had enveloped the Essex countryside, and we returned to Colchester under the January full moon, which is known as the Wolf Moon – because it was thought wolves howled more at this time of year as there was less food in the middle of winter.

The parish church in Frating dates from the 12th century and is now a private house (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The Capsali family: generations of rabbis and scholars for 300 years in Crete

The name of Kapsali Street, off Tombazi Street in Crete, evokes memories of the Capsali family, one of the leading Jewish families in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Patrick Comerford

I searched without results in Rethymnon over the past week for any signs or remains of the Jewish quarter in the town. The records of the Jewish community in Crete, which extend from 1228 to 1583, show a remarkably stable elite of families with names such as Capsali, Casani and Delmedigo, who were dominant in Jewish life in Crete for five or six centuries.

Kapsali Street, off Tombazi Street, is just three minutes walk from where I was staying, and the name of the street evokes memories of the Capsali family, one of the leading Jewish families in Rethymnon.

The Capsali family were a distinguished Romaniote family of scholars in Crete, Venice and Constantinople in the 15th and 16th centuries. They took their family name from Capsali, a village in the southern part of the Greek island of Kythira. Members of the Capsali family served as constables (condestabile) and heads of the Jewish community in Crete on several occasions, and they included a number of distinguished rabbis and scholars known for their work in the Torah and the Talmud and as historians and philosophers.

By 1320, the Jewish community in Rethymnon lived in the old burgus or suburb, outside the Byzantine city. Sabateus Capsali, the Jewish owner of several houses abutting the walls of the suburb, was then authorised to open windows in this wall by Pietro Bragadin, the rector or governor of Rethymnon.

Some time later, two Jews were granted vacant land on the other side of the wall, in parte exterior dicti burgi … extra burgum, and allowed to build houses. Later they received permission to build the houses along the wall where Capsali had opened the windows.

References in documents in 1328 to Parnas Capsali ben Solomon ben Joseph indicate, perhaps, that by the early 14th century the Capsali family had been living in Crete for at least three generations.

By the 15th century, the Jewish population of Crete was estimated at 1,160. From that time on, the Capsali family included leading rabbis such as Moses ben Elijah Capsali (1420-1495), Elijah Capsali (ca 1483-1555) and Elkanah Capsali. Moses Capsali became Hakham Bashi or Chief Rabbi of the Ottoman Empire, while Elijah Capsali later wrote histories of Crete and Venice.

Elijah Capsali, who was living in Crete in the early 15th century, was the father of two distinguished sons Moses and David Capsali, a distinguished grandson Elkanah Capsali, and a learned great-grandson Elijah Capsali.

Moses ben Elijah Capsali (1420-1495) was the Chief Rabbi of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. He born in Crete in 1420 and as a young man left Iraklion to study in Germany. He is next mentioned as a rabbi in Constantinople ca 1450. He rose to prominence during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, who appointed him Chief Rabbi and gave him seat in the divan or Ottoman court beside the mufti, the Muslim religious leader, and above the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople.

The sultan’s respect for the rabbi is said to have come about when, disguised as a civilian, Mehmed II was present one day while Capsali was rendering his decisions. He was assured himself that the rabbi was incorruptible and impartial in his judgments. It is said the rabbi prompted the sultan’s plans improve the moral conditions of some parts of Constantinople.

Capsali dealt very severely with Jewish youths who imitated the un-Jewish and immoral lifestyles of the janissaries lives. Some of these youths, enraged by the corporal punishment Capsali inflicted on them, attempted to kill him during a street riot in 1481, but he escaped by fleeing.

Capsali was equally influential at the court of Sultan Bayezid II, Mehmed II’s son and successor. This resulted in the ready reception of Jewish exiles who had been expelled from Spain.

Capsali directed communal affairs with considerable skill, and commanded general respect. He lived an ascetic lifestyle, fasting frequently and sleeping on a bare floor.

He was an advocate of rigorous rabbinical Judaism, severely criticising the attempt of some rabbis to instruct the Karaites in the Talmud. However, Capsali’s critics accused him of being an ignorant and unscrupulous rabbi, and addressed their complaints to Joseph Colon in Italy, one of the greatest rabbinical authorities of the time. They accused Capsali of being careless in deciding cases dealing with marital troubles.

However, in the ensuing controversy, men like Judah Minz and the three learned Del Medigo brothers (Elkanah, Moses, and Elijah), and many other rabbis supported Capsali. He died ca 1495 in Constantinople.

Moses Capsali was a kinsman of Eliezer Capsali, a Talmudist in Constantinople in the second half of the 15th century. In answer to the appeal of the Karaites, whose literary degeneracy was then notorious, he consented to instruct them in rabbinic traditions. The only conditions he imposed on his pupils should refrain from vilifying the Talmudic authorities, and from desecrating the holy days of the rabbinical calendar.

This attempt to reconcile the Karaites with Talmudic Judaism, or at least to soften their hostile attitude toward it, did not meet with the approval of the rigorists among the rabbis. Even Moses Capsali, who certainly was independent enough otherwise, stoutly opposed his kinsman Eliezer Capsali, perhaps chiefly because it was not customary to treat the Karaites in a friendly manner.

Moses Capsali’s brother, David Capsali, was the father of Elkanah ben David Capsali, a Talmudist and philanthropist in the second half of the 15th century. He studied under his uncle, Moses Capsali, in Constantinople, and in Padua. When he returned to Iraklion, he married another family member, Pothula Capsali, and became one of the most prominent members of the Jewish community in Venetian-ruled Crete.

He was condestable (‘high constable’), one of the highest officers in the Jewish community in Iraklion, in 1493. In that role, he was active in relieving the sufferings of Jewish exiles expelled that year from Spain who arrived in Iraklion, then the Venetian city of Candia. In one day alone, 22 July 1493, he collected 250 Venetian gulden, a large sum at that time, for their relief.

Elkanah Capsali’s eldest son, David Capsali, travelled to Constantinople and may have been among the 17 people who wrote the statutes of the Jewish community in Iraklion in 1574.

Elkanah Capsali was also the father of Elijah ben Elkanah Capsali (ca 1485-1490 to post 1550), a notable rabbi, Talmudist and historian. His chronicle of Venice may be the first example of a diasporic Jew writing a history of their own location (Venice).

Elijah ben Elkanah Capsali was born in Iraklion ca 1485-1490. He left Crete in 1508 or 1509 to study in Padua in the yeshiva of Judah Minz. However, Judah Minz died eight days after Capsali's arrival, and so he went to study with Meïr Katzenellenbogen, Minz’s son-in-law and successor.

When his studies were interrupted by the occupation of Padua by German troops in 1509, Elijah then moved to Venice, but returned to Crete in 1510 to study under Isaac Mangelheim.

He was the leader of the Jewish community in Iraklion by 1522, with three assistants. Soon after, the plague devastated Iraklion, and the sufferings of Jews in the city was aggravated by their enforced isolation in the Jewish quarter, and Capsali worked unselfishly to relieve the stricken.

When the Chief Rabbi of Crete, Menahem del Medigo, became too old to officiate, Elijah Capsali and Judah del Medigo were appointed rabbis of the community. He became the Chief Rabbi of Crete ca 1528, and in office he associated himself with several great scholars of his time such as, Jacob Berab and Joseph Karo.

When the Jews of Iraklion were threatened with massacre by the Greek populace in 1538, Capsali took the lead in intervening with the Venetian authorities. When they were saved, he instituted a special local Purim on 18 Tammuz.

Capsali had a learned correspondence with the great Talmudists of his day. He showed remarkable independence of spirit, both in his relations with high authorities and in regard to ancient, time-honoured customs. For example, he abolished the widespread custom in Crete of selling by auction the honour of ‘bridegroom of the Torah.’ Instead, he ordered that this honour should be conferred on a scholar or other prominent person in the community.

Capsali showed independence and self-confidence in his decisions, but was opposed by many of his colleagues and contemporaries, including prominent rabbis and his associate rabbi in Iraklion, Judah del Medigo.

Elijah Capsali was the author of a number of works, including a history of Venice. The original manuscript is in the British Museum and includes material on other Italian cities and a section on the persecutions of the Jews in Germany.

He also wrote a history of the Turkish empire from the earliest times up to 1522. The manuscript is in the Bodleian Library and in the British Museum. It throws much light on the history of Jews in Turkey, and a section on Spain and Portugal down to the expulsion of the Jews at the end of the 15th century. He died in Crete ca 1555.

Capsali is remembered today for his ecstatic sentiment, exuberant messianism and exaggerated claims have dominated Jewish historiography for five centuries. He cast the Ottoman sultans in the redemptive image of Cyrus the Great, who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, and he believed the world in his time was facing a final apocalyptic conflict between Islam and Christianity, Gog and Magog, that would usher in the Messiah and a messianic age.

Looking down Kapsali Street towards the Cathedral … could this have been part of the old Jewish quarter of Rethymnon? (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Shabbat Shalom

Next Friday: the Delmedigo family in Crete