The Nepsis 2025 Youth Congress UK, held at the Church of Saint Andrew the Apostle and Saint Nectarios of Aegina in Birmingham, brought together young Orthodox Christians under the theme of spiritual growth and faith as “the time to lay the roots of one’s spiritual life,” according to Archbishop Atanasie of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“Youth is the time when the roots of spiritual life are planted, the moment when a person learns to seek God with a pure heart,” Archbishop Atanasie said. “The joy of faith is not a fleeting emotion but a living encounter with Christ, who calls us to be light where the world is overcome by darkness.”
The Archbishop urged the young participants to “stay close to the Church, to prayer and to good deeds, so that through you, the world may see that God is truly present.”
Fr. Constantin Necula: ‘With Christ through the Sacraments of the Church’
The keynote speaker, Fr. Constantin Necula, delivered the main conference titled “With Christ through the Sacraments of the Church.”
In his dialogue with the youth, he reflected on “Christ’s presence in the life of the modern person,” emphasising that the Holy Mysteries are “sources of light, healing, and hope through which God continues to work in the world,” according to the Archdiocese.
The congress programme included daily prayers, spiritual formation sessions, thematic workshops focused on dialogue and community building, and moments of fellowship.
A Living Mystery of Resurrection
Saturday’s programme, dedicated to the Synaxis of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, featured the Divine Liturgy, followed by Fr. Necula’s lecture and a Q&A session.
The event concluded on Sunday, November 9, with a Divine Liturgy marked by two key moments: the ordination of deacon Iulian Vamanu, youth coordinator of Nepsis Manchester, who will serve at the Church of the Three Holy Hierarchs in Manchester, and the elevation of Fr. Mihai Răzvan Novacovschi, parish priest, to the rank of stavrophore-oikonomos (honorary cross-bearing priest).
In his closing message, Archbishop Atanasie reflected on the mystery of the Resurrection through the Gospel story of Jairus’ daughter:
“In hearts crushed by sorrow and suffering — like that of Jairus, the bleeding woman, or the mother beside her lifeless child — once the Lord enters, nothing can separate us from Him,” he said.
“Today we have witnessed the mystery of humility intertwined with hope, of sorrow and suffering transformed by the grace of healing, and above all, the mystery of Resurrection that gives life its true meaning.”
Photo: roarch.org.uk
