Chrysostom, Pascha 2012

The News Letter of the Society of St. John Chrysostom for Pascha 2012, New Series Volume Thirteen, is now available.

Fr John Salter, Chairman, writes this foreword:


Dear Members and Friends,
There have been some changes on the committee of the Society of St John Chrysostom: Father Gary Gill has had to reduce his work load on his doctor's orders. This means we have lost him, for the time being, as General Secretary, but we thank him for his work and hope that he will stay on the committee, and wish him a speedy recovery.

As reported earlier, Father Dr Athanasius McVay remains on the committee, but is now working in the Vatican archives on his book on the Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Budka. Father George Ntagkas has returned to Greece to be nearer his parents and will be based at one of the Latin churches in Athens.

Joe Farrelly, a former chairman, has died at an advanced age and remained a great ecumenist with special regard for the Eastern Churches. It is unusual for an Irish Catholic layman to take such an interest in the Eastern Churches, as it has been difficult to engage the Catholics of the Latin Church in the work of our society. Most of the members of the committee are ex-Anglicans and we must remember that one of our former chairmen, Canon Ronald Pilkington, was an Anglican until he was nineteen; and even Dr. Adrian Fortescue, the great authority on the Orthodox and the Uniates (as he insisted on calling them) was the son of an Anglican priest of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, who
converted to Catholicism when Adrian was young. Anglican interest in the Eastern Churches has always been much keener than in the Roman Catholic Church in this country, so much so that the
Anglican and Eastern Churches Association membership outnumbers that of the Society of St John Chrysostom by about seven to one. It is not for want of trying to recruit new members among the Latins, but our recent new Latin members are outnumbered by members of the Ordinariate.

You are asked to remember in your prayers one of our priest members, Father David White of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate resident in Sidmouth, Devon. We wish him a full recovery from his recent illness and every good wish for the New Year 2012. Please also remember His Beatitude Mesrop II Moutafian Patriarch of Constantinople of the Armenians, who is seriously ill.

Our sympathy goes to the family of Fr William and Beatrice Gulliford, who have lost their little son Theodore, at the age of six years. Fr William is Guild Vicar of St Dunst an-in-the-West, Fleet Street, London, and formerly General Secret ary of the Anglican & Eastern Churches Association.

There was a good attendance at the Christopher Morris Lecture given at the Ukrainian Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile in Mayfair, London, by His Excellency Archbishop Mennini, the Papal Nuncio to the Court of St James, on the Subject “The Russian Federation and the Holy See”.  We are grateful to Bishop Ken, visiting from Canada, for hosting the event in the absence of the Exarch Bishop Hlib on a pastoral visit to the Continent.  Our President, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, was represent ed by Bishop Alan Hopes. Amongst the disti nguished guests we welcomed Her Royal Highness Princess Katerina of Yugoslavia, Lady Silva of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Excellency Mr Anthony Bailey and his wife Her Serene Highness Prince Marie-Therese of Austria-Hungary. It i s hoped to publish the Nuncio's address in the next Chrysostom.

With all good wishes and prayers for 2012.

John Salter