Three hundred and fifty Ethiopians from Liverpool and all
over England converged on St Agnes’s Church on Saturday 6th
September. Morning Prayer and a Baptism took place first,
starting at 7-30am. The Mass started at around 9am, and lasted
two hours. The Orthodox liturgy is very rich in its ritual, and
some of the photographs show the liturgy in progress. The use of
drums and dancing is common in Ethiopian church ceremonies and
festivals, and both these featured in the Procession of the
(replica of the) Ark of the Covenant, which followed Mass. The
actual Ark of the Covenant is kept in an ancient church in the
Ethiopian city of Axum. The Procession started from the church,
went out into Buckingham Avenue, and returned to the church
along Ullet Road. One of the photographs shews a monk bearing
the Ark of the covenant on his head, accompanied by a ceremonial
red umbrella. At the mid-point of the procession there was a
ritual dance with prayer sticks and sistra before the Ark. The
sistrum is an ancient musical instrument used in ancient Egypt
and in Temple worship in Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, and
still used in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
The Patronal Festival on the
Solemnity of St Agnes, 21st January 2008.
"The Right Reverend Robert Ladds, Bishop of Whitby, presided at
a Solemn Concelebrated Mass, which was preceded by Devotions at
the Shrine of St Agnes and a Procession of the Relic of St
Agnes. A Parish Party took place in the Church Hall after Mass."
The
Blessing of the Icon of St George in the new Ethiopian Chapel on
Sunday 7th October 2007.
Shortly
before the Blessing it was viewed by HRH the Prince of Wales in
Liverpool Town Hall when the Prince visited the city to open the
restored St George's Hall.
Ethiopian Icon and the Prince of Wales
The Blessing of the Icon
Anointing the icon
Saturday 9th
December 2006
St
Agnes's hosts the Society of Mary December Festival. Here in the
porch of the church, just before the Bishop's Solemn Reception,
you see the Superior-General of the Society, the Bishop of
Whitby, flanked by deacons the Reverend Peter Anthony and the
Reverend Leonard Young, and the Chaplain-General, Fr Graeme Rowlands, who was Assistant Priest and Preacher.
The Society of
Mary October Devotion 2005
The 2005 October Devotion took place at St Agnes's. These
photographs show the Procession of Our Lady from St Agnes's to
St Clare's Roman Catholic Church.
St Agnes Day 2001.
At St Agnes day this year our
celebrant and Preacher was the Bishop of Whitby, The
Right Reverend Robert Ladds SSC.
This photo was taken after the
evening service. Only 9 hours later Fr Webb [left]
was on his was to Manchester Airport for a flight
to Australia.
The Deacon's Ordination.
Fr Martin's Ordination was a
frantic but happy time.
The Three Musketeers! Fr Webb,
Fr Daniels and Mr Atherton, our Reader.
Fr Daniels has a healthy appetite.
Assumption 2001.
The Bishop of Central Zambia Bishop Derek Kamukwamba preached at our Assumption Day Mass
We are fostering links with the Diocese of Central
Zambia, and her Cathedral church of the Holy Nativity in Ndola.
