St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Brotherhood (Surrey, England)
| St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Brotherhood | |
| Jurisdiction | ROCOR |
| Type | Male Monastery |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Superior | Archimandrite Alexis |
| Approx. size | 5 monks |
| Location | Brookwood, Woking, Surrey, England |
| Liturgical language(s) | English |
| Music used | Byzantine Chant |
| Calendar | Julian |
| Feastdays celebrated | 18/31 March |
| Official website | Official website |
The St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Brotherhood is a monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia a ways south of London, England. It was established in 1982 in the Brookwood Cemetery (the largest cemetery in Europe) in Surrey to care for the relics of St. Edward the Martyr, King of England.
A small monastic community (largely made up of native Britons) chants the services daily at the shrine of St. Edward, augmented on Sundays and feast days by the parishioners of the mission parish attached to the monastery.
The monastery publishes a monthly magazine, The Shepherd, which is available with a suggested donation.
Timeline
- 1982 Mar 18 - Archimandrite Alexis and another monk move to the location of the Monastery in Brookwood. Daily services begin a few days later, on the feastday of the Holy Martyrs. The property had with two former churches (one practically dilapidated) and five acres of land. Brookwood chosen because there were small numbers of Orthodox that had no church. The intention was purely to establish a shrine and Orthodox cemetary, however, a monastic community began, and attendants eventually began to sizeable enough to be called a mission. Non-monastic attendance starts at approximately 8.
- 1982 - Numerous donations were received internationally, enough to renovate the larger church in time to receive the relics of St Edward.
- 1982 - A few days before the Enshrinement of the Relics was due to take place, the donation of the relics to the Brotherhood was challenged in the High Court.
- 1982 Sep 14 - The judge gave permission to proceed with the Enshrinement so long as the relics were to be kept in a bank vault until sufficient measures were taken to ensure security of the relics.
- 1982 Sep 16 - Enshrinement ceremony, celebrated by Bishop Gregory (Grabbe).
- 1988 Apr - Ruling on what security measures required was received.
- 1988 Dec - Relics placed in the church of the Monastery, where they remain.
- 1989 Sep - Community numbers three monks (including the abbot) and one novice. Lay attendance on Sundays and Feastdays numbers approximately 25.
- 2006 - Community numbers approximately 5 monks (including the abbot).
St. Edward the Martyr
Daily Cycle
- Daily, Morning: Matins
- Daily, Evening: Ninth Hour and Vespers
Exceptions
- Tuesday, Evening: Ninth Hour and Vespers, then Supplicatory Canon to the Mother of God.
- Saturday, Evening: Vigil.
- Saturday and Sunday: Matins and Divine Liturgy
- Feastdays, Preceding Evening: Vigil.
Sources
- Information about the Monastery by Archim. Alexis, Sept 1989.
External links
- St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Brotherhood (monastery site)
- Mystery Worshipper Report on a vespers at the monastery chapel.