On Sunday 27th October, Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain made his inaugural pastoral visit to the Greek Orthodox Community of Saints Ambrose & Stylianos and the Chapel of St Mary of Vlacherna, Milton Keynes.
Archbishop Nikitas was greeted warmly by Revd Oeconomos Gregory Wellington, who has been serving the community for the past 6 months, by the Acting President, Despina (Niki) Beales, and by the vigorous and linguistically diverse congregation. Archbishop Nikitas presided over hierarchical Matins and celebrated the Divine Liturgy, with Father Gregory concelebrating, and Archdeacon Dr. George Tsourous serving as deacon.
At the end of Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Nikitas ordained Charis Pavlidis to the office of Reader. The celebration of the hierarchical Divine Liturgy was followed by the Doxology in commemoration of OXI Day, for which the students of the Greek School carried the flags of Greece, Cyprus and the UK.
The Archbishop awarded the Cross of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain to Niki Beales and Nikos Efthymiou in recognition of their longstanding contributions to the life of the community. Beales, along with her late husband John, has been deeply involved since the community’s beginning, after moving to the UK from Constantinople where she had been working to improve the situation of Orthodox Christians and Greeks in the area. Efthymiou has served tirelessly as a chanter, caretaker of the church, and cleaner, even selling produce from his own garden to support the church in times of need. Archbishop Nikitas also expressed his gratitude to Christos Tzallas, Treasurer of the Community, who has generously given his time and talents in service to the parish.
Over the past few months, the committee had been hard at work refurbishing the space and recently installed a new iconostasis. Thanks to their efforts and those of their fellow parishioners, everything came together smoothly, and the hall was ready just in time for the Archbishop’s visit.
The community was exceptionally hospitable, offering a wonderful meal in the newly renovated hall. To mark OXI Day, the Greek School prepared a special celebration, commemorating the sacrifices made by the Greek people in resisting the Nazis and their allies.
The community was joined on this Sunday by Archons of the Great Church of Christ, including Archon George Solomonides and his esteemed spouse.
Photo credit: Alexios Gennaris
