On the weekend of January 11th and 12th, regular monthly divine services resumed at our parish. Glory to God!
On Saturday, January 11th, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan, Fr Dmitry celebrated the Great Sanctification of the Water, appointed for the Feast of Theophany. In the homily, Fr Dmitry provided a brief explanation, referencing the text of the service, on how the Orthodox Church understands Holy Water: its significance, the reasons for its blessing, and how it is used both in the church and at home. At the conclusion of the service, parishioners were able to collect bottles of Holy Water for the use at home.
The remainder of the day on Saturday was spent by Fr Dmitry visiting and blessing the homes of parishioners. If you would like your home blessed, please contact Fr Dmitry at 07479 630020 to arrange a suitable time for his next visit to Belfast. If you were unable to attend the service, Holy Water is still available in the church and can be collected on days when services are held—just ask the priest or an altar server.
On Sunday, January 12th, we celebrated Orthros and the Divine Liturgy. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a memorial has been served for presbytera Annemieke – the late wife of Fr Filip Lommaert, who took care of our parish in the last two years. May her memory be eternal! Christ is Risen!
After the service, William Hunter, on behalf of the whole community, presented Fr Dmitry with the gift of the icon of St Patrick of Ireland, to commemorate the start of Father’s ministry at the parish.
The day at the church concluded with a parish lunch and catechesis session for those inquiring about the Orthodox faith. If you are interested in attending catechesis lessons, please reach out to Fr Dmitry. Our catechumens meet online via Zoom every Friday at 5:00 pm, except during weeks with church services. On such weeks, in-person catechesis is held after the Divine Liturgy and parish lunch.
Thank you to everyone who joined and prayed with us this weekend.
Our next church services will take place on the weekend of February 1st and 2nd:
– Saturday, February 1st: Great Vespers at 5:00 pm
– Sunday, February 2nd: Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy, starting at 10:00 am
Up-to-date information about church services can be found here
Please spread the word about our church—everyone is welcome!
