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Press Release: Ordinations of Bishops

PRESS RELEASE

We are pleased to announce the following:

– His Grace Bishop-elect Raphael of Ilion will be ordained on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, (Matins: 9:00 AM) at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Panteleimon and St. Paraskevi in Harrow, London.

– His Grace Bishop-elect Iakovos of Claudiopolis will be ordained on Thursday, March 11, 2021, (Matins: 9:00 AM) at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Divine Wisdom in Bayswater, London.

Patriarchal Catechetical Homily on Holy & Great Lent 2024

Ecumenical Patriarchate

Prot. No. 152

CATECHETICAL HOMILY
FOR THE OPENING
OF HOLY AND GREAT LENT

+ BARTHOLOMEW
BY GOD’S MERCY
ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE-NEW ROME
AND ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH
TO THE PLENITUDE OF THE CHURCH,
MAY THE GRACE AND PEACE
OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST,
TOGETHER WITH OUR PRAYER, BLESSING AND FORGIVENESS
BE WITH ALL

* * *

Most honorable brother Hierarchs and blessed children in the Lord,

The grace of our God of love has once again vouchsafed for us to enter the soul-benefiting period of the Lenten Triodion and arrive at Holy and Great Lent, namely to the arena of ascetic struggle replete with gifts from above and the joy of the Cross and Resurrection. During this blessed period, the spiritual treasure and dynamism of the ecclesiastical life as well as the soteriological reference of all its expressions are revealed with clarity.

We have already learned much from the impasse and self-righteous arrogance of the Pharisee, from the barren moralism and hard-heartedness of the elder son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and from the callousness and condemnation on the Day of Judgment of those who proved indifferent to the “least of our brothers” that were hungry, thirsty, foreigners, naked, ill, and imprisoned. Moreover, the value and power of humility and repentance, of forgiveness and mercy were revealed to us as attitudes that the Church emphatically calls us to nurture in the period that opens up before us.

Holy and Great Lent is a welcome time of spiritual, inner and physical purification and discipline, which—as we just heard in the Gospel passage that was read—traverses through fasting, which should not be practiced “so that others may see,” and through forgiveness of our brothers and sisters: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you” (Mt. 6.14). After all, this is what we confess each day with the Lord’s Prayer, when we say: “as we forgive the sins of our debtors” (Mt. 6.12).

Yesterday, on Cheesefare Saturday, the Church honored the memory of the saintly men and women who shone in ascetic life. Saints are not only models for the faithful in the good fight of life in Christ and according to Christ. They are also our fellow travelers, friends and supporters in the ascetic journey of fasting, repentance, and humility. We are not alone in our effort, but we have God, who encourages and blesses us, as well as the Saints and Martyrs, who stand beside us, and above all the First among the Saints and Mother of God, who intercedes for us all to the Lord. Sanctity is proof of the power of divine grace and the human synergy in the Church, which takes place through participation in the holy sacraments and fulfillment of the divine commandments. There is no “gratuitous piety” or “easy Christianity,” just as there is no “wide gate” or “spacious way” that leads to the heavenly Kingdom (cf. Mt. 7.13–14).

The Church constantly reminds us that salvation is not an individual, but an ecclesiastical event, a common discipline. During the God-guarded Holy and Great Lent, what becomes apparent for the spiritual life of the faithful is the definitive meaning of participation in the life of the community—that is to say, in the Christian family and parish, or else in the monastic coenobium. We would like to highlight the function of the Christian family as a community of life for the experience of Great Lent’s spirituality. Our predecessor among the Saints, John Chrysostom, described the family as “a small Church.”[1] Indeed, it is in the family that occurs the rendering of our existence into that of the church; it is there that the sense of the social and communal character of human life and the life in Christ as well as the love, mutual respect and solidarity are developed; and it is there that the life and joy of cohabitation are experienced as a divine gift.

The joint endeavor to apply the ecclesiastical rule and ethos of fasting in the context of the family manifests the charismatic dimension of ascetic life and, more broadly, the conviction that whatever is true, honorable, and rightful in our life comes to us from above; that despite our own cooperation and contribution, in the end they transcend whatever is humanly achievable and accessible. After all, the communal aspect of life, the love for one another that does not seek its own, and the virtue of forgiveness, do not allow room for human rights-ism and complacency. An expression of such a spirit of “common freedom” and eucharistic asceticism is precisely the inseparable connection between fasting, charity, and participation in the parish and liturgical life of the Church. Living out this “Lenten spirit” within a Christian family leads us to the depth of truth in the ecclesiastical experience and constitutes the birthplace and source of Christian witness in our secularized contemporary world.

Brothers and children, pray that we may all travel with godly zeal along the way of Holy and Great Lent with fasting and repentance, in prayer and contrition, making peace within ourselves and with one another, sharing in life and showing ourselves to be “neighbors” to those in need through charitable works, forgiving one another and glorifying in all circumstances the God of mercy’s name, which is above the heavens, beseeching Him to deem us worthy of reaching Holy and Great Week with purified minds and of worshipping with joy and delight His splendid Resurrection.

Holy and Great Lent 2024

+ BARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople

Fervent supplicant for all before God

[1] Commentary on the Letter to the Ephesians 20, PG 62.143.

Archbishop Nikitas visits the Church of the Annunciation in Middlesbrough

 

On Sunday, 10th March 2024, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Middlesbrough. Also serving were the Revd Prof. Nikita Banev, Priest-in-charge of the community, and the Revd Archdeacon Dr George Tsourous.

In his sermon, His Eminence invited the congregation to extend their focus beyond the stricter fasting practices observed during Holy and Great Lent, and to embrace Lent as a comprehensive journey of faith, and to look with anticipation to Christ’s glorious Resurrection.

Elaborating on the Gospel reading of the Last Judgement, His Eminence underscored that the truth of the Gospel is realised in acts of selfless compassion toward our fellow human beings: offering comfort to the afflicted, tending to the sick, and generally striving to embody Christ’s sacrificial love in our daily lives. The Church offers us this particular Gospel reading as we stand on the threshold of Holy and Great Lent in order to call us to deeper introspection and accountability for our actions.

His Eminence encouraged almsgiving during Lent and emphasised that true wealth is found in our relationships—with God and with those around us. “Lent calls us to scrutinize our lives and to radiate the joy of the Resurrection and the love of Christ, for He is the cornerstone of our being.” His Eminence concluded by reflecting on the special unity of Church communities, brought together in Jesus Christ through the Holy Sacraments.

His Eminence also congratulated the community in Middlesbrough for the recent revitalization that they have experienced under the leadership of Fr Nikita Banev after the parish had been closed for several years.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence tonsured Professor Georgios Antonopoulos and Mr Symeon Banev as Readers. Following the Liturgy, the community warmly welcomed His Eminence at a reception hosted in his honour, where the faithful had the opportunity to meet with their Archbishop and receive his blessing.

Easter celebrations for the Greek-Cypriot Metropolitan Police Association

This morning, Friday, 15 March 2024, on behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, the Revd Oeconomos Demetrianos-Christakis Melekis attended the annual Easter celebration hosted at New Scotland Yard by the Metropolitan Police Service Greek and Cypriot Association.

Fr Demetrianos read a message of greeting from His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas, who thanked the members of the association and all of their colleagues for their courage, sacrifice, and dedication in the line of duty, assuring them of the prayers and support of the faithful of the Archdiocese. His Eminence also conveyed his wishes for a joyous Easter celebration to those who will observe the Feast of our Lord’s Resurrection in two weeks’ time, as well as a blessed beginning to Holy and Great Lent for all Orthodox Christians.

The Revd Protopresbyter Joseph Paliouras then led the Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music in chanting several Lenten hymns to honour the gathering.

Encyclical for the Beginning of Holy and Great Lent 2024

Each year at the appointed time, as winter gives way to spring, we prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies to embark on the sacred journey of Holy and Great Lent. This journey leads us along a specially prepared path from the final days of Christ’s earthly ministry to His unjust condemnation, His extreme humiliation, His voluntary passion and crucifixion on the Cross, finally, arriving at the heart of our Christian faith: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Holy and Great Lent is also an invitation to participate in Christ’s Resurrection through repentance. Repentance is much more than an exercise in abstinence or a temporary intensifying of our efforts; it is a summons to realign every aspect of our being according to the example of Christ’s perfect love. Repentance helps us to acquire “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” of the salvific victory over death and corruption and to live it for ourselves.

Every Sunday Matins during the pre-Lenten period and then throughout Holy and Great Lent, we chant, “Open to me the gates of repentance, O Giver of Life, for early in the morning my spirit hastens to Your holy temple…”. Repentance may begin with feelings of grief and remorse for our sins, but the fruits of repentance cultivate within us a desire to continually seek God, to partake more fully in the joy of Christ’s Resurrection. We begin to quench our thirst from the “spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14), especially once we realize that every other earthly promise of ‘salvation’ and ‘resurrection’ is insufficient; it is like drinking water that will only cause us to thirst again.

The Sunday Gospel readings of the last three weeks before Lent provide us with important guidelines for our repentance, certain conditions for accepting the Resurrected Christ into our hearts. The parable of the Publican and the Pharisee warns us to scrutinize our motivations in order to avoid the delusions of pride and self-righteousness, while pointing to the prudence of approaching God with humility and a contrite heart. The story of the Prodigal Son illustrates God’s unfailing readiness to welcome us back into His loving embrace, no matter how far we may have strayed. The account of the Last Judgment reminds us how surprising it can be to realize that opportunities for repentance and salvation are always before us, that the risen Christ is present in every moment of our lives and in every interaction, even with the “least of our brethren”. “Lord, when did we see you…?”

Equipped with these lessons, how, then, do we engage in the work of repentance? The Church, in her wisdom, provides us with particular ascetic practices that help us to discern the reality of the Resurrection in our daily lives. Through fasting, prayer, almsgiving, vigilance, obedience, silence, and other ascetic efforts, we demonstrate and strengthen our willingness to cooperate with Christ’s love. We learn to allow His life-giving power to transform us, according to His will. These particular forms of asceticism are not, of course, ends in themselves, but means of seizing the Resurrection and placing it at the centre of our lives; in other words, they can teach us to cry out as the Penitent Thief, “Lord, remember me in Your Kingdom”. The asceticism of the Church is a great gift; it is the pen and ink with which we can write our own personal love letters of humility and thanksgiving to our Creator and our fellow human beings—not an alibi to feed our own self-justification, or a regimen to build up our ego and desensitize our hearts to the needs of those around us. “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:3).

Our Holy Fathers and Mothers, the “great cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us, beseech us to not be indifferent about our salvation, but to run the road of repentance to find refuge in our Father’s house. Saint Symeon the New Theologian entreats us, “I, therefore, beg all of you, beloved fathers and brothers, and I will never stop begging your love not to be indifferent about your salvation”.

Come then, sisters and brothers, beloved people of God, and let us keep our eyes fixed on the joy of the Resurrection. Let our repentance be genuine and our hearts open to the transfiguring grace of God. May our Lenten journey be one of profound renewal, leading us to the glorious celebration of the Festival of festivals with hearts full of doxology and gratitude.

May the mercy, peace, and love of God be with all of us as we begin our annual Lenten pilgrimage to Pascha.

With paternal love and blessings,

Holy and Great Lent, 2024

+ Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain

Окружное послание к началу Святого и Великого поста 2024 года Его Высокопреосвященства Архиепископа Никиты Фиатирского и Великобританского

Каждый год в определённое Церковью время, когда зима сменяется весной, мы предуготовляем наши сердца, ум и тело к священному поприщу Святого и Великого поста. Это шествие ведет нас по особым образом проторенной стези последних дней земного служения Христа, ведущей к Его неправедному осуждению, Его крайнему уничижению, Его добровольному  страданию и распятию на Кресте, подводя нас в итоге к главному событию  нашей христианской веры: Воскресению Господа нашего Иисуса Христа. Святой и Великий пост – есть призыв соучаствовать в Воскресении Христовом через покаяние. Покаяние – есть нечто большее, чем просто подвиг воздержания или период особых усилий; это призыв преобразить каждый аспект нашего бытия по образу всесовершенной любви Христа. Покаяние помогает нам обрести «очи, чтобы узреть» и «уши, чтобы внять» спасительной победе над смертью и тлением, и пережить ее самим.

Каждую воскресную утреню в предпостный период, а затем в течение всего Святого и Великого поста мы воспеваем: «Покаяния двери отверзи ми, Живодавче, утреннеет бо дух мой ко храму святому Твоему…». Покаяние может начаться с чувства скорби и раскаяния о наших грехах, но плоды покаяния воспитывают в нас желание постоянного искания Бога, более полного причащения радости Воскресения Христова. Мы начинаем утолять нашу жажду из «источника воды, текущей в жизнь вечную» (Ин. 4:14), особенно когда осознаем, что никакие земные обетования «спасения» и «воскресения» не смогут нас удовлетворить; подобно питьевой воде, которая неизменно вызывает жажду.

Воскресные евангельские чтения последних трёх недель перед Великим постом намечают важные ориентиры для нашего покаяния, определённые условия для приятия Воскресшего Христа в наши сердца. Притча о мытаре и фарисее предлагает нам тщательно рассмотреть свои побуждения, чтобы не пасть жертвой заблуждения гордости и самодовольства, призывая нас к благоразумию, чтобы приблизиться к Богу во смирении и с сокрушенным сердцем. История о блудном сыне являет нам неизменную   благорасположенность Бога принять нас обратно во Свои любящие объятия, как бы далеким не было наше отпадение. Повествование о Страшном суде напоминает нам, насколько неожиданно может прийти к нам сознание, что нам всегда предоставлена возможность покаяния и спасения, что воскресший Христос присутствует в каждом моменте нашей жизни и в каждом повседневном общении, даже с «наименьшими из наших братьев»: «Господи, когда мы видели Тебя…?»

Усвоив эти наставления, каким образом сможем мы приступить к деланию покаяния? Церковь в своей мудрости предлагает нам особые аскетические подвиги, способствующие нам увидеть реальность Воскресения в нашей повседневной жизни. Постом, молитвой, милостыней, бдением, послушанием, безмолвием и другими подвигами – является и укрепляется наш настрой соработствовать Христовой любви. Мы научаемся предаваться преобразующему действию Его животворящей силы, согласно Его воле. Эти особые виды подвигов, конечно, не самоцель, а лишь средство к постижению Воскресения, поставляющим его, Воскресение, в основу нашей жизни; другими словами, подвиги могут приучить нас к молитвенному воззванию, подобному гласу кающегося разбойника: «Господи, помяни мя в Царствии Твоем». Подвижничество Церкви есть великий дар; это перо и чернила, с помощью которых мы можем писать наши личные любовные послания смирения и благодарности нашему Создателю и нашим собратьям-человекам, а не предлог для подпитки нашей самоправедности и не способ самовозвеличения, ведущего к омертвению наших сердец к нуждам окружающих. «Соблюдение правды и правосудия более угодно Господу, нежели жертва» (Притчи 21:3).

Наши Святые Отцы и Матери, «великий сонм свидетелей», окружающий нас, умоляют нас не быть равнодушными к нашему спасению, но течь путем покаяния, чтобы найти прибежище в доме Отца нашего. Святитель Симеон Новый Богослов умоляет нас: «Итак умоляю всех вас, возлюбленные отцы и братья, и никогда не перестану умолять вашу любовь не быть равнодушными к вашему спасению».

Придите же, сестры и братья, возлюбленные люди Божии, и устремим взоры наши к радости Воскресения. Пусть наше покаяние будет искренним, а наши сердца — открытыми для преображающей благодати Божией. Пусть наше постное поприще будет поприщем глубокого обновления, ведущим нас к славному празднованию Праздника праздников с сердцами, исполненными славословия и благодарности.

Да пребудет со всеми нами милость, мир и любовь Божия в начале нашего ежегодного великопостного шествия к Пасху.

С отеческой любовью и благословением,

Святой и Великий пост, 2024 г.

+ Архиепископ Фиатирский и Великобританский Никита

Enciclică pentru începutul Sfântului și Marelui Post 2024

În fiecare an, la vremea rânduită, când iarna face loc primăverii, ne pregătim inimile, mințile și trupurile pentru binecuvântata călătorie a Sfântului și Marelui Post. Această călătorie ne îndreaptă pașii pe o cale anume pregătită pentru noi, de la ultimele zile ale slujirii lui Hristos pe pământ, la nedreapta Sa osândire, la smerirea desăvârșită pe care a răbdat-o, la patima Sa cea de bunăvoie și răstignirea pe Cruce, ajungând în cele din urmă până la inima credinței noastre creștine: Învierea Domnului nostru Iisus Hristos. Sfântul și Marele Post este de asemenea o chemare de a ne împărtăși de Învierea lui Hristos prin pocăință. Pocăința este mai mult decât o nevoință de înfrânare sau o întețire vremelnică a strădaniilor noastre; este o chemare de a ne reorândui fiecare aspect al ființei noastre după pilda iubirii desăvârșite a lui Hristos. Pocăința ne ajută să dobândim „ochi de văzut” și „urechi de auzit” vestea biruinței mântuitoare asupra morții și stricăciunii și să o trăim noi înșine în viața noastră.

În perioada premergătoare Sfântului și Marelui Post și apoi pe tot parcursul Postului, cântăm în fiecare duminică la Utrenie: „Ușile pocăinței deschide-mi mie, Dătătorule de viață, că mânecă duhul meu la Biserica Ta cea sfântă…”. Pocăința poate începe cu simțăminte de mâhnire și regret pentru păcatele noastre, însă roadele pocăinței fac să crească în noi dorința de a-L căuta neîncetat pe Dumnezeu, de a ne împărtăși mai deplin de bucuria Învierii lui Hristos. Începem să ne adăpăm din „izvorul de apă curgătoare spre viața veșnică” (In. 4, 14), mai ales după ce înțelegem că orice altă făgăduință pământească de „mântuire” și „înviere” este neîndestulătoare, ca o apă ce nu potolește setea.

Evangheliile celor trei duminici dinaintea Postului Mare ne dau prețioase îndrumări pentru pocăința noastră, arătându-ne condițiile necesare pentru a-L primi pe Hristos cel Înviat în inimile noastre. Pilda vameșului și a fariseului ne îndeamnă să ne cercetăm cu luare aminte înclinările inimii pentru a ocoli amăgirile mândriei și ale îndreptățirii de sine, arătându-ne totodată că înțelept este a ne apropia de Dumnezeu cu smerenie și inimă înfrântă. În Pilda fiului risipitor învățăm că Dumnezeu este pururea gata să ne primească din nou în îmbrățișarea Sa iubitoare, oricât de departe am fi rătăcit. Evanghelia Judecății de Apoi ne amintește cu câtă uimire ne dăm seama că avem mereu înaintea noastră prilejuri de pocăință și de mântuire, că Hristos cel Înviat este prezent în fiecare clipă a vieții noastre și în fiecare întâlnire, chiar și cu „cel mai mic dintre frații noștri”. „Doamne, când Te-am văzut noi pe Tine…?”.

Așadar, întăriți cu aceste lecții, cum vom purcede la lucrarea pocăinței? Biserica, în înțelepciunea ei, ne pune înainte anumite nevoințe care ne ajută să ne încredințăm de adevărul Învierii în viața noastră de zi cu zi. Prin post, rugăciune, milostenie, priveghere, ascultare, tăcere și alte nevoințe, ne arătăm și ne întărim dorința de a împreună-lucra cu dragostea lui Hristos. Învățăm să îngăduim puterii Sale dătătoare de viață să ne preschimbe după voia Lui. Aceste forme de nevoință nu sunt desigur, scopuri în sine, ci mijloace de a lua Învierea și a o așeza în centrul vieții noastre; cu alte cuvinte, aceste nevoințe ne pot învăța să strigăm împreună cu tâlharul pocăit: „Pomenește-mă, Doamne, întru Împărăția Ta”. Nevoința Bisericii este un mare dar: este condeiul și cerneala cu care putem scrie scrisorile noastre de dragoste, de smerenie și de mulțumire Ziditorului nostru și semenilor noștri. Prin nevoință nu căutăm să ne hrănim îndreptățirea și iubirea de sine, nici să ne lăsăm inimile să devină nesimțitoare față de nevoile celor din jurul nostru, căci: „Făptuirea dreptății și a judecății este mai de preț pentru Domnul decât jertfa sângeroasă” (Pilde 21, 3).

Sfinții noștri Părinți și Cuvioasele noastre Maici, „norul de mărturii” care ne înconjoară, ne roagă cu tot dinadinsul să nu fim nepăsători față de mântuirea noastră, ci să alergăm pe cărarea pocăinței pentru a afla adăpost în casa Tatălui nostru. Sfântul Simeon Noul Teolog ne îndeamnă cu stăruință: „Rogu-vă pe toți, iubiții mei părinți și frați – și nu voi înceta a cerși iubirii voastre – să nu fiți nepăsători față de mântuirea voastră”.

Veniți deci, surori și frați, iubit popor al lui Dumnezeu, să ne ținem ochii ațintiți asupra bucuriei Învierii. Pocăința să ne fie adevărată și inimile deschise prefacerilor harului lui Dumnezeu. Să ne fie călătoria Postului Mare un prilej de adâncă înnoire și să ne călăuzească la Praznicul praznicelor cu inimi pline de slavoslovie și de recunoștință.

Mila, pacea și dragostea lui Dumnezeu să fie cu noi cu toți cei care ne începem pelerinajul către Înviere și în anul acesta.

Cu dragoste părintească și binecuvântare,

Sfântul și Marele Post, 2024

+ Arhiepiscopul Nichita al Thyateirei și al Marii Britanii

Lenten Youth Retreat

Lenten Youth Retreat

Lenten Youth Retreat

COTY events are open to all young people ages 16-35.

Our first ever COTY Lenten Retreat will take place on Saturday, 13 April 2024, at St Mary’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Camberwell. Please click here to register for this event: www.ticketsource.co.uk/coty/t-gagxzoy

(Responding “Going” or “Interested” on this event page does not complete your registration — please ensure you officially register through the provided link.)

We will begin our retreat at 9:30 am with a celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Our gracious host parish will provide breakfast and coffee before we listen to our three speakers, each of whom will offer their personal reflections, exploring the connection between our Lenten journey to Pascha and The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus. Lunch will be provided in the afternoon.

His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas will be joining us as our main speaker, followed by a Father of the Monastic Community of St John the Baptist in Essex, and finally we will hear from the Protosyncellus of our Archdiocese and COTY trustee, the Very Revd Archimandrite Nephon Tsimalis.

This is a free event generously organized by St Mary’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral with a subsidy from COTY. We hope to see you there!

Please help us spread the word about our Lenten retreat to the Orthodox Christian youth of London by sharing our event on your Facebook page.

We wish you all a blessed Holy and Great Lent.

St Mary’s Cathedral: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067342403062
COTY website: www.coty.org.uk
COTY Instagram page: www.instagram.com/coty_org