Orthodox Community to hold first service in Catholic Church
GUERNSEY’S Eastern Orthodox Community is set to hold a service in a Roman Catholic setting for the first time.
Notre Dame du Rosaire will be the venue for the service later this month, after the cosmopolitan group received an invitation from the Catholic Dean of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Rev. Canon Christopher Rutledge.
He said the idea came to him while he was at Les Cotils for Sunday lunch earlier this year, just as one of the Orthodox Community’s divine liturgies was finishing.
‘I saw Father Ian [Graham, a visiting Orthodox priest] waiting for his lunch, all dressed in black and I thought “here is a fine witness”,’ he said.
‘I asked a retired priest who was with me at the time – [former Catholic dean] Canon [Gerard] Hetherington – whether we should offer one of our churches for one of their services. He said he thought it was a good idea.’
They soon decided that the small church on Burnt Lane, St Peter Port would be the right venue, as it is only used on Sunday evenings.
Permissions were duly obtained from the Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth, the Right Rev. Philip Egan, and from the Greek Archdiocese of Great Britain, based in London.
The date of Sunday 19 June was chosen because it is the feast day of All Saints in the orthodox calendar, being the Sunday after Pentecost.
As the Guernsey Eastern Orthodox Community is dedicated to All Saints, this makes the occasion its patronal service.
Community spokesman Alan Cross said he greatly appreciated the chance to hold the service at the Roman Catholic venue.
‘I’m always greatly moved by the thought that we in the Orthodox Community are close to the ancient traditions of the Church of Rome,’ he said.
‘We’re both rooted at the very foundation of Christianity as a form of worship. It’s very moving that we have this opportunity and it will be a great experience to be in a church, rather than a room.’
Community member Tatiana Burmistrova described the opportunity as a step forward and expressed a hope that it would be the first of many.
‘There are so many churches in Guernsey and we are one of the homeless ones.
‘The main purpose of a church is to unite. Divisions came later in time but the root is the same. It’s amazing to have this homecoming.’
n The Guernsey Orthodox Community’s patronal service will be held at 10.30am on Sunday 19 June.
