Report on the visit of His Grace Bishop Raphael of Ilion to Glasgow
On Sunday 20 October, the congregation of St Luke’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Glasgow was delighted to receive a pastoral visit from His Grace Bishop Raphael of Ilion, in celebration of the patronal Feast of St Luke the Evangelist, which falls on the 18th. Despite the very large size of the church, such great numbers of the faithful attended that many people had to stand – a token of the enduring love and affection which the congregation has for Bishop Raphael, who spent many of his youthful years in this community and was first ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in this Cathedral.
After vesting by the ancient typikon in the centre of the Church, His Grace presided at the Divine Liturgy with the priest of St Luke’s, Fr Mark Mitchell, concelebrating. In the beautiful and spiritually moving Liturgy, celebrated in both Greek and English, they were assisted by a skilful Byzantine choir of singers from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. In his enlightened homily on the Gospel reading for the day, Bishop Raphael offered grace-filled words which made a great impact on everyone.
The community was also honoured by the presence of Mr Alexandros Ioannidis, the General Greek Consul for Northern England and Scotland, who had an informative meeting with some of the congregation after the Liturgy.
The celebrations of the day continued well into the afternoon, as the congregation was treated to a sumptuous festal meal provided in the Church hall by the enthusiastic members of the newly re-constituted Philoptochos Society, who miraculously managed to provide wonderful food for everyone, despite the huge numbers and the relatively limited space in the hall. His Grace was able to speak personally to very members of the community, new and long-standing, to offer his wise advice, words of comfort and gentle guidance to all. Truly, it was an occasion of great joy, spiritual richness and warm fellowship for all.
