Metropolitan Kallistos 1934-2022

Metropolitan Kallistos, President and founder of the Orthodox Fellowship of St John the Baptist died peacefully in the early hours of 24 August 2022, having earlier received the Holy Mysteries. His support for the Fellowship, for its associated activities such as the Youth Festival and Mosaic Choir, was generous and unstinting.

A memorial service will be held at the forthcoming summer conference in Walsingham 25-29 August, where Metropolitan Kallistos is pictured below, preaching during our 2015 conference on pilgrimage in the same place.

Memory Eternal! Christ is Risen!

Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia preaching in the Church of the Transfiguration, Great Walsingham

Summer conference – booking open!

Booking is now open for the OFSJB conference on Angelic Beings. 25-29 August 2022 in Walsingham, Norfolk UK. Please register as soon as you can, places are limited! This is our first in-person conference in 3 years.

As well as talks, services and time to socialise, there will also be time to explore Walsingham and the surrounding area. We will celebrate the Divine Liturgy twice, on Sunday and for the feast of the Beheading of St John the Baptist on Monday.

We are happy to announce our main speaker, Father Stephen De Young from the Parish of the Archangel Gabriel, in Lafayette, Louisiana in the United States. Father Stephen is well-known for his podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio, the Whole Counsel of God, and the Lord of Spirits podcast with Father Andrew Stephen Damick. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts from the University of Balamand, and a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Amridge University.

We will also welcome Tamara Penwell from the Parish of St John of Kronstadt in Bath. Tamara is an experienced iconographer.

Fees: Full adult fee £315; OFSJB member £280; child 5-16 £120; child under 5 free. Attendees are asked to declare if they are willing to share rooms in the accommodation of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. If you have any concerns about the fees, please email the Chair, Margaret Haig to discuss how the Fellowship can help you attend financially.

The timetable will be confirmed in due course, but we will assemble in the afternoon of Thursday 25 August and depart after the Divine Liturgy on Monday 29 August.

Sign up now!

2022 Youth Festival

The Youth Festival is back with an in-person event 3-5 June 2022, with the theme Life as Communion. Held at the beautiful Othona Community at Bradwell-on-Sea and worshipping in the chapel built by St Cedd, Apostle of Essex, the festival is a great opportunity for young people 18-35 to get together and share their faith.

Speakers include: His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain; Archpriest Stephen Platt from the Parish of St Nicholas, Oxford; Father Alexander Tefft from the Parish of St Botolph, London; and Marina Robb, Theologian and RE Teacher.

Visit the youth website to find out more and apply for a place.

Great Lent and new beginnings

Great Lent: a time of repentance, of turning away from sin and towards God. You may like to say prayers for peace at home; this link is to our friends at the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. https://incommunion.org/2022/02/14/moleben-for-peace/

Mosaic Choir has received a blessing to chant the Salutations to the Mother of God in English on each Friday of this Great Lent, 19:30 at the Chapel of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, 5 Craven Hill, W2 3EN. We believe this to be the only service of Salutations solely in English in our capital city. All are welcome.

Photo by Alexios Gennaris

Good strength for Lent!