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Working together to bring the Orthodox faith to Ireland |
| And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. Isaiah 61:4 |
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St. Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church, Belfast St. George Missions and Evangelism, Portland, OR Early Christian Sites in Ireland Database Orthodox Ireland Pilgrimages Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland All Saints, Chicago The Orthodox Church in Cumbria Saint Phillip Antiochian Orthodox Mission, Ballydehob |
Long ago, long before the schism that separated the Eastern Church from the Western Church, Ireland became an Island teeming with monasteries and churches. It became the home of thousands of saints, ascetics, and miracle workers of all types, and was the place from which the rest of Europe was evangelized and civilized. Monks traveled from as far away as Egypt and Syria to join in the spiritual phenomena taking place on that remarkable island.  Now the island is filled with the physical remnants of that era in the form of ruins and sacred sites. It is as though the spirituality of that ancient, almost unremembered time came under some sort of enchantment and was turned to stone, waiting in silence over the centuries for a time of reawakening, when the life is renewed and the ancient places are restored, and the island is known once more as, Holy Ireland, the home of saints and scholars. This Website, Friends of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Ireland, is a point of reference for following the work of the Holy Spirit with the ministry of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Ireland, in cooperation with Orthodox churches of other jurisdictions. That the Church of Antioch is involved in Ireland may seem odd at first, but if one looks into the history of Christianity in Ireland, one will discover that in ancient times monks came from the distant reaches of the civilized world to join the spiritual movement happening in Ireland. The influence of Syrian and Egyptian monks on the monasticism, art, and architecture of early Christian Ireland is a subject that has been pondered by scholars for years.1 In the links on the left side of this page you will find Websites that form the network of Friends of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Ireland websites. This list should grow over time. I ask that you would keep the work of the Orthodox Church in Ireland in your prayers. If your church or organization would like to become involved in the work in Ireland, please contact Fr. Irenaeus. Webservant, Athanasius Blalock 1. The Egyptian Desert in the Irish Bogs: The Byzantine Character of Early Celtic Monasticism -- Fr. Gregory Telepneff |
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