Network Norfolk : Stalham’s Orthodox church consecrated
The Orthodox Church of Saint Fursey’s in Stalham has been consecrated in a special service attended by London-based Bishop Silouan Oner.
Around 40 people attended a service at the Yarmouth Road place of worship, including Bishop Silouan Oner, who is originally from Syria. The church’s congregation came from all over Norfolk and beyond. The key part of the service was the consecration of the altar stone in a service which itself is ancient and dates back to the time of Constantine the Great and his dedication of the Church of the Holy Apostles in circa 330AD.
St Fursey’s is the realisation of a dream of Father Steven Weston, a former Anglian priest who started a tiny Orthodox chapel in a shed in the back garden of his Stalham home in 2012. The church acquired Stalham’s former police station and work on the new building started several years ago, based on the design of another church that was built in the Fourth Century.
Construction of the striking Byzantine-style church with its glowing golden dome and white-washed walls, which adjoins the original building, was finished late last year.
The church is named after Saint Fursey, an Irish monk who spread Orthodox Christianity in East Anglia and built a monastery in Burgh Castle. The church leaders believe that the Orthodox church is the original expression of the Christian church, and St Fursey’s hosts services and events every week.
This story is based on an article in the North Norfolk News. It has also appeared in Network Yarmouth.
The photos are courtesy of St Fursey’s Orthodox Church.
Read our previous story about St Fursey’s here.
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Tony Rothe, 14/03/2023
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