His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe celebrated the first Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the new Archdiocesan Cathedral “Saint George the Great Martyr” in London, following extensive restoration works completed after the acquisition of the new church building.
Hundreds of Romanian faithful from the British capital participated in the Palm Sunday service.
In his homily, His Eminence emphasized the spiritual importance of the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, encouraging the faithful to open their hearts to receive Christ, the Bringer of light and peace.
“Today’s feast is one of joy, in which all are called to bring before the Lord their good deeds, gathered over the 40 days of fasting, just as the people once brought palm branches when the Savior Christ entered Jerusalem in victory,” Metropolitan Iosif said.
The London Cathedral
The new Archdiocesan Cathedral, located in Enfield – London, at 102A Church Street, is becoming the liturgical and spiritual center of the Romanian Orthodox community in the British capital.
After many years in which the Anglican church “St. Dunstan-in-the-West” served as the heart of the Romanian Orthodox faithful in London and throughout the UK, the newly acquired worship space—St. Paul’s Centre—purchased in 2023 with the dedicated involvement of the community and the support of the Department for Romanians Abroad and the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs, now stands as a landmark for the newly established Archdiocese.
The new cathedral hosts an active community that, in addition to liturgical services, carries out numerous catechetical, educational, cultural, and social activities, contributing to the preservation of the identity and unity of Romanians in London and across the United Kingdom.
Photo: roarch.org.uk
