When Russia invaded Antioch

I had a lovely morning today. I usually travel about forty miles to get to church but, this weekend, my parish priest and his family have been staying much closer to where I live, so we all trundled along to my local Antiochian parish.


The iconostas at St Aidan's Orthodox Church, Manchester

Father Paul stood in the altar during the Liturgy but I didn't serve, standing instead with the merry bunch from Birkenhead. We all sang along with the choir and I vested at the appropriate point and received Communion. It was so lovely to be able to do that. Father Gregory and the good people at St Aidan's were welcoming hosts, as ever, and it just felt so natural for us to be there.

Only two years ago, while this would not have been impossible, it would certainly have been far less likely to have happened. I find this development very encouraging, as it is a sign that we are beginning to be more properly integrated into Orthodox life in the UK. May things continue to move in this direction.