A Living Heritage for the Romanian Orthodox Church

The Saints of the British Isles are considered a cultural and spiritual treasure by the Orthodox Church, particularly by Orthodox Christians living in or connected to the British Isles. These saints reflect the early Christian heritage of the region before the Great Schism (1054 AD), when the Christian Church was still unified. These saints are men and women who lived in the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland) during the first millennium, before the schism between the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) Churches.

For the Romanian Orthodox Church, especially in its diaspora in Great Britain, Ireland, and beyond, these saints can serve as an essential bridge, connecting faith, place, culture, mission and identity. Some of these saints are already commemorated in the Romanian Orthodox Church calendar, such as Saint Alban, who is honoured on June 22nd.

Taking all this into account, the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Romanian Patriarchate) has established a voluntary group of researchers to promote the recognition of 15 saints from the British Isles among the Romanian communities in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. With the blessing of His Eminence Atanasie, the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the 15 Saints selected are as follows:

1. Saint Augustine of Canterbury (†26 May), who is often called the

‘Apostle of the English’ because of his crucial role in the Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England;

2. Saint Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury (†19 September), because he completed the mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons and organized the administration of the English Church;

3. Saint Chad of Lichfield (†2 March), often called a ‘wonderworker’, was a beloved 7th-century Anglo-Saxon bishop, monk, and missionary. He's primarily known for his deep humility, holiness, and his role in spreading Christianity in Mercia, one of the powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

4. Saint Guthlac of Crowland (†11 April) is often remembered as a hermit, exorcist, and spiritual warrior. Saint Guthlac is considered a foundational figure in the development of eremitical (hermit) monasticism in Anglo-Saxon England.

5. Venerable Bede (†25 May) is rightly called the ‘Father of English History’ because of his ground-breaking work, especially his most famous book: Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History of the English People). This book is the earliest and most comprehensive source for early Anglo-Saxon England. Bede helped shape how the Bible was read and taught in the early Middle Ages, and his biblical commentaries were used across Europe for centuries.

6. Saint Edward the Martyr (†18 March) was a young Anglo-Saxon king of England whose short reign and violent death led to his veneration as a saint and martyr. His death was seen not just as a political killing, but as the murder of a just and pious king, making him a martyr in the eyes of the Church. Martyrdom elevated him into sainthood, and his tomb became a site of miracles and pilgrimage.

7. Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne (†31 August) is one of the most important figures in early English Christianity, known for his missionary work, pastoral care, and founding of Lindisfarne, which became the heart of Celtic Christianity in Northumbria.

8. Saint David of Wales (†1 March) is the patron saint of Wales and one of the most important early Christian figures in the British Isles. His influence shaped the spiritual identity of Wales, and his legacy as a teacher, preacher, and ascetic continues to inspire centuries later. Saint David played a key role in establishing Christianity as a national faith in Wales.

9. Saint Winifred (†1 March) is one of the most revered female saints in Welsh Christianity and is remembered for her purity, martyrdom, and miraculous healing spring in Holywell, which has become a site of pilgrimage for centuries.

10. Saint Ninian (†26 August) is one of the earliest Christian missionaries to what is now Scotland and is often credited with bringing Christianity to the southern Picts and founding the first Christian church in Scotland. He played a foundational role in spreading the faith in the early medieval period.

11. Saint Cuthbert (†20 March) had a profound impact on the religious, cultural, and political development of northern England. He was famous for his miraculous deeds, both during his life and after his death.

12. Saint Columba of Iona (†9 June) is one of the most significant figures in the spread of Christianity and monasticism in Scotland and northern Britain during the early medieval period. His influence shaped the religious landscape of Scotland, Ireland, and beyond.

13. Saint Patrick (†17 March) is the most famous and influential saint associated with Ireland, often credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and shaping its religious and cultural identity. His life and mission have had a profound and lasting impact on Irish history and the broader Christian world.

14. Saint Brigid of Kildare (†1 February) is one of Ireland’s most beloved and essential saints, second only to Saint Patrick in Irish Christian tradition. She is renowned as a founder of monasteries, a symbol of charity and healing, and an influential figure who bridged the pre-Christian and Christian eras in Ireland.

15. Saint Brendan the Navigator (†16 May) is a celebrated Irish saint famous for his legendary sea voyages and role in spreading Christianity, exploration, and monasticism in early medieval Ireland.

The research group aims to create and compile a comprehensive collection of liturgical texts for the saints of the British Isles recognized by the Orthodox Church. This includes the Lives (hagiographies), troparia, kontakia, Akathist hymns, and complete liturgical services for Vespers and Matins, accompanied by original musical settings composed in the Orthodox chant tradition. All materials will be produced in both Romanian and English, ensuring accessibility to the Romanian Orthodox faithful in the British Isles and internationally, while also contributing to broader Orthodox liturgical life in English-speaking contexts.

Given that many of these saints lived and ministered in the early Christian centuries, their original texts often survive in Latin, Old Welsh, Old Irish, Anglo-Saxon, and other early vernaculars. A core component of this work involves recovering, translating, and faithfully adapting these sources into the Orthodox liturgical idiom, ensuring doctrinal integrity and stylistic beauty, under the guidance and blessing of ecclesiastical authority.

This project is both a scholarly and spiritual endeavour, contributing to the living heritage of the Orthodox Church and offering clergy and parishes fully usable liturgical services in honour of these saints, whose holiness continues to inspire the faithful today.

For example, you will be able to see in the video the newly created Troparion of Saint Brigid of Kildare, with the text and also with original music notation (in Romanian).

The project is not funded at present. All the work is offered as a labor of love for the Church and its faithful. However, due to the project's scope and depth, including translation from different languages, liturgical composition, musical notation, and publication in both Romanian and English, financial support and sponsorship are essential to complete the work to a high standard.

We welcome sponsorship and donations from anyone who wishes to:

All supporters will be acknowledged, unless anonymously requested, and the project group is committed to maintaining transparency, accountability, and spiritual fidelity in all aspects of its work. With your help, this spiritual and scholarly offering can become a living legacy for the Romanian Orthodox Church, for the Orthodox faithful in the British Isles, and for generations to come.