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Annual Pilgrimage to Lastingham on Saturday, 7th November 2026
Dear brothers and sisters,
With the blessing of our ruling hierarch, His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, I am glad to invite everyone to take part in an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Cedd of Lastingham, bishop of Essex.
The pilgrimage will take place on Saturday 7th November.
On this day we have got permission to celebrate Divine Liturgy in St Marys Church (Lastingham, YO62 6TN) where St Cedd is entombed:
9.30 – Hours.
10am - Divine Liturgy,
1pm - Festive meal. Please bring food and meals.
We hope that parishioners from all parishes of our deanery will be able to take part in this pilgrimage.
With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, the Diocese of Sourozh is launching the Diocesan Online Catechism Classes conducted in English.
IT WOULD BE GOOD TO SEE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE APPLYING FOR THIS COURSE PLEASE, MAYBE IF SOME PEOPLE WANTED TO DO THIS AS A GROUP WE COULD ARRANGE TO SET UP A COMPUTER WITH A LARGER SCREEN FOR PEOPLE TO SIT AROUND IN THE LIBRARY AT CHURCH. - FR GREGORY.
The Diocesan Online Catechism Classes are intended to provide an accessible and systematic introduction to the teaching, liturgical tradition, and life of the Orthodox Church.
The course is primarily addressed to those who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism or to be received into the Orthodox Church. At the same time, it is open to all Orthodox Christians who wish to deepen their understanding of the Orthodox faith and grow in their knowledge of Orthodox theology and its spiritual tradition.
The initiative seeks not only to transmit knowledge, but also to help participants encounter the Orthodox faith as a living tradition and a way of life according to the Gospel.
The programme will consist of 12 online lectures, each lasting approximately 60 minutes. The classes will take place every second Wednesday evening, from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.
The dates for the classes are:
October 7 and 21
November 4 and 18
December 2 and 16
January 20
February 3 and 17
March 3 and 24
April 7
The lectures will be delivered by priests of the Diocese of Sourozh, including His Grace Bishop Matthew, with each speaker addressing a particular aspect of Orthodox theology.
The online format will make the course accessible to participants across the Diocese, including those who may not be able to attend regular in-person catechetical sessions.
The classes will be offered free of charge. Participants who wish to follow the course will be asked to register in advance by email. Registration will allow the Diocese to provide participants with the necessary information and online access details.
The course aims to create a welcoming, intellectually and spiritually enriching environment in which participants can ask questions, learn from the clergy of the Diocese, and deepen their knowledge of Orthodox doctrine.
For those preparing to enter the Church, the classes will provide a solid foundation for their journey towards Baptism or reception into Orthodoxy. For those who are already Orthodox, the course will offer an opportunity to rediscover and deepen the faith they have received.
Ultimately, the programme is intended to encourage participants not simply to learn about Orthodoxy, but to understand more deeply what it means to live the life of the Church in Christ.
Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be awarded a Certificate of Completion by the Diocese of Sourozh.
Registration
To register for the course, please email catechisis.sourozh@gmail.com
Please include your full name and parish (if applicable) in your email.
Pilgrimage to Crowland Abbey on 25/04/2026
Just to remind everyone of the Pilgrimage to Crowland Abbey this Saturday.
The Divine Liturgy will start at 10:30am, don't forget to bring a picnic for lunch, please follow the link below for further details.
His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh joined our Parish to celebrate Divine Lithurgy on March 29th
On the 5th Sunday of Great Lent, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated the Divine Liturgy at our parish. His Grace was joined by the rector, Archpriest Gregory Butler, and visiting clergy. During the Little Entrance, the Bishop presented Father Gregory with a Patriarchal award—the right to wear a jewelled pectoral cross. After the service, gifts were exchanged: His Grace presented the parish with an English-language Gospel and gave gifts to the young parishioners, while Father Gregory presented the Bishop with a folding icon of the Mother of God and the Savior. Deacon Paul Wood was awarded the Medal of the Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, and Matushka Alexandra received an Episcopal Certificate of Merit. The visit concluded with a communal meal.
Invitation to visit wonderworking icon of the Mother of God in Birmingham on 30 November
Having spent the past month visiting parishes across continental Europe, The wonderworking Kursk-root icon of the Mother of God has arrived into the British Isles to begin a month of visitations to parishes in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The parish is invited to the icons reception into the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Prince Lazar on Sunday 30th November at 6pm. The church address is 92 Griffins Brook Lane, Bournville, Birmingham B30 1QG.
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/44TGbpjcGsdrbYrK6
An annual pilgrimage is set to venerate St Cedd's shrine at the church of St Mary in Lastingham on Saturday 8 November 10am
St Cedd was a 7th century bishop and had connections with a patrons of our church St Aidan and St Chad. Divine Liturgy will be served followed by a picnic at the village hall across the road. Please bring some food and drinks with you.
Address: St Mary's Church, Anserdale Lane, Lastingham, York, YO62 6TN
9:30am - hours, 10:00am - divine liturgy, 1pm - festive meal.
Sunday October 19th Divine Liturgy at Church of St. Silouan in Chester
There is no Divine Liturgy at the church in Nottingham this day.
However everyone is invited and welcome to attend the Divine Liturgy in Chesterfield with Fr Jonathan and his community at 10.30am, at St Silouan and All Saints Orthodox Church worshipping in Christ Church, 91 Sheffield Rd, Chesterfield S41 7JH.
Directions: Christ Church is behind the Stonegravels Parish Centre on Sheffield Road.
We took part in the 17th of May Pilgrimage held at Beverley Minster under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Matthew, to venerate the relics of St John of Beverley (7th cent.)
On 22nd Feb 2025, a Pilgrimage held at Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Prince Lazar to venerate and pray before the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God Three-Handed
In the Serbian parish dedicated to St. Prince Lazar, a copy of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Mother of God "Trojerucica" (Three-Handed) is kept. The original belonged to the renowned theologian, confessor, defender of icon veneration, and author of "An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith"—St. John of Damascus. He served at the court of the caliph in the 7th century when the heresy of iconoclasm arose and began to spread. He was slandered in the eyes of the ruler, for which the caliph ordered his hand to be cut off. St. John spent the entire night in prayer to the Mother of God, and in the morning, he found his severed hand restored to its place. Only a scar remained. In memory of this miracle, a third hand appeared on the icon of the Mother of God, which was made of silver and encrusted in an expensive silver setting. At the end of his life, St. John of Damascus gave the icon to the Jerusalem monastery of St. Sabbas the Sanctified. Then, miraculously, the icon ended up in Serbia. And during the Turkish rule, it reached Mount Athos. As a gift to the Serbian parish, a maximally accurate copy of this icon was created and brought to England. Miracles of healing began to occur along the way. All the testimonies of miracles—medical certificates "before and after"—are collected and kept by the rector of the parish, Archpriest Nenad Popovic.
On 9th November 2024, the Orthodox Pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Cedd in Lastingham at St. Mary’s Church took place
St Cedd and Lastingham have deep connections with our own parish patrons St Aidan & St Chad. St Cedd was a bishop and was the founding abbot of the monastery at Lastingham in 658, he was a brother to St Chad, St Chad also being a bishop and abbot at Lastingham at a later date. St Cedd was also a contemporary of St Aidan, both at that time living on Holy Island. Lindisfarne.
On 7th Sep 2024, Annual Orthodox Pilgrimage held at St Bertram's Shrine in Church of Holy Cross of Ilam
St Bertram, Hermit of Ilam, lived approximately in the 8th century (Commemoration: August 10th). Saint Bertram is the patron saint of the town of Stafford in England. He was likely a Mercian prince, but preferred the solitary life of a hermit over authority. According to tradition, in his youth, he had a wife and son, who were killed by wolves. He first lived in Stafford, where he brought many to Christ, and then led a life of complete seclusion in the hills of Ilam. In the 12th century, a monastery dedicated to St Bertram was founded on the south bank of the River Mersey. The shrine with his relics is preserved in a chapel dedicated to him in the Church of the Holy Cross in the picturesque village of Ilam in Staffordshire – the place of his hermitic life. Numerous miracles of healing have occurred from the relics of this saint over the centuries. Regular pilgrimages of Orthodox Christians are made to Ilam. An English-language service to St Bertram was composed at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The 2024 Annual Conference has taken place on (May 29th - 2nd June) at The Hayes, Swanwick, Derbyshire
The topic of the meeting "Being the Church Today: Tradition and Mission"
The 2023 Conference has taken place on (May 26th – 28th) at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hertfordshire
The Sourozh Diocesan Conference is an annual gathering of clergy and laity from Britain and Ireland, together with guests from abroad. The tradition of holding this type of gathering was established in the 1970’s by the ever-memorable Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom). Distinguished speakers from Russia, Britain and other countries are invited to the conference.
On November 2022, we participated in the Pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Cedd in Lastingham
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