On Saturday 1 November and Sunday 2 November we had services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Great-Martyr Artemius at Antioch (+362).  As the Saturday was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served immediately before the evening service.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday, the parish rector read the prayers of blessing over new burial shrouds and English-language copies of the Prayer of Absolution and the coronets ("venchiki") used at Orthodox Christian burials.  Also blessed were two sets of new service books for use during Great Lent - in Church Slavonic but printed in Russian font - and a number of icons of the Mother of God "Helper in Childbirth".  These icons are to be part of a gift bag that our parish is preparing - in conjunction with the parish of Saint Nicholas, Wallsend - for distribution to expectant mothers.  At the end of the service, the parish rector announced that the Annual General Meeting of parish members will be held on 30 November 2014.