New Antimensia

Beloved in the Lord,

We are pleased to inform you that the new antimensia that were consecrated by His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas at the Church of Saints Basil the Great and Paisios the Athonite in Lincoln last Saturday the 17th of July.

The new antimensia depict Saints of the British Isles. Every parish of the Archdiocese must have a new antimension that is signed and sealed by our Archbishop Nikitas, so that the Holy Liturgy may be celebrated upon it.

If anyone wants to contribute to the cost their names will be recorded in the Altar. The overall cost including postage is £260.

I looked up what this is and found the following:

The antimension, (from the Greek: ἀντιμήνσιον, “instead of the table”; in Slavonic: antimins), is among the most important furnishings of the altar in Orthodox Christian liturgical traditions. It is a rectangular piece of cloth, of either linen or silk, typically decorated with representations of the entombment of Christ, the four Evangelists, and scriptural passages related to the Eucharist. A small relic of a martyr is sewn into it. The Eucharist cannot be celebrated without an antimension.

The antimension is placed in the center of the altar table and is unfolded only during the Divine Liturgy, before the Anaphora. At the end of the Liturgy, the antimension is folded in thirds, and then in thirds again, so that when it is unfolded the creases form a cross. When folded, the antimension sits in the center of another slightly larger cloth, the eileton (Slavonic: Ilitón) which is then folded around it in the same manner (3 x 3), encasing it completely. A flattened natural sponge is also kept inside the antimension, which is used to collect any crumbs which might fall onto the Holy Table. When the antimension and eiliton are folded, the Gospel Book is laid on top of them.

The antimension must be consecrated and signed by a bishop. The antimension and the chrism are the means by which a bishop indicates his permission for priests under his omophorion to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and Holy Mysteries in his absence, being in effect the church’s license to conduct divine services. If a bishop were to withdraw his permission to serve the Mysteries, he would do so by taking back the antimension and chrism from the priest. Whenever a bishop visits a church or monastery under his omophorion, he will enter the altar and inspect the antimension to be sure that it has been properly cared for, and that it is in fact the one that he issued.

Only a bishop, priest, or deacon is allowed to touch an antimension. Since the antimension is a consecrated object, they must be vested when they do so—the deacon should be fully vested, and the priest vested in at least stole (epitrachelion) and cuffs (epimanikia).

The antimension is a substitute for the altar table. A priest may celebrate the Eucharist on the antimension even if the altar table is not properly consecrated. In emergencies, when an altar table is not available, the antimension serves a very important pastoral need by enabling the use of unconsecrated tables for divine services outside of churches or chapels. Formerly if the priest celebrated at a consecrated altar, the sacred elements were placed only on the eileton. However, in current practice the priest always uses the antimension, even on a consecrated altar that has relics sealed in it.

At the Divine Liturgy, during the Litanies (Ektenias) that precede the Great Entrance the eiliton is opened fully and the antimension is opened three-quarters of the way, leaving the top portion folded. Then, during the Litany of the Catechumens, when the deacon says, “That He (God) may reveal unto them (the catechumens) the Gospel of righteousness,” the priest unfolds the last portion of the antimension, revealing the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. After the Entrance, the chalice and diskos are placed on the antimension and the Gifts (bread and wine) are consecrated. The antimension remains unfolded until after all have received Holy Communion and the chalice and diskos are returned to the Table of oblation (Prothesis). The deacon (or, if there is no deacon, the priest) must very carefully inspect the antimension to be sure there are no crumbs left on it. Then, it is folded, followed by folding the eiliton, and after which the Gospel Book placed on top of it.

An online event for young people on the theme of the ‘Lenten journey toward Pascha.’

Your Graces, Reverend Fathers, Esteemed Presidents of the Communities of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,

On Wednesday the 14th of April, at 18:00, an online event will take place for young people on the theme of the ‘Lenten journey toward Pascha.’ The event will be comprised of two talks, one by the V. Rev. Archim. Apostolos Trifyllis and the other by Fr Petros Georgiou. The talks will be relevant to children and primarily adolescents, so please share the links and poster with the families of your parish, encouraging them to participate in this initiative of the Archdiocesan Youth Office. 

Thank you, once again, for your support and encouragement. Wishing you all a healthy remainder of the lenten period and strength for Holy Week and Pascha. 

With respect and appreciation

Alexios Florides

Youth Office of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain 

Link and Poster:

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of GB is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Youth Office: The Lenten Journey towards Pascha 

Time: Apr 14, 2021 06:00 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82364900957?pwd=SVduMFZFOHczMTFGOUdFS3dyY0ZuUT09

Meeting ID: 823 6490 0957
Passcode: 063354

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Meeting ID: 823 6490 0957
Passcode: 063354

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbAmtWoQ0Z

Sunday School Teachers of the Archdiocese – Κατηχητές-τριες της Ιεράς Αρχιεπισκοπής

Αγαπητοί μας εν Κυρίω,

Συνημμένα παρακαλούμε βρείτε το διαφημιστικό υλικό για τους Κατηχητές και Κατηχήτριες της Ιεράς Αρχιεπισκοπής. Παρακαλούμε να ανεβάσετε το υλικό αυτό στον ιστότοπο της Κοινότητός σας.

Με εκτίμηση,

Τμήμα Παιδείας της Ιεράς Αρχιεπισκοπής

Dear Beloved,

Attached please find advertising material for the Community of Sunday School Teachers of the Archdiocese. Kindly upload the material on your Community website.

Best regards,

Education Department of the Archdiocese

His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas and Great Britain Name Day

Reverend Priests and Deacons,

Honourable Presidents of the Ecclesiastical Committees,

Ladies’ Auxiliary Associations and the School Committees of

the Communities of the Holy Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.

Dearly Beloved in the Lord,

It is with great joy we announce that on Tuesday, 15 September 2020, feast day of the Great Martyr Nikitas, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain will celebrate His name day.

You are kindly requested to inform the devout members of your Community according to the attached programme, which we suggest you upload on the website of your Community and post it on the bulletin board of the Church.

The reverend Priests and Deacons, who would like to participate in the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Divine Wisdom, Bayswater, are kindly requested to confirm their participation via email on archthyateira@gmail.com no later than Friday, 11 September 2020.

Wishing you health and the blessing of Almighty God on your endeavours, we remain with blessing and love in Christ.

From the Office of the Chancellor of the Holy Archdiocese 

Ονομαστήρια Αρχιεπισκόπου Θυατείρων και Μ. Βρεταννίας κ. Νικήτα

Ευλαβεστάτους Ιερείς και Διακόνους,

Αξιοτίμους Προέδρους των Εκκλησιαστικών Επιτροπών,

των Βοηθητικών Αδελφοτήτων και των Σχολικών Επιτροπών

των Κοινοτήτων της Ιεράς Αρχιεπισκοπής Θυατείρων και Μεγάλης Βρεταννίας.

Αγαπητοί μας εν Κυρίω,

Ευχαρίστως σας ενημερώνουμε ότι την Τρίτη 15 Σεπτεμβρίου, μνήμη του Αγίου Μεγαλομάρτυρος Νικήτα, άγει τα ονομαστήριά του ο Σεβασμιώτατος Ποιμενάρχης ημών, Αρχιεπίσκοπος Θυατείρων και Μεγάλης Βρεταννίας κ. Νικήτας.

Παρακαλούμε όπως ενημερώσετε σχετικώς το ευσεβές Ποίμνιο της Κοινότητός σας σύμφωνα με το επισυναπτόμενο πρόγραμμα, το οποίο προτρέπουμε όπως αναρτηθεί στην  ιστοσελίδα της Κοινότητος σας και τοποθετηθεί στον πίνακα ανακοινώσεων του Ιερού Ναού της Κοινότητός σας.

Παρακαλούνται επίσης οι Ευλαβέστατοι Ιερείς και Διάκονοι οι οποίοι επιθυμούν να λάβουν μέρος στην Αρχιερατική Θεία Λειτουργία στον Ιερό Καθεδρικό Ναό της του Θεού Σοφίας Bayswater, να ειδοποιήσουν σχετικώς στο email: archthyateira@gmail.com το αργότερο μέχρι την Παρασκευή 11 Σεπτεμβρίου 2020.

Ευχόμενοι σε σας υγεία και την  επιστασία του Αγίου Θεού στα έργα σας, διατελούμε μετά θερμών ευχών και της εν Κυρίω αγάπης.

Εκ της Πρωτοσυγκελλίας της Ιεράς Αρχιεπισκοπής

Beloved church open to parishioners

We are pleased to announce that we can now open our beloved church to parishioners, starting from tomorrow our church will be open for Divine Liturgy from 9.30am. We will have a visiting priest from London leading the service on Sunday 12th July. 

In order for us to open the church, some changes have been completed inside of the church, to abide by the guidance from the UK Government and from our Archdiocese.
 
Due to this please can we all make sure to adhere to the Government guidelines as the local council has the right to come into church to inspect and confirm that we are following procedures and guidelines.

To help us to ensure we can keep the church open, we ask you to please kindly follow the guidelines attached and follow the social distancing rules. 

We really appreciate the patience and understanding you have shown throughout these challenging and emotional times and thank you in advance for all your cooperation. 

We look forward to welcoming you all back tomorrow

(Please remember we have a maximum capacity we are allowed in the church and once this capacity has been reached, you will not be able to enter until someone has left).

To Download the Guidance Notes please click here

To Download the Guidance Notes please click here