FRIENDS OF MOUNT
ATHOS
(Registered
Charity No. 1047287)
The notice for this yearÕs AGM is enclosed. As usual, the proceedings will be chaired by His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia. We hope that the programme will prove to be interesting and that it will attract a good turn-out.
The
first speaker is Sister Benedicta Ward, SLG, of the Anglican Convent of the Incarnation at
Fairacres, Oxford. Her subject is ŌThe Desert Fathers and the Love of OthersÕ.
Sister Benedicta is Reader in the History of Christian Spirituality in the
University of Oxford, she teaches for the Faculty of Theology, and is a
Supernumerary Fellow of Harris Manchester College. She has written widely on
early monasticism and the Middle Ages, and in particular she is the translator
of The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, a classic of Christian spirituality that was first
published in 1975. Her other publications include The Wisdom of the Desert
Fathers, a translation of
the shorter Anonymous Series of apophthegmata, and The Harlots of the Desert, a translation of the lives of penitents
and study of contrition in the early Church. It is particularly appropriate
that we should have Sister Benedicta to speak to us after our recent pilgrimage
to the Egyptian desert.
Our
second speaker is John Arnell who is well known to members of the Friends as the leader and prime
mover of our footpath project. Now in its ninth year, this programme, which was
the direct result of an initiative of HRH The Prince of Wales, brings together
a group of volunteers who every year spend two weeks on the Holy Mountain
clearing footpaths and mule-tracks, restoring fountains, and erecting signposts
for the benefit of pilgrims who choose to experience Athos in the traditional
way: on foot. John will be describing the history of the project, why it was
necessary in the first place, what it has achieved so far, what are its goals
for the future. He and his team will recently have returned from yet another
expedition in May and will bring to the meeting news of the latest developments
and some of the highlights of this yearÕs tour.
Between
the two talks, and after lunch if you choose to take it, we shall conduct the
official business of the AGM itself and as usual there will be elections. Three
members of the Executive Committee have reached the end of their term of office
and will tender their resignation: Graham Speake (Secretary), David Cadman, and
Alasdair Cross. All three have indicated their willingness to stand again. Any
further nominations for these positions should reach the Secretary in writing
at least one week before the meeting. Guests are welcome to attend the AGM but
may not vote.
After
tea there will be an opportunity to join the Orthodox community at 1 Canterbury
Road (five minutesÕ walk from St AnneÕs) for a vigil service at 5.30 pm. Both
Orthodox and non-Orthodox members and their guests are warmly invited to attend
this service which will last about an hour. The languages used will be mostly
English and Slavonic.
Attendance
at the AGM is free. The charge for attending the rest of the day (including
morning coffee and afternoon tea) is £10.00 each (students £5.00); and there
will be a buffet lunch costing £15.00. Completed forms and cheques (payable to
the Friends of Mount Athos) should be sent as soon as possible to Michael
Naldrett, Flat 2, 17 Primrose Gardens, London NW3 4UJ.
The fourth edition
of the PilgrimÕs Guide to Mount Athos has just been published and is available from the
Secretary at £7.50 per copy inclusive of UK p&p. Members wishing to pay in
US dollars may order the guide from Professor Robert Allison @ $15.00 per copy.
This spring another expedition, the ninth, will be dispatched to the Mountain for a fortnight in May. The list for this year is already full and there is a waiting list, but the project leader, John Arnell, will soon be assembling a team for next year and any members of the society who wish to volunteer their services are encouraged to contact him (John@thearnells.org).
This yearÕs pilgrimage to the Black Sea area of northern Turkey (Ani, Ararat, Artvin, Kars, and Lake Van as well as Trebizond, Soumela Monastery, and Pontus villages) will run from 24 October to 1 November. Major Byzantine, Greek, Georgian, and Armenian sites and monuments will be visited and we shall benefit from the services of an excellent guide. Accommodation is in 3- and 4-star hotels. The cost of the tour, which is being led by Metropolitan Kallistos, is approximately £1000 per person. Anyone interested in joining the group should contact Dimitri Conomos (dimitri.ec@btinternet.com) as soon as possible.
The Convent of the
Annunciation of Our Lady at Ormylia (Halkidiki), a daughter house of
Simonopetra, is pleased to invite up to six female members of the Friends for a
retreat from 2 to 5 May 2009. This will be largely a time of quiet, prayer, and
reflection, but at the same time pilgrims will enjoy all the liturgical and
environmental delights of the monastery and the company of 140 sisters from all
over the world. The total cost will be around £450–£500 including travel.
Those interested should contact Dimitri Conomos (dimitri.ec@btinternet.com) as
soon as possible.
Applications are invited from suitably qualified graduate students working for a higher degree or diploma at institutions of higher learning in the UK for the Friends of Mount Athos Travel Bursary. Applicants may be drawn from any discipline but should be already engaged in or willing to become engaged in a project with a specifically Athonite context. The value of the award is £500. Applications, accompanied by the names and addresses of two referees, should be addressed to the Secretary (speakeg@aol.com).
At a recent
meeting the Executive Committee agreed to offer pensioners a concessionary rate
of £150 ($300) for life membership.