A short description of the present profile of the Antiochian Church here in the Isles.
(1) We are made up of many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Our cathedral in London mainly consists of believers of Lebanese and Syrian backgrounds but who have lived here now for several decades. Children have been born for whom English is their first not second language.
In our 14 other parishes and 4 missions the situation is much more mixed, a Pentecost of world cultures. By using English as our common liturgical language, all ethnicities and Orthodox traditions have found a home with us and this has been greatly enriching; a blessing from God.
Both Byzantine and Slav musical traditions find a place here and this reflects the histories of our communities and the backgrounds of the people who worship with us.
(2) Many of us, but by no means all of us, come from western backgrounds, English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh. Together with our brothers and sisters from other cultures we venerate the Orthodox saints of the west, particularly those of the British Isles and Ireland. We think this is a very important practice because we agree with the comment attributed to St. Arsenios of Paros: "The Church in The British Isles will only begin to grow when She begins to again venerate Her own Saints". We also know that we are called to be a holy people by following in the steps of their repentance, sacrificial love and service.
3) All of us over 20 years and more have struggled with some victories and not a few disappointments to be rightly guided in our lives of faith. We are enormously grateful to our two previous bishops: His Eminence Sayedna Gabriel of blessed memory who had the courage and the vision to receive us into the Church and John, His Beatitude, our beloved Patriarch who has inspired us with his compassion and wisdom.
Nonetheless these godly pastors could not live in these islands and be as near to us geographically as we would have liked. We are at a stage now in our common life where we need closer direction and oversight by our father in God than has hitherto been possible. Regular visiting of all our communities by our new bishop will help this to happen.
As a Deanery over the last 20 years we have not been idle or lazy! Men have been nurtured and trained into the sacred ministry with the use of our blessed indigenous courses (E-Quip based in Manchester and the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge). The AXIOS Committee has developed tried and tested procedures for advising the bishop on the suitability of candidates for ordination. We have played an active role in pan-Orthodox youth events and ministries. A number of communities have sustained chaplaincies in schools, universities, hospitals and prisons. We have implemented educational programmes in our parishes, organised regular local pilgrimages and conferences, supported each other in exchanges of resources and ideas and worked with other Orthodox jurisdictions and maintained good ecumenical relations.
We we look forward now to a new chapter as an Archdiocese and we pray that the Holy Spirit will set aside a faithful pastor for the flock of Christ. To that end we continue to pray for the Patriarch and the Holy Synod of Antioch.
"The Church in The British Isles will only begin to grow when She begins to again venerate Her own Saints".
