Welcome

Welcome to our website which we hope will be of interest or a source of information to you. Ours is a parish of the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, which is in communion with all the canonical Orthodox Churches and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In line with Orthodox practice, our services are in the language of the people; in our case, English, Orthodox visitors of other backgrounds saying the Lord's Prayer in their native tongue. 

The Orthodox Church lies in a tradition that goes back in an unbroken line to the Church of the Apostles and the earthly life of Christ Himself. We are often portayed as a very conservative church but this is a matter of faith and history; one cannot change the truth to fit into a very fleeting, passing, timescale when viewed with the eternity of God and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

In our church you will see many icons of Christ, the Mother of God and many saints and sacred events; a feature of Orthodoxy that proclaims the Incarnation of our Lord and God Jesus Christ and are often referred to as "windows into heaven". The priestly vestments are very beautiful; not for the glorification of the clergy but for the glory of sinful humanity transformed by the Grace of God. The Divine Liturgy is the principal service, when the faithful may receive the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Incense is used in all our services and permeates the fabric of the church itself. Thus we have a church that is internally very beautiful visually, has the aroma of sanctity and our ears are filled with beautiful music (Just human voices: instruments are not allowed). In some way the church building reflects the glory of Heaven and a place fitting for God.

Anyone may come to our church to "have a look" and you are assured of a warm welcome. Do not worry about how to act or what to do; just let the experience take care of itself. If you need any information about any aspect of our church or the Orthodox Church in general, do not hesitate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Fr. George (Evans), Parish Priest.

Fr George's Letter for July

ALL SAINTS OF BRITAIN

On Sunday 7th July, we celebrate All Saints of Britain on these islands of ours. Our first martyr was a Romano Briton, St. Alban, when the then all powerful Roman Empire held sway over this land. We also have a tradition that St. Joseph of Arimathea came to us and built the first Christian church in Britain at Glastonbury*, a far cry from the Glastonbury Festival of our times. The Saxons in their turn came to this land and, when they adopted Christianity, produced saints.

Down the centuries the saints of our land have come from many backgrounds and culture contributing to the great witness of our Faith. The patron saint of the Archdiocese is St. Theodore of Tarsus, who was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 7th century, and who is believed to have studied in Antioch and Constantinople and was of Greek Byzantine descent. Where did our own St. Columba and St. Kentigern inherit the Christian Faith from? The answer is, someone or rather some groups of Christians  must have come a long way from the east to these islands to spread the Faith.

In our own day, by the Grace of God, the Faith of the Apostles has once again been brought  to our land. Orthodox Christianity is the Catholic (i.e. universal) faith of the Church which, down the years, has been a light in a world of gloom. Who would have thought that in my lifetime the unthinkable would have happened and we would have an English speaking Orthodox Church led by our beloved Metropolitan Silouan who came from the East to be our Archbishop?

May All the Saints of Britain pray for our fledgeling Church that our witness is passed on to generations yet unborn, who will also rejoice in the Risen Lord.

Please continue to pray for Fr. David at this time.

Much Love,

Fr. George.

*Our cover picture this month shows Glastonbury Tor. Of course the Tower and other buildings, other than maybe a few stone age round houses, would not have been there at the time of Our Lord but the Tor itself (i.e. the hill) most certainly would have been visible to the young Jesus, assuming he did ever come to England. Subdeacon James.