Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Saint Winefride
Dear all,
You are cordially invited to join us for our annual Pan-Orthodox Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Saint Winefride in Holywell on Saturday 4th of October 2025.
By God’s grace, the day will begin at 10 am with Matins, followed by the Divine Liturgy at 11 am, presided by Bishop Maximos of Melitene. We will continue with a procession to St Winefride’s Well and the Blessing of Waters. Please bring picnic lunch, which will follow in fellowship, and the day will conclude with Great Vespers at 2:30 pm.
Please contact Fr John at 0758 856 0219 or frjohn@stbarbara.org.uk for further information.
For those wishing to walk from Chester to Holywell at 2:30 am as part of the pilgrimage, please contact presbytera Vera at 0753 380 5032 or vslavtchevap@gmail.com
Travel information:
* By car: easily accessible via M56 and A55 (SatNav CH8 7PN).
* By public transportation: bus/coach via Chester, or train to Flint and bus to Holywell.
We look forward to sharing this joyful day with you,
The parish board of St Barbara
Visit us during Heritage Week!
Discover the rich spirituality of our Orthodox Christian Church, a Grade II listed building serving Cheshire and North Wales. Once a cemetery chapel, it has been carefully transformed into a fully equipped Orthodox sanctuary, under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.
Days of visit as part of Heritage Week and further details on the following link: https://www.heritagechester.co.uk/event-details/greek-orthodox-church-2025-09-12-13-00
Parish Lending Library now open!
Dear all,
I hope you are well in Christ.
I am pleased to let you know that our Parish now has an online Lending Library available through the Anobii app, offering books to help us grow in the Orthodox Faith and life in Christ.
You may view the collection and learn how to borrow a book through the following link on Anobii: https://www.anobii.com/en/01b68a0ec4a7ae777d/profile/books
For further information, please email Theophania, who has kindly agreed to serve as our parish librarian: library@stbarbara.org.uk
May this be the beginning of a blessed journey for all of us, as we seek to learn more about the Orthodox Faith and deepen our love for Christ and His Holy Church.
Love in Christ,
Theodoros
Discover Orthodoxy Catechism Course
Dear all,
I would like to draw your attention to the online Discover Orthodoxy Catechism Course offered by the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain for 2025-26. It is free of charge and the first session is on Tuesday 9th September at 8pm.
To register, please complete the following form: https://forms.gle/2YGoeM1eUsFciFh87
The course is intended for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian Faith. All welcome!
If you have any question, please feel free to contact the Catechism Team at discoverorthodoxygb@gmail.com
Much love in Christ,
St Barbara’s church board
Wildfires appeal for Cyprus
Dear all,
Our church board would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all parishioners who generously contributed towards the Archdiocese’s appeal for those affected by the recent wildfires in Cyprus. Together, we raised £200, as a sign of our community’s compassion and solidarity with those in need!
The funds have already been sent to the Archdiocese. For those of you who haven’t donated and would like to donate, please do so directly to the Archdiocese, noting your gift as “Cyprus relief”.
His eminence, Archbishop Nikitas, completed his appeal letter to all parishes as follows: “May God give comfort to the families of those who lost their lives and may He give strength and courage to the firefighters also all the people of Cyprus“.
Thank you so much once again for your kindness and generosity.
St Barbara’s church board
Blessing of the water at St Plegmund’s Well
On the 10th of August 2025, after the Holy Liturgy at St Barbara’s, Fr John did our annual blessing of the waters at St Plegmund’s Well at Mickle Trafford. St Plegmund was a pre-schism monk and hermit, who lived on the Isle of Chester and later in 890 AD became Archbishop of Canterbury and advisor to King Alfred. He was canonised a Saint after he fell asleep in the Lord in 923 AD. After the service, parishioners enjoyed warm fellowship as the day was splendid!
Many thanks to Christine for her kind offer to clean the area around the Well in preparation for the blessing, and to Jamie for taking photos on the day.
