On Tuesday 21 May and Wednesday 22 May we had services for the feast of Mid-Pentecost and in honour of the patronal feast of our parish, the commemoration of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  Mid-Pentecost is the twenty-fifth day of Pascha, half-way to the Great Feast of Pentecost on the fiftieth day. On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates Christ's teaching in the temple "in the midst of the Judaic feast" (John 7:14-30) and customarily blesses water as a sign of the grace of the Holy Spirit and with reference to the "living water" promised by our Lord Jesus Christ to all that believe in Him (John 7:37-38).  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Wednesday morning following a Lesser Blessing of Water.  Our small week-day congregation was augmented with visitors from the Serbian and Macedonian communities in Newcastle, this commemoration of Saint Nicholas being greatly loved amongst the Slavic peoples.