British Orthodox Church
Encyclopedia
The British Orthodox Church is a small Oriental Orthodox
jurisdiction, canonically part of the Coptic Patriarchate of Alexandria. Its mission is to the people of the British Isles, and though it is Orthodox in its faith and practice, it remains British in its ethos
. It is a missionary community seeking to promote Oriental Orthodox Christianity throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The British Orthodox Church was originally established in 1866 when a Frenchman, Jules Ferrette
, was consecrated as a bishop by the Syriac Orthodox Church
with the purpose of establishing Oriental Orthodoxy
to the West.
in 1994, at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo
, Abba
Seraphim was ordained as Metropolitan
by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
, and the British Orthodox Church became a constituent of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. The current head of the British Orthodox Church is Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury
.
Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury
is a full member of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. His leadership of the British Orthodox Church has not been without controversy - in 1995, several priests left his jurisdiction for the Celtic Orthodox Church
, and the Coptic Church held a court of enquiry.
The British Orthodox Church today comprises parishes and missions throughout the British Isles. All its services are in English and it venerates
the Orthodox saints of the British Isles as well as those of the wider Orthodox Church. It uses the ancient Liturgy of Saint James as its normal liturgy, together with all the traditional services of the Coptic Orthodox Church, such as the morning and evening "Raising of Incense".
Although the British Orthodox Church is a small community at present, it is committed to evangelism and wider ministry. Currently, the British Orthodox Church has 5,000 to 10,000 members who are served by 12 churches.
Dialogue between the Oriental Orthodox churches and the Anglican Communion
takes place in the Anglican Oriental Orthodox International Commission.
Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy is the faith of those Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the First Council of Ephesus. They rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon...
jurisdiction, canonically part of the Coptic Patriarchate of Alexandria. Its mission is to the people of the British Isles, and though it is Orthodox in its faith and practice, it remains British in its ethos
Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of...
. It is a missionary community seeking to promote Oriental Orthodox Christianity throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The British Orthodox Church was originally established in 1866 when a Frenchman, Jules Ferrette
Jules Ferrette
Jules Ferrette, was a Bishop of Iona and founder of the Catholic Apostolic Church of the West .A Frenchman of Protestant parentage, he was born in Épinal , France on 22 April 1828...
, was consecrated as a bishop by the Syriac Orthodox Church
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
with the purpose of establishing Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy is the faith of those Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the First Council of Ephesus. They rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon...
to the West.
Bishops
- Seraphim, Metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Glastonbury, and Primate of the British Orthodox Church
- Bishop Anthony, Bishop of the Holy Diocese of Ireland, Scotland & North East England, United Kingdom
- Bishop Missael, Bishop of the Holy Diocese of the Midlands & Affiliated Areas, United Kingdom
- Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop & Patriarchal Exarch for the Youth Ministry at the Patriarchal Center and the Coptic Orthodox Theological College at Stevenage, United Kingdom
Relationship with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
Over the years this mission lost touch with its Eastern origins, but in 1994, under the leadership of the present bishop, discussions with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria bore fruit and the British Orthodox Church was reunited with the Oriental Orthodox Churches from which it had come. At the feast of PentecostPentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
in 1994, at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Abba
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Seraphim was ordained as Metropolitan
Metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:* A metropolis* A metropolitan area* A metropole, "mother country", or central part of a colonizing state* Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"...
by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
, and the British Orthodox Church became a constituent of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. The current head of the British Orthodox Church is Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury
Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury
Abba Seraphim El-Suriani is the Metropolitan of Glastonbury and Head of the British Orthodox Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria...
.
Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury
Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury
Abba Seraphim El-Suriani is the Metropolitan of Glastonbury and Head of the British Orthodox Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria...
is a full member of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. His leadership of the British Orthodox Church has not been without controversy - in 1995, several priests left his jurisdiction for the Celtic Orthodox Church
Celtic Orthodox Church
The Celtic Orthodox Church is an indigenous, Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Europe with representation in the United Kingdom since 1998. The head of the Church carries the title of Metropolitan of Dol and titular Bishop of Iona, with residence in Saint-Dolay The Celtic Orthodox Church is an...
, and the Coptic Church held a court of enquiry.
The British Orthodox Church today comprises parishes and missions throughout the British Isles. All its services are in English and it venerates
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
the Orthodox saints of the British Isles as well as those of the wider Orthodox Church. It uses the ancient Liturgy of Saint James as its normal liturgy, together with all the traditional services of the Coptic Orthodox Church, such as the morning and evening "Raising of Incense".
Although the British Orthodox Church is a small community at present, it is committed to evangelism and wider ministry. Currently, the British Orthodox Church has 5,000 to 10,000 members who are served by 12 churches.
Publications
Through the church press it publishes the Glastonbury Review, the only English language journal committed to regular reporting about the activities of the Oriental Orthodox churches and it has also begun to republish some important theological works. Through the internet, it maintains a number of international and ecumenical email discussion groups, as well as promoting the work of the Joint Commission for the Dialogue between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches through an important website.Dialogue between the Oriental Orthodox churches and the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
takes place in the Anglican Oriental Orthodox International Commission.
See also
- Oriental OrthodoxyOriental OrthodoxyOriental Orthodoxy is the faith of those Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the First Council of Ephesus. They rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon...
- Coptic Orthodox Church in UK
- Coptic Orthodox Church in WalesCoptic Orthodox Church in WalesThe Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales has two churches in Wales. The first is in South Wales and the other in North Wales.-Missionary work of the Church of Alexandria :...
- Coptic Orthodox Church in AustraliaCoptic Orthodox Church in AustraliaThis article is about Coptic Orthodoxy in Australia. For a list of Coptic parishes in Australia, see the List of Coptic Orthodox Churches in Australia....
- Coptic Orthodox Church in CanadaCoptic Orthodox Church in CanadaThe immigration of the Copts to Canada might have started as early as the late 1950s. Starting in the 1970s, Canada has been receiving a greater number of these immigrants, and the number of Coptic immigrants into Canada has been growing ever since. According to the census, there were over 10,000...
- Coptic Orthodox Church in EuropeCoptic Orthodox Church in EuropeThe Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria has many churches and congregations in Europe and on 2 June 1974 Pope Shenouda III has received in the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria a native Orthodox Church in France known as the French Orthodox Eparchy, along with their Primate, who in turn...
- Coptic Orthodox Church in South AmericaCoptic Orthodox Church in South AmericaCoptic Orthodox Church in South America has its bishops present in Bolivia and Brazil.- History of the Church in Bolivia :In 1997, Fr. Aghathon Amba Boula heard of and began to visit a few Copts who were living in Bolivia. He continued to serve them for four years until they requested a permanent...
- French Coptic Orthodox ChurchFrench Coptic Orthodox ChurchFrench Orthodox Church redirects here. For the Chalcedonian body, see Orthodox Church of France.The French Coptic Orthodox Church is an Oriental Orthodox church and an outgrowth of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.-History:...
- Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
- Metropolitan Seraphim of GlastonburyMetropolitan Seraphim of GlastonburyAbba Seraphim El-Suriani is the Metropolitan of Glastonbury and Head of the British Orthodox Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria...
- Pope Shenouda III of AlexandriaPope Shenouda III of AlexandriaPope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
- Patriarch of AlexandriaPatriarch of AlexandriaThe Patriarch of Alexandria is the Archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation of Pope , and did so earlier than that of the Bishop of Rome...
- Syriac Orthodox ChurchSyriac Orthodox ChurchThe Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
of Antioch - CoptCoptThe Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
s - Coptic iconography
- Coptic languageCoptic languageCoptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
- Coptic musicCoptic musicCoptic music is the music sung and played in the Coptic Orthodox Church . It consists mainly of chanted hymns in rhythm with instruments such as cymbals and the triangle...
- Coptic abstinenceCoptic abstinenceThe Copts, the Christians of Egypt, who belong mostly to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, observe fasting periods according to the Coptic calendar. These fasting periods are matched by no other Christian community. Out of the 365 days of the year, the Copts fast over 210 days.- Fasting...
- EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...