“The Lord Christ rejoices at every gesture, every thought, and every action we do for Him and in His name. Even more so when we build Him a house,” said Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe at the consecration ceremony of the church in Durham, United Kingdom.
The consecration service was officiated on Saturday, October 12, by His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe and His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești.
His Eminence congratulated the community on restoring the church: “Every church is a gateway to heaven, for through this gate, God descends to us. But we, too, are raised to heaven when we partake of Christ. We must not forget that we, too, in Christ’s Church, meaning His Bride, become the Church ourselves.”
His Grace Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești explained the significance of the consecration service: “Through the consecration service, the church that we build or restore and beautify becomes the House of the Lord, the gate of heaven, and the ladder by which we ascend from earth to heaven, from the fleeting earthly life to the eternal heavenly life. The church is not just the building where we gather for prayer and the Eucharist; it is the living community of believers.”
The Orthodox Parish of Saints Cuthbert and Bede purchased and restored the place of worship in 2018.
Fr. Iustin Mihoc, the parish priest, told Trinitas TV: “I must say that when we began the restoration of the church, I was not sure we would be able to accomplish it or if we would have the strength to restore the beauty of this building, which required so much work. But we were blessed with the prayers and help of so many believers, and above all, we were supported by God through His grace.”
The parish priest and Rev. Professor Andrew Louth received the “St. John Chrysostom” Order from His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel for their missionary work.
The main donors were awarded the Metropolitan Cross, and the church’s benefactors received Metropolitan Grammata from His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif.
The State Secretariat for Religious Affairs supported the restoration works of the church in Durham.
Photo: Facebook / Ciprian Chirilă
