On the evening of Saturday, 28th February, Hierarchs, clergy, and lay faithful of five Orthodox Christian dioceses of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain gathered at the Cathedral of the Divine Wisdom, Bayswater, London, to celebrate Great Vespers for the Sunday of Orthodoxy.
The whole gathering joined to worship our God the All-Holy Trinity, to express their unity with one another in the Body of Christ, and to confess together, through shared recitation of the Synodikon of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Orthodox Christian Faith of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Presiding jointly over Vespers were four Hierarchs of the Pan-Orthodox Episcopal Assembly of Great Britain and Ireland: Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Silouan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Great Britain and Ireland representing the Patriarchate of Antioch, Archbishop Atanasie of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland representing the Patriarchate of Romania, and His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Claudiopolis, Assistant Bishop in the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. The Patriarchate of Georgia was represented by the Protosyncellos of the Georgian Orthodox Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland, the Very Revd Archimandrite Dr. Leonide Ebralidze, and the Revd Oeconomos Dr. Dobromir Dimitrov of the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of Western and Central Europe, who served among the clergy, representing the Patriarchate of Bulgaria.
Priests of the five dioceses served together in the holy altar, with four deacons leading the petitions: the Archdeacon of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, the Revd George Tsourous, and the Archdeacon of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Revd Paul Loghin, the Revd Deacon Ambrosios Theodorou, and the Revd Deacon Konstantinos Banias.
The service was chanted with reverence and beauty by the Mosaic Choir, the choir of the Episcopal Assembly of Great Britain and Ireland, skilfully directed by Margaret Haig. The congregation participated both prayerfully and with joy in the service, which was the first celebration of Pan-Orthodox Vespers in the Cathedral since 2018.
Seated alongside one another, Their Eminences and His Grace shared the Hierarchs’ prayers of the service of Great Vespers and led the people in the recitation of the Synodikon of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. After the service, Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain gave a closing address in which he thanked his Brother Hierarchs, the clergy, and all the faithful for joining together in this celebration of the unity of the Church. His Eminence expounded the significance of the Restoration of the Holy Icons in 843 AD for the Orthodox Christian Faith, and stressed that our unity as Orthodox Christians lies ultimately in our one Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Following Vespers, the Chairman and Wardens’ Committee of the Cathedral of the Divine Wisdom welcomed all to a reception in the Cathedral Crypt, where Lenten refreshments were served. Their Eminences and Their Graces, the hierarchs of the Pan-Orthodox Episcopal Assembly of Great Britain and Ireland, expressed their warm thanks to the Mosaic Choir, to the Chairman, Wardens’ Committee, and Trustees of the Cathedral of the Divine Wisdom, and to all those who helped to organise and support this joyful celebration of Pan-Orthodox Vespers.
Photo credit: Alexios Gennaris
