PARISH REPORT: SUNDAY AFTER THE NATIVITY 29 DECEMBER 2024
The Orthodox Parish of St Martin & St Helen Colchester
On the Sunday after The Nativity, the 29th of December 2024, His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan visited the Parish of St Martin & St Helen in Colchester for a very significant occasion in the life of the community. Dear Father Alexander, with his devoted Khouria Hilary at his side throughout, has given more than 25 years faithful service to God’s Holy Church, building and nurturing a strong and spiritually healthy eucharistic community, opening and maintaining our beautiful St Helen’s Chapel and later, after much struggle, completing the purchase of St Martin’s Church. Sayedna attended Vespers on Saturday evening and spoke to the faithful on the necessity of truly coming to know God, through a life of faithfulness, regularly reading the Holy Gospels and partaking in frequent Holy Communion.
After the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday Morning, Sayedna again preached on the importance of self sacrifice, of giving ourselves to Christ and to each other by fully entering into the life of His Holy Church, with our time, talents and resources. He acknowledged Father Alexander’s great faith and diligence over the long years of his ministry, saying to him: ‘well done, good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:23). In a short service before the dismissal, Sayedna made Fr Alexander an Archpriest, presenting him with a cross and then declared his status as henceforth retired. Following this he announced that Fr Mark Shillaker will succeed him with immediate effect as parish priest. Father Mark acknowledged the great faith and trust bestowed upon him by Sayedna, Father Alexander and the parish, and thanked Father Alexander for the love he has shown him and for the teaching and wisdom he has imparted to him over the last few years, first as a deacon and later as priest. Father Mark went on to say that he and his Khouria Paula will inherit a great legacy of labour, devotion and love. It is a testament to Father Alexander and Khouria Hilary’s faithfulness and the love and respect in which they are held by so many folk, that our large St Martin’s church was absolutely full of people during the service, many of whom have known Fr Alexander and his family and the parish from the early days in the late 1990s. After the liturgy a feast was held in the hall at nearby Castle Methodist Church (good friends of the parish). The food was excellent, having been generously provided by many of the faithful. After prayers, speeches and further presentations, Sayedna took his leave. Heartfelt thanks to Saydena for his love and leadership and to Margaret Haig, who also joined us, for her help with the singing and chanting. It was a happy and somewhat poignant day, reminding us all to work diligently towards the building of God's Kingdom in our own hearts and thereby in the world, while we yet have strength and life.