Consecration of the Church in Torquay

 
This concerns the Greek church of Saint Andrew the Apostle in the town of Torquay, Devon. The town lies on the coast of the English Channel, and already in the middle of the twentieth century a group of Orthodox Cypriots and Greeks settled there. They established a church community and, in 1976, succeeded in obtaining for their religious needs an old church building that was no longer in use, situated within an old Anglican cemetery. This was related to me by the secretary of the parish council, Robert Skrivanos, who is half Greek and half English.
 

For decades afterwards, the church was served by Fr Gregory Carpenter, an Englishman who had embraced the Orthodox faith in his youth, studied and specialised in Greece, and became a priest under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. At his ordination he was given the name of Saint Gregory Palamas, and now no one uses his English name anymore; he is simply Fr Gregory.
 
Eight years ago, I began from time to time to serve together with Fr Gregory in the church, where, alongside the Cypriots, many Greeks from Greece had also begun attending regularly. Orthodox faithful from other nationalities also came, mainly immigrants from Eastern Europe, as well as English converts to Orthodoxy.
 

Seven years ago, because of old age and certain infirmities, Fr Gregory entrusted me (with the blessing of Archbishop Nikitas) with the responsibility of serving the parish. In 2023 I officially received a letter from the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain informing me that I had become the principal priest of the parish.
 
When Fr Gregory was handing over the parish documentation to me, he remarked that the church had never actually been consecrated. This struck me as rather strange: how could services be celebrated in a church that had never been consecrated? As far as I had heard from him, many bishops had visited over the years, but either they had forgotten this fact or had simply paid no attention to it.
 

One day, Robert and I began looking through the documents and discovered that the Greek-Cypriot community had leased the abandoned Anglican church of St Saviour’s in 1976 and had entered into negotiations with the cemetery authorities in order to purchase it. In October 1978 the final legal document granting ownership of the church was received from the Queen (an English matter indeed!), excluding the pathway and burial plots. Even before the signature of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had been obtained, services had already been celebrated there by Orthodox priests visiting from other towns. This year (2026) marks fifty years since Orthodox services first began to be celebrated in this church.
 
As parish priest (although with an unresolved formal transfer from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to the local Archdiocese), I considered that this jubilee presented a suitable occasion to request from our Archbishop Nikitas the consecration of our church. A long correspondence then followed with his secretary, Archdeacon George, with months of waiting for a reply, until it was finally decided that the Archbishop’s young vicar, Bishop Maximos of Melitene, would come and consecrate the church.
 

As you may imagine, the consecration of a church may happen only once in the life of a priest, and it may never happen at all if he serves in an already-consecrated church. As a priest serving in the Diocese of Plovdiv and in the Diocese of Vidin, I had never before attended such a consecration. As the Bishop himself said in his homily, it was also his first time performing one. The rite itself is quite complex, and because no experienced priest could be found within the Archdiocese to prepare the special mixture required, a priest had to come all the way from Thessaloniki. This further complicated our preparations. Fr Ignatios, who came, spoke only Greek, and I was left somewhat suspended, relying entirely upon my Greek-speaking altar assistants to prepare everything necessary for the consecration.
 
On Saturday, 20 June 2026, we welcomed Bishop Maximos, the Greek priest Fr Ignatios, and Archdeacon George at the church at 6 p.m. They brought relics to be placed within the Holy Altar Table. The relics consisted of particles of Saint Menas (11 November), Saint Paraskevi the Virgin-Martyr of Rome (26 July), and an unnamed martyr from the Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, who was slain when the Persians devastated Palestine and massacred the monks of the Lavra in 614. The Church commemorates them on 16 May.
 

We served Solemn Great Vespers. The church was full. At the conclusion, the holy relics were brought out for veneration.
 
After Vespers, the priests and parish council members went for dinner at a Bulgarian-Romanian restaurant. We ate fasting dishes, and such a pleasant conversation unfolded that, although darkness had not yet fallen (these are now the longest days here in the North), at ten o’clock I said to everyone: “Go home now, because tomorrow an important work awaits us!”
 
The Historic Day: 21 June 2026
 
In the morning, we began Matins at 9 a.m. The Bishop and the other guests arrived at 9:25. The church was already full. Around 10:30 the actual consecration began. I was merely an observer of something truly unique.
 

In advance, we had cut an opening measuring approximately 15 x 15 x 15 cm in the centre of the Altar Table. Into this we placed many names of both the living and the departed, brought by parishioners to be sealed there “until the Second Coming,” as the Bishop read aloud.
 
First we washed the Altar Table with water and dried it. Then Fr Ignatios wrapped the small reliquary in cloth and placed it into the opening together with the names. During Matins he had melted the wax-mastic mixture (an aromatic blend of pure beeswax, pure incense, mastic and other fragrant substances). He poured several packets of marble powder into the opening and then filled it to the top with the wax mixture. This mixture cools quickly (just as candle wax does when it drips), but it also expands slightly. When Fr Ignatios placed the marble cover over it, it would not fit into the opening but protruded above the surface.
 

A commotion followed. The now-hardened mixture had to be scraped away. A second and third attempt also failed to make the cover fit level with the surrounding marble so that the surface of the Holy Altar Table would remain smooth. We had certainly drawn the attention of everyone in the church outside the sanctuary.
 
Afterwards, much fragrant oil and perfume was poured upon the Holy Altar Table while we priests wiped it thoroughly with towels. Then, before placing the white covering upon the Altar Table, Fr Ignatios poured the wax mixture in the form of a cross at both ends, and the covering became permanently affixed to the Altar Table. We completed the vesting with the remaining white coverings. This took quite a long time, although Fr Ignatios worked quickly.
 
Finally, we continued with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.
 
Before the conclusion, at my suggestion the Bishop tonsured two men as Readers to assist me in the altar, while Fr Brandon Gallagher of Exeter, ordained three years ago and a professor of theology, read the prayer appointing him as a spiritual father and confessor—something we do not have in Bulgaria. This means that he may now hear confessions. This is a great help to me, because until now his parishioners had to travel from Exeter to Torquay for confession. I myself also travelled there twice a year, before Pascha and before Christmas, in order to hear their confessions.
 

We finally finished around 2:30 p.m. In the church grounds the young men had erected a tent, while the women had set out tables. The Bishop offered a blessing, and people lined up in an orderly manner to refresh themselves. We had the opportunity for everyone to speak with one another. Some sat beside the Bishop to share their concerns with him. Many people came to me expressing their joy at this unique service.
 
I had thought that five and a half hours might prove too much for them, but they were full of joy. Pilgrims had come from the parishes in Exeter and Plymouth, but what was most interesting was that people had also come from London, the Midlands, and Cornwall.
 
At around four o’clock our guests departed and we began tidying everything away.
 
As I said to my parishioners: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
 
May God, through the prayers of Saint Andrew, Saint Menas, and Saint Paraskevi the Great-Martyr, fill this house of His with faithful followers from among whom future chanters, monks, and priests may arise. Amen.
 
Fr. Trayan Goranov

Οι καλύτερες κρυψώνες...

 
Δεν  θα υπάρξει ποτέ, όσα χρόνια κι αν περάσουν, όσες ανακαλύψεις και αν γίνουν, όσα κι αν η τεχνολογία κι  η τεχνητή νοημοσύνη εφεύρει, καλύτερο και πιο χαρούμενο παιδικό παιχνίδι από το κρυφτό. Θυμηθείτε, πώς όλες οι αισθήσεις συμμετείχαν σε τούτο το ταπεινό παιχνίδι, την ευρηματικότητα και το ευμήχανο της καινούργιας κρυψώνας, την αγωνία, τον ενθουσιασμό, τη χαρά, την ανακάλυψη, το φτου ξελευθερία…
 

Τώρα γνωρίζετε, όσοι παρακολουθείτε την εκπομπή, ότι μετά από έναν τέτοιο πρόλογο, η Αγία μεταστρεψιμότητα θα κάνει την εμφάνισή της, να δώσει μία άλλη διάσταση σε αυτό το παιδικό παιχνίδι… Γιατί υπάρχει και ένα κρυφτό, που έχει πνευματική και σωτήρια διάσταση! Και εκείνοι που κρύβονται, δεν αγωνιούν και δεν λαχταρούν να βγουν ποτέ από την ευλογημένη τους κρυψώνα, την κρυψώνα της Αγίας ταπείνωσης, της ησυχίας, της ουράνιας κατάνυξης, της μυστικής προσευχητικής ένωσης… Ζουν κρυμμένοι το λάθε βιώσας!
 
Δεν θα το διερευνήσουμε φιλοσοφικά, όπως έκανε κάποτε ο Επίκουρος που το υπερασπιζόταν, ή ο Πλούταρχος που το αντιμαχόταν. Δεν θα είναι φιλοσοφική η αναζήτησή μας, μα φιλοθεϊκή! Δεν είναι θέμα ανθρώπινης λογικής και κριτικής σκέψης,  μα μόνο δίψας για τη σωτηρία και την ένωση με τον Άγιο Τριαδικό Θεό!
 
Όλοι εκείνοι που ζουν κρυμμένοι από τα μάτια των ανθρώπων, έχουν της καρδιάς τους τα μάτια στραμμένα στον ουρανό! Την κρυψώνα τους μόνο ο Χριστός μας την γνωρίζει. Κάποτε-κάποτε επιτρέπει Εκείνος να την ανακαλύψουν και κάποιοι άνθρωποι, για να ωφεληθούν οι ίδιοι και να ωφελήσουν και κάποιους αδελφούς τους!  Να  δοξαστεί Ο εν Τριάδι Θεός, να ελπίσει ο πολεμούμενος λαός Του, να ενισχυθεί με το ότι και στις μέρες αυτές, αλλά και πάντοτε δεν άφησε ο Κύριος αμάρτυρο το πανάγιο πρόσωπό Του!
 
Μια εκπομπή σαν συνέχεια από κάποιες προηγούμενες, ίσως και σαν συνέχεια από όλες που έχουν ως τώρα ακουστεί… Είναι η ταπείνωση, σαν τηλαυγής κρίκος που ενώνει, το  σημείο που συναντιούνται όλοι οι διαλεχτοί και διδαχτοί του Αγίου Θεού μέσα στους καιρούς, εκεί που πάντα και έως του αιώνος, κρυμμένοι στις οπές της, θα ανταμώνουν όσοι διψούν αξεδίψαστα την Ουράνια Βασιλεία! Τέτοιες γυναίκες Αγίες της ταπείνωσης, σήμερα στην εκπομπή μας. Η  Αγία Ισιδώρα η δια Χριστόν σαλή και η γλυκύτατη Γερόντισσα Παρασκευούλα!  Έζησαν σε πολύ μακρινές χρονικά εποχές, μα  τώρα σεργιανούν μαζί, εκεί που πάντοτε επιποθούσαν να Ζήσουν. Ας τρυγήσουμε ως φίλεργες μέλισσες τους ταπεινούς αυτούς ανθούς, τα περιφρονημένα μοναχικά λουλούδια του Παραδείσου. Ας  τις γνωρίσουμε,  και ας διδαχτούμε και ας πληροφορηθούμε πού βρίσκονται οι καλύτερες κρυψώνες…
 
Νώντας Σκοπετέας
 
Το βίντεο είναι εδώ

Κυριακή Νεομαρτύρων

 
Νέοι ἀθληταί, ὤλεσαν τήν γραῦν ῎Αγαρ.
Καί νῦν σύνεισι τοῖς ἀθληταῖς τοῖς πάλαι.
Βῆ δέ Πόλον πληθύς, νεάθλων ἄστυ θεοῖο.
 

Την β΄ Κυριακή μετά των Αγίων Πάντων, δηλαδή η γ΄ Ματθαίου, τιμούμε τους Άγιους Νεομάρτυρες, που μαρτύρησαν μετά την άλωση της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως το 1453 μ.Χ.

Alexander’s empire

 
🏛️⚔️ Alexander the Great built one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from Greece and Egypt to Persia and northwestern India. In just 13 years, his military campaigns reshaped the ancient world and spread Greek culture across three continents 🌍👑
 

From the Battle of Gaugamela to the banks of the Indus River, Alexander's legacy continues to fascinate historians and history lovers around the world.

Online Catechism on St. Matthew

 
The Parish of St. Peter and St. Paul, Bristol, warmly invites all who are interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian faith to join our next Online Orthodox Catechism session on Monday, 22 June 2026, at 7:00 p.m. (UK time). The evening will feature two presentations, delivered by Fr. Anastasios D. Salapatas and Dr. Harry Harrison, followed by discussion and questions. Whether you are a lifelong Orthodox Christian, a catechumen, an inquirer, or simply curious about the Church’s spiritual and historical heritage, you are most welcome to attend this enriching and educational gathering.
 

The theme of the evening will be centred on the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew and the Gospel that bears his name. Fr. Anastasios D. Salapatas will present a talk on St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, exploring the life, calling, ministry, and witness of the former tax collector who became one of Christ’s Twelve Apostles and the author of the first Gospel. Dr. Harry Harrison will then examine The Gospel of St. Matthew, highlighting its theological themes, its presentation of Christ as the promised Messiah, and its enduring significance for the life and teaching of the Church. Together, these two talks will offer a comprehensive introduction to both the saint and his inspired Gospel, deepening our understanding of the apostolic foundations of the Christian faith.

The beautiful Greek island

 

…just 1 hour from Corfu often named the country's 'best'

 

When it comes to choosing Greece's most beautiful island, opinions are often divided between famous hotspots such as Santorini, Mykonos and Crete. Yet one tiny Ionian gem, located just an hour from Corfu, is frequently named among the country's very best.
 
Measuring just seven miles long and three miles wide, Paxos, a picturesque island with crystal-clear waters, dramatic sea caves and charming harbour villages, has quietly earned a reputation as one of Greece's most enchanting destinations. Despite its growing popularity among travellers seeking a more authentic Greek escape, the island has retained its laid-back atmosphere and traditional character. Travel writer Kendall Hill recently revealed that Paxos topped her list of favourite Greek islands after an extensive search for the perfect holiday destination.
 
Writing last year, Ms Hill said: "My favourite Greek island? It's usually the last one I visited. This year alone I've swooned over Santorini (despite the daunting crowds), spent an exceptional day at Lesbos, and found myself torn between the desert-island vibes of Kos and the rustic charm and ancient ruins of Kea, just an hour from Athens but still surprisingly undiscovered.
 
"Recently, though, I had to decide where to go away with friends next year and, after a torturous process that I imagine is not unlike picking a favourite child - assuming you have two dozen or so who are precious to you - I eventually settled on Paxos."
 
The island sits south of Corfu in the Ionian Sea and can be reached by a hydrofoil journey that takes around an hour, or by a ferry from Corfu Town that takes two hours. Unlike some of Greece's larger and busier islands, Paxos offers visitors a peaceful retreat characterised by olive groves, secluded coves and postcard-perfect waterfront settlements.
 
Its capital, Gaios, is built around a natural harbour and is lined with colourful Venetian-style buildings, waterside tavernas and boutique shops.
 
The nearby villages of Lakka and Loggos provide an equally charming glimpse into traditional island life, with quiet squares and stunning coastal views.
 
One of Paxos' most famous attractions is its coastline. The island is surrounded by turquoise waters that rival those of the Caribbean, while striking limestone cliffs on the west coast hide spectacular sea caves that can be explored by boat.
 
Among the most popular beaches are Voutoumi and Vrika on neighbouring Antipaxos, an even smaller island another short boat ride away. Its white sands and transparent waters regularly feature in lists of Greece's most beautiful beaches.
 
The island's relatively small size also makes it ideal for exploring. Visitors can walk ancient footpaths through olive groves, discover hidden swimming spots or simply spend afternoons watching fishing boats drift into harbour.
 
SOURCE: MSN

Lost city of Alexandria found

 

…after thousands of years - in 'absolutely stunning' discovery

 

Archaeologists believe they've finally pinpointed the site of a long-lost city founded by Alexander the Great - a bustling port which once linked ancient Mesopotamia directly to Persian Gulf trade routes.
 
The settlement, known as 'Alexandria on the Tigris', is thought to be located in southern Iraq near the Gulf, with initial reports hailing the find as "absolutely stunning".
 
Established in the fourth century BC, the city was one of many 'Alexandrias' set up by the Macedonian ruler as he built an empire stretching from Greece to the borders of India.
 
While Alexandria in Egypt gained worldwide fame for its lighthouse and library, Alexandria on the Tigris has remained tantalisingly out of reach, existing more in myth than on any map - until now, Fox News reports.
 
Researchers suggest the site matches predictions for a strategically placed port linking river transport on the Tigris with sea routes across the Gulf and beyond.
 
In its heyday, the city would have acted as a vital hub for goods, knowledge and travellers moving between the heartlands of Mesopotamia and the wider ancient world.
 
Over the ages, the Tigris has altered its course and deposited sediment across the lowlands, gradually concealing former coastlines and settlements.
 
The rise and fall of empires, changing trade routes, and the marks of modern conflict have hidden the city's remnants from sight.
 
High-resolution geophysical scans and drone imagery have now mapped fortification walls, street grids, city blocks and industrial areas.
 
Temple complexes, workshops with kilns and furnaces, and signs of a harbour-and-canal system have also emerged from beneath the soil - a rare, comprehensive glimpse of an ancient metropolis frozen in time.
 
Stefan R. Hauser, archaeology professor at the University of Konstanz, told Fox News Digital that the quality of evidence is "absolutely stunning", with building walls appearing just below the surface and preservation "surprisingly good".
 
The city's footprint is vast - approximately 2.5 square miles (around 6.5 km2) - which he says rivals or even surpasses some major capitals of the era.
 
Work at the site began in the 2010s under the guidance of British archaeologists Jane Moon, Robert Killick, and Stuart Campbell, but progress was slow and often fraught due to periods of conflict and extremist control.
 
SOURCE: MSN