Beloved brothers and sisters,
This is Community Bulletin #44 of Saint Ignatius Parish in Belfast
Contents of this Bulletin:
- This Week in the Life of the Church: Readers Service on the 5th July
- A Pastoral Word: Healing in the Church
- News and Announcements: Sacrament of Holy Unction, Metropolitan’s Visit, Faith & Fellowship Meeting, Parish Register, Youth Group, Parents Group
This Week in the Life of the Church
It was a blessing to meet in the church again for the divine services last weekend, and to celebrate the Feast of Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Thank you all who attended. A special gratitude to those who helped in various capacities to make these services possible, by serving in the altar, chanting, setting up and taking down the church, serving hospitality and cleaning.
You can check the photos from the services here: https://saintignatiusbelfast.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/SaintIgnatiusChurchDocuments/IgA0M3jR2NjcTqdn8r34XHZUAc28ffRotAP2igRKWb225F8?e=YOi0V7
A reminder, that the next Readers Service of Hours & Typika (without priest) is already this coming Sunday, 5th July, at 11:00 am. Everyone welcome!
Saints and Feasts of the Week
*The saints named here accompany the days of the week as living witnesses of Christ. Only the principal saint or feast of each day is listed here, in keeping with the liturgical order of the Church.
- Sunday, 28th of June – 4th Sunday of Matthew,
- Monday, 29th of June – Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
- Tuesday, 30th of June – Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles
- Wednesday, 1st of July – Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian
- Thursday, 2nd of July – Placing of the Precious Robe of the Mother of God at Blachernae and St. John Maximovitch, bishop of Shanghai and archbishop of San Francisco
- Friday, 3rd of July – Holy Martyr Hyacinth and his companions Theodotus and Theodota at Caesarea in Cappadocia
- Saturday, 4th of July – St. Andrew the Hymnographer, archbishop of Crete and author of the Great Canon
- Sunday, 5th of July – 5th Sunday of Matthew, Saint Athanasios, Founder of the Great Lavra on Mt Athos, and his six disciples & Saint Lampadus the Wonderworker, monk, of Hirenopolis
Hymns of the Week
*The hymns listed here are those that shape the prayer of the Church for the week, following the liturgical order and hierarchy. They are offered as an aid to prayer and may be used, as each is able, in personal prayer or a simple prayer rule at home.
RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE THREE
Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Lord hath done a mighty act with His own arm. He hath trampled down death by death, and become the first-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of Hades, granting the world the Great Mercy
APOLYTIKION OF THE HOLY APOSTLES IN TONE THREE
O Holy Apostles, intercede with our merciful God, to grant our souls forgiveness of sins.
APOLYTIKION OF THE HOLY UNMERCENARIES COSMAS AND DAMIAN IN TONE EIGHT
O holy unmercenaries and wonder-workers Cosmas and Damian, visit our infirmities. Freely have ye received, freely give unto us.
APOLYTIKION FOR PLACING OF THE THEOTOKOS’ ROBE IN TONE EIGHT
O Ever-Virgin Theotokos, shelter of mankind, thou hast bestowed upon thy people a mighty investure, even thine immaculate body’s raiment and sash, which by thy seedless childbirth have remained incorrupt; for in thee nature and time are made new. Wherefore, we implore thee to grant peace to the world, and Great Mercy to our souls.
ORDINARY KONTAKION IN TONE TWO
O protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the Creator most constant, O despise not the suppliant voices of those who have sinned; but be thou quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto thee: Hasten to intercession, and speed thou to make supplication, thou who dost ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.
Epistle and Gospel Readings:
*The Epistle and Gospel of the Sunday that begins the current liturgical week
- Epistle: Romans 6:18-23
- Gospel: Matthew 8:5-13
The Sunday and daily Scripture readings may be read online via the Archdiocesan website: https://www.antiochian-orthodox.com/calendar
A Pastoral Word: Healing in the Church
On Wednesday we celebrate the feast of Holy Unmercenary healers Kosmas (Cosmas) and Damian, Martyrs of Rome. You can read the Synaxarion of the saints here: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2015/07/holy-unmercenaries-kosmas-and-damian-of.html
There are not one, not two, but three pairs of holy unmercenary healers known as Kosmas and Damian in the Orthodox Church. The others are the saints of Asia Minor (feast day: 1 November) and of Arabia (feast day: 17 October). The Church is blessed to have many physicians among her saints, including these wonderful holy martyrs.
Physical illness is part of the reality of life in this fallen world. Yet so too is the knowledge of the human body, arranged by God in His wisdom and gradually discovered by medical professionals and scientists for the healing of the sick. There is no contradiction between faith and medicine, and this is confirmed by the saints themselves, who were both holy and skilled physicians.
The key, however, is to understand that for a Christian, physical sickness is not merely a medical issue, but also a spiritual one. Sickness involves suffering and struggle, and these can move the human heart away from God toward anger, bitterness, envy, or despair. Therefore, healing from a Christian perspective should involve spiritual treatment as well: prayer, the Holy Sacraments, repentance, and trust in God.
Above all, there must be faith, the conviction that all good things are done by and through the grace of God. This was beautifully summarised by the Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian, whose feast we celebrate today, in the words they spoke to those who came to them for healing: “It is not by our own power that we treat you, but by the power of Christ, the true God. Believe in Him and be healed.”
We are blessed to have many physicians, surgeons, nurses, and other medical professionals in our parishes, including our own parish. On behalf of the whole parish, I wish all our wonderful medical professionals many years on the feast of Saints Kosmas and Damian.
May God grant you strength in your ministry of healing. May He help you care for your patients with skill, compassion, and love, always entrusting them to the Lord in prayer and, when appropriate, bearing witness to the hope of the Gospel and inviting them toward Christ and His Church.
At the same time, all of us are called to pray for our sick brothers and sisters. For this, you may use the following prayer:
A Prayer for others who are Sick
O holy Father, heavenly Physician of our souls and bodies, who hast sent thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to heal all our infirmities and deliver us from death: Do thou thyself visit and heal thy servant(s), NN., granting him (her) release from pain and restoration to health and vigor, that he (she) may give thanks to thee and do thy will and bless thy holy name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
News and Announcements
- Sacrament of Holy Unction on 25th July – With the blessing of Metropolitan Silouan, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Unction on Saturday, 25 July, immediately after Great Vespers. Great Vespers begins at 17:00, so the service of Holy Unction will follow at approximately 18:00. In this sacrament, we pray for the healing of both soul and body, asking the Lord to grant mercy, forgiveness of sins, and strength in sickness and suffering. As we did not have the opportunity to celebrate Holy Unction during Great Lent this year, this will be a particularly good opportunity for all the faithful to receive this sacrament.
- Visit of Metropolitan Silouan to the Parish – It is with great joy that we announce the hierarchical visit of our father and Metropolitan, His Eminence Silouan, to our parish on the first weekend of September: Saturday 5 September and Sunday 6 September. Please mark your calendars from now and make every effort to attend this blessed weekend. The full programme will be announced later, but the usual pattern of services will include Great Vespers on Saturday, 5 September, at 17:00, and Orthros followed by Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning from 10:00. There will also be a parish lunch and other opportunities to meet His Eminence and spend time with him. Please watch this space for further details.
- Faith & Fellowship Meeting this Wednesday, 1st July, 7:00 PM – Join us on Zoom this Wednesday. We will say Little Compline and continue with the series of talks on the Epistles of St Paul. Everyone welcome! Link: https://ucl.zoom.us/j/93643306643.
- Parish Registration Form Reminder – Thank you to everyone who has already completed the parish registration form. Your response is greatly appreciated and will help us in planning and supporting parish life more effectively.
If you have not yet registered, we kindly encourage you to do so. Maintaining an up-to-date parish register helps us better understand the size and needs of our parish community, improve communication, and plan for the future as our parish continues to grow.
The registration form can be completed online using the link below: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/2CN1yeinMb
Thank you for your support and commitment to the life of St Ignatius Parish. - Parents Group – We have set up a parents’ group chat to help organise a simple rota for supervising the children after the Sunday service, during the parish lunch. As many of the children play in the common areas, such as the corridor, having some supervision would help make sure they can play safely while also being mindful of others moving around. The idea is to share the responsibility so that each family only needs to help occasionally, and the children can play while the adults chat and enjoy lunch. Our Safeguarding Officer, Eleftheria, and one of our chanters, Olha, have kindly volunteered to serve as coordinators of the group. If you’d like to be included in the subgroup, please follow this link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CtZo3O527YpBLqPd76xcS0?s=cl&p=i&mlu=1
- Youth Group – A few weeks ago, we invited volunteers to help begin the work of establishing a chapter of the archdiocesan youth organisation, Young Adult Ministry (YAM), in Belfast. Four of our parishioners kindly volunteered: Syra, Jessica, Justin, and Joseph. We are grateful to them for offering their time and energy to support this initiative.
Before formally inaugurating a YAM chapter, we decided first to lay some groundwork by building up the community of young people in our parish and fostering fellowship among our young adults. To help with this, a WhatsApp group has been created and is open to all interested parishioners. The group is intended for young adults, broadly those around the 18–35 age range, though the boundaries are not meant to be rigid. You can join the group by following this link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LCFAVb07bN73rLnNGUpf8F?mode=gi_t
The group offers an opportunity for young adults to get to know one another outside of church services and to build friendships within the wider church community.
This is what Syra says about the group: “So far, a small group of us have enjoyed activities such as bowling and a hike together, and we hope to organise more regular social events in the future. The chat also serves as an informal space for conversation and encouragement. Fellowship is an important part of the Christian life, and our hope is not only to create greater consistency in social gatherings, but also to develop spiritually focused events and opportunities for prayer and growth together. Anyone is welcome to join through the link provided or by reaching out to me directly.”
All interested young adults are warmly welcome to join! - Have you visited our Parish Library yet? Our library offers a growing collection of Orthodox books for adults and children: spiritual classics, lives of the saints, theology, Church history, and books for young readers. A good spiritual book can deepen our understanding of the faith and accompany us in our spiritual life.
You can browse the catalogue and request books online through the parish website. All the information about borrowing books, together with the online request form, can be found here: https://saintignatiusbelfast.org/library
Our librarians, Michael and Porphyrios, will be happy to help if you are looking for something to read. You can contact them at: library@saintignatiusbelfast.org
