Dear brothers and sisters,
We will be celebrating the Feast of our patron, St Ignatius of Antioch, on the 19th and 20th of December. As we honour our patron, we are blessed to receive our bishop, His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan, for two days of prayer and fellowship. His visit is an opportunity for our parish to gather around our bishop in faith and unity, in the spirit of what St Ignatius himself taught.
Below is the full schedule:
Friday, 19th December
- 19:00 – Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia
Followed by a brief time of fellowship with His Eminence and light fasting refreshments.
Saturday, 20th December
- 10:00 – Festal Orthros
- 11:00 – Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
Followed by a fasting parish lunch and further fellowship with His Eminence.
More Details:
I urge everyone to make every effort to attend. This is indeed a busy time of year, but all the more reason to step back from our earthly cares in gratitude to God for the Church we have, for the blessings He sends us each day, and for our wonderful patron, St Ignatius, whose prayers are essential for our mission here in Belfast and throughout Ireland. It is also important that we gather around our bishop: to show him the fruits of our labour in God’s vineyard, to receive his guidance, and to celebrate the feast together.
His Eminence will arrive in Belfast on Friday morning. During the first half of the day, some members of the Parish Council will accompany him to Armagh, which the ancient episcopal seat of St Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland. If anyone happens to be free and able to travel, you are warmly welcome to join us. We expect to visit both the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland cathedrals at around 12:00 noon. If you would like to take part and meet His Eminence there, please let me know in advance by text.
Metropolitan Silouan is scheduled to arrive at the church at 18:30 on Friday to preside at Great Vespers. Please be in church, if possible, to greet him upon arrival.
If you would like a private meeting with His Eminence, please contact me as soon as possible, and we will see if he can be at the church earlier to accommodate pastoral needs. There will also be opportunities to speak with him after the services on both days.
Confessions:
I will be available for confessions on Saturday from 08:00 to 09:00 am. Please let me know in advance if you would like to come, so I can plan accordingly.
Yours in Christ,
Fr Dmitry Ismagilov