Communiqué of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (31 March 2020)
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
Communiqué
With the Communiqué of 18 March, the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced the decision to suspend all ecclesiastical rites and events within its territory, until the end of the month, as well as its intention to return to the issue, should it be deemed necessary by current developments.
Already, because cases of COVID-19 are dramatically multiplying throughout the world, with many casualties, and because, for this reason, the imposition – and rightly so – of strict and restrictive measures continue in almost every country, the abovementioned ban will unavoidably remain valid for the Sacred Center of the Phanar and the Dioceses of the Ecumenical Throne throughout the globe until further notice, depending on the course of the pandemic.
The Mother Church of Constantinople prays and wishes that the appropriate effective medicine to combat the disease will be found soon, so as to overcome this great crisis and to address its effects on society and the economy.
From the Chief Secretariat
of the Holy and Sacred Synod
March 31, 2020
Discussion group
As mentioned a few days ago, tomorrow evening (9th of April) we will have an online discussion group on the
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/890734125?pwd=amlHWVBOYUZSQUp1SEJ0ZGJFR2hTQT09
Meeting ID: 890 734 125
Password: 464575
Message from Fr Seraphim for the feast of the Annunciation and the coronavirus
Greetings to all members and friends of our two parishes on this radiant feast when the Mother of God consented to God’s invitation and also when the peoples of Greece threw off the yoke of tyranny.
Let us continue in prayer and fasting for the world and deliverance from this virus which has afflicted so many despite not being able to celebrate together.
May the Mother of God’s fiat spur us on to follow her example of humility and self-sacrifice.
As ever,
Fr Seraphim
Archbishop's Encyclical on the Anniversary of 25 March 1821
March 25th is a day that brings us twofold joy as we celebrate both our Holy Orthodox Faith and our Hellenic Nation; it is a day of joy, deliverance and hope for Christendom. It is the day on which an Angel of the Lord promises salvation and regeneration to all of humanity. The Angel comes to proclaim the arrival of the God-Man, the Savior of the world. It is also the day we remember an event of extraordinary bravery. On this day we honor our ancestors who declared the Revolution of 1821, the Greek men and women who bravely fought on the battlefields, sacrificing everything, including the most precious gift of life, in order to harvest the sweet fruits of freedom
Our Church and the Coronavirus (Updated 24 March 2020)
Dear Friends,
As you will know the government has included places of worship in its current lockdown, and the Archdiocese has asked us to follow all the recommendations. I'm sorry to say that this means the the Church will now not be open, even for private prayer, on this coming Sunday, or on any other day until further notice.
Communiqué of the Ecumenical Patriarchate regarding the COVID-19 (Corona) virus (18 March 2020)
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
Communiqué
As this Coronavirus crisis continues to spread and intensify on a global scale, the Ecumenical Patriarchate is monitoring the situation with an urgent sense of responsibility towards its faithful and all people without exception, and, following the Communiqué of 11 March 2020, upon deliberation of its Hierarchs in the City, announces the following:
1) The Ecumenical Patriarchate emphatically reiterates its appeal to everyone to limit their outings and travels to what is necessary, remaining in their homes for their own safety and the protection of the general public.
Mailing List Subscription Problems
Unfortunately some email requests to be added to the mailing list have been lost. If you have been trying to add yourself to the mailing list and have not received any emails, please try again using the updated links to the maillist.
This was totally my fault - when I updated the address to reduce spam, I missed one of the links on the site. My apologies to anyone inconvenienced.
Andrew.
Calendar of Events
Seven reasons why YOU should edit this site!
We need to keep the website more up to date, so we are looking for volunteers to help. We would like to find five people who could each commit to looking after the site for one week every month. It would involve adding articles about upcoming events such as fund-raising activities and taking down or archiving any out of date posts and generally keeping the site up to date. It should only take about an hour when it is your turn, and there is training and back-up support while you are learning. It is not difficult, anyone who can use a word processor or Facebook can do it. You just need a computer with internet access. No travel required, flexible times which can fit in with busy work and home schedules.
- You will feel good about helping the Church and Parish
- Anyone who can use Facebook or email can do it
- Will only take about an hour once per month.
- Full training given.
- Fits in with busy home and work commitments
- Backup support if something goes wrong.
- You can put "I edit a website" on your CV!
If you would like to help, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Follow us on Twitter
The Parish now has a Twitter account, which we will hope to use to keep you informed of services and other events of interest. Follow us at @HolyTrinityOxf.
Mailing List
We send out information about news and events by email which will keep you up to date with the latest news and events. If you wish to be added to the emailing list, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Needless to say, we will only use your email address for sending you information about news and events, and will not pass your email address to any third parties.