Halifax, England, February 17, 2025
Fr. Gregory Hallam enrolling former Evangelicals as catechumens. Photo: antiochian-orthodox.com
An evangelical congregation in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, is in the process of converting to Orthodox Christianity via the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland.
With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan, the community will become a new Orthodox mission named after St. Hilda of Whitby, the archdiocese reports.
Most members of the congregation have already begun their journey as catechumens, including Pastor Douglas Clark and Associate Pastor Viviers Ferreira. The group has also attracted three additional individuals from Halifax and a family of five from Burnley. The process is expected to culminate in early September with formal receptions into the Orthodox Church and a potential diaconal ordination.
The Metropolitan has assigned clergy from St. Aidan of Lindisfarne parish in Manchester to oversee the new mission, with support from clergy from St. Constantine the Great in York.
This development echoes a 1995 initiative called Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy whereby the Antiochian Church first expanded in the UK by receiving several communities. With the establishment of the St. Hilda’s mission following similar steps, this marks a revival of the movement.
Currently, the community meets for worship in a Halifax school, where Fr. Gregory Hallam from St. Aidan’s has been enrolling adults and children as catechumens.
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