The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland
PARISH PROFILES
Our Parishes and Missions
(alphabetically ordered as to the saint or parish title)
St Theodore of Tarsus and Canterbury, Patron of this Antiochian Archdiocese
Christ of the Isles with the Patron Saints of each country (St Edmund King and Martyr before St George)
Apostles St Peter and St Paul, co-patrons of the Church of Antioch
All Saints of Lincolnshire, Lincoln
All Saints of Lincolnshire grew as a mission from Louth parish. By 2005 it had grown to a point where it needed to meet weekly and Fr. Philip moved from Louth to Lincoln. English is by far the dominant language though Greek, Slavonic, and Romanian are also used as this reflects the multicultural nature of the community. The Temple was built in 1881 for the local barracks and passed out of use for them many decades ago. More recently it was a centre for Deaf Chaplaincy in Lincolnshire and was modified to provide offices, kitchens, toilets, meeting rooms, halls, a car park, and a "worship centre". The "worship centre" has now had to grow from a small part of the building to most of the building as the congregation has grown. Since the start we have always had catechumens most of whom have never attended a church before. We have regular and frequent weekday services, catechumenate classes, E-Quip sessions, a food bank, we work amongst the homeless and prisoners, we have services in Lincoln University daily in term time and programmes for equipping men and women for ministry and outreach. A congregation devoted to mission and evangelism it has produced a priest and a deacon and there are others preparing for Axios meetings. We have a growing library as Christian Education is important to us. Many of our services are live-streamed and there is usually a weekday livestreamed Bible Study.
All Saints, Basildon
The parish of All Saints is located between Basildon, Wickford and Benfleet, in rural North Benfleet. The church (holy temple) dates back to the Norman period and almost certainly replaced one from Anglo-Saxon times; so, the existence of our parish is a 'reclamation' for Christian Orthodoxy; the first Orthodox holy service for a millennium was served here in March 2013. Starting as a missionary endeavour in October 2010, we were granted full parish status in May 2015. We serve Divine Liturgy and full Orthros every Sunday, and for the Great Feasts of the Ecclesiastical year, and Esperinos on a Saturday. Our congregation is diverse in terms of background and nationality and age; we are multi-cultural, have many young families, and are a lively and friendly bunch. We are a community deeply rooted in the Holy Eucharist and in prayer. We have a Psalter Group (twenty people pray the entire 150 psalms every day); our weekly notices include scriptural exegesis and spiritual guidance, and we issue a weekly childrens' e-magazine; we are on facebook and have a parish Whatsapp group. Basildon Orthodox Community is entered onto the Register of Charities with the REGISTERED CHARITY Number 1168146.
Cathedral Community of St George
St. George’s Antiochian Orthodox Christian Parish in London is the cathedral church of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland and the seat of our Metropolitan bishop. Established in 1981 by a group of committed Orthodox Christians from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine, it became the first Antiochian Orthodox Church in the UK. Today the parish of St. George is a multi-ethnic community, with parishioners from various places, including the UK, Middle East, Europe and Americas. The services are celebrated in both Arabic and English. The current parish priest – Father Samir Gholam – has been serving in the community since September 1984. He is helped by two assistant priests: Father Michel Touma (ordained 2019) and Father Boniface Carroll (ordained 2023). For more than 30 years, St. George's parish had its own place of worship – the building of the former Anglican church in Redhill Street near Regents Park, London. Unfortunately, after more than 30 years of continuous use, the community had to leave it in February 2023. But celebrating divine services and spiritual life does not cease in the parish. Currently, the community is worshipping at Maria Assumpta Chapel in Kensington, kindly provided by the sisterhood of the Convent of Assumption (Church of Rome). The parish also continues to hold social activities, including the Arabic Language School for children aged 4-12 and the Adult Group.
Holy Life-Giving Cross, Lancaster (Morecambe)
The Parish originally used the Chaplaincy of Lancaster University but in 2015 moved to its present location, renting the Church of St Martin in Westgate, Morecambe. The profile of the Parish has somewhat changed from one of a mainly student congregation to a community of young families. We are a warm, friendly, welcoming community with a rich, diverse cultural mix drawing faithful from 14 different countries. We publish a monthly newsletter called "The Stavronian, " and have an Old Stavronians network. Sunday school and a Parish Lunch are on the last Sunday of each month. Please join us in our mission, as we seek to share our dynamic Orthodox Christina faith in the North West of England.
St Aethelheard, Louth
St Aethelheard's Louth was founded as part of the Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy when a group of Anglicans led by a priest left the Church of England and began to meet for prayer. Originally it was to have been a Western Rite parish, but this had changed by the time Fr. Philip was ordained for them. He was succeeded by Fr. Michael (Harry) and on his retirement by Fr. Alban (Campbell), by Fr. Philip (again!) and later by Fr. George (Hackney). Fr Alban has now returned to serve this community as parish priest. The Temple, an old cemetery chapel, is exceedingly pretty, with icons written by resident iconographer Theckla Read and an iconostasis by Aidan Hart. Services are entirely in English though the congregation is made up of people of many different backgrounds. It has grown from tiny beginnings into a parish that is now full of possibilities and "raring to go", it has always been a congregation devoted to prayer and mission and evangelism.
St Aidan of Lindisfarne and St Maria of Paris, Grimsby
Our mission parish, which has been in the planning since 2018, is seeking to build on the initial missionary work undertaken by Father Michael Harry and Khouria Judith, who organised church services within the Grimsby area from prior to 2011 to 2018. After a hiatus of several years, we are now in position of being able to provide a regular Sunday Liturgy for Orthodox Christians in the Grimsby/Cleethorpes area. This Liturgy is served on the second Sunday of each month at Saint Matthew's Church of England parish in New Waltham. Our vocation is to bring the Good News of Christ's Gospel to the people of Grimsby and its environs, and to do so in a way that is mindful of and sensitive to the various challenges that people face in this area. We seek to do this by calling on people, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, to participate in the various liturgical services that constitute Orthodox Christian worship of God, because it is here in that worship that they can experience the living God, be nourished by His Word, enlivened by His Spirit, and grow in His image and likeness. We, as an Orthodox Christian parish, seek also to share the love of God with all those around us, regardless of creed, through active service of the community we live in. We seek to reach out to others not only by what we say, but also by what we do. We aspire to fulfil Christ's commandments by finding practical, concrete ways to serve others in need, especially the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the naked, the lonely, those struggling with mental health issues and/or addiction, and the marginalised.
St Aidan of Lindisfarne, Manchester
The community of St Aidan was founded in 1995 when on Palm Sunday the first parishioners were received. Over the years the parish became more and more culturally diverse as it has grown. We acquired our own temple in 1996, a year also when His Grace, Bishop Gabriel, (Memory Eternal!) consecrated the building. None of this would have been possible without effective Christian giving and to this end we have developed the Thanksgiving Project scheme for the parish and the Archdiocese. At St Aidan's we have always put a high value on Christian education. With the blessing of successive bishops, we have developed the "E-Quip" Christian Faith and Life Course for adults and its equivalent, "Followers", for children. Both of these courses have become assets not only for the Archdiocese but also internationally. We have also developed catechumenate options tailored to each individual and all couples are properly instructed in the principles of Christian marriage before their wedding. We also emphasise the quality and depth of preaching and teaching, in the temple and online. We also have a weekly Bible Study by Zoom which we then publish on Fr Gregory's YouTube Channel. As far as the clergy are concerned we have always tried to build an effective team in concert with lay ministers and the whole congregation as the Body of Christ.
St Botolph of Iken, London
Originating in the late 1990s with a handful of English-speaking converts worshipping at Saint George's Cathedral in London, the parish gradually acquired numbers and funds to rent its own premises. Moving to St. Botolph-Without-Bishopsgate, near Liverpool Street, it adopted Saint Botolph of Ikanhoe for its patron. Its founder, the late Archpriest Michael Harper, drew a mostly white British congregation primarily composed of converts from the Church of England and similar Protestant backgrounds. Very soon the parish was the only one in London offering weekly services entirely in English. When Fr. Michael fell asleep in 2010 and Fr. Alexander became its parish priest, the average age began to drop. Fewer former Protestants joined and the congregation slowly became significantly more diverse. Moving to Islington in the autumn of 2022, its current congregation is 55% below the age of 35 and only 10% over 60. Weekly worshippers are from cultures as different as Albania and Eritrea, Sweden and the West Indies. 50% are born and bred in the UK. Exclusive use of English, vigorous catechesis, weekly lunch, and close friendships unite us.
St Columba and St Kentigern, Doncaster
In 1995 moves were made by Anglicans in the Doncaster area to become Orthodox led by Fr. David Sennitt with our parish being eventually founded. Initially services were held in the cemetery chapel in Conisbrough before our present church in Edlington was purchased from the Roman Catholics and was adapted for Orthodox worship and was consecrated by Archbishop Paul of Aleppo. Initially there were about eighty people in the parish but this number dwindled over a few years to about nine. When Fr. David retired I was ordained Parish Priest and remember Archbishop John (our present Patriarch) asking "Where are the children?" Fr. Dn. Dennis Moffat became assistant priest and served until his death. Later we were fortunate enough to have Fr. Dn Thomas Ward serving in the parish and latterly Fr. Michael Cerghit became Assistant Priest. The Parish has grown steadily over the last twenty years, mainly by cradle Orthodox seeking an Orthodox Church. However we have also had increasing numbers of British people seeking to become Orthodox. Hopefully the roots that we have planted will continue to thrive and grow. "Where are the children?" I was asked. At Christmas 2022 there were 32 children in church!
St Constantine the Great, York
In 2004 the Principal of York St John College, Professor Dianne Willcocks, needed an Orthodox Chaplain to support Orthodox students at the college. She approached Fr. Æthelwine, and he and his wife Susanna responded readily. During the next 12 months the college became the newly-named York St. John University and Fr. Æthelwine was appointed as Chaplain to the Orthodox students. With the assistance of the University Chaplaincy a service of Sunday Liturgy was established every fortnight in the University Chapel. Since then the congregation has grown. The "Orthodox Community of St. Constantine the Great", as it became known, gradually altered its nature from a chaplaincy to a full parish, as more of the congregation became composed of ordinary Orthodox laypeople, unconnected with the University. This change has been accelerated by the building of a website which brought the community to wider attention, bringing in both Orthodox Christians, and those from outside the Church seeking to become Orthodox. Now the parish has two priests and a deacon. Divine Liturgy is served every Sunday, and in addition services are also held for the Great Feasts. The Paraklesis to the Mother of God is at vespers once a month. Confessions are heard regularly and baptisms, chrismations, and even marriages, have been performed, as the parish has grown. Today the parish is continuing to flourish, thanks be to God, and still has a congregation with significant numbers of young adults, but now all ages are represented from new-born babes to people in their 80s. They come from a wide range of nationalities and ethnicities: some born into Orthodox families, others long-time converts to the Church and also those who are new to the life of an Orthodox Christian or actively seeking membership through the Catechumenate. The York parish is rather unusual in that there is no other Orthodox parish offering regular Sunday Liturgy in either North Yorkshire or the East Riding, so that in addition to residents from in and around York, we have parishioners who make the long journey to York from quite far afield, either regularly or occasionally as their personal circumstances permit. We also offer support to Orthodox Christians who are patients in the hospitals of the York and Scarborough NHS Trust and St. Leonard's Hospice in York. We currently support charitable activities in York (e.g. Carecent which provides breakfast for homeless people in York) and abroad (e. g IOCC). We continue our educational function with individual and group instruction for catechumens and parish discussion groups on Orthodox themes, held in the evenings. These discussion groups are usually coordinated with the fasting periods, (e.g. In Great Lent) and were originally held in person in the chapel. COVID lockdown forced us to move online, but this has actually turned out to be rather beneficial because it has enabled some of our far-flung parishioners, mentioned above, to take part in the meetings more conveniently. We also provide talks about the Orthodox Church and Faith to local schools and other interested groups when invited to do so. Through the good offices of the University Chaplaincy and the Authorities of York St. John University we continue to worship in the chapel, and we are very grateful for their continuing hospitality and support which has been unfailing. The lack of our own church building does have drawbacks, both in terms of when the chapel is available to us (although we must emphasise how incredibly accommodating the University is) and the overhead involved in preparing the chapel for Orthodox worship before each service. Currently the lack of suitable buildings at affordable prices in York seems likely to keep us in the chapel for the time being. We continue to pray for help in achieving a place of our own, with God's grace. One recent bright star on our horizon had been the awarding of Charitable Trust status to the parish by the Charity Commission, and we hope that will help improve our financial position. Meanwhile we continue to stand witness to the Orthodox faith in city in which St. Constantine was originally proclaimed as Emperor and we hope prayers and efforts will be rewarded: as our website proclaims The Church of Antioch in the City of York. Praise and thanks to Almighty God!
St Dunstan of Canterbury, Poole
St. Dunstan's parish was established as a mission in 2006 and the building was bought in 2011. Built originally as a place of Anglican worship, it is a remarkable structure and, very much, a valued part of the architectural heritage of Poole. Our Orthodox parish itself is a centre for mission in the region of the ancient kingdom of Wessex, enabling as many as possible to find the ancient Orthodox Christian faith. Our congregation comprises of more than fifteen different nationalities, but is increasingly bringing in British people who are discovering for the first time the ancient faith of these islands. In 2011 we set up The Bournemouth Poole Orthodox Christian Foundation a charitable company, which owns and runs the building. Alongside this, there is the Parish Committee, organising the parish community's life. With God's blessing we hope to complete the work of restoration on the building (listed as Grade II*) as well as assuring the continuation of the priestly ministry in the future. It is therefore important for the parish to encourage suitable candidates to come forward to study Theology and offer themselves for the sacred ministry. In common with the whole Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of The British Isles and Ireland, we hold to a single vision: the Re-hallowing of these islands, calling all into the unity of the One Faith in One Lord.
Holy Trinity Mission, Brighton
This mission is served by Fr Michel Touma of the Cathedral Community of St George in London.
St Edward King and Martyr, Athelhampton
Our Mission was started by Fr John Nield in Dorset in 1995. At first there was 'no fixed abode' but after extensive searching by Fr John and his wife they came upon a Church being used as a storeroom by Athelhampton House. Patrick, the owner was pleased that the Church would be used for Services again. On clearing the building, they discovered a window dedicated to St Edward, King and Martyr - which was the name the community had adopted, as he was a local British saint. It was as if they had been 'brought home'. We are a small but faithful and diverse community, we consider ourselves to be a family and hope that we are able to support each other through difficulties and share joy in better times. One problem is that we have no public transport serving the church but this is not insurmountable. Our former priest, Father David Harris, has now retired. We are now a mission of St Dunstan parish, Poole, served by Fr Filip Lommaert. Please contact him for details of services.
St Fursey, Stalham
St Fursey's Stalham was founded on 3rd October 1998 in the tiny chapel of Father Stephen's garden. with Father Alexander celebrating the Liturgy monthly. Father Philip replaced Father Alexander as the parish priest in 2010. St Fursey's Chapel proved too small for the growing congregation, so the search began for a suitable property to become the parish church. Eventually, a local disused Police Station became available and thanks to the wonderful generosity of our dear friend Michael McCall the parish was able to buy it. In 2016 further funds were raised to alter the building so that the future meeting room could be used as a place of worship. A Byzantine style church was then built at the rear of the old police station and the first Liturgy was celebrated on Christmas Eve 2021 with an anticipated consecration on 25th February 2023. The mission of the church is serviced by quarterly open days and coffee mornings, and introductory talks. Services are available online as also are sermons. Catechumens are regularly instructed and received. Stalham is a small town in the Norfolk Broads, and the congregation is drawn from a wide area including Norwich, Ipswich, Great Yarmouth, Acle, Sheringham and various local villages.
St Martin and St Helen, Colchester
In 1995/6 we opened a mission composed of both converts and cradle-Orthodox faithful, a mixture giving a certain strength from the beginning. We were assured of the goodwill of the celebrated Monastery of St John the Baptist, just ten miles away, the only Orthodox church in a wide area. After a few weeks in a local Anglican church, for four years we were at the Co-op funeral chapel - real benefactors! Then the Borough Council offered us St Helen's Chapel, which ancient tradition says was built by the Saint herself. Reversing history, we have restored the worship lost at the Reformation, and Orthodoxy lost at the Great Schism! But we have always really been set long-term on the empty, ancient, beautiful St Martin's Church, 200 metres from St Helen's, because of its space to expand and its facilities. At last, in 2022, after 25 years, we were allowed to purchase it, and are now refurbishing it. By the generosity of many benefactors, we raised some £200,000, though we shall need even more gifts for the work. Attendance has increased since moving into St Martin's. Now a new generation will witness to the continuing power and joy of Holy Orthodoxy.
Holy Resurrection, Dresden with St Michael, Audley
Starting with a small group of 14 people, I was prevailed upon to train as an Orthodox priest to lead them into the Church. Antioch received us. I was duly ordained deacon and priest in January 1996. We began our life together in 1995, buying a small former Methodist chapel in Audley which was duly consecrated in 2002 by Bishop John (now our Patriarch). This church very quickly became too small for us. In 2011 we began to rent an Anglican church in Dresden, Stoke-on-Trent. We finally completed the purchase of this church in 2022. We now have good mixed race congregation and worship together in English. We can now begin to further equip the church building for Orthodox worship ready for its eventual consecration.
Twelve Apostles, Eastleigh
The Church of the Twelve Apostles, Eastleigh exists to preach the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and invite all to come to greater knowledge of the Father through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. This we do through worship, education programmes, service to our society and community events. We are one of the newer communities of our Archdiocese and have been meeting regularly to worship God since 2021 after our establishment by our Father in Christ Metropolitan Silouan. We are centred in Eastleigh, Hampshire, and serve the town as well as the wider region. Coming into contact with God requires us to change, to take off the old man and put on the new as the Apostle tells us (Ephesians 4:17-24): in other words, to repent. And by accepting our failings, our sins, and repenting of them we hope, by the grace of God, to grow more into his likeness every day. We warmly invite you to come join us on this journey as we look to realise our potential as heirs of the Kingdom and of eternal life.
St Birinus and St Thekla, Bridport
This mission is on pause at the moment pending clergy deployment.
St Hybald, Scunthorpe
When I was asked if I wanted to take care of the mission in Scunthorpe,I accepted straight away. What is more beautiful for a priest than to start from bottom up - as did the Holy Apostles when they began their missions in the world. Myself, presbytera Ioana and our four children are blessed with this mission which, by the grace of God, we want to grown into a parish in due time. Do "come and see" us every Sunday in serving Our Lord Jesus Christ together.
