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Lichfield 98

The Lichfield Pilgrimage

The Deanery Pilgrimage to Lichfield in veneration of St. Chad on 18 July was a great success again this year. We were honoured this year to have His Grace, Bishop Basil of Sergievo (Diocese of Sourozh, Moscow Patriarchate) serve at the Divine Liturgy in Lichfield Cathedral and lead the Pilgrimage to the Well of St. Chad some 15 minutes walk from the centre of the city.

The Deanery presented an icon of St. Chad to the Anglican Dean of Lichfield Cathedral, Dr. Tom Wright, whose hospitality we shared. The icon had been written by Fr Aidan of the Hermitage of St. Antony and St. Cuthbert who explained the purpose of the veneration of icons in the Orthodox Church upon the presentation.

We were blessed with glorious weather again for the procession to the Well for the Molieben and Blessing of the Waters, deftly avoiding a rather bemused wedding entourage which had arrived at nearby Anglican church! The waters at the well are remarkably sweet; but we should not be surprised. The sanctity and missionary endeavours of St. Chad are part of the bedrock of the Orthodox Church in Great Britain. We have indeed tasted and seen that the Lord is good.

Below you will find a gallery of thumbnail prints of the day with links to larger versions of the photographs.


The three spires of Lichfield Cathedral	Another view of Lichfield Cathedral	Bishop Basil and concelebrating priests of the Deanery	The Great Entrance during the Liturgy


Bishop Basil with Fr Gregory and Marina Simons (from the Greek Archdiocese)	Fr John Jillions, priest in the Diocese of Sourozh	Fr Samuel and the servers prepare for the procession to St. Chad's Well	Bishop Basil in the procession to the well


Fr Michael assembles for the procession	Jeanne, Spyridon and the west end of Lichfield Cathedral	The priests process past the west end of the Cathedral	The Veneration at the Well of St. Chad


Bishop Basil at the Blessing of the Waters	Sprinkling at St. Chad's Well	A group of pilgrims from the Orthodox Community of St. Aidan, Manchester	The Russian Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints, London