Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London

On the first day of the New Year, when the Orthodox Church celebrates the Circumcision of the Lord according to the flesh and honours Saint Basil the Great, the Holy and Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Archdiocesan Cathedral `Saint George the Great Martyr` Archdiocesan Cathedral, in Enfield, London, by a synaxis of priests, under the presidency of Atanasie, Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The service gathered faithful from London and the surrounding areas, who chose to begin the year 2026 in prayer, offering thanksgiving to God for the gifts received and asking His blessing for the time that now opens before them.

In his homily, delivered in the context of this double feast, the Archbishop spoke about the mystery of time, emphasising that the passage from one year to another is not merely a change of calendar, but a moment of inner deepening, in which each person is called to set their life before God with sincerity, gratitude, and hope. Drawing on patristic teaching, he underlined that the true `circumcision` is not an outward act, but a work of the heart—a putting away of the passions and a re-ordering of life in the light of grace, through faith, repentance, and Eucharistic life.

Making a connection with the beginning of the New Year, His Eminence noted that `thanksgiving is the foundation of inner peace, and that the year opening before us should be received not with fear, but as a time for labour, patience, and spiritual growth`. He stressed that every moment entrusted to God can become a place of salvation, and that a good disposition of the heart is more precious than grand plans lacking prayer.

Referring to Saint Basil the Great, the Archbishop highlighted his example as shepherd, theologian, and servant of active love, showing that authentic Christian life is proven not only in words, but above all in almsgiving, in responsibility towards family and community, and in faithfulness to the Church. In this context, he also recalled the theme of the year 2026, proclaimed by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church as the Commemorative Year of the Pastoral Care of the Christian Family and the Commemorative Year of the Holy Women of the Synaxarion , a call addressed to the entire community to rediscover the family as a `little church` and a space of everyday holiness.

In conclusion, the Archbishop encouraged the faithful to step into the New Year with peace, discernment, and hope, showing greater care for those who are lonely, ill, or burdened by trials, and preserving inner stillness, prayer, and charity as guiding principles of a life lived in Christ.

The Archbishop’s reflection on the transition between the years can be read here.

Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London
Prayer, thanksgiving, and a blessed beginning of the year at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in London

Photo Credit: Dorinel Preoțescu

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