Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf

07/09/2026

06/09/2026

The Reverend Maria Evangelou was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Sean in a service at St Paul’s Cathedral, Nicosia yesterday, attended by lay people and clergy from across Cyprus.

Revd Maria began her professional life as a nurse—a calling that Bishop Sean referred to in his sermon as one that would serve her well in her new ministry.

“We don’t have to look far to find people who are oppressed, broken-hearted, captive or grief-stricken,” he said. “So much healing is needed, and your career in nursing will, no doubt, endow your ministry with valuable pastoral insights and skills.”

Reflecting on the Parable of the Sower, Bishop Sean described its posing “a bold and challenging theological basis for understanding the mission of God’s priestly people.

“The sower sowed everywhere even though he knew where the optimal soil was. We simply do not know where that soil is—and it would be a mistake to assume that it only exists within the walls of a church building.

“Only God knows whose soul is open and ready to receive his good news. And so, the church in faith and obedience must share God’s love and goodness boldly, prodigiously, widely—not only in the obvious and easy places. We must be a priestly people who are constantly searching for new opportunities and means to make Christ known in the society around us.”

Bishop Sean called upon Maria to help people see themselves as people of faith—"people resourced by a living and limitless God. And encourage them to take leaps of faith, and in practical, honest obedience to God be people of love whose love-in-action reveals the God of love. I and many others,” he said, “can testify that when we take leaps of faith in line with the Gospel, the resources will always follow.”

Maria, who also serves as Community Outreach Coordinator in the Archdeaconry of Cyprus, was welcomed and applauded by a congregation that knows and loves her well.

31/08/2026

Please join Bishop Sean in holding in your prayers those lost and missing at sea off the coast of Kyrenia, northern Cyprus after a ferry capsized yesterday (Sunday).

The power of nature reminds all of that which binds us: people of the world increasingly—as in this Diocese—on the move for work or as visitors, experiencing tragedy—as we do joy—in once faraway places that we now call home.

Please pray also for the rescuers in Cyprus, and for those in Nepal and Tibet amidst the disaster unfolding there.

18/08/2026

Please join St Christopher’s Cathedral online today (18 August 2026) at 1800 (Bahrain) for our special monthly Diocesan service—an opportunity for the people and friends of the Diocese to draw together in prayer.

The service will be led by the Reverend Henry Ikediego (Deacon at St Mark Famagusta).

To join the service via Zoom, visit https://www.cypgulf.org/ and click the green button to access the link.

(Please note this link is the same as that used for regular daily online services of Evening Prayer from St Christopher’s Cathedral, held at 1800 Bahrain time)

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13/08/2026

“By God’s grace, the Ras Morbat Eye Clinic is today running on solar power,” reports clinic director Mansour Yousuf.

It is hard to overstate how significant it is for the clinic in Yemen to generate its own power, after years of minimal, intermittent electricity supplies and the constant struggle to meet the cost of generator fuel, while working to meet growing demand for ophthalmological treatments to the poor, refugees and the elderly.

Mansour shared with Bishop Sean the deep gratitude felt at Ras Morbat for the United Thank Offering grant that made possible today’s transformation.

“Just last Thursday, we were discussing this vision becoming reality,” he said. “And today, exactly one week later, the clinic is officially running on solar energy!”

Ras Morbat is a charitable eye clinic within the compound of Christ Church Aden operating under the auspices of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf in cooperation with the Ministry of Health.

The United Thank Offering began in 1883, organised by the women of The Episcopal Church in the United States to support innovative mission and ministry in Church and Anglican Communion. Visit United Thank Offering at https://unitedthankoffering.com/?form=FUNQCMCHBTH to support UTO giving.

12/08/2026

The Reverend John Attenborough and the Reverend Franklin Isaac were recently in Colombo for the Mission to Seafarers MESA regional conference, joined by colleagues from across the Middle East and South Asia. Fr John is MESA regional director, chaplain for MtS Cyprus, and a member of Diocesan Standing Committee. Fr Franklin is MtS chaplain in Bahrain, based at St Christopher’s Cathedral.

The conference theme was resilience, at a time when conflict in the Middle East brings particular risks to the wellbeing of seafarers.

Talks and workshops focused on ways to strengthen the support MtS can offer to seafarers—in terms of their living and working conditions, and their mental and physical health.

Port reports offered a detailed look at the spiritual, psychological and material support MtS chaplains and staff continue to provide to seafarers amidst war and the closure of maritime straits.

Ship crews in the region and their families have faced intense pressure—“not only a sense of loneliness, abandonment and separation from their loved ones, but also fear for what the future holds”, said MtS Welfare Officer Raeid Tashtousch, who is based in Aqaba, Jordan.

Other sessions focused on standards and training (MtS Chief Operating Officer Tomi Toluhi);
ship-visit reporting (Revd John Attenborough); justice and welfare (Ben Bailey); and social media—including tips on powerful, ethical approaches to good story-telling (Nina Edy).

Conference participants were also introduced to Nida Fathima, newly appointed Welfare Officer for Chennai in India and the first Muslim woman to hold the role.

MtS has been supporting seafarers for 170 years, reflected Raeid: “May we remain among their strongest supporters and look forward to a bright future. May God grant us all resilience and may He strengthen our hands to serve, our voices to encourage, and our hearts to remain steady.”

The conference closed with a visit to an elephant sanctuary—a wet and wonderful day out!

(The MtS MESA regional conference was held on 20-24 July 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Photos: conference participants; visiting the elephant sanctuary; at Colombo Cathedral with Bishop of Colombo the Right Reverend Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo

11/08/2026

With regional tensions high the situation in Yemen is uncertain, says Mansour Yousuf, director of Ras Morbat—a charitable eye clinic within the compound of Christ Church Aden, operating under the auspices of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf in cooperation with the Ministry of Health.

But Aden remains calm—and today marks the start of a long-awaited project to instal solar power at the clinic.

The project, funded by a generous grant from the United Thank Offering, will provide Ras Morbat with a stable power supply—critical to the clinic’s effort to increase the provision of high-quality eye care in the war-torn country.

The installation is expected to take 10 days to complete, with work carried out after clinic opening hours in order to avoid disrupting patient services.

“Ras Morbat offers eye care to patients from Aden and surrounding areas, including the elderly, displaced families and refugees,” says Mansour. “But beyond medical treatment, the clinic serves as a vital sanctuary of care, dignity and hope.

“We are deeply grateful for your prayers, friendship and practical support, which have a direct impact on those we serve. Please continue to keep Yemen, our patients and our staff in your prayers.”

The United Thank Offering began in 1883, organised by the women of The Episcopal Church in the United States to support innovative mission and ministry in Church and Anglican Communion. Visit United Thank Offering to support UTO giving.

04/08/2026

Bishop Sean and the Very Reverend Walter Brownridge were pleased to welcome Daniel Mangis, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Nicosia, and Political Officer Kevin Geiser at the Diocesan Offices today—a chance to discuss the work of the Diocese in Cyprus as well as in the Gulf, and to understand more of the work of the Embassy in the Republic.

Dean Walter, who is American, shared his experience of life and ministry on the island, and the mission and ministry of St Paul’s Cathedral, Nicosia.

03/08/2026

Congregation members and friends of St Barnabas Limassol gathered in the beautiful surroundings of Troodos forest in Cyprus on Sunday, for a parish picnic followed by evening prayer in the Taizé tradition—the peaceful atmosphere of St George-in-the-Forest providing a particularly fitting setting for contemplation and quiet reflection.

The Reverend George Vidaikin, who led the service, shared a brief history of the Taizé community, with its particular emphasis on prayer, silence, simplicity and youth ministry.

The service was attended by worshippers of various Christian traditions from across the island—a truly ecumenical gathering that reflected the international and multicultural character of both the Taizé tradition and the St Barnabas community with a Gospel reading proclaimed in five languages: English, Greek, Russian, Tamil and Sinhala.

Music was performed by Hovig Nassanian, offering a gentle atmosphere for prayer as well as much-loved Taizé hymns such as Ubi Caritas; Jesus, Remember Me; and In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful.

Photo credit: Gabi Nobre

31/07/2026

Bishop Sean joined the UK Friends of the Diocese for its annual gathering at All Hallows-by-the-Tower in London this week, to share news of the Diocese and join in a Eucharist at which he preached.

Membership of the Friends has grown to over 100, reported its chair, the Reverend Canon Chris Butt, with many attending annual meetings at York and Exeter.

Canon Chris paid particular tribute to Bishop Sean’s work to support churches of the Diocese affected by war.

Six of the countries in which the Diocese works have been attacked during the past half year, and Bishop Sean called upon Anglicans in Britain to help highlight the number of Christians—many of them Anglican—in those countries, and the work of the Anglican Church.

Referencing Psalm 82 and the theme of commitment to the lowly, the weak and distressed, Bishop Sean urged the congregation to tell the story of the Diocese as it continues to pursue its ministry against a backdrop of regional violence and instability.