31/08/2026
The Beginning of the New Ecclesiastical Year
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
With the blessing of God, we enter the month of September, a month rich in feasts and spiritual meaning for our Orthodox Church. On 1 September, we celebrate the Indiction and the beginning of the new Ecclesiastical Year. The Church invites us to begin this new year not simply by marking the passing of time, but by sanctifying it.
Time, for the Christian, is a gift from God. Every day, every season and every year is an opportunity for repentance, thanksgiving and growth in Christ. At the Indiction, therefore, we place the year ahead into the hands of God, asking ourselves how we might use the time entrusted to us more faithfully: in prayer, in love for one another, in service to those in need, and in our journey towards the Kingdom of God.
The 1st of September also has a particular significance for Orthodox Christians as the Day of Prayer for the Protection of the Natural Environment. Through the prophetic initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year has become an occasion to offer special prayers for the protection of the natural world and, indeed, for the whole of God’s creation. This reminds us that creation is not merely something given to us for our use, but a sacred gift entrusted to our care. The earth, the seas and waters, the air, every living creature and the whole created order bear witness to the wisdom, beauty and love of the Creator. Our care for the environment is therefore not separate from our spiritual life; it is an expression of thanksgiving to God, responsibility towards our neighbour, and love for generations yet to come. As we place the new year into God’s hands, we also pray for the healing and preservation of His creation and ask for the wisdom to become faithful stewards of the world He has entrusted to us.
September also brings before us two of the great feasts of our faith. On September 8th, we celebrate the Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Her birth announces the beginning of God's preparation for the mystery of the Incarnation. Through the Theotokos, humanity offers its free and loving “Yes” to God, and through her Christ enters human history. Her Nativity is therefore a feast filled with joy and hope. God is already preparing the way for our salvation, often quietly and before we can see His purpose unfolding.
On September 14th, we celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. The Cross stands at the very heart of our Christian life. What appeared to the world as defeat became, through Christ, the sign of victory; what was an instrument of death became the Tree of Life. As we venerate the Holy Cross, we are reminded that Christianity does not promise a life without suffering, but reveals that suffering, when united with Christ, can be transformed by love, hope and resurrection.
The following day, September 15th, we commemorate the Holy Great Martyr Nikitas, a feast of particular significance for our community as we prayerfully celebrate the nameday of His Eminence Nikitas, our Archbishop and Shepherd. We give thanks to God for his ministry and pray that, through the intercessions of the Holy Great Martyr Nikitas, the Lord may grant him health, strength, wisdom and many blessed years in his Archpastoral ministry. Εἰς πολλὰ ἔτη, Δέσποτα!
This year’s celebration will be made particularly significant by the visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United Kingdom. His All-Holiness will honour the feast on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, presiding from the Throne (Chorostasia) during Matins and the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Divine Wisdom (Saint Sophia) in Bayswater.
As this new Ecclesiastical Year begins, may we place ourselves, our families, our community and the whole of God’s creation into His loving hands. May He teach us to receive creation with gratitude and to preserve it with responsibility and love. May the Most Holy Theotokos shelter us beneath her protection, may the Precious and Life-Giving Cross strengthen us in every difficulty, and may the prayers of the Holy Great Martyr Nikitas accompany our Archbishop and all of us throughout the year ahead.
May the Lord bless the beginning of the new Ecclesiastical Year and grant to us all a peaceful, fruitful and spiritually blessed September.
With love in Christ and every blessing,
Fr Nikodemos
