On the weekend of 5th and 6th September, St Ignatius Parish in Belfast had the great joy of welcoming our archbishop, His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan, for a pastoral visit.
The photo album from the weekend is available here: https://saintignatiusbelfast.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/SaintIgnatiusChurchDocuments/IgCyOAUD9lOoSa7jb8qG_GBIAaL-0h0DrfuxozzLNX5_F0E?e=rcMnsv
The visit began on Saturday evening with Great Vespers, served by Fr Dmitry Ismagilov (priest-in-charge) and Fr Justin Venn of the Orthodox Church of the St John of Shanghai parish (ROCOR) in Belfast. At the conclusion of the service, His Eminence addressed the faithful on the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year, encouraging everyone to make a new beginning in Christ and, following the example of the Mother of God, to place Him at the centre of their lives.
Following Vespers and fellowship with the parish, Sayedna met with the young adults and officially inaugurated Young Adult Ministry (YAM) Belfast, the Belfast chapter of the Archdiocese’s Youth organisation. His Eminence spoke about the foundations of Christian spiritual life and spent time answering questions and discussing the challenges of living the Christian faith today.
Sunday was a particularly joyful day for the parish as eleven people — six adults and five children — were received into the Orthodox Church through Holy Baptism and Chrismation. His Eminence presided over the service, followed by the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Concelebrating in the Divine Liturgy with His Eminence were Fr Justin and Fr Dmitry.
Preaching on the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:2-14), Sayedna reminded the faithful that God continually invites us into communion with Him. Our response must be seen not only in coming to church and receiving the Holy Mysteries, but also in genuine love and care for those around us.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence expressed his joy at the growth of St Ignatius Parish and encouraged the community to continue its work and to keep growing together in Christ.
The weekend concluded with a festive parish lunch and fellowship with His Eminence.
We give thanks to God for a joyful and blessed weekend, for the reception of our eleven newly illumined brothers and sisters, and for the presence, prayers and pastoral care of our Metropolitan.
Many years, Sayedna! And many years to all our newly illumined!