History of ‘The Meeting of our Lord’ Parish in Glasgow

The celebration of 150 years since the union of the Romanian principalities, was a good opportunity for Father Marcel Oprisan to form the first Romanian Orthodox parish on Scottish territory.

A missionary visit undertaken at the end of 2008 and meetings he had with representatives of the Romanian communities in the main cities of Scotland, determined Father Marcel to establish a parish in Glasgow and, at the same time, another in Aberdeen. The inauguration of „The Meeting of our Lord” parish in Glasgow took place on January 18, 2009, representing the fruit of the work of Father Marcel and of the Romanian Orthodox community in Glasgow, added to the support of the Western and Southern Metropolia, and that of the Romanian Embassy in London.

On behalf of the Romanian Orthodox Church, participants included His Eminence Joseph from the Metropolitan of Western and Southern Europe, and His Eminence Macarie, the Bishop of Northern Europe, priests of Romanian parishes in Great Britain and, last but not least, two priests from Romania. Also present were priests from the Greek Orthodox community in Edinburgh and representatives of the Church of Scotland, which provided the place of worship. The event was also attended by the Ambassador of Romania in London, Dr. Ion Jinga, the Honorary Consul of Romania in Aberdeen, Liliana Hiris, the Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London, Gabriela Musaci and the Director of the Romanian Cultural Centre, Ramona Mitrica. There were also representatives of the British and Scottish authorities, including the Mayor of Glasgow and the Minister for Culture of Scotland. The approximately 500 participants in the event enjoyed a unique Romanian celebration, the event being crowned by the presence of two choirs from Romania, the Byzantine Choir ”Nectarie Protopsaltu” from Bucharest and the ”Theotokos Children’s Choir” from Alba Iulia, as well as Romanian folk dances. Everything culminated with a Romanian ”hora”(traditional dance) that brought together, at least for one day, Romanians far from their country. Father Marcel responded from the beginning to the spiritual needs of Romanians in Scotland and, besides the parishes of Glasgow and Aberdeen, church services are now also celebrated in other cities, such as Edinburgh, Inverness, Dundee and Perth.

Charity status

Since 1 June 2011 the Romanian Orthodox Church in Glasgow has been officially registered as a charity under the Scottish Charity Register. This was possible as a result of the sustained efforts of the members of the Parish Council in Glasgow, pastored at that time by Father Marcel Oprisan.

Some of the charity’s main objectives are:

• Support the organisation of religious, cultural and philanthropic activities in accordance with Scottish law and the traditions of the Orthodox Church.
• Providing means to educate the public in the Orthodox faith, Romanian culture and language
• Provide spiritual support to other Orthodox communities in Scotland, regardless of their nationality.
• Advancing citizenship by promoting equality and diversity and promoting arts and culture.
• Promoting the integration of people of Romanian origin into civil life in Scotland.
• Promoting a positive image of Romania in Scotland.