The Visit of Sayedna Silouan to the Parish of St Ignatius, Belfast
His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan made a pastoral visit to the Parish of St Ignatius of Antioch in Belfast over the weekend of 5 - 6 September 2026.
Here is a photoalbum of this great event in the life of St Ignatius parish! Album
The visit began on Saturday evening with Great Vespers, served by the priest-in-charge, Fr Dmitry Ismagilov, and Fr Justin Venn of the Orthodox Church of St John of Shanghai (ROCOR) in Belfast, who joined the celebrations with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Irenei.
At the conclusion of Vespers, His Eminence addressed the faithful on the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year. Reflecting on the place of the Mother of God within the Church year, Sayedna encouraged the faithful to follow her example by placing Christ at the centre of their lives and using the new year as an opportunity for spiritual growth and a renewed life in Him.
Following Vespers, His Eminence joined the parish for fellowship before meeting with its young adults. During the gathering, Sayedna officially inaugurated YAM Belfast, the new Belfast chapter of the Archdiocese’s Young Adult Ministry. His Eminence spoke about the foundations of the Christian spiritual life and answered questions from the young people about the practical challenges of living the Christian faith.
Sunday was a particularly joyful day as eleven people, six adults and five children, were received into the Orthodox Church through the Holy Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation. His Eminence presided over their reception before celebrating the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, concelebrated by Fr Justin and Fr Dmitry.
Preaching on the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:2–14), His Eminence reflected on God’s invitation to each person to enter into communion with Him. Sayedna
emphasised that our response to this invitation is expressed not only through prayer, participation in the divine services and reception of the Holy Mysteries, but also through
genuine love and care for those around us.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence expressed his joy at the growth of St Ignatius Parish and at witnessing the fruits of its pastoral and catechetical work, particularly in the reception of eleven new members into the Church. He encouraged the community to continue its good work and to keep growing together in Christ.
The pastoral visit concluded with a festive parish lunch and fellowship with the faithful, bringing to a close a joyful and blessed weekend in the life of St Ignatius Parish.
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