By Hieromonk Sozomenos Poliviou
GENUINE
ORTHODOX CHURCH
HOLY
PAN-ORTHODOX SYNOD
In Birmingham
of Great Britain, on 19th October
2013 e.c
Protocol
number: 657
A
SYNODICAL ACT
on the
establishment of a common commemoration and gathering for all the Saints who
preached, lived ascetically, underwent martyrdom and overall who shone forth in the
Isles of Britannia.
In the Name
of the Holy and Consubstantial and
Indivisible Trinity.
The Holy
Pan-Orthodox Synod of the Genuine Orthodox Church, having gathered on the 19th October
2013 e.c., the feast day of our venerable Father Frideswide of Oxford and of the Prophet
Joel, in Birmingham, Great Britain (ecclesiastical region of the “Old Rome” which shone
in Orthodoxy prior to the schism) having convened at the Cathedral of the Holy, Equal
to the Apostles, Saints Constantine and Helen, (under the pastoral duty of the Autocephalous
Genuine Orthodox Church of Cyprus) and taking into consideration the decisions
made at Koropi of Attika, Athens (15.07.2013), and at the Carpathian mountains in the
Ukraine (25.07.2013), regarding the establishment of a common commemoration, thus, the
gathering for All the Saints who preached, lived ascetically, underwent martyrdom and
overall who shone forth in the Isles of Britannia, now addresses via this present Act
every member of the Church, joyously proclaiming: “Wondrous is God in His Saints.”1.
Honourable
Fathers and beloved brethren and children-in-Christ,
According to
Orthodoxy’s great Theologian, the Blessed Damascene, the “living temples of God” and the
“living tabernacles of God” are the Saints of the Church, the holy people in whom “God
dwelt even in their bodies in spiritual wise”2. In the Synaxarion for the
Sunday of the
All-Saints we read: that “many people have been well-pleasing to God” and “many lived a
God-pleasing life [...]even as far as the British Isles themselves; ”3.
The presence
of Orthodoxy in the British Isles covers the entire the first Christian millennium.
Christ’s Gospel was preached here very early, even since the Apostolic years, according to
authoritative ecclesiastical writers (Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius, and the Blessed
Chrysostom) and three strong traditions of the Synaxarion that make reference
to this.
In accordance
to the first of them, Saint Peter the Apostle himself, travelled evangelising the word of
God to the peoples who laid in ignorance in Britannia, where he was informed by a holy
Angel about his forthcoming death and having returned to Rome, he died in martyrdom. 4.
According to the second tradition, which is accepted by Saints Theodoritus and Clement
of Rome, it was the Apostle Paul who preached in Britain, where he ordained to Bishop,
his disciple of Cypriot descent the Apostle Aristobulus 5, brother of the
Apostle Barnabas.
Finally, the Christian preaching in Britain is enjoined to the burier of the
Lord, Saint Joseph
of Arimathea who, according to the third tradition, sailed to the Isles
bringing with him the
Holy Grail and the Crown of Thorns. 6.
Preponderant
of these three traditions, is that which sees the Apostle Aristobulus having been ordained
by the Apostle Paul as Bishop of the British Isles. In this way, Aristobulus, becomes the
first Bishop of this God-saved regional Church, undertaking immense battles against
idol-worshipers. The aforementioned tradition is recorded in the Synaxarion of
his feast day in
which it is stated that, “after the glorious Ascension of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the divine
apostle of Christ, followed Paul the Apostle, preaching the Gospel throughout the earth,
assisting and working as a genuine and faithful disciple. Having been ordained
a Bishop by
Paul, he came to the Isles of the Britons, preaching Christ, sometimes beaten, other times
dragged inside river beds and mocked, he convinced many to proceed towards Christ and be
baptised. Having structured the Church and having appointed Priests and Deacons
therein, he reposed.” 7.
No matter,
however, the identity of he who sowed the Gospel’s word, God’s blessing had been plenteous
and the regional Church of Britain offered her chosen fruit at the altar of the Jerusalem
on high. (In one source there are 81 Saints of the British Hagiologion commemorated 8,
but many more are recorded in the Roman Martyrologion.9). In accordance
with tradition and various ecclesiastical writers, Saint Alban who underwent
martyrdom around the 3rd century, is commemorated as the first Martyr of Britannia.
Throughout the 5th century, Saint Germanos, Bishop of the French “Auxerre”,
engages in
confronting the heresy of Pelagianism in Britannia; in the course of the 6th century, sent
to Britannia by Pope Saint Gregory the Great named the “Dialogist”, is Saint Augustine the
first Archbishop of Canterbury and coordinator of the Church in Britannia. Since then a
radiant multitude of missionary Hierarchs are accounted in the British Hagiologion,
amongst whom is Saint Patrick the Bishop and Enlightener of Ireland whom using the
shamrock was teaching the pagans about the Holy Trinity; Saint David the Enlightener
of the Welsh, Saints Ninian and Columbas the Enlighteners of the Scots, Saint Kentigern
Bishop of Glasgow, Saint Aidan Bishop of Lindisfarne, Saint Ced Bishop of
Essex, Saint Chad
Bishop of Lichfield, Saints Laurence, Theodore the Greek, Melitus, Justus, Honorius,
Dunstan, Alphege Archbishops of Canterbury and others.
Within the
British Hagiologion, equally commemorated, is a multitude of ascetics as monasticism
peaked on these islands. Indicative of this peak is the reference of the great English
historian Saint Bede, whom in his disquisition “Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum”,
mentions that in the Monastery of Bangor, “there was so great a number of monks, that
the monastery being divided into seven parts, with a superior set over each, none of those
parts contained less than three hundred men, who all lived by the labour of their hands.”10.
A great
flourishing of monasticism was observed when the aforementioned great Monastic Father, Saint
Columbas from Ireland, established the Monastic centre of the Island of Iona, near the
Scottish coast. Since then the British Hagiologion has been enriched and
included in that are
radiant fathers and mothers amongst whom are Saint Cuthbert, Saint Brigid the Abbess, Saint
Gildas the Wise, Saint Sadok the Abbot, Saint Alt the Abbot, Saint Liova the Abbess and
Saint Edith the Virgin and others.
Nonetheless
Christian missionary work would encounter great difficulties if pious British Kings and
Sovereigns had not longed to assist it. Saint Lucius the so called “King of Britannia” is
the first King of pre-Saxon Britain to convert to Christianity, after having requested
this outcome from Saint Eleutherius Pope of Rome, while, Saint Ethelbert King of Kent, is
recorded to be the first Anglo King to convert to Christianity. The list of
royal Saints
appears to be lengthy and within it shine forth Martyr Oswalt the King of Northumbria,
Saint Edgar the peaceful and Saint Elgiva both Sovereigns of England; Saint Edborg of
Winchester, martyr Saint Edward the King whose relics are saved and many others. Saint
Constantine the Equal to the Apostles and God-Crowned King, before his conversion to
Christianity, was coronated as senior Emperor of the western Roman Empire in
Eboracum, modern day York, after his father Constantius Chlorus died in 306. By the year
324 he went on to become sole Emperor of the entire Roman Empire (east and west),
eventually becoming the first Christian Roman Emperor.
At the dawn
of the second millenium, with the completion of the schism of Rome, the predominance
of Papism is observed in the British Isles. In this way, “the special characteristics
of the Church of Britain disappear and at the same time, heresy delves in, until the
hurricane of Protestantism, with its disastrous consequences, swept through and wiped out
everything”.11.
In the course
of the 20th century, a small resurgence of Orthodoxy is noted in Britain, under the
jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other regional Churches, unfortunately
infused with the ecumenistic heresy. With the Grace of God however, from the decade of
the seventies and onwards, a Genuine Orthodox Mission started to develop in Britain,
under the spiritual and pastoral duty of the late Bishop of Citium, Epiphanios. This mission
having expanded and centred around the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen in
Birmingham, founded by Father Soterios Hadjimichael, who served as the parish Priest for
the past four decades, already yields rich fruit and delivers a daily testimony
of the genuine
Orthodox Faith and life in Christ before a secularised society unconcerned with
spiritual things.
Thus, the
Holy Synod of the Genuine Orthodox Church, with great gladness and satisfaction
has accepted the proposal of the head of the mission in Britain, Metropolitan of Citium
Parthenios and propitiously accepted the comprehensive suggestion of the worker of the
British mission, Fr. Sozomenos Polyviou, regarding the establishment of a day of common
commemoration for all the Saints of Britain.
HAVING
CONVENED
therefore, in
the Holy Spirit and having seriously taken into consideration that:
a) on the
past Sunday, Christ’s Church radiantly celebrated the memory of the God-bearing fathers of
the 7th Ecumenical Synod, who having anathematised the iconoclasts and all the heretics,
stressed the Orthodox Dogma and endorsed and applauded the decisions of the Synods prior
to theirs,
b) the
British Isles ever since the time of the papal prevalence are plagued by this
very heresy and
also the Protestant outgrowths that were created by that heresy which, among others, deny
and anathematise as idol worshiping the veneration of the holy icons,
c) the
institutionalisation of a feast day, in which we will honour all the saints of
Britannia who “were
stoned, were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword 12” for the
spreading forth of the Gospel’s word and the triumphing of Orthodox Theology,
just as the
God-Bearing Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Synod did, shall be a strong indication
that such triumph
will occur for the Church of the British Isles, which is scourged today by similar
heresies and, which “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against” as promised
by Her
establisher our Saviour Jesus Christ,
d) honouring
the Saints of Britannia and displaying their lives and examples, shall on the one hand
greatly benefit the general missionary efforts of genuine Orthodoxy and on the other hand
shall attract, through their God-persuading intercessions, the grace of God and the blessing
of the Holy Spirit splendidly on the flock of the Church of Britannia; as kinsmen to
the Holy Fathers,
WE INSTITUTE
that as of
now and for ever all the Saints who preached, lived ascetically, underwent martyrdom and
overall who shone forth in the Isles of Britannia upholding the Orthodox Faith, be
honoured in the month of October, on the first Sunday following that of the
Godbearing Fathers of
the 7th Ecumenical Synod.
For this
cause, a special service was composed and an unprecedented icon was painted, dedicated to
the Gathering of All the Saints of the British Isles, which we call upon the Christ-named
flock to accept and venerate with great joy and faith.
By their
intercessions O Christ God, have mercy on us, Amen.
The Holy
Pan-Orthodox Synod of the Genuine Orthodox Church having
assembled in Birmingham of Great Britain Fervent supplicants to the Lord.
3 «Pentecostarion», Synaxarion of the Sunday of all-Saints.
4 «New Synaxarion of the Orthodox Church» June Volume, pg. 344 («Νέος Συναξαριστής τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου Ἐκκλησίας», τ. Ἰουνίου, σελ. 344.)
5 «New Synaxarion of the Orthodox Church» Μarch Volume, pg. 158 («Νέος Συναξαριστής τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου Ἐκκλησίας», τ. Ἰουνίου, σελ. 344.)
6 «New Synaxarion of the Orthodox Church» July Volume, pages 345-346 («Νέος Συναξαριστής τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου Ἐκκλησίας», τ. Ἰουλίου, σελ. 345 – 346.)
7 «Κύπρια Μηναία», March Volume, pg. 42
8 Christopher Commodatos, Bishop of Telmissos, «Οἱ Ἅγιοι τῶν Βρεττανικῶν Νήσων», 1985, pg. 9-11
9 «The Book of the Saints – A Dictionary of Servants of God canonized by the Catholic Church, extracted from the
Roman and other Martyrologies». Compiled by the Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine’s Abbey, Ramsgate, London 1946.
10 «Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England», ed. by A.M. Sellar, [1907] Chap. II. §4
11 Christopher Commodatos, Bishop of Telmissos, «Οἱ Ἅγιοι τῶν Βρεττανικῶν Νήσων», 1985, pg. 2812 «Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England», ed. by A.M. Sellar, [1907] Chap. II. §4
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