Hi Everyone,

Michael here... I have just joined the forum.

My first question would be - I am going to be in the UK during the (western) Christmas period and wanted to know if there were any churches that an Old Rite follower could go to? I know there isn't an Old Rite presence in Britain - but perhaps some churches are closer in resemblance. I have been to the Cathedral at Enismore Gardens before and found it a beautiful palce - but far from what I know.

Apart from that I wanted to know what people know of the church at Felixtowe? I will be in East Anglia - so thought I might go there one Sunday.

THoughts?

Thank you all.

Michael,

Welcome to the Forum. Hopefully, Father Mark will see your post, as I think he may be able to best answer these questions for you.

Many years,

Neil

The Blessing of the Lord!

And a warm welcome to the Forum. I wish I could honestly invite you to Dublin - and you would certainly be welcome - but at Western Christmas the available transportation is probably booked up solid already, and so are accommodations (and besides, the weather is not very good at that time of the year).

Fr. Serge

The Felixstowe church is servrd by Fr Andrew and belongs to ROCOR you can find the details on the local ROCOR website, the parish webpage is called Orthodox England, named after their magazine.

The only Old Rite communities I know of is the Belokrinitsa community in Belfast, but it has no priest, and Fr Mark who was recently ordained taking the name Benedict who has a kellion of St Sergius and the Holy Trinity in Wales. The Old Rite in UK is scattered and composed mostly of isolated families many of whom are priestless either by conviction or circumstances.

oldorthodox

i had no idea that the BK even had a slight presence anything further west than Rumania in Europe.

Fr. Serge: I wish I had known a couple of weeks ago when I booked my trip - I decided on side trips to Spain and to the Caribbean (though not really regretting the caribbean decision!). Next time I am up in the UK - I will try to get around Scotland, Ireland & Wales a bit more. I tend to spend all my time onthe Continent.

Here is an another question for everyone though. What do people know of St. Fursey of Burgh Castle? Is he widely acknowledged in the Orthodox community as a valid saint? I see he has Kond & Trop to him. I stay at Burgh Castle everytime in UK with my grandmother (who lives about a mile from the castle ruins) - but only discovered this old saint in the last couple of months.

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

Michael,

I can't answer as to the extent of acknowledgement in the Orthodox community as a whole, although there is a definite interest, particularly among the Western Rite Orthodox communities and among the Russian Orthodox, in pre-Schism Western Saints - especially those of the Celtic nations. Here is an icon.

If you scroll down to January 16th - Message #2926 - on this page, you can read a bio, as well as the Kontakion and Troparion. That is a Celtic Saints e-group maintained by my dear friend, Hieromonk Ambrose (Mooney) of St Michael the Archangel Russian Orthodox (ROCOR) Community in Auckland, NZ.

Many years,

Neil

L. J. C. S. G. h. m. s.

Dear Michael,

Be welcome here the next time you visit this part of the world. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Leonty does have a priest or two in Italy - Archbishop Sophrony would know how to find the community.

For the sake of Christ, forgive me.

+ serge