Visit from St Petersburg

I know that this is out of date order, but I am only just now getting round to adding news to the blog!

It was a joy to welcome Fr Artemiy Skripkin from St Petersburg in May 2007. Fr Artemiy is well known for his work with the deaf community in St Petersburg, especially in devising liturgical translations for the community. There is also a great deal of interest in early Christian (Celtic) saints in Russia at the moment, and Fr Skripkin's church has an icon of St Patrick.

Fr Skripkin and I did a 'cooks tour' of St Drostan's world, with a visit to New Aberdour beach to the St Drostan's well, which marks the landing place of St Drostan, through to the area where his monastery may have been located in Old Deer and finally to the Book of Deer project office to see high quality images of the Book of Deer. We also had a chance to look at the Chapel of St Ethernan in Rathen, and the gravestone of Edvard Greig's great-grandparents.


It was a quick visit, only one day, but we were blessed greatly and wish Fr Skripkin well in the pastoral work.