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AECA Travel Award

DR CATHERINE REID is the winner of the AECA Travel Award in com-
memoration of the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan. Catherine
is currently an ordinand at Mir?eld reading for an MA in Theology and
Ministry. Her particular area of research is the Orthodox Liturgy and
the Anglican Eucharistic rite. Below is a brief account her time in Bela-
rus, and in due course we look forward to publishing her academic work
in this journal.

St Elisabeth’s Convent, Belarus

My name is Catherine Reid and I have almost ?nished training for or-
dained ministry at the College of the Resurrection in Mir?eld. I am a
Russian speaker and some years ago studied for my PhD in philosophy
at St Petersburg State University in Russia, where I completed a doc-
toral thesis on the Russian thinker, Nicolai Berdyaev. Since coming back
to England in 2008, and prior to entering training, I worked as a Rus-
sian interpreter and translator. Part of my current training at Mir?eld
has involved studying an MA in Ministry and Theology, which also in-
cludes a dissertation. The work of this dissertation was the purpose of
my visit to St Elisabeth’s. While wanting to simply experience the Di-
vine Liturgy in a monastic setting, and have the opportunity to discuss
any thoughts and questions, I also expected the visit to lead to further
study and thought relating to our own Anglican Eucharistic Rite, which
it has done, especially as regards eschatology and the Eucharist. Inter-
estingly, the visit and discussions also made me aware of how the Angli-
can Church was being perceived and understood in that place. People,
including Orthodox clergy, seemed very keen to talk and ask about re-
cent events in the church and news!

I went to stay at St Elisabeth’s Convent in Belarus during Great
Lent (1st-9th April, 2014). St Elisabeth’s is situated in a residential area
just outside the city of Minsk on the ring road. The actual convent is

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