Category Archives: newsletter

Christianity in Ukraine

Please remember our brothers and sisters in Ukraine in your prayers. 

Flag of UkraineA 2021 survey found that an impressive 82% of Ukrainians declared themselves to be religious. Ukraine has the world’s second-largest Eastern Orthodox population after Russia.

72.7% of the population declared themselves to be Orthodox and 9.7% Catholic. Of those Catholics  8.8% were Greek Rite Catholics following the Byzantine Rite, and 0.9% Latin Rite Catholics (like us).

On the world level, there are approximately 4.5 million Ukrainian Greek Catholics, including the 3.85 million in Ukraine. In the UK the community is served by the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy (diocese) of the Holy Family of London. The faithful in the Eparchy here number some 13,500 people.

Out of the Orthodox population in Ukraine roughly 58.3% of the population were members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (which was declared separate from Moscow in recent years), and 25.4% were members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Fr Matthew

Be joyful, keep the faith!

Dear parishioners and friends,

This year, St David’s Day coincides with Shrove Tuesday. St David’s famous words to his followers were “Be joyful, keep the faith!”. Lent offers us an opportunity to do just that – to be renewed in our faith so that our joy at Easter may be renewed many times over.

Please give Lent your serious attention. Prayer, fasting, almsgiving – these are the Church’s traditional ways of Lenten renewal. What might that mean in your life?

~ Fr Matthew

Synod: All welcome

In this last month of the parish phase of the worldwide Synod, we offer great opportunities for anyone to contribute who hasn’t yet done so.

This Monday 21 February in St Brigid’s Hall there will be open meetings at 2.30 – 3.30pm and 7 – 8pm when members of the 3 Churches Synod Team will be available to listen to your thoughts and ideas.

Alternatively, there are Post-it walls and/or boxes in all three churches for your ideas for the future of our Church.

All contributions are valued!

Fr Matthew