Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This is weekly newsletter #17 of the St Ignatius Parish in Belfast, returning after summer break!
Contents of this Newsletter:
- Message from Fr Dmitry: Fellowship & Hospitality Team
- News and Announcements: Icon Workshop
- Homily on last Sunday’s Gospel: The Lord’s Hand
Message from Fr Dmitry: Fellowship & Hospitality Team
Dear brothers and sisters,
Our parish continues to grow, Glory to God. An important element of our mission, beyond worship and sacraments, is the fellowship that follows our services. This includes coffee and tea with refreshments on Saturday evenings, as well as full parish lunches on Sundays after the Divine Liturgy. It is not only a joy to gather around the common table and share a meal with one another, but it also serves a very practical purpose. Many of our parishioners travel long distances, and having received the Holy Communion, they have fasted since midnight the day before. Therefore, providing food is important to help sustain them.
Until now, the provision of meals has relied entirely on the voluntary commitment of a handful of people, many of whom are already doing other work in the church. As the parish continues to grow, we need to establish a more sustainable system.
Following the long-standing practice across Antiochian parishes worldwide, we agreed at the latest parish council meeting to inaugurate the “Fellowship and Hospitality Team” — a group of volunteers from among our parishioners who will share the responsibility of organizing the parish meals.
The primary purpose of this organized structure is to facilitate coordination among volunteers, ensuring that everyone knows what to bring, helps to plan the menu, and shares in the cost and effort. This will help avoid overburdening any one person and prevent food waste (when people unknowingly bring the same items with good intentions). This will still be a volunteer effort, with individuals committing their time and resources to the church, but with better coordination to ensure no one is overwhelmed.
We are very grateful to Carmel, our parishioner, chanter, and parish council member, for agreeing to serve as the initial coordinator of the group for a period of time.
If you would like to join the Fellowship and Hospitality Team, whether by bringing food, supplies, helping with cleaning, or assisting afterwards, please contact me directly by email at fr.dmitry@saintignatiusbelfast.org or by phone at 07479630020 (WhatsApp). I will add you to the WhatsApp group for the Team, and we hope to begin working together to have the team operational before our next church services in September.
News and Announcements:
- Icon painting Workshop in Northern Ireland, 7-13th December 2025: I am pleased to share an exciting opportunity for those interested in sacred art of icon writing. Fr. Justin Venn, the priest at the Orthodox Church of St. John of Shanghai in Belfast (ROCOR), whom I had the pleasure of meeting two months ago, will be running an Icon Painting Workshop from 7th to 13th December 2025 at the Portglenone Abbey in Northern Ireland.
Fr. Justin is a highly skilled iconographer with years of experience, including the wall painting of the entire Church of St. Andrew the Apostle in Johannesburg, South Africa (Romanian Orthodox Church). Check image here: https://ropasa.co.za/gallery/sfintirea-biserici-2019/ For more information about Fr. Justin, you can visit his Instagram: @studiosantus or his Facebook page: Studio Sanctus.
The cost for the workshop is approximately £950, which includes accommodation, meals, and materials. This workshop operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and the number of spots is limited.
If you are interested, please contact Fr. Justin directly as soon as possible at frjustin@studiosanctus.com. - Weekly Online Faith & Fellowship Meetings on Wednesdays: Join us for our next regular weekly Zoom meeting on Wednesday, 13th of August, at 7:00 PM (UK time). This week, we will pray the Paraklesis to the Mother of God and then have a conversation about our most pure Lady. You can join us via Zoom using the following link: https://ucl.zoom.us/j/97707660214
As the Paraklesis involves more chanting and reading than our usual Little Compline service, I kindly ask that you let me know as soon as possible if you would like to take part in the service. This way, I can distribute the roles and texts ahead of time to ensure we are well-prepared. All Orthodox Christians are welcome to read and chant during the service. I look forward to hearing from volunteers!
Last Sunday’s Gospel Reading and Homily: The Lord’s hand
The reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew (14:22-34)
At that time, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they entered the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.
Homily: The Lord’s Hand
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
On the last Sunday, in the Epistle reading from 1 Corinthians 3:9-17, the Apostle Paul gives us some terrifying words. He speaks of how, on the Day of Judgment, all of our deeds will be revealed by fire. He uses the metaphor of us, the faithful, as builders who have been given a foundation, which is Our Lord Jesus Christ. We must then build on that foundation by following His commandments, doing good works, showing love, mercy, and compassion, and striving for deeper communion with God. The good works, the strong buildings, will withstand the fire, while the weak and sinful works will be consumed by it.
This is a warning for us that what we build in this world will either endure or be destroyed by the fire of judgment. However, this is not the most terrifying part of what St. Paul says. The true terrifying part comes afterward: “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor 3:15).
All of the great Church Fathers who comment on this passage, St. John Chrysostom, St. Theophylact of Ohrid, St. Ephrem the Syrian, and others, are unanimous in their interpretation. What Apostle Paul means by “he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” is that sinners will not be annihilated by the fire, unlike what they have built. They will not cease to exist. Instead, they will suffer eternally, in a state of eternal struggle, trapped in Hades. I tremble when I hear and read this.
But, in God’s mercy, on the same day, the Church offers us a more encouraging passage from the Gospel, where our Lord Jesus Christ walks on the waters and saves the doubtful Peter from sinking, and all the disciples from the storm. What stands out to me most in this story this year is the image of the Lord’s hand extended to Peter: “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him” (Matthew 14:31). This reminds me of the icon of the Resurrection (Anastasis), where Christ is depicted standing on the gates of hell, extending His arm to Adam and Eve, pulling them out of their graves.
The stormy waters the disciples are caught in represent the tumultuous sea of life, full of troubles, temptations, and challenges that can lead us to spiritual peril or even death. Peter was able to walk on the water as long as his focus remained on Christ. But when he became distracted and fearful, he began to sink. Similarly, we too risk losing focus on Christ, both in our minds and in our hearts. When this happens, we begin to sink spiritually. But the only way out is to reach out our hand to Christ, whose hand is always extended toward us, ready to catch us.
What is truly remarkable is that God is so merciful that we do not even need to lift ourselves from the water. It is God who lifts Peter from the water, just as He lifted Adam and Eve from the grave. God, in His mercy, lifts us out of our struggles. All He asks of us is to have faith that He can save us, to reach out to Him, and to trust in His divine mercy. As the Apolytikion of the Resurrection in Tone 3 proclaims: “For the Lord has done a mighty act with His arm” (https://www.stnicholasar.org/music/troparion-resurrection-t3).
St. John Chrysostom, in his commentary on the Epistle reading mentioned above, says that there are times when we must speak unpleasant truths to people – truths that may be painful and frightening to hear. Yet, it is our duty to speak these truths in love. So, now that St. Paul has laid out for us so profoundly the consequences of not following Christ, let us turn to the hope, to the faith, and to the good news. Let us remember that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God came to dwell among us, healed the sick, cast out demons, died for us on the Cross, rose from the dead, and opened for us the gates of paradise once again, so that in Him, we may have eternal life. That is the message of the Gospel (Evangelion, “the good news”)!
Seek Christ, who, despite all our madness and iniquity, still came for us! Seek Christ not out of fear of eternal fire, but because God is good, loving, and merciful. Let us trust in His promise of salvation, and, with hearts full of faith, follow Him with joy and gratitude, knowing that His hand is always stretched out to lift us from the depths. Amen!
Yours in Christ,
Fr Dmitry
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