Feast of Parish of Saints Constantine and Helen in Brugge
On the Sunday of the Paralytic, May 23, 2021, the Feast of Saints Constantine and Helen was celebrated in the celebrating Parish in Brugge. Metropolitan Athinagoras of Belgium presided over the service observing all the protection measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Belgium.
In his sermon, the Metropolitan referred to the pericope from the Gospel of John, that is, the healing of the paralytic by Christ, and the significance of the feast. The manifestation of God’s love for man not only through physical healing but also through the healing of human loneliness, which is timeless hardship.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Metropolitan thanked the Head of the Parish, Protopresbyter Bernard Peckstadt, and the retired Protopresbyter Bartholomew D’Huyvetter, who continues to contribute to the parish despite the difficulties due to COVID-19 restrictive measures.
In 1995, the Parish was founded by the then Archdeacon of the Metropolis of Belgium, Athinagoras Peckstadt, and now the Metropolitan of Belgium, with the aim of gathering all the Orthodox of the area so that they can participate in the liturgical life of the Church. The Parish is housed in a historic building of the 14th century in the center of the city of Brugge.