MONKS AND MERMAIDS (A Benedictine Blog): THE FEAST OF THE DORMITION OF OUR LADY

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"Today the concept of truth is viewed with suspicion, because truth is identified with violence. Over history there have, unfortunately, been episodes when people sought to defend the truth with violence. But they are two contrasting realities. Truth cannot be imposed with means other than itself! Truth can only come with its own light. Yet, we need truth. ... Without truth we are blind in the world, we have no path to follow. The great gift of Christ was that He enabled us to see the face of God".Pope Benedict xvi, February 24th, 2012

The Church is ecumenical, catholic, God-human, ageless, and it is therefore a blasphemy—an unpardonable blasphemy against Christ and against the Holy Ghost—to turn the Church into a national institution, to narrow her down to petty, transient, time-bound aspirations and ways of doing things. Her purpose is beyond nationality, ecumenical, all-embracing: to unite all men in Christ, all without exception to nation or race or social strata. - St Justin Popovitch

Sunday, 28 August 2011

THE FEAST OF THE DORMITION OF OUR LADY

A happy and holy feast day to all who use the Julian Calendar because today is the Feast pf the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15th). Today, I served the Divine Liturgy in Our Lady's honour with Fr Dyfrig as chief celebrant in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish in Gloucester. It is wonderful to be able to participate more and more in the Byzantine Rite as I become more familiar with it. I remembered that it was between the feasts of the Transfiguration and the Dormition that Communism collapsed in Moscow, thus fulfilling what was foretold by Our Lady to the children at Fatima. I prayed in the Liturgy for the patriarch and the people of Russia and for all those in other parts of the Soviet Union who are striving to fill in the void created by the atheist regime, even as they are hampered in this task by internal rivalries..

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THE DORMITION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

HOPE IN OUR LADY

HONORABLE

Orthodox nuns take the icon of the Blessed Mother of God from the Holy Sepulchre to the place where they believe she was buried after her death in preparation for the Feast of her Dormition and Ascension into heaven. (Thanks to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish of St Elias for the photo)