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.
On Holy Friday, 3rd May 2024, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain presided over Matins and the Service of Holy Friday (Epitaphios Lamentation) at the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of St John the Baptist in Essex.
On the Sunday of Holy Pascha, 5th May 2024, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain led the Agape Vespers at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Divine Wisdom in Bayswater. Serving with the Archbishop during this celebratory service were the V. Revd Archimandrite Nephon Tsimalis, Protosyncellus; the V. Revd Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne, Theonas Bakalis; the Revd Presbyter Andreas Minic; Revd Archdeacon George Tsourous; and Reverend Deacons Dimitrios Mamouchas and Georgios Ntallas.
At the conclusion of the service, His Eminence warmly greeted the attendees, offering them heartfelt Paschal wishes and distributing red eggs, as per tradition, symbolising new life.
On Holy Wednesday, 1st May 2024, the Orthodox community of St Columba, Inverness received their first arch-pastoral visit from His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, accompanied by His Grace Bishop Raphael of Ilion.
Upon their arrival, Archbishop Nikitas presided over the Service of the Unction. Post-service, he was greeted by the V. Reverend Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Antonios Kakalis, the parish’s Priest-in-charge, who expressed the community’s gratitude for this significant visit.
A reception followed, hosted by the Parish Council, which provided an intimate setting for His Eminence, His Grace and parishioners to connect. During this time, Archbishop Nikitas invited questions from the attendees, focusing on aspects of faith and the diverse ministries within the Archdiocese.
Further enriching the visit, Archbishop Nikitas offered thoughtful pastoral guidance to strengthen the parish’s ministry. He addressed various topics during his interactions, including missionary work, the challenges of modern society, and educational programs for catechism and youth, committed to nurturing both faith and community life.
In two lines, Saint Mark the Ascetic encapsulates the history of our salvation, the story of God’s love:
Christ is Master by virtue of His own essence and Master by virtue of His incarnate life. For He creates man from nothing, and through His own Blood redeems him when dead in sin; and to those who believe in Him He has given His grace.
Indeed, the created world and all of humanity were dead in sin because of the original transgression of the first-created. Every generation that followed was trapped in this state of death. Death is the tragedy of being cut off from life — not only in the hour of death when our soul is separated from our body, but, more essentially, death is estrangement from the source of being, that is, a state of separation from God Himself.
Christ, our Lord and God, took it upon Himself to rectify this estrangement, to heal this state of separation. He “came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man,” so that He could walk among us, preach to us, teach us, heal us, and lovingly prepare us for reunion with His heavenly Father. His sacrifice on the Cross saved the world by vanquishing death — not with mighty legions of angels or armies with swords, not by decree or through force, but by humbly receiving unjust blows and enduring mockery, and, finally, through the shedding of His own blood. His sacrifice transformed a terrifying instrument of death into the eternal sign of hope, salvation, and forgiveness. His death set the universe aright because it was impossible for Him who is the Author of life to remain a captive of death. And when He arose, He raised up our nature with Himself, so that through death, we are now liberated from death. Christ not only reunited what had been divided, but also recreated humankind in His Resurrected image and likeness. This mystical Passover changed the course of history and inaugurated a new reality of eternal life. As Saint John Chrysostom writes in his Paschal Catechetical Homily, “For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first fruits of those who sleep.”
So, beloved people of God, the days of fasting have come to an end, and we enter into the joy, splendour, and light of the glorious Resurrection of Christ. The door to salvation is open and all are invited to step forward without fear in their hearts, “Therefore, all of you enter into the joy of our Lord: first and last, enjoy your reward. Rich and poor dance together. Sober and slothful honour the day. Fasters and non-fasters be glad together.” The Resurrected Christ invites all of us into the embrace of His outstretched arms, so that He might speak the promise of His New Covenant into our hearts in a still small voice, “You are forgiven and I offer you eternal life.” The joyful message of our Saviour is extended to every person, and it will take root and bear fruit in the fertile soil of every willing and humble heart, no matter his or her past, no matter his or her life. “Let no one bewail their faults: for forgiveness has risen from the tomb, for this is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
As adopted children of God through the grace of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, as recipients of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who seals the members of the Body of the Church with redemption and empowers us to live in faith and goodness, we affirm the good news of the Resurrection, confessing and proclaiming that He is our Lord and our God. And let those who doubt consider the “good disbelief” of Thomas the disciple, whose scepticism was welcomed by our Lord. Christ did not chastise Thomas, but invited him to place his hand on the scars of His wounds. Even those of us who profess the Resurrection, should we have any kind of doubt lurking in our innermost hearts, can expect the same welcoming answer from our Lord, who Himself is gentle and lowly in heart.
Let us now put all else to the side and together proclaim the joyous message — “CHRIST IS RISEN – TRULY – HE IS RISEN”. Let the world know that there is a community, a people, that still believes and confesses the great love of God, Who so loves the world that He gave us His Only Begotten Son, so that we might have eternal life.
With paternal love and blessings in the Risen Lord,
Holy and Great Pascha 2024
✠ Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira
and Great Britain
Prot. No. 244
+ B A R T H O L O M E W
BY GOD’S MERCY
ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE-NEW ROME
AND ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH
TO THE PLENITUDE OF THE CHURCH:
MAY THE GRACE, PEACE AND MERCY OF CHRIST RISEN IN GLORY
BE WITH YOU ALL
* * *
Most honorable brother Hierarchs and beloved children in the Lord,
By the pleasure and grace of God, the giver of all gifts, having run the race of Holy and Great Lent and spent with compunction the Week of our Lord’s Passion, behold we delight in the celebration of His splendid Resurrection, through which we were redeemed from the tyranny of Hades.
The glorious Resurrection of the Lord Christ from the dead is a shared resurrection of the entire race of mortals and a foretaste of the perfection of all, as well as of the fulfilment of the Divine Oikonomia in the heavenly Kingdom. We participate in the ineffable mystery of the Resurrection in the Church, being sanctified in its sacraments and experiencing Pascha, “which has opened to us the gates of Paradise,” not as a recollection of an event in the past, but as the quintessence of ecclesiastical life, as the presence of Christ ever among us, closer to us than we to ourselves. On Pascha, the Orthodox faithful discover their true selves as being in Christ; they are integrated into the movement of all things to the End Times, “with inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1.8), as “children of light . . . and children of day” (1 Thess. 5.5).
The central feature of Orthodox life is its Resurrectional pulse. Philosophers have wrongly described Orthodox spirituality as “sullen” and “autumnal.” By contrast, Westerners rightly praise the refined perceptiveness of the Orthodox in relation to the meaning and depth of the paschal experience. Yet this faith never forgets that the way to the Resurrection passes through the Cross. Orthodox spirituality does not recognize the utopianism of a Resurrection without Crucifixion, nor the pessimism of the Cross without the Resurrection. For this reason, in the Orthodox experience, evil does not have the final word in history, while faith in the Resurrection serves as the motivation for the struggle against the presence of evil and its consequences in the world, acting as a powerful transformative force. In the Orthodox self-consciousness, there is no place for surrender to evil or for indifference toward the development of human affairs. On the contrary, its contribution to the transformation of history has theological basis and existential grounding and it unfolds without running the risk of identifying the Church with the world. The Orthodox believer is conscious of the antithesis between worldly reality and eschatological perfection. And so he or she cannot remain idle before any negative dimensions of the world. For this reason, the Orthodox Church has never considered the struggle for transforming the world as a meaningless matter. Our faith in the Resurrection has preserved the Church both from introversion and indifference for the world, as well as from secularization.
For us Orthodox, the entire mystery and existential treasure of our piety is condensed into Pascha. When we hear that the Myrrh-bearers “were astonished” upon “entering the tomb and seeing a young man dressed in bright clothes” (Mark 16.5), this characterizes the vastness and essence of our experience of faith as the experience of existential wonder. When we hear that “they were astonished,” this means that we find ourselves before a mystery that becomes deeper the more we approach it, in accordance with what has been said, that our faith “is not a journey from mystery to knowledge, but from knowledge to mystery.”
While the denial of mystery existentially reduces human nature, the respect of mystery opens to us the gates of heaven. Faith in the Resurrection is the deepest and clearest expression of our freedom; or rather, it is the birth of freedom as a voluntary acceptance of the supreme divine gift, namely of deification by grace. As “experienced Resurrection,” the Orthodox Church is the space of “authentic freedom” that for the Christian life is the foundation, way, and destiny. The Resurrection of Christ is the good news of freedom, the gift of freedom, and the guarantee of “shared freedom” in the “eternal life” of the Kingdom of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
With these sentiments, most precious brothers and beloved children, filled with the complete joy of participating in “the feast that is shared by all,” having received light from the unwaning light and given glory to Christ risen from the dead and brought life to all – even as we remember during this all-festal “chosen and holy day” all of our brothers and sisters in difficult circumstances – we pray to our Lord “who trampled down death by death,” the God of peace, that He might bring peace to the world and guide our steps toward every deed that is good and pleasing to Him, proclaiming the all-joyous hymn “Christ is Risen!”
At the Phanar, Holy Pascha 2024
+ Bartholomew of Constantinople
Fervent supplicant for you all
to the Risen Lord
On Holy Tuesday, 30th April 2024, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, accompanied by His Grace Bishop Raphael of Ilion, graced the Orthodox community of St Matthew in Aberdeen with his inaugural arch-pastoral visit.
Upon their arrival, Archbishop Nikitas officiated at the Service of the Bridegroom. He was subsequently greeted by the Reverend Presbyter Professor John Behr, who is responsible for the parish. Reverend Behr expressed the community’s deep appreciation for the Archbishop’s presence.
The Parish Council later hosted an evening banquet in honour of His Eminence, His Grace, the visiting clergy, and the congregation. This event provided an excellent opportunity for personal interactions, where Archbishop Nikitas addressed various inquiries about the faith and the broader work of the Archdiocese.
During the banquet, Archbishop Nikitas offered insightful pastoral counsel aimed at bolstering the local ministry. He engaged in meaningful discussions concerning missionary activities, the challenges posed by contemporary society, and the Archdiocese’s initiatives related to catechism and youth education.
The Archbishop devoted the entire day to the community and Fr John, enhancing their spiritual and communal bonds. He also took the opportunity to visit the new church property that the community recently purchased, marking a significant milestone in their journey.
On Holy Monday, 29th April 2024, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain made His first arch-pastoral visit to the Orthodox community of St Andrew, at St Andrews Fife, accompanied by His Grace Bishop Raphael of Ilion.
Following His arrival, His Eminence Nikitas presided over the Service of the Bridegroom. After the service, He was welcomed by V. Revd Archimandrite Avraamy Neyman, Priest-in-charge of the parish, who thanked The Archbishop on behalf of the community for His visit.
The community’s Parish Council then held an evening dinner reception for His Eminence, His Grace, the accompanying clergy and the people of God. His Eminence gave people the opportunity to ask questions concerning the Faith and the ministries of the Archdiocese.
The Archbishop also gave his pastoral advice to support the ministry of the community and took many questions including on mission, today’s society, and the Archdiocese programmes for catechism and youth.
On April 27, 2024, the Saturday of Lazarus, The Twelve Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Hertfordshire, 43 individuals were received into the Orthodox Church by His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain. Assisting him were His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Claudiopolis and numerous Archdiocesan clergy members. The neophytes successfully attended the 7th Session of the Archdiocesan Discover Orthodoxy Class led by V. Rev. Archimandrite Nephon Tsimalis, Protosyncellus of the Archdiocese which was held on zoom every week for 9 months.
This session of Discover Orthodoxy started in September 2023 and is set to conclude in May. The group included 36 adults and one infant who were received through Holy Baptism and Chrismation, while six adults were received by Holy Chrismation. The newly illumined Orthodox Christians hail from various backgrounds, including the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Africa, other Commonwealth and European countries, and Asia.
The present session of the Catechism Class will offer a total of one hundred converts. Those not received on the Saturday of Lazarus are scheduled to be received during the Paschal Season at various parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. To date, the Discover Orthodoxy program has welcomed over 260 converts, in just four and a half years. After the Service of Holy Baptism and Chrismation, the neophytes processed into the Church bearing their candles to participate in the Divine Liturgy, during which they received the Holy and Life-Giving Eucharist, for the first time.
Before the conclusion of the Liturgy, His Eminence elevated the Rev. Fr. Nikodemus Angeli to the rank of protopresbyter in honor of his humble and fruitful service. The Archbishop also thanked the parish clergy, the Rev. Protopresbyter Joseph Paliouras, Priest-in-charge, and the Rev. Father Demetrianos Melekis, for their hospitality and gracious assistance.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas offered an icon of the 12 Apostles to each of the newly illuminated Orthodox Christians as a token of the special day. A generous Lenten reception followed hosted by Archon Louis Loizou, Community Chairman, in honor the neophytes, families, and community.
Photo Credit: Jessy Papasavva Photography
Video Credit: Aaron Kwakye
On Monday, 22, April, 2024, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), delivered a moving address @UKParliament at the invitation of @ROconect. The event centred on “Ensuring Remembrance: Advocating For Education and Commemoration of the Roma Holocaust in the UK”.
In his speech, the Archbishop spoke of the errors of the past, the sins of previous generations and the transgressions caused by ignorance and fear. His Eminence spoke of his own childhood experiences and the prejudice in the United States. He cited the impactful alliance of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the late great Archbishop Iakovos, who marched together in Selma, Alabama.
Archbishop Nikitas also spoke of forgiveness and the importance of looking forward rather than dwelling on past grievances. He affirmed his and his Archdiocese’s commitment to supporting the Roma community’s fight for justice, equality, and truth.
