84968135_128720405306197_335702926699790

About us

We are an Orthodox Christian community based in Sheffield, in the heart of the United Kingdom.

We are part of a growing number of parishes forming the Deanery of Great Britain, which is part of the Archdiocese of Orthodox Churches of Russian Tradition in Western Europe, based in Paris (a few of us are pictured above in Paris with our Archbishop). The Archdiocese is part of the Russian Orthodox Church, one of a number of churches that constitute the wider worldwide communion of Orthodox Christians.

+ We serve Orthodox Christians from many different countries. Our services are mainly in English, with some parts in other languages. Anyone is welcome to visit us. For our latest services and online meetings, see our Calendar. +

This website also contains resources for praying at home and you are welcome to use them. Start by visiting the Prayer Book.

Prayer requests are welcome, unworthy as our prayers are. To submit these, or for any other enquiries, please Contact Us.

DONATIONS & GIFTS GRATEFULLY RECEIVED:

Name: Community of Saint Silouan and All Saints of Britain of Ireland (or St Silouan and All Saints)

Acc No: 41991974

Sort Code: 60-40-09 (NatWest)

Our Patrons: St Silouan and All the Saints of these Isles

Silouan was a Russian peasant who became a monk on Mount Athos in 1892. Though uneducated, he spent the rest of his life in constant prayer, coming to a deep understanding of God, Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. He died in 1938. His wisdom was shared with the wider world by Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), an artist who lived and studied in Paris and later established a monastery in Essex, UK. Saint Silouan's feast day is celebrated on the 24th of September.

With this "modern" Saint, our community is dedicated to all the holy men and women of Britain and Ireland. Vast in number, these Saints were people who lived at various times, from various backgrounds and even various nationalities. The thing they have in common is that they worked out their salvation and showed forth the glory of God here in these isles. The collective feast for all the Saints of Britain and Ireland is the third Sunday after Pentecost (a moveable feast each year).

Saint Silouan, having lived through the monumental wars, pandemics and revolutions of the 20th century, can speak to us even now, and guide us in living the Orthodox Way today. Likewise, the lives of the saints of Britain and Ireland can guide us - regardless of nationality - in our calling to be, like them, saints of these isles. Let it be so through their prayers!

The Sheffield Area

Sheffield comes from the Old English meaning "the clearing by the [River] Sheaf." In the second-half of the first millennium, the area was on the border between the Kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria, a land of remote hillsides and deep forests, where pagan superstitions lingered. Yorkshire and North Derbyshire have a large number of healing springs and holy wells that have today been dedicated to the Saints of the Church, most commonly to the Mother of God, St Anne, and the Empress Helena.

However, local place names indicate the Sheffield area was already settled by Christian Britons long before the Anglo-Saxon invasion, over 1500 years ago. The Saints forged among the Christians in these hills and beyond were part of the undivided Church and are thus Orthodox Saints. Through their prayers may the light of Christ illumine us today!