On the first four evenings of the First Week of Great Lent (3-6 March), Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete was served.  The odes of the Great Canon were read by the parish rector alternatively in Church Slavonic and English.  During Great Compline many of those present participated in the reading and singing in both languages.

On Saturday 15 March and Sunday 16 March we will have services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent and in honour Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica (+1359 AD).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. As Saturday 15 March is a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins will be preceded by a general panikhida at 5.00pm.  Those attending the panikhida may, as an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, bring non-perishable foods (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.

Our Parish Council is pleased to announce that in February 2025 we were able to secure full ownership of our parish centre.  By way of background, late in 2003 our Russian Orthodox community on the New South Wales Central Coast resolved to purchase a small industrial unit in West Gosford as a temporary parish centre.  Our community was then still newly-formed – the very first services were held here in November 2000, just three years earlier.  We reasoned at the time that a commercial property could be more readily sold if we could not afford to maintain it, and that such a property would also be an investment as the parish grew and we worked towards the purchase of land and the building of a permanent church.  The unit was purchased for $200,000.  We had $25,000 in savings and were able to secure a bank loan for a further $125,000.  The remaining $50,000 came from the Diocesan Council, who like us thought that the property would be a prudent investment.  Although the bank loan was for a 15-year period, we managed to repay it in full in just six years.  We soon realised that as the purchase of land and the construction of a church and hall would be a multi-million-dollar project, the move to a permanent church would not happen quickly.  With this understanding we focused on getting the best use we could of our parish centre by adding a mezzanine floor with a choir loft, an office, a meeting room, and a vestry.  We also adorned our small church with beautiful vestments, icons, candle-stands, and eventually a hand-carved iconostasis from Russia.  Finally, in January 2025 we were in a position to make an offer for the purchase of the Diocesan share of our parish centre, now valued at $700,000.  The offer was accepted and the arrangements concluded in February 2025.  In all of this we have been assisted by generous benefactors who have trusted our vision for a welcoming Russian Orthodox parish on the Central Coast and recognised all that with God’s help we have accomplished.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Saturday 1 March and Sunday 2 March we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Immediately after Divine Liturgy, Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness was served.  Following the services on Sunday our Ladies’ Auxiliary served pancakes.

This year, 2025, is the centenary of the repose of two great hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church:  Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (31 January 1865 - 7 April 1925, canonised 1981) and Saint Jonah, Bishop of Hankow (17 April 1888- 20 October 1925, canonised 1996).  In recognition of this significant anniversary, the Synod of Bishops of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia has called upon the bishops and clergy to make a particular effort to remember these two holy bishops.  To this end, they are to be commemorated at the dismissal of each Divine Liturgy up until the Great Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (4 December, the day of the Patriarchal enthronement of Saint Tikhon in 1918) and to remember Saint Tikhon in a sermon and with a moleben on Sunday 6 April, the Fifth Sunday in Great Lent and the eve of the anniversary of his repose.  We will also serve a moleben to Saint Jonah on Sunday 19 October, the Ninenteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the eve of the anniversary of his repose.  Holy Hierarchs Tikhon and Jonah, pray to God for us!

As is the custom in our parish, Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete will be served at 7.00pm on the first four days of the First Week of Great Lent: Monday 3 March, Tuesday 4 March, Wednesday 5 March, and Thursday 6 March.  Both Church Slavonic and English will be used in these services.  It is traditionally the priest who reads the Great Canon, but all who wish to help with the reading of the psalms and prayers at Great Compline will be welcome to do so.  The servics will finish at approximately 8.30pm.

On Saturday 1 March and Sunday 2 March we will have services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Immediately following Divine Liturgy, Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness will be served.  After the services on Sunday, our Ladies’ Auxiliary will be serving pancakes.

Our Autumn 2025 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2025 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2025 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 15-16 February.

On Saturday 15 February and Sunday 16 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, for the Afterfeast of the Meeting of the Lord, and in honour of Righteous Symeon the God-Receiver and Prophetess Anna (1st C. BC).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land.  

On Friday 14 February and Saturday 15 February we had services for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Friday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Saturday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land, and there was a blessing of fruit and of candles.  Following Divine Liturgy our parish rector spoke briefly about the significance of the feast-day and about four ever-memorable departed clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995, thirty years ago to the day), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022; ordained deacon 15 February 2007, 18 years ago to the day).   A memorial litia was then served for them.  Eternal memory!

Updated 16 February 2025: On Tuesday 18 March and Wednesday 18 March 2025 the clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese will gather in Melbourne for their customary Great Lenten Pastoral Conference.  On Tuesday the clergy will meet at the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral for the Rule of Preparation for Holy Communion at 5.00pm and Lenten Matins and confession at 6.00pm.  On Wednesday from 8.00am the Lenten Hours, the Typika and the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts will be served at the Cathedral with Archbishop George presiding and Diocesan clergy concelebrating.  Those of the faithful who have the opportunity to do so are welcome to attend the services on Wednesday morning and may – if properly prepared – receive Holy Communion.  Following Divine Liturgy the clergy will meet in the cathedral hall for lunch, to hear a number of short talks, and to discuss pastoral, liturgical and administrative matters.

Updated 15 February: On Saturday 15 February and Sunday 16 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son (and not, as previously advised in error, for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee), for the Afterfeast of the Meeting of the Lord, and in honour of Righteous Symeon the God-Receiver and Prophetess Anna (1st C. BC).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. 

On Friday 14 February and Saturday 15 February we will have services for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Friday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.  In accordance with the custom of the Sydney parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, there will be a blessing of fruit at the end of Divine Liturgy together with the traditional Orthodox blessing of candles.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a memorial litia for four ever-memorable clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022, ordained deacon 15 February 2007).

On Saturday 1 February and Sunday 2 February we had services for the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Euthymius the Great (+473 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and  Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land.  It being Zaccheus Sunday, the final Sunday before the period of preparation for Great Lent, the parish rector spoke in his sermon about Zaccheus as a model of repentance and about not standing in the way of others who repent.  Following Divine liturgy, a memorial litia was served following Divine Liturgy for all our departed founders, parishioners and benefactors and koliva was blessed. In accordance with parish custom, a memorial litia was served on this day as it was the Sunday closest to the commemoration of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg, the patron saint of our Ladies' Auxiliary.

On Saturday 1 February and Sunday 2 February we will have services for the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Euthymius the Great (+473 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and  Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 18 January and Sunday 19 January we had services in honour of the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany).  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and  Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and our parish choir sang beautifully under the direction of Nikolai Morozow.  A great many people - amongst whom were friends from Newcastle and Sydney - received Holy Communion on Sunday, and many stayed on after the service for a festive meal.

“Christmastide always evokes feelings of deep love and gratitude in a faithful heart. In these days, let us also raise up our prayerful thanks to God, offering our love to Him and our neighbours. Gratitude and love are always a sacrifice. These are the two mites of the Gospel widow.”  Metropolitan Nicholas’s Epistle is available in full in English here and in Russian here.

“I ask all of the faithful to make an effort to extend a helping hand to all those in need, giving alms to the poor, donations to the churches, helping them to bring the Word of God and grace to the world, helping others in whatever way you can, thereby showing love to your fellow man and fulfilling the commandment of God.”  Archbishop George’s Epistle is available in full in English here and in Russian here.

On Saturday 18 January and Sunday 19 January we will have services in honour of the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany).  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and  Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 4 January and Sunday 5 January we had services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ.  On this day, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Fathers, all the righteous men and women who pleased God from the days of Adam down to Joseph, the betrothed husband of the Mother of God.  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy our parish choir sang beautifully under the direction of Nikolai Morozow and prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  A great many people confessed and received Holy Communion.  At the end of the service a prayer of blessing was read over new icons of Saint Savva of Serbia and of All Saints of Saint Petersburg, both gifts to our parish from the Douriaguine family.

This year was one in which we celebrated a significant milestone – twenty years of parish life in our church and purpose-built parish centre at West Gosford!  To our great joy, we began the year with our beautiful new iconostasis finally in place and newly consecrated.  Sadly, one of our earliest parishioners were laid to rest early in the year: Tatiana Johansson (+13 February 2024).  We had twelve baptisms – four of adults and teenagers, and the rest of children.  For the first time, we had no midnight Paschal service or early alternative – but a great many people came to Vespers on the morning of Pascha to celebrate then instead.  We continued to pray for an end to the fratricidal war in Ukraine and for peace in the much-suffering Holy Land. In August, on the day of commemoration of Saint Panteleimon, we welcomed Archbishop George to preside at Divine Liturgy – he tonsured Alexey Douriguine a reader, awarded Father James the jewelled pectoral cross, and presented a number of our parishioners and friends with beautiful Certificates of Appreciation.  All the news from 2024 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

From December 6-9, 2024, the final session of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia for 2024 was held in New York.  Amongst other things, the Synod considered the administration of the Mystery of Holy Communion to those who suffer from certain ailments such as coeliac disease and the associated condition of gluten-intolerance.  The Synod “considered this a welcome opportunity to restate its age-old confession on the reception of this Sacrament, which remains unchanged: Namely, that in the Divine Liturgy we, as Christians grafted into the Body of Christ through Baptism, receive our Lord in His own Precious Body and Life-creating Blood. Not only is communion in the full offering of His Body and Blood together not a source of illness or danger, but it is instead the very source of Life, healing and sanctification. As such, those suffering from any condition relating to either of the earthly gifts offered in the Liturgy, namely bread and wine, should have no fear in approaching the Chalice to receive therefrom both the Body and Blood of their Saviour, for that which was offered in human frailty is transformed by Divine Grace into that which bestows Life unto all. For any further practical counsel based on personal circumstances or concerns, the individual should, as always, seek the guidance of his or her priest.”  A full report on the meeting of the Synod is available in English here and in Russian here.

On Saturday 4 January and Sunday 5 January we will have services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ.  On this day, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Fathers,  all the righteous men and women who pleased God from the beginning of time, from the days of Adam down to Joseph, the betrothed of the Mother of God.  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 14 December and Sunday 15 December we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Prophet Habbakuk (+7th C. BC).  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  These were our final services for 2024.

On Tuesday 3 December and Wednesday 4 December we had quiet services for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Wednesday morning.  Our church was beautifully vested in blue.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  As always, a highlight of the services was the singing of “Христос Раждается” (“Christ is Born”), hymnody from the service for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) that is customarily sung from this day onwards in anticipation of that feast.

The November 2024 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. This is a combined third and fourth issue for 2024, and so the final issue for the year.  Content includes articles in Russian and English about the seventy-fifth anniversary of Melbourne’s Holy Protection Cathedral and the bestowal of a prestigious Patriarchal award, the Order of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (First Degree) upon our Diocesan Chancellor, Mitred Archpriest Michael Protopopov; articles in Russian on the blessing of a memorial to Saint John of Kronstadt in Dandenong, Victoria, and youth matters; articles in English on the missionary parish of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Dardanup, WA and a tour of Serbia by the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia; a beautiful colour supplement of photographs from Azerbaijan; notice of the ordination of a new priest for Saint John the Baptist Skete in Kentlyn, NSW, Father Apostolos Condoleon; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Saturday 14 December and Sunday 15 December we will have services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Prophet Habbakuk (+7th C. BC).  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  These will be our final services for 2024.

On Tuesday 3 December and Wednesday 4 December we will have services for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Tuesday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Wednesday.

On Sunday 1 December our parish held its 2024 Annual General Meeting.  The 2024 Annual Report was presented and accepted.  Anna Kourbatov, Anne Nielsen, Nina Golovin, Kate Marcotrigiano and Matthew Shvetsoff were elected to serve together with our parish clergy and our Warden, Vladimir ("Rick") Golovin, on the 2024-25 Parish Council.

On Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Platon of Ancyra (+c.302 AD) and Hieromartyr Romanus, deacon of Caesarea (+1st C. AD).  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and our parish choir sang beautifully under the direction of Nikolai Morozow.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held that afternoon.

Our 2024 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2023-24 Financial Statements, is now available.  It includes information about the governance of our parish and gives a little parish history.  It also summarises the life and activity of the parish in 2023-24, reflects on challenges and accomplishments, and sets out plans for the year ahead.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 1 December 2024, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

On Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December we will have services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Platon of Ancyra (+c.302 AD) and Hieromartyr Romanus, deacon of Caesarea (+1st C. AD).  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Annual General Meeting of our parish will be held.

Our Summer 2024-25 Schedule of Services - covering December, January, and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2024-25 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2024-25 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 16-17 November.   Services of note over the summer will be the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple on 3-4 December; the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 18-19 January; and the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord on 14-15 February.  Note: Regrettably, there will be no services in our parish for Orthodox Christmas on 6-7 January in 2025.

On Saturday 16 November and Sunday 17 November we had services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Joannicius the Great of Bithynia (+846 AD) and Hieromartyr Nicander, bishop of Myra (+1st C. AD).  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, on Sunday 1 December 2024.

Our 2024 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 1 December.  A formal Notice concerning the AGM is available here.  The Notice includes the AGM agenda, an explanation of why AGMs are held, information about preparation for and participation in the AGM, and an explanation of the role of Parish Councils and Parish Council members.  A nomination form for parish office-bearers is available here.  A form for those wishing to renew their parish membership or become parish members is available here.

On Saturday 16 November and Sunday 17 November we will have services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Joannicius the Great of Bithynia (+846 AD) and Hieromartyr Nicander, bishop of Myra (+1st C. AD).  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. 

On Saturday 2 November and Sunday 3 November we had services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Hilarion the Great.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 2 November was Saint Demetrius Saturday, a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served immediately before Matins.  At the panikhida we commemorated the ever-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion (+2022), 3 November being his name-day, together with all our departed founders, benefactors, parishioners, family members and friends.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods and personal care items to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, on Sunday 1 December 2024.

On Saturday 2 November and Sunday 3 November we will have services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Hilarion the Great.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As Saturday 2 November is Saint Demetrius Saturday, a day of commemoration of the departed, there will be a general panikhida at 5.00pm that day.  At the panikhida we will especially commemorate the ever-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion (+2022), 3 November being his name-day.  Those attending the panikhida may, as an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, bring non-perishable foods (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.

On Saturday 19 October and Sunday 20 October we had services for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Jonah, bishop of Hankou, Manchuria (+1925).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services the parish rector served alone.   At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land, and many people received Holy Communion.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the life of Saint Jonah of Hankou and how the difficulty of Saint Jonah's life as a child did not turn him to bitterness and resentment, but rather to love and kindness towards others.

On Saturday 19 October and Sunday 20 October we will have services for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Jonah, bishop of Hankou, Manchuria (+1925).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 5 October and Sunday 6 October we had services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Conception of Saint John the Baptist.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef.  On Sunday we were joined by friends from Sydney spending school holidays on the Central Coast.  Following Divine Liturgy, the Ladies’ Auxiliary served freshly cooked piroshki.

On Saturday 5 October and Sunday 6 October we will have services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Conception of Saint John the Baptist.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Our parishioners and friends are reminded that daylight saving time starts on Sunday 6 October.

On Thursday 26 September and Friday 27 September we had services for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves were served on Thursday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Friday morning. At both services the parish rector served alone.  As is customary, prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in the Holy Land, and peace in Ukraine.

On Friday 20 September and Saturday 21 September we had services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Friday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Saturday morning. At both services the parish rector served alone.  As is customary, prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in the Holy Land, and peace in Ukraine.

On Friday 20 September and Saturday 21 September we will have services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Friday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.

Corrected 18 September 2024: On Thursday 26 September and Friday 27 September we will have services for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Thursday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am (not 8.00am!) on Friday.

On Saturday 14 September and Sunday 15 September we had services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the 1992 translation of the relics of Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia, the Wonderworkers of Murom (+1228 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in the Holy Land, and peace in Ukraine.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a brief moleben to Saints Peter and Febronia, the heavenly patrons of family life, love and faithfulness, at which all the couples in our parish were commemorated by name.

The August 2024 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. This is the second issue for 2024.  Content includes an extensive report in both Russian and English with many photographs of the July 2024 visit to our Diocese of Metropolitan Nicholas with the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God; a report of the May 2024 visit of the ‘Hawaiian-Iveron’ Icon; an article by Archpriest Nicholas Karipoff on the ministry of the matushka, the priest’s wife; a report on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Holy Fathers parish in Warrnambool, Victoria; a beautiful colour supplement of photographs from Kazan and Yaroslavl; notice of the ordination of a new deacon for the Melbourne Cathedral, Father Grigory Metlenko; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Saturday 14 September and Sunday 15 September we will have services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the 1992 translation of the relics of Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia, the Wonderworkers of Murom (+1228 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday there will be a brief moleben to Saints Peter and Febronia, the heavenly patrons of family life, love and faithfulness.

On Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September we had services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Dormition, and in honour of Martyr Andrew Stratelates and 2,593 soldiers with him (+284-305AD).  All-night Vigil was served at on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services the parish rector served alone.  As is customary, prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in the Holy Land, and peace in Ukraine.

In the evening on Sunday 18 August, the Eve of the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served.  Regrettably, we were unable to have the Hours and Divine Liturgy with the customary blessing of fruit on Monday 19 August as our parish rector was unavailable.

On Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September we will have services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Dormition, and in honour of Martyr Andrew Stratelates and 2,593 soldiers with him (+284-305AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

Our Spring 2024 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in digital format.  In addition to our regular services on the first and third Sundays of each month, during Spring 2024 we will have services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God on Friday-Saturday 20-21 September and for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on Thursday-Friday 26-27 September.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2024 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2024 Schedule of Services is available here. 

On Saturday 17 August and Sunday 18 August we had services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Forefeast of Transfiguration, and in honour of Martyr Eusignius of Antioch  (+362 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in the Holy Land, and peace in Ukraine.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a blessing of honey and prayers of blessing were read over a new cassock and an altar server’s sticharion.  After the dismissal, the cassock and sticharion were presented to our newly-tonsured reader, Alexey Douriaguine, as a gift from the parish.

On Thursday 8 August and Friday 9 August we had services in honour of Great Martyr Panteleimon (+305 AD), the heavenly patron of our parish.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Thursday evening.  Concelebrating with the parish rector were Priest Simon Nekipelov, rector of All Saints of Russia parish, Croydon, and Deacon Michal Matys of the Wallsend parish.  The lesser blessing of water was served early on Friday morning, after which Archbishop George arrived with the wonder-working "Kursk-Root" Icon of the Mother of God. Friends from Sydney and Newcastle travelled to Gosford to venerate the icon and join in our celebrations.  Following the greeting and vesting of Archbishop George the Hours were read, during which our parishioner and senior altar-server Alexey Douriaguine was tonsured a reader.  Archbishop George then presided at Divine Liturgy, assisted by our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Protodeacon Martin Naef, and by Deacon Michal.  The choir san beautifully under the direction of Ludmilla Alexandrovsky.  At the Small Entrance Father James was awarded the right to wear the jewelled pectoral cross. Following Divine Liturgy, a moleben to the Mother of God and Saint Panteleimon was served and parish awards were presented to a number of our parishioners and friends.  At the conclusion of the services on Friday there was a festive meal in the church hall for those present. 

On Saturday 17 August and Sunday 18 August we will have services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Forefeast of Transfiguration, and in honour of Martyr Eusignius of Antioch  (+362 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday there will be a blessing of honey.

On Saturday 3 August and Sunday 4 August we had services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Holy Myrrh-bearer and Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene (1st C.) and Hieromartyr Phocas, bishop of Sinope (+403 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in the Holy Land, and peace in Ukraine.

Important update to our published timetable: On Sunday 18 August we will have a service for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm.  Regrettably, there will now be no service on Monday 19 August as our parish rector will be unavailable.  We apologise for any inconvenience.

On Saturday 3 August and Sunday 4 August we will have services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Holy Myrrh-bearer and Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene (1st C.) and Hieromartyr Phocas, bishop of Sinope (+403 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 20 July and Sunday 21 July we had services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the appearance of the “Kazan” Icon of the Mother of God in 1579 AD.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in the Holy Land, and peace in Ukraine.

On Thursday 11 July and Friday 12 July services were held to celebrate the patronal feast of the Diocesan Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Strathfield, NSW.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Thursday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Friday morning.  The services on Friday were preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to the Mother of God and the Holy Preёminent Apostles Peter and Paul with a cross procession around the cathedral.  All the services were held in presence of the wonderworking 'Kursk-Root' Icon of the Mother of God and led by Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).  This was Metropolitan Nicholas’ first visit to Australia as First Hierarch.  On Friday Metropolitan Nicholas, Bishop George and the clergy of the cathedral were joined by Metropolitan Siluan of the Serbian Orthodox Church, by clergymen accompanying Metropolitan Nicholas, and by Russian and Serbian Orthodox clergy from the Greater Sydney region - including our own parish clergy - and interstate.  A list of participating clergy is available here.  As the other Sydney parishes of our Diocese did not have services and it was during the winter school holidays, a great many people were present.  Following Divine Liturgy it was announced that Bishop George had been elevated to the rank of Archbishop by decision of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops, and a jubilee pectoral cross commemorating the centenary of the ROCOR was presented to cathedral Dean Archpriest George Lapardin in honour of his thirty-five years of service as a clergyman.  Congratulations and gifts were then exchanged.  Upon completion of the services on Friday there was a festive banquet in the church hall for approximately 400 people.

On Wednesday 24 July, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas (Olkhovsky) of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, will give a talk to youth (ages 14-25) on the Wonderworking “Kursk-Root” Icon of the Mother of God.  The talk will be given at 7.00pm in the parish hall at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, 3 Vernon Street, Strathfield, NSW.  There will be an opportunity to ask questions of Metropolitan Nicholas, and light refreshments will be provided.

Updated 30 July 2024:  On Thursday 8 August and Friday 9 August we will have services in honour of Great Martyr Panteleimon (+305 AD), the heavenly patron of our parish.  On Thursday, All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm.  On Friday, the lesser blessing of water will be served at 8.00am, and the Hours, hierarchical Divine Liturgy and a moleben to the Mother of God and Saint Panteleimon will be served after the greeting and vesting of Archbishop George at 9.00am.  God willing, the wonder-working "Kursk-Root" Icon of the Mother of God will be present on Friday, and during the Sixth Hour our parishioner and senior altar-server Alexey Douriaguine will be tonsured a reader.  At the conclusion of the services on Friday there will be a festive meal in the church hall for our guests, parishioners and friends.  Please join us!

On Saturday 20 July and Sunday 21 July we will have services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the appearance of the “Kazan” Icon of the Mother of God in 1579 AD.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 6 July and Sunday 7 July we had services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday we were joined by friends from Sydney and from the Mid North Coast, and prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in the Holy Land, and peace in Ukraine.

On Thursday 11 July and Friday 12 July services in honour of the Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul will be held at the Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield (Sydney), NSW.   All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Thursday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Friday.  The revered “Kursk-Root” Icon of the Mother of God will be present and Metropolitan Nicholas (Olhovsky), First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, will preside at the services.  At Bishop George’s request, all the clergy of the Greater Sydney region will gather in Strathfield for these festivities; no parish services are to be scheduled.

On Saturday 6 July and Sunday 7 July we will have services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 15 June and Sunday 16 June we had services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council and the Afterfeast of the Ascension.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services, the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, our Ladies’ Auxiliary served soup and piroshki.

On Wednesday 12 June and Thursday 13 June we had services for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Wednesday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Thursday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and – as it was on this feast-day in 2007 that canonical communion was re-established within the Russian Orthodox Church – the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read.

From Friday 5 July until Friday 26 July, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas (Olkhovsky) of Eastern America and New York will make his first visit to our Australian-New Zealand Diocese since his election as First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Accompanying Metropolitan Nicholas will be the Wonderworking “Kursk-Root” Icon of the Mother of God, the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora.  As he will be in our Diocese for a relatively short period of time, Metropolitan Nicholas will only be able to visit parishes in New Zealand, the city of Sydney, and the state of Victoria.  In Sydney he will visit the Kentlyn Convent and the Strathfield, Croydon, Fairfield, Carlton, Centennial Park, and Cabramatta parishes.  A full schedule of planned visits, current as of 5 June 2024, is available here.  The icon will remain in Australia until Thursday 24 October 2024, during which time it is expected that it will visit all the parishes and monastic establishments of the Diocese.  An updated schedule of visits, current as of 24 June 2024, is available here.

On Saturday 15 June and Sunday 16 June we will have services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Wednesday 12 June and Thursday 13 June we will have services for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Wednesday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Thursday.

On Saturday 1 June and Sunday 2 June we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.

On Saturday 1 June and Sunday 2 June we will have services for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

Our Winter 2022 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available.  Services of note during this period include those for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord on Wednesday-Thursday 12-13 June; for our patronal feast of Saint Panteleimon on Thursday-Friday 8-9 August; and for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Sunday-Monday 18-19 August.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2024 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2024 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are also available in church.

On Saturday 25 May and Sunday 26 May we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Paralytic.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.

On Saturday 25 May and Sunday 26 May we will have services for the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Paralytic.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. 

On Tuesday 21 May and Wednesday 22 May, the day of commemoration of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia (Asia Minor) to Bari (Italy), our neighbouring parish of Saint Nicholas, Wallsend, will celebrate its patronal feast-day.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, the lesser blessing of water will be served at 8.00am and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am.  After Divine Liturgy there will be a moleben to Saint Nicholas and a festive meal in the church hall.  Our parishioners are encouraged to attend.

On Saturday 11 May and Sunday 12 May we had services for the Second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy we were joined by vistors from Sydney and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.   In place of a sermon, Bishop George’s Paschal Epistle was read aloud in English and Russian.  At the end of Divine Liturgy the Artos was cut and distributed.

With the blessing of Bishop George, the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God will visit our Australian-New Zealand Diocese from Friday 17 May 2024 until Monday 27 May 2024.  The icon will be in New South Wales from 17 May until 21 May and will visit the Kentlyn Convent and the Strathfield, Cabramatta, Fairfield, and Carlton parishes.  It will not visit our parish.   A full schedule is available here.  Information about the icon is available on the website of the Orthodox Hawaiian Iveron Icon Association. The text of the Akathist that will be sung in the presence of the icon is available in various languages on the same website here.

The 2024 Paschal Epistle of Bishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand, may be read in English here and in Russian here.  An extract: “We hear in the Paschal canon, sung for the Feast day and throughout the forty days of the feast: “O come all ye faithful, let us worship Christ’s holy Resurrection. For behold, through the Cross joy has come to all the world. Ever blessing the Lord, let us praise His Resurrection. By enduring the Cross for us, He has destroyed death by death.” In this hymn the Church reminds us of the importance of the Cross in our salvation: without the Cross there would be no Resurrection! Christ our Saviour was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,” so that our human nature might be freed from the bonds of hell; and then He raised it up to sit at the right hand of God the Father. For us to be partakers of this great blessing we also must be obedient, humbly bearing whatever cross God has given us – “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24);  and loving God and our neighbour— “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matt. 22: 37, 39).”

The 2024 Paschal Epistle of Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, may be read in English here and in Russian here.  An extract: “Truly, in a world frequently faced with crises and uncertainty, Pascha shines like a beacon of hope. Thus, in these difficult times, when mankind is seized by various misfortunes, let us hold fast to the Risen Christ and find in Him consolation amidst sorrows, strength in our ongoing struggle with sin, and surety of eternal life!”

On Saturday 11 May and Sunday 12 May we will have services for the Second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday we will cut and distribute the Artos.

This year, our parish again had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha. Matins was served in the evening on Sunday 28 April, Monday 29 April, Tuesday 30 April, and Wednesday 1 May.  Divine Liturgy was served in the morning on Great Thursday, 2 May.  On Great Friday, 3 May, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served at midday and Matins with Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ was served in the evening.  In the morning on Great Saturday, 4 May, Divine Liturgy was served.  Paschal Vespers was served late in the morning on 5 May, the Sunday of Pascha, with our small church full to overflowing. Easter baskets with cakes, eggs and other festive foods were blessed following Vespers.  The parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef at Vespers on Friday and by Deacon Michal Matys on Thursday morning, Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Our parish will have Matins at 6.00pm on Sunday 28 April and at 7.00pm on Monday 29 April, Tuesday 30 April, and Wednesday 1 May.  The Hours, Typika and Vespers with Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Great Thursday, 2 May.  On Great Friday, 3 May, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ will be served at 12.00pm and Matins with Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ will be served at 6.30pm.  On Great Saturday, 4 May, Hours, Typika and Vespers with Divine Liturgy will be served at 8.00am.  At 11.00am on Sunday 5 May we will have the Paschal Hours and Vespers with the blessing of easter eggs and cakes.  This year, the midnight Paschal service will be at Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Wallsend (Newcastle) and there will be no early Paschal service in Gosford.  The only opportunity for the blessing of kulichi in our parish this year will be on the morning of Sunday 5 May after Paschal Vespers.

On Saturday 27 April and Sunday 28 April we had services for the Sixth Sunday in Great Lent, Palm Sunday.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves and the blessing of pussy willows and palms was served on Saturday evening.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  The parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys on Saturday and by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal on Sunday.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  Our small church was full to overflowing on Sunday morning, with visitors from Sydney and Newcastle joining us and a great many people receiving Holy Communion.  Following Divine Liturgy a collection was taken up to benefit the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

On Friday 26 April and Saturday 27 April we had services for the Sixth Saturday of Great Lent, Lazarus Saturday.  On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates the raising of Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave (John 11:1-45).  Matins was served on Friday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Saturday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Saturday the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy, the church was decorated with palm branches in preparation for our Palm Sunday services.

The April 2024 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. This is the first issue for 2024.  Content includes the Great Lenten Epistle of Metropolitan Nicholas in both Russian and English; edifying articles by Mitred Archpriest Nicholas Karipoff and Priest Gennady Baksheev of the Holy Protection Cathedral in Melbourne; information about the Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute; a profile of Priest John Sullivan, rector of the Nativity of the Mother of God Mission in Dardanup, WA; a profile of Priest John Symons, rector of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross parish in Hobart, Tasmania; a beautiful colour supplement, with text in Russian and English, showcasing the magnificent New Jerusalem Monastery near Moscow; a directory of Diocesan parishes, monasteries and missions; details of various recent clergy movements and awards; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

Across the weekend of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday our parish will take up a collection to benefit the Russian Eccelesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.  This collection is customarily taken up on Palm Sunday each year in all the parishes, monasteries and missions of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Many places of immense spiritual and historical significance in the Holy Land have been entrusted to our Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, and we have many monastics there who care for these holy places, undertake good works, and pray for the whole world.  Those who wish to make a donation online direct to the Mission may do so via Paypal through the Mission's website.

On Saturday 27 April and Sunday 28 April we will have services for the Sixth Sunday in Great Lent, Palm Sunday. All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves and the blessing of pussy willows and palms will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Friday 26 April and Saturday 27 April we will have services for the Sixth Saturday of Great Lent, Lazarus Saturday.  On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates the raising of Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave (John 11:1-45).  Matins will be served at 7.00pm on Friday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.

In the Orthodox tradition it is customary during Great Lent to have a General Service of Anointing with Oil – the sacrament of Holy Unction – for the healing of soul and body.  In this service there are seven readings from the Apostol, seven readings from the Holy Gospel, seven prayers, and the faithful are - if there are sufficient clergy present - anointed seven times with the oil that is blessed and sanctified during the service.  The practice of anointing with oil for spiritual and physical healing is referred to by the Apostle James: "Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15).  This year our parish will have this service at 6.00pm on Sunday 21 April.  Note: This is a sacrament in which only baptised Orthodox Christians may fully participate.

On Saturday 13 April and Sunday 14 April we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of Saint John of the Ladder.   Matins was served on Saturday evening and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. As Saturday 9 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins was preceded by a general panikhida.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought tinned foods (baked beans, spaghetti, soup) and instant noodles to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine. In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector made particular reference to Saint John's advice in The Ladder of Divine Ascent to laymen: "Do all the good you can; do not speak evil of anyone; do not steal from anyone; do not lie to anyone; do not be arrogant towards anyone; do not be absent from divine services; be compassionate to the needy; do not offend anyone; do not wreck another man's domestic happiness, and be content with what your own wives can give you.  If you can behave in this way, you will not be far from the Kingdom of Heaven" (Step 1:21).

The Fund for Assistance (FFA) to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia has issued a Great Lent 2024 Appeal to the Faithful of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  The appeal has been made with support for needy clergy particularly in mind, and an undertaking that any donations made will be matched up until a target of US$10,000 is reached.  Donations can be made via the FFA website here.  Questions about the appeal can be asked here.

On Saturday 13 April and Sunday 14 April we will have services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of Saint John of the Ladder.  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 23 March and Sunday 24 March we had services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  In accordance with the practice of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia,  'The Order for a Hymn of Supplication for the Conversion of those in Error' was served at the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday.

Each year on the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia take up a collection to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York. The Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary has for over seventy-five years been the main institution of higher education in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. This collection provides financial assistance to students, covering tuition, room, and board.  As we don’t always have a service on the day of the collection and as in the post-COVID world people carry less cash, our parish now simply makes a donation from parish funds towards this collection.  Those who wish to make a direct donation to the Seminary may do so here.

On the first four evenings of the First Week of Great Lent (March 18-21), Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete was served.  The odes of the Great Canon were read by the parish rector alternatively in Church Slavonic and English.  During Great Compline many of those present participated in the reading and singing in both languages.

Updated 29 April 2024: This year Bright Monday, the second day of Pascha, will fall on 6 May, the day of commemoration of the Holy Great-Martyr and Trophy-Bearer George.  The clergy of the Greater Sydney region have been asked to not schedule services in their own parishes on this day, but rather to celebrate Divine Liturgy together with Bishop George on the occasion of his name-day.  Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy will be served at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield on Monday morning, beginning at 8.00am.  The faithful who wish to do so may also attend this service.

Early in the evening on Sunday 17 March, the Sunday of Forgiveness, we had Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness.  During this service the church vestments were changed from gold to black and the festive melodies gave way to the solemn Lenten melodies.  Following this, all present venerated the holy icons and asked forgiveness of one another in accordance with Orthodox custom.

Metropolitan Nicholas writes: “Great Lent is approaching – a time set aside for delving into ourselves, for examining our lives, for repentance and correction. Great Lent is not only a time to refrain from certain types of food; it is a time for asceticism of the mind and senses, when we abstain from impure thoughts, separate ourselves from our habitual sins, entertainments, and harmful routines, when we fast, as St. John Chrysostom says, "with the mouth, the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies."  His letter can be read in full in English here and in Russian here.

With Bishop George's blessing, from late May 2024 the English-language Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church, a parish of our Diocese in Brisbane, will be offering an online course of religious instruction in Orthodox theology and practice.  This course consists of 17 sessions, each comprising an online video (which can be watched at each participant's convenience), a revision task, and an interactive Q&A session via Zoom on Sunday evenings.  The course is suitable for inquirers, catechumens (i.e. those preparing for baptism), and those who are already Orthodox Christians.  The first Zoom session will be held on Sunday 26 May, with the course scheduled to finish in October 2024.  For more information please visit: HolyAnnunciation.net/Catechism.  To enrol, please visit: https://forms.gle/ce5DDCFxRitzuoAz6.

On Saturday 16 March 2024 the parish rector appointed Elena Douriaguina, Matushka Marie Carles, and Alexey Douriaguine to be the new Child Safety Contact Persons for our parish.  By virtue of their appointment, the Child Safety Contact Persons also become members of the parish Pastoral Council.  The Pastoral Council, which is comprised of the rector and other parish clergy, the Child Safety Contact Persons, and other persons with knowledge or experience relevant to child participation and safety, supports child-related work in our parish.  More information concerning child safety in our parish is available here.

On Saturday 23 March and Sunday 24 March we will have services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  In accordance with the practice of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, 'The Order for a Hymn of Supplication for the Conversion of those in Error' will be served at the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  During this short moleben, prayers will be offered for those who oppose the truth of the Gospel with heresy and for those who have fallen away from the Holy Orthodox Church through schism.

As is the custom in our parish, Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete will be served at 7.00pm on the first four days of the First Week of Great Lent: Monday 18 March, Tuesday 19 March, Wednesday 20 March, and Thursday 21 March.  Both Church Slavonic and English will be used in these services, each of which will finish at approximately 8.30pm.  It is traditionally the priest who reads the Great Canon, but all who wish to help with the reading of the psalms and prayers at Great Compline are welcome to do so.

On Sunday 17 March, the Sunday of Forgiveness, we will have Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness at 5.00pm.  During this service, the duration of which will be approximately forty-five minutes, the church vestments are customarily changed from gold to black and the festive melodies give way to the penitential Lenten melodies.  Afterwards all those present ask forgiveness of one another, in this way making a good beginning to Great Lent. 

On Saturday 9 March and Sunday 10 March we had services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement, the third preparatory Sunday for Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. As Saturday 9 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins was preceded by a general panikhida.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods (pasta, rice, pasta sauces, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy our Ladies' Auxiliary served pancakes.

On Tuesday 13 February we learned with sadness of the repose of our parishioner, Tanya Johansson.  Tanya was a parishioner from the earliest days of the formation of our church community on the Central Coast.  Her funeral was served in our church on Friday 23 February.  She was afterwards laid to rest at Point Clare Cemetery.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Tanya’s only child, her daughter Tamara, and to her granddaughter Ashley.  May God grant her rest with the saints and make her memory to be eternal!

On Tuesday 2 April and Wednesday 3 April, the clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese will gather in Sydney for their customary Great Lenten Pastoral Conference.  On Tuesday the clergy will meet at the church of All Saints of Russia, Croydon, for the Rule of Preparation for Holy Communion at 5.00pm and Lenten Matins and confession at 6.00pm.  On Wednesday from 8.00am the Hours and the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts will be served at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, Strathfield, with Bishop George presiding and the clergy concelebrating.  Those of the faithful who have the opportunity to do so are encouraged to attend the service on Wednesday morning – smaller parishes like ours do not customarily have the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.  Those who wish to do so may – if properly prepared – receive Holy Communion.  Following Divine Liturgy the clergy will meet in the parish hall at Strathfield for lunch; to hear a number of short talks; and to discuss pastoral, liturgical and administrative matters.

On Saturday 9 March and Sunday 10 March we will have services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement, the third preparatory Sunday for Great Lent.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. As Saturday 9 March is a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins will be preceded by a general panikhida at 5.00pm.  Those attending the panikhida may, as an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, bring non-perishable foods (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.

Our Autumn 2024 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2024 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha.  Our parishioners and friends are reminded that during Autumn 2024 we will have services on the second and fourth Sundays of each month and on other days as scheduled; we will return to our usual pattern of services on the first and third Sundays of each month during Winter 2024.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2024 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2024 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 17-18 February.

On Saturday 17 February and Sunday 18 February we had services for the Thirty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Meeting of the Lord, and in honour of Martyr Agatha of Palermo (+251 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  As the Thirty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost was this year Zaccheus Sunday, the final Sunday before the period of preparation for Great Lent, the parish rector spoke in his sermon about Zaccheus as a model of repentance.    Following Divine Liturgy our newly-elected Warden, Vladimir (“Rick”) Golovin, took the Oath of Office, after which the parish rector congratulated him on his election and ‘Many Years’ was sung. The Ladies’ Auxiliary then served freshly-cooked piroshki.

On Wednesday 14 February and Thursday 15 February we had services for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Wednesday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Thursday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  In accordance with the custom of the Australian parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, there was a blessing of fruit at the end of Divine Liturgy in addition to the traditional Orthodox blessing of candles.  Following Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke briefly about the events commemorated and about four ever-memorable clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022, ordained deacon 15 February 2007).  A memorial litia was then served for them and for our newly-reposed parishioner, Tatiana Johansson (+13 February 2024).

In the early evening on Monday 12 February the Parish Council met by videoconference.  The minutes of the January 2024 meeting were ratified and the usual reports on parish life and finances were presented by the rector and the treasurer respectively. The parish rector gave an update on the implementation of our new Child Safety policies and procedures and on the status of a number of other administrative projects.  Our Head Sister Nina Golovin advised that the Ladies’ Auxiliary would be preparing piroshki for sale on Sunday 18 February and blini on Sunday 10 March.  The next meeting of the Parish Council will be face-to-face and is scheduled for Wednesday 13 March 2024.

On Saturday 17 February and Sunday 18 February we will have services for the Thirty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Meeting of the Lord, and in honour of Martyr Agatha of Palermo (+251 AD).  This year, the Thirty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost will be Zaccheus Sunday, the final Sunday before the period of preparation for Great Lent begins.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy the Ladies’ Auxiliary will be selling freshly-cooked piroshki.

On Wednesday 14 February and Thursday 15 February we will have services for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Wednesday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Thursday.  In accordance with the custom of the Sydney parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, there will be a blessing of fruit at the end of Divine Liturgy in addition to the traditional Orthodox blessing of candles.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a memorial litia for four ever-memorable clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022, ordained deacon 15 February 2007).

On Saturday 3 February and Sunday 4 February we had services for the Thirty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  As it was the weekend closest to the commemoration of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg, the patron saint of our Ladies' Auxiliary, a memorial litia was served following Divine Liturgy for all our departed founders, parishioners and benefactors.

On Saturday 3 February and Sunday 4 February we will have services for the Thirty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a memorial litia for all our departed founders, parishioners and benefactors.

On Saturday 20 January and Sunday 21 January we had services for the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after Theophany.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy we were joined by friends from Sydney and Newcastle and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, the Great Blessing of Water was served.  Some photographs taken on Sunday morning can be viewed on the parish Facebook page.

In 2024 we will celebrate a major milestone for our community – the twentieth anniversary of parish life at West Gosford.  During our time here we have constructed and furnished a beautiful church and parish centre and repaid in full the loan that made its purchase possible.  We plan to celebrate these achievements with a hierarchical service, a festive lunch, and the bestowal of parish awards.  An important priority this year will be the strengthening of parish life following the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, community division over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the 2023 renovation of our church.  We will consider better ways of communicating with our parishioners and friends and take steps to improve the support we give to those visiting our parish with a desire to learn more about Orthodox Christianity.  This year new arrangements for the celebration of Pascha will commence – the midnight service will now alternate between the Gosford and Wallsend parishes from year to year, beginning with Wallsend, and that there will be no early Paschal service in the other parish.   This means that our main Paschal service in Gosford – and the first opportunity to bless eggs, cakes, and other festive foods - will be Vespers at 11.00am on Sunday 5 May, the morning of Pascha itself.

In the early evening on Monday 15 January the Parish Council met by videoconference.  This was the first meeting of the Parish Council elected in December 2023.  The minutes of the December 2023 meeting were ratified and the usual reports on parish life and finances were presented by the rector and the treasurer respectively.  It was resolved that $1000 would be given to assist the Convent of Our Lady of Kazan with fire prevention measures, and that an annual commemoration of departed founders and benefactors would be held on the weekend closest to the feast-day of Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg, the patron saint of our Ladies’ Auxiliary.  Office-bearers were reappointed to their roles and plans for the year ahead were reviewed and endorsed.  The parish rector gave an update on the current review of our Child Safety policies and procedures. The Parish Council will next meet on Monday 12 February 2024, again by videoconference.

On Saturday 20 January and Sunday 21 January we will have services for the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after Theophany.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a Great Blessing of Water.  There will be no services in our parish for the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on 18-19 January as our parish rector will be serving in our neighbouring Wallsend (Newcastle) parish.

On Saturday 6 January and Sunday 7 January we had services for Christmas, the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  All-night Vigil (Great Compline, Matins, and the First Hour) with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  On Saturday evening the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and on Sunday morning he was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal.  A great many people gathered for both services, with many confessing and receiving Holy Communion.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  In place of a sermon, the deacons read aloud in Russian and in English the Nativity Epistle of His Grace Bishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand.  The faithful received sweets and Christmas crackers as they came forward to venerate the Cross, and many afterwards gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.

This year was one dominated by the major projects of transporting our new iconostasis from Russia to Australia and of installing it and a new floor and enlarging our altar area.  As a result, parish life was significantly disrupted – we had long periods in July and September-October without services – just as we were emerging from the pandemic-era changes to church life.  Three of our parishioners were laid to rest this year: Eugene Pickel (+3 May 2023), Vladimir Marinkevich (+18 May 2023), and Alevtina Pinczuk (+10 June 2023).  We continued to pray for an end to the fratricidal war in Ukraine and from October we offered prayers for peace in the much-suffering Holy Land.  In May our clergy participated in celebrations marking the centenary of the founding of the first Russian Orthodox parish in Australia, that of what is now the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Brisbane.  Together with the Wallsend parish we provided an English-Russian 2023 wall calendar commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  For the blessing of our newly-installed iconostasis we welcomed Bishop George on his first visit to our parish since 2019.  In December our clergy and five of our parishioners received Diocesan medals in honour of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Diocese.  At our Annual General Meeting Vladimir (“Rick”) Golovin was elected parish Warden, a role that had remained vacant since 2004.  All the news from 2023 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On 10 December 2023, at the conclusion of its Winter session in New York, our Synod of Bishops published an Epistle to the Clergy and Flock of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  An extract: “It is necessary, in maintaining one’s Christian character, to firmly - yet calmly and with dignity - defend Holy Orthodoxy, her doctrine of marriage, of our families, of traditional values and religious freedoms. And if our word is combined with the example of an upright Christian life, marked out by active care for our children and their upbringing in the Christian spirit, then our word will prove itself a living and convincing testimony, not only for children and youth, but also for the societies around us.  Let us seek to remember that, no matter how difficult the situation in which a Christian lives, no matter what dark clouds may gather over him, he will always emerge victorious over all evils if he is able, with God’s help, to maintain his faith.”  The complete text of the Epistle is available in English here and in Russian here.

On Saturday 6 January and Sunday 7 January we will have services for Christmas, the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a festive meal in the church hall; those wishing to stay may bring festive foods to share.

On Sunday 17 December our parish held its 2023 Annual General Meeting.  The 2023 Annual Report was presented and accepted.  In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to parish life and his continuous service on the Parish Council since 2003, Vladimir (“Rick”) Golovin was elected Warden (“Starosta”) for a three-year period.  This is the first time that the position of Starosta has been filled in our parish since 2004.  In addition, Anna Kourbatov, Anne Nielsen, Nina Golovin, and Kate Marcotrigiano were elected to serve on the 2023-24 Parish Council.

On Saturday 16 December and Sunday 17 December we had services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Great-Martyr Barbara (+c.306 AD) and Venerable John of Damascus (+c.777 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy, the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  In place of a sermon the recent Epistle of the Synod of Bishops to the Clergy and Flock of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia was read aloud.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held that afternoon.  These were our final services for 2023.

Our 2023 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2022-23 Financial Statements, is now available.  It includes information about the governance of our parish and gives a little parish history.  It also summarises the life and activity of the parish in 2022-23, reflects on challenges and accomplishments, and sets out plans for the year ahead.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 17 December 2023, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

In the evening on Wednesday 13 December the Parish Council met by videoconference.  This was the final meeting of the Parish Council elected in September 2022.  The minutes of the November 2023 meeting were ratified and the usual reports on parish life and finances were presented by the rector and the treasurer respectively.  Bishop George’s successful visit on 3 December to bless our new iconostasis was discussed and plans were made for the coming weeks.   A number of other items of business, including a list of candidates for parish awards, were considered.  The final draft of the 2023 Annual Report was tabled and endorsed.  At the end of the meeting, retiring member Alexei Kozlovski was thanked for his contribution to the work of the Parish Council over the last 2 years.  The 2023-24 Parish Council will meet for the first time, again by videoconference, on Monday 15 January 2024. 

On Saturday 16 December and Sunday 17 December we will have services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Great-Martyr Barbara (+c.306 AD) and Venerable John of Damascus (+c.777 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the parish will be held.  These will be our final services for 2023.

On Sunday 3 December and Monday 4 December we had services for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Sunday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Monday morning.  After a busy weekend in parish life, these festive services were quieter than usual.  Our small church was beautifully vested in blue.  A highlight of the services was the singing, for the first time this year, of “Христос Раждается” (“Christ is Born”), hymnody from the service for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) that is sung from this day onwards in anticipation of that feast. At Divine Liturgy, the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land.  A number of those present took the opportunity at the service to pray quietly and receive Holy Communion, and afterwards to share a light morning tea in the church hall.

On Sunday 3 December Bishop George presented medals and certificates commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of our Diocese to our clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Protodeacon Martin Naef, and to parishioners Vladimir ("Rick") Golovin, Nina Golovin, Matushka Marie Carles, Kate Marcotrigiano, and Anna Kourbatov.  The face of the medal has a portrait of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion (+2022), the longest-serving Ruling Bishop of the Diocese, and the reverse has an inscription explaining the award.  For those interested, further information about awards in the Russian Orthodox Church – and in our Diocese and parish – is available here.

On Saturday 2 December and Sunday 3 December we had services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Forefeast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and in honour of Venerable Gregory the Decapolite (+816 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening.  Early on Sunday morning the parish rector served the lesser blessing of water, following which we welcomed Bishop George on his first visit to our parish since 2019.  After the reading of the entry prayers and the vesting of the bishop, the Hours were read and the rite of blessing and consecration of our new iconostasis was served.  Bishop George then presided at Divine Liturgy, assisted by the parish rector and by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys.  Our parishioners were joined in church by friends from Sydney, Newcastle, and the Mid North Coast, and the clergy were helped by subdeacons and experienced altar-servers from the Fairfield, Wallsend, and Strathfield parishes.  The choir, augmented by singers from Strathfield, Croydon, Cabramatta, and Centennial Park, sang beautifully under the direction of Kolya Morozoff.  Following Divine Liturgy Bishop George presented our clergy and five parishioners with medals and certificates commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of our Diocese.  A festive lunch was then held at our parish centre.  A selection of photographs of the day can be seen here.

On Sunday 3 December and Monday 4 December we will have services for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Sunday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Monday.

The November 2023 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. Content includes a letter of congratulations from the editor, Mitred Archpriest Michael Protopopov, on the seventy-fifth anniversary of our diocese; a brief biography of the first bishop of our Diocese, the ever-memorable Archbishop Theodore (Rafalsky)(+1955); material on the recent rediscovery in Russia of the original Kazan Icon of the Mother of God; articles in Russian on the Nativity Fast, the symbolism of icons of the Nativity of Christ, and the history of the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, New York; the fascinating account by Mitred Archpriest Nicholas Karipoff of an Orthodox baptism and burial in the Northern Territory, with the burial having taken place on remote Yolngu land; news of the ordination of a new deacon, Father Apostolos Condolean; the decision of the Synod of Bishops in the case of Abbot Sergius (Shatrov), the respected former rector of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Bombala, NSW; news of Russian community debutante balls in Sydney and Adelaide; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

From 25 June to 1 July 2024 the Fourteenth All-Diaspora Orthodox Youth Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) will be held in Stuttgart, Germany.  The All-Diaspora Youth Conferences, which began in Montreal, Canada, in 1972, bring together ROCOR youth from around the world.  Over the years, many important friendships have been formed at these conferences.  The theme of the 2024 Conference is “Preserving our Orthodox Identity and Heritage in the Diaspora”.  It will be held at a retreat in the mountains near Stuttgart and lectures will be in Russian, English, and German.  The conference program will also include excursions, sports, cultural activities, and a youth ball.  Youth (aged 18-24) of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese who wish to attend should email youth.rocor.anz@gmail.com for further information.

Our Summer 2023-24 Schedule of Services - covering December, January, and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2023-24 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2023-24 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 19-20 November.   Services of note will be Bishop George’s visit to bless our new iconostasis on Sunday 3 December; the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple on 3-4 December; the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) on 6-7 January; and the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord on 14-15 February.

On Saturday 18 November and Sunday 19 November we had services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Paul the Confessor, archbishop of Constantinople (+350 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served at on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy, prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held on Sunday 17 December 2023.

In the evening on Wednesday 15 November the Parish Council met by videoconference.  The minutes of the August and October 2023 meetings were ratified, and the usual reports on parish life and finances were presented by the rector and the treasurer respectively.  Plans for Bishop George’s visit on 3 December to bless our new iconostasis were discussed together with the arrangements for the lunch afterwards.  The draft 2023 Annual Report was tabled, input was suggested, and changes were agreed it.  The Parish Council will next meet, again by videoconference, on Wednesday 15 December 2023.  The December meeting will be the final meeting of the 2022-23 Parish Council.

Our 2023 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 17 December.  A formal Notice concerning the AGM is available here.  The Notice includes the AGM agenda, an explanation of why AGMs are held, information about preparation for and participation in the AGM, and an explanation of the role of Parish Councils and Parish Council members.  A nomination form for parish office-bearers is available here.  A form for those wishing to renew their parish membership is available here.

On Saturday 18 November and Sunday 19 November we will have services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Paul the Confessor, archbishop of Constantinople (+350 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 4 November and Sunday 5 November we had services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Apostle James, Brother of the Lord (+c.63 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  The parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys on Saturday evening and by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy, prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held on Sunday 17 December 2023.

On Saturday 2 December and Sunday 3 December we will have services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Forefeast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and in honour of Venerable Gregory the Decapolite (+816 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday.  On Sunday, the lesser blessing of water will be served at 8.00am.  We will welcome Bishop George at 9.00am, after which we will have the vesting of the bishop, the Hours, the blessing of our new iconostasis, hierarchical Divine Liturgy, and a moleben to Saint Panteleimon.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a festive lunch at our parish centre for 80 people.  There is no charge for lunch, but bookings are essential, and can be made via Eventbrite here.

The September 2023 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. Content includes news of recent clergy ordinations, assignments, awards and retirements; an English-language biography of the ever-memorable Protodeacon Peter Metlenko (+24 August 2023); a Russian-language article about the feast-day of Our Lady’s Dormition parish in Dandenong, Victoria, together with a comprehensive photo-report; a Russian-language history of the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, together with an explanation of icons depicting it; the text in Russian and English of a talk given by Mitred Archpriest Nicholas Karipoff in July 2023 on ”Modern Temptations” (“Современные Искушения”); and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 28-29 October our parish rector will be visiting Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast. There will be a baptism in the region on Saturday 28 October.  On Sunday 29 October, the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of Martyr Longinus the Centurion (+1st C. AD), the Hours and Divine Liturgy  will be served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall, 2/10 Oxley Lane, Wauchope.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday there will be a general panikhida.  God willing, the next services of the Mission after this will be in Coffs Harbour on Saturday-Sunday 30-31 December, the day of commemoration of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye.

On Saturday 4 November and Sunday 5 November we will have services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Apostle James, Brother of the Lord (+304 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

Updated: On Saturday 14 October and Sunday 15 October we had services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Cyprian and Martyr Justina of Nicomedia (+304 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  These were our first services in nearly two months, and the first following the installation of our new iconostasis.  During All-night Vigil the Six Psalms were read by Reader Timothy Nikitin of the Holy Dormition of the Mother of God Russian Orthodox Church in Dandenong, Victoria; Timothy was visiting New South Wales to participate in Australian Junior Ice Hockey League fixtures in Newcastle over the weekend.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  At the end of Divine Liturgy there was a moleben of thanksgiving for the completion of the renovations and in observance of the twentieth anniversary of the purchase of our parish centre.  Afterwards, many of our parishioners and friends stayed behind for a festive meal.

His Grace Bishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand has directed that prayers be offered in the churches of our Diocese for peace in the Holy Land.  The text of the prayer to be used in Slavonic and English is available here.  The text in Russian script, together with some Russian language notes concerning the history of this prayer, is available here.  In brief, the prayer is customarily read at Divine Liturgy throughout the Orthodox Christian world on Great and Holy Saturday, the day preceding Pascha.  In our parish the prayer will be read at each Divine Liturgy, together with the prayer for peace in Ukraine.

On Saturday 14 October and Sunday 15 October we will have services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Cyprian and Martyr Justina of Nicomedia (+304 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  These will be our first services following the installation of our new iconostasis.  At the end of Divine Liturgy there will be a moleben of thanksgiving for the completion of this work and in observance of the twentieth anniversary of the purchase of our parish centre.  God willing, Bishop George will visit for the formal blessing of the new iconostasis later this year.

Updated 16 October 2023:  Our church was closed from Monday 21 August until Saturday 14 October for the replacement of the floor and the installation of our new iconostasis.  Photographs of this work may for now be seen on our parish Facebook page; they will be added to this website as soon as the opportunity arises.

The 2023 Orthodox Youth Conference (“Syezd”) of our Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outisde Russia will be held in Melbourne, Victoria, from Tuesday 26 December until Saturday 30 December.  More information and a link to online registration is available in the attached image.

The Russian Orthodox parish of the Resurrection of Christ in Auckland, New Zealand, was established in October 1950, now over 70 years ago.  Throughout the years since, services have been held in a tiny church in the suburb of Balmoral.  This arrangement has become increasingly unworkable in recent years as the parish has grown, primarily through post-Soviet emigration to New Zealand.  After many years of searching, the Auckland parish has recently been able to secure a four-storey building with ample off-street parking in which to establish large church, a library, a community hall, and a residential apartment.  Work has already commenced to remodel the building for parish use.  Bishop George has appealed to all parishes of our Diocese to collect funds during September to assist the Auckland parish with this work.  We commend this worthy endeavour to our parishioners and friends.  As we will not have any services during September, those who wish to contribute to our collection may do so online (BSB: 032-596, Account number: 140923, “Auckland donation”) or make direct contact with the Auckland parish for its Australian bank account details.

Please note that our church will now be closed until Saturday-Sunday 14-15 October.  This is to allow completion of the work to install our new iconostasis, extend our altar area, and replace the church floor.  We apologise for any inconvenience.  Please visit this website and our parish Facebook page for regular updates.

Our Australian-New Zealand Diocese recently learned with sorrow of the repose of Protodeacon Peter Metlenko, a clergyman of the Diocese for over 40 years.  Born in China in 1938, Peter Ivanovich Metlenko arrived in Australia in 1962.  He immediately became a key figure in the establishment of the parish of Our Lady’s Dormition in Dandenong, Victoria; the parish worshipped for a number of years in a chapel established in his garage and he also served as the first Starosta (or Warden) of the parish.  In 1982 the ever-memorable Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) ordained Father Peter to the diaconate, and in 2002 then-Archbishop Hilarion (Kapral) raised him to the rank of Protodeacon.  In 2010 he retired to Sydney and was assigned to the parish of Saint Vladimir, Centennial Park, of which his son, Archpriest Daniel Metlenko, is the rector.  Father Peter reposed in the Lord on 24 August 2023, and has been laid to rest beside his wife, Matushka Elizabeth (+2020), in Springvale Cemetery, Victoria.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Father Daniel and his family and pray that God will give his good and faithful servant, the newly-reposed Protodeacon Peter, rest with the saints.  Царство ему Небесное!

The 2023 Teen Retreat of our Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outisde Russia will be held in Collaroy, NSW, from Sunday 17 December until Thursday 21 December.  More information and a link to online registration is available in the attached image.  The ROCOR Teen Retreat Facebook page can be accessed here.

On Saturday 16 September and Sunday 17 September we will have services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia, the Wonderworkers of Murom.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy there will be a brief moleben to Saints Peter and Febronia, the heavenly patrons of family life, love and faithfulness.

On Saturday 2 September and Sunday 3 September we will have services for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Dormition, and in honour of Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy (+c.44 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. *** NOTE: As work to install our new iconostasis and replace the floor will not have been completed, these services have been cancelled.  We apologise for any inconvenience. ***

Our Spring 2023 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  In addition to our regular services on the first and third Sundays of each month, during Spring 2023 we will have services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God on Wednesday-Thursday 20-21 September and for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on Tuesday-Wednesday 26-27 September.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2023 Schedule of Services is available here. 

On Saturday 19 August and Sunday 20 August we had services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration, and in honour of Monk-Martyr Dometius of Persia (+363 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy a panikhida was served for Jean-Philippe Blanloeuil, a dear friend of our parish who was killed in a tragic accident in France on Sunday 13 August.  Jean-Philippe and his wife Elena Fauris were married in our church in November 2010, and their son Maxime was baptised here.  They later moved to France and were living in Lyons.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Elena and their boys Roman and Maxime.

On Friday 18 August and Saturday 19 August we had services for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves were served on Friday evening, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy  were served on Saturday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michael Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  On Saturday we were joined by friends from Newcastle and Sydney, and the newly baptised infant Ciara Jeloudev received Holy Communion for the first time.  At the Prayer before the Amvon, there was a blessing of fruit, as is customary on this day, and also a blessing of honey.

On Saturday 19 August and Sunday 20 August we will have services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration, and in honour of Monk-Martyr Dometius of Persia (+363 AD).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Friday 18 August and Saturday 19 August we will have services for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Friday, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy  will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Friday, there will be a blessing of fruit and of honey

On Tuesday 8 August and Wednesday 9 August we had services in honour of Great Martyr Panteleimon (+305 AD), the heavenly patron of our parish.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening, and the lesser blessing of water, the Hours, Divine Liturgy, and a moleben to Saint Panteleimon were served on Wednesday morning.  At Divine Liturgy and the moleben, the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys.  Following the services on Wednesday there was a festive meal in the church hall for our clergy, parishioners and friends.

On Saturday 5 August and Sunday 6 August we had services for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Right-believing Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb (+1105 AD).  These were our first services in over a month.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michael Matys.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

The second part of our Winter 2023 Schedule of Services - covering August - is now available.  The most important services during this period will be for our patronal feast of Saint Panteleimon on Tuesday-Wednesday 8-9 August and the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Friday-Saturday 18-19 August.  A copy of part 2 of the English-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of part 2 of the current Russian-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages will be available in church as of the weekend of 5-6 August.

On Tuesday 8 August and Wednesday 9 August we will have services in honour of Great Martyr Panteleimon (+305 AD), the heavenly patron of our parish.  On Tuesday, All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm.  On Wednesday, the lesser blessing of water will be served at 8.00am, and the Hours, Divine Liturgy and a moleben to Saint Panteleimon will be served from 9.00am.  As the renovations of our church have yet to be completed and as we anticipate festive services for the blessing of our new iconostasis later in 2023, our feast-day services this year will be quite simple.  At the conclusion of the services on Wednesday there will be a light meal in the church hall for our parishioners and friends.

In the evening of Tuesday 1 August 2023, a meeting of the Parish Council was held.  This was our first meeting since April 2023.  The main item for discussion was our new iconostasis, recently arrived in Australia and presently awaiting customs clearance and quarantine.  Reports were heard concerning the process of shipping the iconostasis from Europe, arrangements for its installation and blessing, and the overall cost of the project.  The parish rector tabled a report on the life of the parish and aspects of Diocesan life for the period April-August 2023.  The treasurer presented a detailed financial report.  Consideration was then given to arrangements for services in honour of Saint Panteleimon on 8-9 August, fundraising, a service plan for 2024, and various other matters.  The Parish Council will next meet early in September 2023.

The August 2023 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. Content includes news of clergy assignments; the Russian-language text of Patriarch Kirill’s Appeal to religious leaders and representatives of international organisations in view of the persecution of the Father-Superior of the Kiev-Caves Lavra; a greatly abbreviated Russian-language text of Patriarch Kirill’s Address to the Bishops’ Conference held at the Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Monastery on 19 July 2023; information in English and Russian about the centenary celebrations of Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Brisbane, held in late May 2023; Russian-language material on the Royal Martyrs of Russia, commemorated on 17 July; a brief article noting the repose of Michael Baden-Powell, Fourth Baron Baden-Powell, the grandson of the founder of the Scout Movement and an official of Scouts Victoria who took an interest in Russian Scouting in Australia; extracts from the Holy Fathers on the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, celebrated on 28 August; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Saturday 5 August and Sunday 6 August we will have services for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Right-believing Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb (+1105 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

We remind our parishioners and friends that our church will be closed from Monday 3 July until early August so that work can be undertaken in preparation for the extension of our sanctuary, replacement of the church floor, and the installation of our new iconostasis.  A Schedule of Divine Services for August 2023 will be released late in July.  We thank you all for your patience!

On Saturday 1 July and Sunday 2 July we had services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Jude, brother of the Lord (+c.80 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michael Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about readings from the Letters of the Apostles, their place in the life of the church, and certain themes of today’s readings: being servants of righteousness (Romans 6:19) unto everlasting life (Romans 6:22), “contend[ing] earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3), and the Apostle Jude’s exhortation to Christians to “keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:20-21).  Following Divine Liturgy many of those present enjoyed piroshki that had been prepared by our Ladies’ Auxiliary.  The front of the church was then cleared in preparation for the extension of the soleas (the part of the sanctuary platform in front of the iconostasis) and the amvon (the extended area in front of the Royal Doors) - work that will, in turn, allow for a larger sanctuary when our new iconostasis is installed.

In conjunction with Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Wallsend, our parish has developed and published an explanation of the reasons why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons. It incorporates a list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated that has now been updated to include Sundays and Fridays in 2023, 2024, and 2025.  This information, which can be accessed either here or via our Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals page, has been prepared to help our parishioners and friends when planning weddings in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Should anyone have any questions on concerns about this information, they are encouraged to contact us.

On Saturday 1 July and Sunday 2 July we will have services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Jude, brother of the Lord (+c.80 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 17 June and Sunday 18 June we had services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michael Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about commitment to the faith of the Apostles, the pursuit of blessedness (Matthew 4:25-5:12), the importance of attending to the “law written in [our] hearts” (Romans 2:15), and the relationship of these things to the saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia. Following Divine Liturgy a number of our parishioners gathered in the church hall for refreshments, recommencing a practice that was discontinued at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Saturday 17 June and Sunday 18 June we will have services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints of Russia.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. 

On Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June we had services for the Great Feast of Pentecost.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening, and the Hours and  Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At All-night Vigil the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and at Divine Liturgy he was assisted by Deacon Michal and Protodeacon Martin Naef.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Divine Liturgy was immediately followed by Vespers and the special "kneeling prayers" appointed to be read on this day.

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 27-28 May, our parish clergy,  Archpriest James Carles and Protodeacon Martin Naef, participated in a Pastoral Conference of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  The Pastoral Conference was convened to coincide with celebrations marking the centenary of the founding of the parish of Saint Nicholas in Brisbane, the first Russian Orthodox parish in Australia.  Solemn divine services were held on Saturday evening and Sunday morning at which three bishops served: Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal and Canada, Bishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand, and Bishop Luke (Murianka) of Syracuse, Vicar of the Eastern American Diocese.  Concelebrating with them at Divine Liturgy on Sunday were forty-nine priests and deacons of our diocese, including our own parish clergy, and representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church.  The Russian Orthodox Men’s Choir of Australia, of which our parishioners Gregory Alexandrovsky and Alexey Douriaguine are members, sang at both services.  Updated 13 June 2023: An article with more detail and links to photographs is available here.

On Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June we will have services for the Great Feast of Pentecost.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday, and the Hours and  Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Divine Liturgy will be immediately followed by Vespers and the special "kneeling prayers" appointed to be read on this day.

On Wednesday 24 May and Thursday 25 May we will have services for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Wednesday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Thursday.  

The first part of our Winter 2023 Schedule of Services - covering June and July - is now available.  The most important services during this period will be for the Great Feast of Pentecost on the weekend of 3-4 June.  Our church will be closed from Monday 3 July until early August so that work can be undertaken in preparation for the replacement of our floor and installation of our new iconostasis.  A Schedule of Divine Services for August 2023 will be released late in July.  A copy of the current English-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the current Russian-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are also available in church.

On Saturday 20 May and Sunday 21 May we had services for the Sunday of the Blind Man, the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, and in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the healing of the man blind from birth (John 9:1-38) and of the light that Jesus Christ brings to our lives.  Following Divine Liturgy a panikhida was served for our ever-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) (+16 May 2022); our newly-reposed parishioners Vladimir Marinkevich (+18 May 2023) and Eugene Pickel (+3 May 2023); for Natalie Lalic (+12 April 2023), the daughter of our parishioner Maria, on the fortieth day of her repose; and for Alexander Bolonin (+2022) on the anniversary of his repose.

On Saturday 20 May and Sunday 21 May we will have services for the Sunday of the Blind Man, the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, and in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 6 May and Sunday 7 May we had services for the Sunday of the Paralytic, the Fourth Sunday of Pascha.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine. In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the patience of the Paralytic, or paralysed man, whose healing by Christ ( John 5:1-15) was commemorated on this day; the way that God intervenes unexpectedly in our lives; and the profound influence of the Holy Scriptures on the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church.

The April 2023 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. Content includes news of clergy ordinations, awards, and assignments; information about the centenary celebrations of Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Brisbane, planned for late May 2023; the Russian-language text of a long and interesting interview with Mitred Archpriest Gabriel Makarov, the rector of the Brisbane Cathedral; a report in Russian and English on the Great Lenten Pastoral Conference of the Southern Deanery of our Diocese (covering Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania), held in March this year in Warrnambool, Victoria; a report in Russian and English on the blessing in February 2023 of a new church in Lonnavale, Tasmania; articles in both languages about the suffering Ukrainian Orthodox Church; and more.  Also included is a handy supplement providing contact details for all our parishes, monasteries and missions and their clergy.  Copies are $5.00.

On Saturday 6 May and Sunday 7 May we will have services for the Sunday of the Paralytic, the Fourth Sunday of Pascha.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

This year, our parish again had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha. Matins was served in the evening on Sunday 9 April, Monday 10 April, Tuesday 11 April, and Wednesday 12 April.  Divine Liturgy was served in the morning on Great Thursday, 13 April.  On Great Friday, 14 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served at midday and Matins with Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ was served in the evening.  In the morning on Great Saturday, 15 April, Divine Liturgy was served.  Midnight Office  was served late that evening, with Paschal  Matins and Divine Liturgy following in the early hours of 16 April, the Sunday of Pascha.  Paschal Vespers was served at 11.00am that morning. Easter baskets with cakes, eggs and other festive foods were blessed following Matins and again after Vespers.  The parish rector was assisted at Vespers on Friday by Protodeacon Martin Naef and on Friday evening and Saturday morning by Deacon Michal Matys.  Both deacons served together at Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy.

Our parish will have Matins at 6.00pm on Sunday 9 April and at 7.00pm on Monday 10 April, Tuesday 11 April, and Wednesday 12 April.  The Hours, Typika and Vespers with Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Great Thursday, 13 April.  On Great Friday, 14 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ will be served at 12.00pm and Matins with Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ will be served at 6.30pm.  On Great Saturday, 15 April, Hours, Typika and Vespers with Divine Liturgy will be served at 8.00am and Midnight Office will be served at 11.20pm. Paschal Matins, to be followed by the blessing of kulichi and eggs and by Divine Liturgy, will begin at 12.00am on Sunday 16 April.  At 11.00am on Sunday 16 April we will have the Paschal Hours and Vespers. Some other traditional Holy Week services will be served at Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Wallsend (Newcastle). 

On Friday 7 April and Saturday 8 April we had services for the Sixth Saturday of Great Lent, Lazarus Saturday.  On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates the raising of Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave (John 11:1-45).  Matins was served on Friday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Saturday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  As there were to be no services in our parish this year for Palm Sunday, following the Prayer before the Amvon on Saturday morning a small number of pussy-willows were blessed in anticipation of Palm Sunday.  As on the preceding day, many of those present received Holy Communion.

On Thursday 6 April and Friday 7 April we had services for the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Thursday evening and the Hours, Typika, Vespers and Divine Liturgy were served on Friday morning. The parish rector was assisted on Thursday evening by Deacon Michal Matys and on Friday morning by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and many of those present received Holy Communion. 

On Friday 6 April and Saturday 8 April, Lazarus Saturday, our parish will take up a collection to benefit the Russian Eccelesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.  This collection is customarily taken up on Palm Sunday each year in all the parishes, monasteries and missions of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Many places of immense spiritual and historical significance in the Holy Land have been entrusted to our Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, and we have many monastics there who care for these holy places, undertake good works, and pray for the whole world.  Those who wish to make a donation online direct to the Mission may do so via Paypal through the Mission's website.

On Friday 7 April and Saturday 8 April we will have services for the Sixth Saturday of Great Lent, Lazarus Saturday.  On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates the raising of Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave (John 11:1-45).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Friday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.  As we will have no services in our parish this year for Palm Sunday, a small number of pussy-willows will be blessed following the Prayer before the Amvon on Saturday morning.  At both services a collection will be taken up to assist the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

On Thursday 6 April and Friday 7 April we will have services for the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Thursday, and the Hours, Typika, Vespers and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Friday.

On the morning of Saturday 1 April, we had a church clean-up in preparation for Holy Week and Pascha.  That evening and on Sunday 2 April we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Mary of Egypt.  All-night Vigil was then served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine. On Sunday evening we had the General Service of Anointing with Oil at which twenty-one of our parishioners received anointing for the healing of soul and body.

In the evening on Sunday 26 March we had the service of Vespers with the Fourth Passia.  At the Passia, chapters 18 and 19 of Saint John’s Gospel were read in English.  Following the service, those present venerated the Holy Gospel and were anointed with oil.  This was the final Passia service for 2023.

In the Orthodox tradition it is customary to have the General Service of Anointing ("Соборование") during Great Lent.  In this service there are seven readings from the Apostol, seven readings from the Holy Gospel, seven prayers, and the faithful are - if there are sufficient clergy present - anointed seven times with olive oil that is blessed during the service, for the healing of soul and body.  The practice of anointing with oil for spiritual and physical healing is referred to by the Apostle James: "Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15).  This year our parish will have this service at 6.00pm on Sunday 2 April.  NOTE: This is a sacrament in which only baptised Orthodox Christians may participate.

On Saturday 1 April and Sunday 2 April we will have services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent. On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Mary of Egypt.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. 

On Saturday 1 April we will have a church clean-up beginning at 8.00am. This will be the major clean-up that we customarily have before Pascha each year. All the furnishings will be removed from the church for washing and polishing and all the icons and service items will be cleaned. We will have lunch together at around midday. Please join us and help, even if only for an hour or two!  There is a great deal to be done, and it will be nice to have the church looking bright and clean for Annunciation, Holy Week, and Pascha.

On Saturday 18 March and Sunday 19 March we had services for the Third Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross. Matins with the bringing out of the Cross was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 18 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served before Matins on Saturday evening.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods (pasta, rice, pasta sauces, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  On Sunday evening we had Vespers with the Third Passia.  At the Passia, chapters 22 and 23 of Saint Luke’s Gospel were read in English.  Following the service, those present venerated the Holy Gospel and were anointed with oil.

At the 2022 Annual General Meeting of our parish, members endorsed a Statement of Commitment to Child Safety and to children’s participation in the life of our parish.  In collaboration with our neighbouring parish of Saint Nicholas, Wallsend, we have now developed new policies and procedures to give effect to these commitments.  Together with general information about child safety in our parish, we have published our policies and procedures online.  Over the next few months our parish will be fully implementing the new arrangements, facilitating training for key people, and revising the policies and procedures in light of experience.  Questions, comments and feedback are welcome!

In the evening on Sunday 12 March we had the service of Vespers with the Second Passia.  At the Passia, chapters 14 and 15 of Saint Mark’s Gospel were read in English.  Following the service, those present venerated the Holy Gospel and were anointed with oil.

On Saturday 18 March and Sunday 19 March we will have services for the Third Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross. Matins with the bringing out of the Cross will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As Saturday 18 March is a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins will be preceded by a general panikhida at 5.00pm.  Those attending the panikhida may, as an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, bring non-perishable foods (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.

On three of the first four evenings of the First Week of Great Lent (February 27-March 2), Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete was served.  There was no service on Wednesday evening.  The canon, psalms and prayers were read in Church Slavonic and English, with those present participating in the reading.  In addition to regular services on Saturday-Sunday 4-5 March, on the evening of Sunday 5 March we had Vespers with the First Passia.  At the Passia, chapters 26 and 27 of Saint Matthew's Gospel were read in English.

On Saturday 4 March and Sunday 5 March we had services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine. In accordance with the practice of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, 'The Order for a Hymn of Supplication for the Conversion of those in Error' was served at the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  During this short moleben, prayers were offered for those who oppose the truth of the Gospel with heresy and for those who have fallen away from the Holy Orthodox Church through schism.

At 6.00pm on Sunday 5 March we will have the service of Vespers with the First Passia.  Unique in the Orthodox world to the Russian Orthodox Church, the Passia is a beautiful Great Lenten service that focuses the faithful on the voluntary suffering (“Passion”) for our sake of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ.  This service will be approximately one hour in length.

On Saturday 4 March and Sunday 5 March we will have services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  In accordance with the practice of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, 'The Order for a Hymn of Supplication for the Conversion of those in Error' will be served at the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  During this short moleben, prayers will be offered for those who oppose the truth of the Gospel with heresy and for those who have fallen away from the Holy Orthodox Church through schism.

As is the custom in our parish, Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete will be served at 7.00pm during the First Week Great Lent: Monday 27 February, Tuesday 28 February, and Thursday 2 February. There will be no service on Wednesday evening.  Both Church Slavonic and English will be used in these services, each of which will finish at approximately 8.30pm.  It is traditionally the priest who reads the Great Canon, but all who wish to help with the reading of the psalms and prayers at Great Compline are welcome to do so.

On Sunday 26 February, the Sunday of Forgiveness, we will have Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness at 5.00pm.  During this service, the duration of which will be approximately forty-five minutes, the church vestments are customarily changed from gold to black and the festive melodies give way to the penitential Lenten melodies.  Afterwards all those present ask forgiveness of one another, in this way making a good beginning to Great Lent. 

On Saturday 18 February and Sunday 19 February we had services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 18 February was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served before Matins on Saturday evening.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods (pasta, rice, pasta sauces, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless. At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy our Ladies' Auxiliary served pancakes.

Our Autumn 2023 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2023 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2023 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 18-19 February.

On Saturday 18 February and Sunday 19 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. As Saturday 18 February is a day of commemoration of the departed, there will be a general panikhida at 5.00pm.  Those attending the panikhida may, as an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, bring non-perishable foods (particularly pasta, rice, pasta sauces, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.

As previously advised, a change of circumstances means that it will now not be possible to have services on 14-15 February for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, and the services scheduled for those days have been cancelled.  We apologise for any inconvenience.  We ask our parishioners and friends to remember in their prayers on the day of the feast four ever-memorable clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022, ordained deacon 15 February 2007).

On Saturday 4 February and Sunday 5 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and in honour of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon the parish rector explained the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee and spoke about following “the Pharisee in his virtues and… the Publican in his humility, [hating] what is wrong in each of them: foolish pride and the defilement of transgressions” (Ode 5, Canon of the Triodion).  He also spoke about the example of steadfastness in faith of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

Edited 5 February 2023: As a change of circumstances means that it will now not be possible to have services on 14-15 February for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, the services scheduled for those days have been cancelled.  We apologise for any inconvenience.  We ask our parishioners and friends to remember in their prayers on the day of the feast four ever-memorable clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022, ordained deacon 15 February 2007).

On Saturday 4 February and Sunday 5 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and in honour of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Wednesday 18 January and Thursday 19 January we had services in honour of the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany).  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Wednesday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served on Thursday morning. The parish rector was assisted at both services by Deacon Michal Matys, and our choir and congregation were augmented by friends from Newcastle visiting for the services and from Sydney holidaying on the Central Coast.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 28-29 January our parish rector will be visiting Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast. On Sunday 29 January, the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water will be served at the Kempsey CWA Hall, 3 John Street, Kempsey NSW.  God willing, the Mission will also have services this year on Sunday 30 April, Sunday 30 July, Sunday 29 October, and Saturday-Sunday 30-31 December.

On Wednesday 18 January and Thursday 19 January we will have services in honour of the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany).  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Wednesday and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water will be served at 9.00am on Thursday.

On Saturday 14 January and Sunday 15 January we had services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday before Theophany, and in honour of Venerable Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov (+1833 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine. As is usual in our parish during December and January, we were joined by friends from the Sydney parishes holidaying on the Central Coast.  Following Divine Liturgy a panikhida was served in anticipation of the first anniversary of the repose of our parishioner and dear friend, Nestor Petroff (+16 January 2022).

The 2022/23 Nativity Epistle of Bishop George of Sydney and Australia-New Zealand can be read in English here and in Russian here.  This is Bishop George’s first Nativity Epistle as Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  A further Nativity Greeting from Bishop George can be read here.

The 2022/23 Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Nicholas, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, can be read in English here and in Russian here.  This is Metropolitan Nicholas’ first Nativity Epistle as First Hierarch.

On Saturday 14 January and Sunday 15 January we will have services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday before Theophany, and in honour of Venerable Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov (+1833 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a panikhida in anticipation of the first anniversary of the repose of our parishioner, Nestor Petroff (+16 January 2022).

On Friday 6 January and Saturday 7 January we had services for Christmas, the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Friday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Saturday morning. The parish rector was assisted on Friday evening by Deacon Michal Matys and on Saturday morning by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  On Saturday morning our church was full to overflowing, with approximately 50 people receiving Holy Communion.  In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud the Nativity Epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.  Afterwards, a number of our parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.

On Friday 6 January and Saturday 7 January we will have services for Christmas, the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Friday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.  At the end of the service on Saturday we will have the customary brief moleben of thanksgiving commemorating the deliverance on this day in 1812 of the Russian Church and Empire from the invasion of the French and twelve other nations.

On Saturday 31 December and Sunday 1 January we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - this year, the Sunday of the Holy Fathers.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  To mark the beginning of the New Year, the Lesser Blessing of Water was served on Sunday morning prior to the Hours.  At both services our choir and congregation were augmented by friends from Sydney, Newcastle, and interstate.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  

This year we mourned the loss of three people dear to us: Nestor Petroff (+16 January 2022), a much-loved parishioner who contributed greatly to parish life over the years; Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+30 January 2022), a long-standing friend of our parish, the brother-in-law of our own Protodeacon Martin Naef, and a respected Diocesan cleric; and ROCOR First Hierarch Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) (+16 May 2022), who as Diocesan Bishop blessed the establishment of our parish, suggested that it be named in honour of Saint Panteleimon, and gifted us a portion of the saint’s relics.  As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, we continued to offer prayers for deliverance from the coronavirus.  From February we laboured under the shadow of armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.  We offered prayers for peace and gave assistance to Ukrainian refugees living on the Central Coast.  We had ten baptisms this year – one was of a young woman, Kaylah (Ksenia) Gray, and the others were of infants: Nikolai Karonin, Mila Potalitsyna, Agata Chylinksi, Michael Gorbatovskiy, Arina Rudyk, Orla Krikunov, Michael Odarchenko, Vera Rebrova and Sophia Trigg.  A long-standing friend of our parish, Craig Koppman, was received into Orthodoxy by chrismation.  Stephen Williamson and Helena Markovtsev were married in our church in May.  We participated in the Great Lenten Pastoral Conference in March, in services in June marking the fortieth day of Metropolitan Hilarion’s repose, and in the Twentieth Australian-New Zealand Diocesan Assembly in October.  Together with the Wallsend parish we provided an English-Russian wall calendar commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the repose of the noted ascetic and writer, Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) of Platina.  The manufacture of a new iconostasis for our parish centre was completed in Moscow in August and work began to bring it to Australia for installation.  We were given a beautiful icon of the Martyr Ludmila.  Our parish rector made pastoral visits to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in January, May and July, and in November he was appointed rector of the Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission there.  All the news from 2022 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Saturday 31 December we will have a church clean-up beginning at 8.00am. This will be the major clean-up that we customarily have before Christmas and Pascha each year. All the furnishings will be removed from the church for washing and polishing and all the icons and service items will be cleaned. We will have lunch together at around midday. Please join us and help, even if only for an hour or two!  There is a great deal to be done, and it will be nice to have the church looking bright and clean for the festive days of Christmas and Theophany.

On Saturday 31 December and Sunday 1 January we will have services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - this year, the Sunday of the Holy Fathers.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  To mark the beginning of the New Year, the Lesser Blessing of Water will be served at 8.15am on Sunday.

On Saturday 24 December and Sunday 25 December we had services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, and in honour of Venerable Herman of Alaska (+1836).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At All-night Vigil the magnification was also sung for Saint Spyridon of Tremithus, wonderworker (+348 AD), another great saint commemorated on this day.  The parish rector was assisted at both services by Deacon Michal Matys, and our choir and congregation were augmented by friends from Sydney and interstate holidaying on the Central Coast.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

The December 2022 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. This edition continues the beautiful glossy colour format introduced in December 2020.  Content includes the text in Russian and English of the Resolution of the Twentieth Diocesan Assembly held in October 2022, together with photographs from the Assembly and a list of clergy who co-served with Bishop George at Divine Liturgy on the final day of the Assembly; directives concerning clergy awards, the closure of a mission in Adelaide, and the opening of a mission on the Mid North Coast of NSW; a biography of the newest priest of our Diocese, Father Pavel Baksheev; reports and photographs on the life of the Diocese; the life and work of Archimandrite Pavel (Gruzdev), a Twentieth Century confessor and elder of the Russian Orthodox Church; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Sunday 18 December and Monday 19 December we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+342 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Sunday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Monday morning.  As our parish rector has generally served in the Wallsend parish on this day, this was the first time in many years that our parish had services in honour of Saint Nicholas.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, and our choir and congregation were augmented by friends from Sydney holidaying on the Central Coast.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time at Divine Liturgy was the newly-baptised infant Sophia Trigg.

On 3 December 2022 the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia advertised a permanent part-time position for a Youth Coordinator.  The role of the Youth Coordinator will encompass evaulation, development and implementation of programs and activities for the youth of the Diocese.  More information about the position is available here.  Questions and expressions of interest should be directed to the Diocesan Office.  Additional information to help applicants:  Applications close 25 December 2022.  Send applications to the Diocesan Office with a cc to Protodeacon Alexander Abramoff.  Interviews are likely to be held during the first week of January, with 9 January 2023 the preferred start date.

Updated 12 March 2023: On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 27-28 May 2022, the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia will celebrate the centenary of the founding of the parish of Saint Nicholas in Brisbane, the first Russian Orthodox parish in Australia.  As all Diocesan clergy will gather in Brisbane that weekend for a pastoral conference on Saturday morning and for participation in the commemorative services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, there will be no services elsewhere in the Diocese.  An epsicopal ukase, or directive, may be viewed here.  A poster with contact information and booking arrangements is available in English here and in Russian here.

In June 2019, with Bishop George’s blessing our parish rector began to make pastoral visits to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, serving Divine Liturgy and performing baptisms.  On 8 December 2022, having received a detailed report on these pastoral visits, Bishop George formally established a missionary community on the Mid North Coast in honour of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye.  The purpose of the mission is to make available Orthodox Christian prayers, sacraments, and teaching on the Mid North Coast; to acquire the material resources and local experience to effectively support this activity; and, in time, to establish a parish in the region.  The territory of the mission will encompass the coastal area from Forster-Tuncurry to Woolgoolga.  A copy of Bishop George’s Ukase can be viewed here.  More information about the Mid North Coast Mission is available here.

On Saturday 24 December and Sunday 25 December we will have services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - this year, the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers - and in honour of Venerable Herman of Alaska (+1836).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Sunday 18 December and Monday 19 December we will have services in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+342 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Sunday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Monday.

Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday 4 December, a meeting of the Parish Council was held.  As it was the first Parish Council meeting since our Annual General Meeting in October 2022, office-bearers for 2022-23 were appointed.  The parish rector tabled a detailed report on the life of the parish and the wider church for the period June-December 2022 and reports on parish finances were presented.  Consideration was given to arrangements for the transportation of our new iconostasis, now completed, from Moscow to Australia, a project complicated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  A plan to ensure an adequate parish response to mandatory Diocesan collections was endorsed, and it was agreed that there would be a general church clean-up on Saturday 31 December in preparation for Orthodox Christmas.  The Parish Council will next meet in early 2023.

On Saturday 3 December and Sunday 4 December we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  The parish rector was assisted on Saturday evening by Deacon Michal Matys and on Sunday morning by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  At both services, our choir and congregation were augmented by friends from the Sydney parishes holidaying on the Central Coast.  Following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for Tatiana Elgin-Borodin (+5 December 2014), and many of those present afterwards gathered in the church hall for a light meal.

The October 2022 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), is now available in our parishes. This edition continues the beautiful glossy colour format introduced in December 2020.  Content includes information in Russian and English about the September 2022 Council of Bishops held in New York; the election by that Council of Bishop Nicholas (Olhovsky) as Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York and First Hierarch of the ROCOR; and the appointment of Bishop George as Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese. Also included in both languages are articles on the repose of Queen Elizabeth II; the repose of Priest David Lloyd; the July 2022 Residential School of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Institute; the history of the Harbin Diocese of the ROCOR (with many wonderful photographs); and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Saturday 3 December and Sunday 4 December we will have services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 19 November October and Sunday 20 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Thirty-Three Martyrs of Melitene (+290 AD) and Venerable Lazarus of Mount Galesion (+1053 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Christ’s raising of the daughter of Jairus and his healing of the woman with an issue of blood (Luke 8:41-56), miracles that occurred in response to faith and which showed both Christ’s divinity and His compassionate mercy.

Our Summer 2022-23 Schedule of Services - covering December, January, and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2022-23 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2022-23 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies will be available in church as of the weekend of 19-20 November.   Services of note will be for the Great Feasts of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple on 3-4 December; Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker on 18-19 December; the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) on 6-7 January; the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 18-19 January; and the Meeting of the Lord on 14-15 February.  NOTE: During December we will vary our usual schedule by having services on the first and fourth Sundays of the month instead of the first and third Sundays.

On Saturday 19 November October and Sunday 20 November we will have services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Thirty-three Martyrs of Melitene (+290 AD) and Venerable Lazarus of Mount Galesion (+1053 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. 

On Saturday 5 November October and Sunday 6 November we had services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Icon of the Mother of God, ‘Joy of All Who Sorrow’.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  The services were held in the presence of a copy of the ‘Joy of All Who Sorrow’ Icon belonging to friends of the parish and brought to Australia from Russia many years ago via China and Brazil.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon the rector spoke about the history of the ’Joy of All Who Sorrow’ Icon, about Christian experience of help through the prayers of the Mother of God, and about the connection between veneration of the Mother of God and the Orthodox Christian doctrine of the Incarnation of Christ.  Following Divine Liturgy a general moleben to the Mother of God was served before the icon.  An announcement was then made concerning two appeals to assist Diocesan cleric Priest Mark Woloszyn.

Father Mark Woloszyn is a priest of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia serving in the Holy Virgin Protection (“Pokrov”) Cathedral in East Brunswick, VIC.  He requires expensive surgical treatment for a serious medical condition, and two appeals have been initiated to raise funds to assist him.  The first, from Bishop George, is detailed here.  It includes details of a Diocesan bank account to which donations can be made.  The second, a GoFundMe appeal, is detailed here.  At this second link some additional information is provided concerning Father Mark’s circumstances.  We encourage those who wish to help Father Mark to respond directly to one of these two appeals.  Note: The appeal from Bishop George was updated on 3 November 2022.

On Saturday 29 October and Sunday 30 October services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Prophet Hosea (+829 BC) and Monk-Martyr Andrew of Crete (+767 AD) were held at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield, NSW.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As almost the entire complement of the clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese was in Sydney for the Twentieth Diocesan Assembly, most of our parishes and missions had no services.  Our parish clergy served at the cathedral together with Bishop George and 48 other priests and deacons.  On Sunday morning a reader was tonsured for the Hobart parish, a number of clerics received ecclesiastical awards, and a priest was ordained for the Dandenong parish.  At the Prayer before the Amvon a moleben of thanksgiving was served for the work of the Diocesan Assembly.  Following Divine Liturgy, Diocesan Chancellor Mitred Archpriest Michael Protopopov congratulated Bishop George on his recent appointment by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia as Ruling Bishop of our Diocese, presenting him with the gift of a panagia on behalf of the clergy. 

On Saturday 5 November October and Sunday 6 November we will have services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Icon of the Mother of God, “Joy of All Who Sorrow”.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday there will be a moleben to the Mother of God.

On Saturday 15 October and Sunday 16 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite, bishop of Athens (+96 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon the rector spoke about the principles for Christian life set out in the appointed readings: to be cheerful givers, sharing our abundance with those less fortunate than ourselves (2 Corinthians 9:6-11); and to love our enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return (Luke 6:31-36).

The Twentieth Diocesan Assembly of our Australian-New Zealand Diocese is to be held at the Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield, NSW, from the evening of Thursday 27 October until the afternoon of Sunday 30 October 2022.  As all Diocesan clergy will be participating in the Assembly, the only services in our Diocese on Saturday-Sunday 29-30 October will be at the Strathfield Cathedral.  Our parish delegates to the Assembly will be the parish rector, Archpriest James Carles; Protodeacon Martin Naef; Anna Kourbatov; and Alexey Kozlovski.  Information about the Nineteenth Diocesan Assembly, held in Strathfield in November 2019, is available here.  More information about the Twentieth Diocesan Assembly will be shared as it becomes available.  Update, 12 October 2022:  A copy of the Diocesan Assembly agenda is available here.

On Saturday 15 October and Sunday 16 October we will have services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite, bishop of Athens (+96 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 1 October and Sunday 2 October we had services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross, and in honour of Martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius and Dorymedon (+276 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At these services, our parish for the first time commemorated Metropolitan Nicholas (Olhovsky) in his new capacity as First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and Bishop George in his new capacity as Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

On Saturday 1 October and Sunday 2 October we will have services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross, and in honour of Martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius and Dorymedon (+276 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On the evening of Monday 26 September All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves and the bringing-out of the Cross was served for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the life-Giving Cross of the Lord.  Regrettably, we were this year unable to have Divine Liturgy on Tuesday 27 September, the day of the feast itself.

On Tuesday 20 September and Wednesday 21 September we had services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Wednesday morning.  At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

On Monday 26 September we will have a service for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the life-Giving Cross of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm.  Regrettably, this year there will be no services on Tuesday 27 September, the day of the feast itself.

On Tuesday 20 September and Wednesday 21 September we will have services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Tuesday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Wednesday morning.

On Sunday 18 September our parish held its 2022 Annual General Meeting.  The 2022 Annual Report was presented and accepted.  A Statement of Commitment to Child Safety was adopted that will guide our parish as it works to ensure that our children are valued, safe, and involved in parish life.  Vladimir (“Rick”) Golovin, Anna Kourbatov, Anne Nielsen, Nina Golovin, Kate Marcotrigiano and Alexei Kozlovski were elected to serve on the 2022-23 Parish Council, and Anna Kourbatov and Alexei Kozlovski were chosen to represent the parish at the Twentieth Diocesan Assembly to be held in Strathfield in October 2022.  

On Saturday 17 September and Sunday 18 September we had services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia (+1405 AD), Wonderworkers of Murom and heavenly patrons of love, faithfulness, and family life.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, for deliverance from the coronavirus, and for the aid of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia currently meeting in New York.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a moleben to Saints Peter and Fevronia at which all the married couples in our parish were commemorated by name. After the dismissal an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held that afternoon.

Our 2022 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2021-22 Financial Statements, is now available.  It includes information about the governance of our parish and gives a little parish history.  It also summarises the life and activity of the parish in 2021-22, reflects on challenges and accomplishments, and provides details of some future projects.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 18 September 2022, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

On Saturday 17 September and Sunday 18 September we will have services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia (+1405 AD), Wonderworkers of Murom and heavenly patrons of love, faithfulness, and family life.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  In accordance with Bishop George's directive of 5 September 2022, prayers will be offered at Divine Liturgy for the aid of the forthcoming Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Our bishops will meet in New York from 11-21 September to elect a new First Hierarch and to discuss other important matters in church life.  Following Divine Liturgy our parish will have its Annual General Meeting.

On Saturday 3 September and Sunday 4 September we had services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Dormition, and in honour of Martyr Aganthonicus of Nicomedia and his companions (+305-311 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  We were joined on Sunday by friends visiting from Newcastle and Sydney.  Following Divine liturgy an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday 18 September 2022.

On Saturday 3 September and Sunday 4 September we will have services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Dormition, and in honour of Martyr Aganthonicus of Nicomedia and his companions (+305-311 AD).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

Our 2022 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 18 September.  A formal Notice concerning the AGM is available here.  The Notice includes the AGM agenda, an explanation of why AGMs are held, information about preparation for and participation in the AGM, and an explanation of the role of Parish Councils and Parish Council members.  A nomination form for parish office-bearers is available here.  A form for those wishing to renew their parish membership is available here.

Our Spring 2022 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2022 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2022 Schedule of Services is available here. 

On Saturday 20 August and Sunday 21 August we had services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration, and in honour of Saint Emilian the Confessor, bishop of Cyzicus (+c.815 AD).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following Divine liturgy an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday 18 September 2022.

On Thursday 18 August and Friday 19 August we had services for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Thursday evening, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy  were served on Friday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  At the end of Divine Liturgy there was a blessing of fruit and of honey.  The honey, a gift to our parish and the Wallsend parish in memory of the departed servants of God Anna, Olga and Nestor, Michael and Alla, and Evgenia, was afterwards shared amongst those present.

On Saturday 20 August and Sunday 21 August we will have services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost and the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Thursday 18 August and Friday 19 August we will have services for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Thursday, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy  will be served from 9.00am on Friday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Friday, there will be a blessing of fruit and of honey.

On Monday 8 August and Tuesday 9 August we had services in honour of Great Martyr Panteleimon (+305 AD), the heavenly patron of our parish. All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served by the parish rector on Monday evening.  On Tuesday morning, the lesser blessing of water was followed by the Hours, Divine Liturgy and a moleben to Saint Panteleimon.  We were joined for these services by friends from the Wallsend, Cabramatta, Croydon and Strathfield parishes.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.   Following the services on Tuesday, a festive lunch was held in the parish hall for our parishioners and friends.

On Saturday 6 August and Sunday 7 August we had services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

On Saturday 6 August and Sunday 7 August we will have services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of the Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia (+1918).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following the service on Sunday a panikhida was served for our departed and ever-memorable parishioners, Nestor (+16 January 2022) and Olga (+18 July 2020) Petroff.

On Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July we will have services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of the Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia (+1918).  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Updated 11 July 2022:  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday there will be a panikhida for our departed and ever-memorable parishioners, Nestor (+16.1.2022) and Olga (+18.7.2020) Petroff.

On Monday 11 July and Tuesday 12 July we had services in honour of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Monday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Tuesday morning.  At Divine Liturgy we were joined by friends from Sydney holidaying on the Central Coast.  The usual prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

In conjunction with Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Wallsend, our parish has commenced a review of its child safe policy and procedures to give effect to the Child Safe Standards.  The Child Safe Standards are based on the research and consultation conducted by Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.  Now enshrined in law by amendments to the Children’s Guardian Act 2019 (NSW), the Child Safe Standards provide a framework for creating organisations that are inclusive and safe for children.  One of our first steps has been to draft a Statement of Commitment to Child Safety, a copy of which can be viewed here.  We are also working on a new and comprehensive Child Safe Policy; new role descriptions and complaint-handling procedures; and a new Child Safe Code of Conduct.  We will seek comments on all these documents from our parishioners and friends, as well as from the Diocesan and civil authorities, before implementing and formally launching the new policy and procedures later this year.

On Monday 11 July and Tuesday 12 July we will have services in honour of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Monday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Tuesday.

On Saturday 2 July and Sunday 3 July we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church of commemorating saints of various regional areas on this day, and of a firm intention to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:3) as the ground on which sanctity can flourish.

The June 2022 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. This edition continues the beautiful glossy colour format introduced in December 2020.  Content includes details of March 2022 clergy awards, including awards to our own parish clergy; articles relating to the May 2022 repose and burial of Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) and to the Diocesan observance of the fortieth day of his repose; biographical materials, reflections, and photographs of Vladyka Hilarion; the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of divine service of Mitred Archpriest Michael Protopopov; articles on relations between the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches and the reestablishment of canonical communion between the Serbian and Macedonian Orthodox Churches; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Thursday 23 June and Friday 24 June, clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese gathered at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield, NSW, to offer prayers on the fortieth day of the repose of Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), Ruling Bishop of our Diocese since 1996 and First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia since 2008.  Friday 24 June was also the day of commemoration of the wonder-working “Kursk-Root” Icon of the Mother of God, the “Directress” of the Russian Diaspora; of the wonder-working “Tabynsk” Icon of the Mother of God, revered by both the Russian Orthodox faithful and the Chinese people in Harbin, China, where it was kept from 1918 until 1948; of the Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas; and of the of the Hieromartyr Mitrophan and 222 other New Martyrs of China, slain during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.  All-night Vigil was served on Thursday evening, with Mitred Archpriest Gabriel Makarov presiding and Protodeacons Alexander Abramoff and Vasily Konstantinidis assisting.  All the clergy vested for the singing of the magnification of the Mother of God before copies of the two wonder-working icons.  On Friday morning the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served, with Mitred Archpriest Michael Protopopov presiding and twenty-eight other clergymen concelebrating.  His Grace Bishop George of Canberra, recovering from illness, prayed in the altar on both days.  Following Divine Liturgy a panikhida was served for our departed First Hierarch, with the kontakion “With the saints give rest” sung together by the choir, clergy and all the faithful.  The clergy, their spouses, and special guests later gathered in the cathedral hall for a commemorative meal.  Over lunch there was discussion of Vladyka Hilarion’s gentleness, kindness, and pastoral warmth, characteristics that remained steadfast even as he rose in the church hierarchy; the possibility of a memorial within the cathedral grounds to all our departed Diocesan bishops; and missionary efforts in Vladyka’s memory.  Many years was sung for Bishop George, the Administrator of the Diocese, and for Archpriest Barnabas Jellings, celebrating his name-day that day.

On Monday 8 August and Tuesday 9 August we will have services in honour of Great Martyr Panteleimon (+305 AD), the heavenly patron of our parish.  On Monday, All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm.  On Tuesday, the lesser blessing of water will be served at 8.00am, and the Hours, Divine Liturgy and a moleben to Saint Panteleimon will be served from 9.00am.  Following the services on Tuesday, a festive lunch will be held in the church hall for our parishioners and friends.

On Tuesday 21 June, a meeting of the Parish Council was held.  The parish rector tabled a detailed report on the life of the parish and the wider church during April, May, and June 2022.  It was agreed that this year’s celebration of our patronal feast-day of Saint Panteleimon would be a modest event with a parish lunch in the church hall following the services on Tuesday 9 August.  Donations to the Diocesan Mission Fund and to assist Ukrainian refugees now living on the Central Coast were approved.  Suggested changes to the scheduling of services, particularly during Great Lent and at Pascha, were noted and endorsed.  It was agreed that our parish Annual General Meeting would be held on Sunday 18 September 2022.  The Parish Council will meet again in July to discuss our iconostasis project, a number of policy documents, a draft Annual Report, and the 2021-22 financial reports.

On Saturday 2 July and Sunday 3 July we will have services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 18 June and Sunday 19 June we had services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  The newly baptised Orla (Mary) Krikunov received Holy Communion for the first time.  In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about the history and significance of the commemoration of All Saints on the First Sunday after Pentecost.  He also spoke about the Day of Youth of the Russian Church Abroad, noting with regret that this commemoration had yet to be deeply established in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

On Saturday 18 June the parish rector baptised Orla Krikunov, the infant daughter and first child of Nicholas Krikunov and Sophie Hayden.  Orla, who had as her godparents Elyse Lufi and Nathan Murray, was in baptism given the name Mary in honour of Saint Mary of Egypt.  The Krikunov family has been associated with our parish from the very beginning, and Nicholas was in his youth an altar server here.  We warmly congratulate Nicholas, Sophie, Elyse and Nathan, and wish the newly-baptised Orla Mary many years!

Updated 7 June 2022: On Friday 24 June, the day of commemoration of the wonderworking “Kursk-Root” and “Tabinsk” Icons of the Mother of God and of Hieromartyr Mitrophan and 222 other New Martyrs of China, slain during the Boxer Rebellion (+1900), Bishop George and the clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese will gather at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield to observe the fortieth day of the repose of Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral).  A brief biography of Metropolitan Hilarion is available here.  Bishop George's directive may be viewed here.  All-night Vigil will be served from 6.00pm on Thursday and the Hours, Divine Liturgy and a panikhida will be served from 9.00am on Friday.  Clergy have been asked to wear blue vestments.  All are welcome to attend these services.

On Saturday 18 June and Sunday 19 June we will have services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 4 June and Sunday 5 June we had services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about the history and significance of the First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD.  At Bishop George’s request, a collection was taken up to assist the Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute.

On Wednesday 1 June and Thursday 2 June we had services for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Wednesday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Thursday morning.  On Thursday the small number of people present included visitors from Newcastle and Canberra.  As it was on this feast-day in 2007, fifteen years ago this year, that canonical communion was re-established within the Russian Orthodox Church, the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read at Divine Liturgy and a moleben of thanksgiving was served following the Prayer before the Amvon. At Divine Liturgy prayers were also offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

On Saturday 4 June and Sunday 5 June we will have services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  At Divine Liturgy a collection will be taken up to assist the Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute.

On the evening of Tuesday 31 May, the Eve of the Apodosis of Pascha, we served the final Paschal Matins of 2022. In accordance with the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, Matins was served as it is during Bright Week – sung in its entirety, and with the doors to the sanctuary open.  The icon of the Resurrection of the Lord was then returned to the sanctuary, the Shroud of Christ was removed from the Holy Table, and the church was made ready for the festive services for the Ascension of the Lord.

Since the repose of Metropolitan Hilarion on Monday 16 May 2022, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has made several decisions concerning church life.  On Tuesday 17 May it was resolved, amongst other things, that our newly-reposed First Hierarch be especially commemorated at each Divine Liturgy during the Paschal season and that a panikhida be served on the fortieth day of his repose, Friday 24 June; that the name of Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany be commemorated during the divine services in all ROCOR churches immediately following the commemoration of Patriarch Kyrill; and that Bishop George of Canberra would be appointed Acting Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New-Zealand Diocese.  On Monday 23 May it was resolved, amongst other things, to convene a Council of Bishops in New York from 13-21 September 2022 with the purpose of electing a new ROCOR First Hierarch; and to especially commemorate Metropolitan Hilarion on Sunday 26 June, the Second Sunday after Pentecost, as well as on the fortieth day of his repose.

On 19 May 2022, His Grace Bishop George of Canberra directed that a collection be taken up on Sunday 29 May to assist the Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute (SCMOI).  SCMOI is the theological and higher education institute of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  A letter from Bishop George containing information about the work and needs of SCMOI is available in English here and in Russian here.  As we will not have a service on Sunday 29 May, the collection will be taken up in our parish on Sunday 5 June, the Seventh Sunday of Pascha.  Those wishing to make a direct donation or a commitment to ongoing support are encouraged to contact SCMOI.

On Wednesday 1 June and Thursday 2 June we will have services for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Wednesday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Thursday.  As it was on this feast-day in 2007 – 15 years ago this year – that canonical communion was re-established within the Russian Orthodox Church, prayers of thanksgiving will be offered at the end of Divine Liturgy.

At 7.00pm on Tuesday 31 May, the Eve of the Apodosis of Pascha, Paschal Matins will be served.  In parishes of our Diocese, services for the Apodosis of Pascha - the day before the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord - are customarily served as on the day of Pascha itself, fully sung and with the sanctuary doors opened.  On this day we sing the joyous Paschal hymns for the final time before "taking leave" of Pascha and celebrating our Lord's Ascension.

Our Winter 2022 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available.  Services of note during this period include those for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord on Wednesday-Thursday 1-2 June; for Saints Peter and Paul on Monday-Tuesday 11-12 July; for our patronal feast of Saint Panteleimon on Monday-Tuesday 8-9 August; and for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Thursday-Friday 18-19 August.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2022 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2022 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are also available in church.

On Saturday 14 May and Sunday 15 May we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Paralytic.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef, and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

On Saturday 14 May and Sunday 15 May we will have services for the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Paralytic.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May we had services for the Second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus. At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Artos was cut and distributed.

The April 2022 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. This edition continues the beautiful glossy colour format introduced in December 2020.  Content includes Metropolitan Hilarion’s 2022 Paschal Epistle in Russian; the Ukase concerning Priest Alexei Jukoff’s transfer from Dandenong to Adelaide to assist and then replace the retiring rector of the Saint Nicholas parish, Archpriest Vladimir Deduhin; a Russian-language obituary of the late ever-memorable Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov; information about the 2022 Great Lenten Pasoral Conference of our Diocese; Part II of ‘The Relationship Between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia in the period from 1950 until 1969’, the English-language text of a lecture presented to the ROCOR Centenary Conference; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May we will have services for the Second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday we will cut and distribute the Artos.

This year, our parish again had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha.  Matins with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels was served in the evening on Thursday 21 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ at midday on Friday 22 April, Matins with Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ in the evening on Friday 22 April, and Divine Liturgy in the morning on Saturday 23 April.  On Saturday evening we had an early Midnight Office and procession followed by Paschal Matins and the blessing of Easter baskets with cakes, eggs, and other festive foods.  Paschal Vespers was served at 11.00am on the morning of Pascha, Sunday 24 April.  The parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys on Thursday evening, by Protodeacon Martin Naef at Vespers on Friday and at the services on Saturday evening, and by both deacons together on Saturday morning.

On Sunday 17 April we had services for the Sixth Sunday in Great Lent, Palm Sunday.  A blessing of water was served by the parish rector early on Sunday morning, following which there was a blessing of pussy willows and palms.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy were then served as usual, with Protodeacon Martin Naef assisting the parish rector.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

Regrettably, the illness of our parish rector has made it necessary to cancel the General Service of Anointing scheduled for 6.00pm on Sunday 10 April; Great Compline scheduled for 7.00pm on Wednesday 13 April; and All-night Vigil for Palm Sunday on Saturday 16 April.  We apologise for any inconvenience.  Although it is hoped that services will resume as scheduled on Palm Sunday, Sunday 17 April, we encourage our parishioners and friends to monitor this website and our Facebook page for further announcements.

On Tuesday 6 April and Wednesday 7 April we had services for the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served at on Wednesday evening, and the Hours, Typika, Vespers and Divine Liturgy were served on Thursday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

*** UPDATE 2.50PM 10 April 2022:  This service has been cancelled as Father James is unwell.  Apologies for any inconvenience. *** In the Orthodox tradition it is customary to have the General Service of Anointing ("Соборование") during Great Lent.  In this service there are seven readings from the Apostol, seven readings from the Holy Gospel, seven prayers, and the faithful are - if there are sufficient clergy present - anointed seven times with olive oil that is blessed during the service, for the healing of soul and body.  The practice of anointing with oil for spiritual and physical healing is referred to by the Apostle James: "Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15).  This year our parish will have this service at 6.00pm on Sunday 10 April.  Note: This is a sacrament in which only baptised Orthodox Christians may participate.

On Tuesday 6 April and Wednesday 7 April we will have services for the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Wednesday, and the Hours, Typika, Vespers and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Thursday.

In addition to services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, Great Compline  was served on the evening of Wednesday 30 March and Vespers with the Fourth Passia was served in the evening on Sunday 3 April.  At the Passia, the last such service for 2022, chapters 18 and 19 of Saint John’s Gospel were read in English.

On Saturday 2 April and Sunday 3 April we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 2 April was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served immediately before Matins on Saturday evening.  As an act of kindness in memory of the departed, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods and personal care items to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus. Our parish rector was assisted at Divine Liturgy by Protodeacon Martin Naef.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, prayers of blessing were read over a new green set of priests’ vestments - donated in memory of the departed servants of God Michael and Alla - and other church items.

On Saturday 2 April and Sunday 3 April we will have services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As Saturday 2 April is a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins will be preceded by a general panikhida at 5.00pm.  Those attending the panikhida may, as an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, bring non-perishable foods (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) and new personal care products (socks, wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, combs and brushes, female sanitary items) to be passed to local charitable organisations for relief of the homeless.

During the Fourth Week of Great Lent, in addition to services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, Great Compline will be served at 7.00pm on Wednesday 30 March and Vespers with the Fourth Passia will be served at 6.00pm on Sunday 3 April.

On Tuesday-Wednesday 22-23 March our parish clergy participated in the Great Lenten Pastoral Conference of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese. As part of the proceedings, Divine Liturgy was served at the Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, Strathfield, on the morning of Wednesday 23 March, with Bishop George of Canberra presiding and 37 priests and deacons of our Diocese concelebrating.  During Divine Liturgy both Father James and Father Martin received ecclesiastical awards in recognition of their service to the Holy Orthodox Church.  On Wednesday evening Great Compline  was served in our own parish, and on the evening of Sunday 27 March we had Vespers with the Third Passia.  At the Passia, chapters 22 and 23 of Saint Luke’s Gospel were read in English.

During the Third Week of Great Lent, Great Compline will be served at 7.00pm on Wednesday 23 March and Vespers with the Third Passia will be served at 6.00pm on Sunday 27 March.  In addition, our parish clergy will be participating in the annual Great Lenten Pastoral Conference on the evening of Tuesday 30 March and the morning of Wednesday 31 March.

On Saturday 19 March and Sunday 20 March we had services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 19 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served immediately before Matins on Saturday evening.  As an act of kindness in memory of the departed, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods and personal care items to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In the evening on Sunday, our parish rector served Vespers with the Second Passia.  At the Passia, chapters 14 and 15 of Saint Mark’s Gospel were read in English.

On Tuesday 22 March and Wednesday 23 March, the clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese will gather in Sydney for their customary Great Lenten Pastoral Conference.  God willing, our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Protodeacon Martin Naef, will be participating.  On Tuesday the clergy will meet at the church of All Saints of Russia, Croydon, for the Rule of Preparation for Holy Communion at 5.00pm and Lenten Matins and confession at 6.00pm.  On Wednesday from 8.00am the Hours and the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts will be served at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, Strathfield, with Bishop George presiding and the clergy concelebrating.  Those of the faithful who wish to do so are welcome to attend the service on Wednesday morning and – if properly prepared – to receive Holy Communion.  Following Divine Liturgy the clergy will meet to hear a talk, presented online, by His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe, and to discuss pastoral, liturgical and administrative matters.

Each year on the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia take up a collection to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York. The Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary is the main institution of higher education in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. This collection provides financial assistance to students, covering tuition, room and board. As we did not have a service on the First Sunday of Great Lent, our collection will be taken up on the Second Sunday of Great Lent, Sunday 20 March.  Collection envelopes will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 19 March. Please give generously!

At 6.00pm on Sunday 20 March we will have the service of Vespers with the Second Passia.  Unique in the Orthodox world to the Russian Orthodox Church, the Passia is a beautiful Great Lenten service that focuses the faithful on the voluntary suffering (“Passion”) for our sake of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ.  This service will be approximately one hour in length.

On Saturday 19 March and Sunday 20 March we will have services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As Saturday 19 March is a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins will be preceded by a general panikhida at 5.00pm.  Those attending the panikhida may, as an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, bring non-perishable foods (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) and new personal care products (socks, wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, combs and brushes, female sanitary items) to be passed to local charitable organisations for relief of the homeless.

On the first four evenings of the First Week of Great Lent (March 7-13), Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete was served.  The canon, psalms and prayers were read in Church Slavonic and English, with those present participating in the reading.  In addition, on the evening of Sunday 13 March we had Vespers with the First Passia.  At the Passia, chapters 26 and 27 of Saint Matthew's Gospel were read in English.

At 6.00pm on Sunday 13 March we will have the service of Vespers with the First Passia.  Unique in the Orthodox world to the Russian Orthodox Church, the Passia is a beautiful Great Lenten service that focuses the faithful on the voluntary suffering (“Passion”) for our sake of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ.  This service will be approximately one hour in length.

As is the custom in our parish, Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete will be served at 7.00pm on the first four days of Great Lent: Monday 7 March, Tuesday 8 March, Wednesday 9 March and Thursday 10 March. Both Church Slavonic and English will be used in these services, each of which will finish at approximately 8.30pm.  It is traditionally the priest who reads the Great Canon, but all who wish to help with the reading of the psalms and prayers at Great Compline are welcome to do so.

On Saturday 5 March and Sunday 6 March we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  The rector was assisted at Divine Liturgy by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys.  Prayers were offered for an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following Divine Liturgy, Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness was served.  During Vespers the church vestments were changed from gold to black and the festive melodies gave way to the penitential Lenten melodies.  At the end of Vespers, all present venerated the Holy Icons, the Gospel, and the Cross, and asked forgiveness of one another.

On Saturday 5 March our parish was given a beautiful icon of the Holy Martyr Ludmila (+927AD), Princess of the Czechs and grandmother of  Saint Wenceslaus (or Vyacheslav, +935 AD), the "Good King Wenceslaus" of the much-loved English Christmas carol.  A gift from a dear friend of our parish, Ludmila Melnikoff, both the icon and the carved wooden case are the work of the Saint Elisabeth Convent in Minsk, Belarus.  Upon the arrival of the icon in our church, a moleben to Saint Ludmila was served before it by our parish rector.  Prayers were also offered for an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus. Present for the service were Ludmila, her husband Ellis King, her sister Veronica, and our Head Sister, Nina Golovin.  We hope to have a similar moleben each year on the day of commemoration of Saint Ludmila, 29 September.  May God richly bless his servant Ludmila, together with her family, for her kindness and generosity!

On 24 February 2022 Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese, issued an 'Archpastoral Epistle to the Clergy and Flock of the Eastern American and Australian-New Zealand Dioceses on Great Lent and on the Events on the Holy Ukrainian Land.'  The Epistle can be read in Russian here and in English here.

During the coming week we will have memorial services for two prominent and much-loved parishioners, Nestor Petroff (+ 16 January 2022) and Reader Paul Douriaguine (+ 26 February 2019).  At 11.30am on Thursday 24 February, the fortieth day of Nestor's repose, there will be a panikhida at church at 11.30am, followed by a cup of tea for those present.  At 10.00am on Saturday 26 February, the third anniversary of Paul's passing, there will be a graveside panikhida at Point Clare Cemetery.  All our parishioners and friends are welcome at both services.

On Saturday 5 March and Sunday 6 March we will have services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy, Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness will be served.

On Saturday 19 February and Sunday 20 February we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son and the Afterfeast of the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  The rector was assisted at All-night Vigil by Deacon Michal Matys and at Divine Liturgy by Deacon Michal and Protodeacon Martin Naef.  At Divine Liturgy, the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read. Following Divine Liturgy, a collection was taken up to benefit Orthodox Action and our Ladies' Auxiliary served pancakes.

Our Autumn 2022 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2022 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2022 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2022 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 19-20 February.

On Monday 14 February and Tuesday 15 February we had services for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Monday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Tuesday morning.  For Divine Liturgy we were joined by friends from Sydney, Newcastle and the Gold Coast.  In accordance with Orthodox tradition and the custom of many Australian parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, there was a blessing of candles and of fruit at the end of Divine Liturgy.  Following Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about the events commemorated; about the traditions of blessing candles and fruit; and about four ever-memorable clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022, ordained deacon 15 February 2007).  A memorial litia was then served for them, and after those present had venerated the Cross, a panikhida was served for Glafira Lanzetti (+16 February 2021), the mother of long-time parishioner Katerina Korolkevich-Rubbo.

Each year in February the parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia take up a collection to assist the work of Orthodox Action, a charitable organisation that operates in Sydney and Melbourne under the auspices of the Diocese and the heavenly protection of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco.  Orthodox Action works to help the poor and needy, destitute children and orphanages in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union.  In 2022 our parish will take up this collection on Sunday 20 February.  Collection envelopes will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 19 February.  Please give generously!

On Sunday 6 February the parish rector, Archpriest James Carles, baptised Nikolai, the second child of Christopher and Sandra Karonin and a baby brother to Natalia.  Nikolai, who was baptised in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, had as his godparents Vanessa Garling and Father James.  We warmly congratulate Christopher, Sandra, and Vanessa, and pray that God will grant His newly-baptised servant good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On Saturday 19 February and Sunday 20 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son and the Afterfeast of the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy, a collection will be taken up to benefit Orthodox Action and our Ladies' Auxiliary will serve pancakes.

Updated 9 February 2022: On Monday 14 February and Tuesday 15 February we will have services for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Monday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Tuesday.  In accordance with Orthodox tradition and the custom of the Sydney parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, there will be a blessing of candles and of fruit at the end of Divine Liturgy.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a memorial litia for four ever-memorable clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022, ordained deacon 15 February 2007).

On Saturday 5 February and Sunday 6 February we had services for the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Our parish rector was assisted at Divine Liturgy by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time at Divine Liturgy was the newly baptised servant of God, Ksenia Gray.  This year, the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost was Zaccheus Sunday, so named because of the reading from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 19:1-10) concerning the conversion of Zaccheus the tax-collector, one of the great Biblical models of repentance. This Gospel reading is always appointed to the final Sunday before the beginning of the preparatory period for Great Lent.

On Saturday 5 February the parish rector, Archpriest James Carles, baptised 23 year-old Kaylah Gray.  Kaylah, who had as her godparents Raisa Zyza and Father James, was in Holy Baptism given the name Ksenia in honour of Blessed Ksenia of Saint Petersburg.  In addition to her godparents, Kaylah’s mother, grandmother and sister were present for the service.  We warmly congratulate the newly-baptised Ksenia, and pray that God will grant her many years!

Many of our parishioners and friends will already have heard the grievous news of the untimely repose, on Sunday 30 January 2022, of Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov, a respected and much-loved clergyman of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese, an accomplished eye surgeon, and a long-standing friend of our parish.  Father Constantine was the brother-in-law of our own Protodeacon Martin Naef.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Father Constantine’s widow, Matushka Natalie, and to their children Sophia and Julian; to Father Martin, Matushka Tatiana and family; to Father Constantine's mother, sister and wider family; and to the parish of All Saints of Russia, Croydon, of which he has been such an integral part for over twenty years.  Divine Liturgy will be served at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, Strathfield, at 7.30am on Saturday 5 February; the funeral service for the newly-reposed Protodeacon Constantine will follow at 9.30am.  Participating clergymen have been asked to wear white vestments.  The burial will be at Rookwood Cemetery (Russian Orthodox Section 3, Grave 514A) at 12.00pm.  For those unable to attend, the service may be viewed online here.  In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to Orthodox Christian monasteries with a request for daily prayers for Protodeacon Constantine’s repose.  May God give him rest with the saints!

To our great sorrow, our longtime parishioner Nestor Petroff departed this life in the early hours of Sunday 16 January 2022.  His funeral will be served at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, 3 Vernon Street, Strathfield, at 10.00am on Monday 24 January 2022.  There will be a parastas, or Great Panikhida, in our church in Gosford at 6.00pm on Sunday 23 January 2022.  As a result of COVID-related delays at Rookwood Cemetery and other logistical challenges, the burial will take place at Rookwood at 10.00am on Friday 4 February 2022.  Further information will be provided in due course concerning services for the fortieth day on Thursday 24 February 2022.

On Saturday 5 February and Sunday 6 February we will have services for the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  This year, the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost will be Zaccheus Sunday, so named because of the reading from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 19:1-10) concerning the conversion of Zaccheus the tax-collector, one of the great Biblical models of repentance. This Gospel reading is always appointed to the final Sunday before the beginning of the preparatory period for Great Lent.

On Tuesday 18 January and Wednesday 19 January we had services in honour of the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Theophany.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served on Wednesday morning.   The rector was assisted on Tuesday evening by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy, the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  As is customary at this time of year, we were joined by friends from Sydney holidaying on the Central Coast.

On Tuesday 18 January and Wednesday 19 January we will have services in honour of the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Theophany.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Tuesday and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water will be served at 9.00am on Wednesday.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn in indoor areas other than places of residence should be noted.

On Saturday 15 January and Sunday 16 January we had services for the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before Theophany.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  The rector was assisted at Matins by Deacon Michal Matys and at Divine Liturgy by Deacon Michal and Protodeacon Martin Naef.  At Divine Liturgy, the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  Following Divine Liturgy a panikhida was served for our newly-departed parishioner, Nestor Petroff, and a moleben was served for the health of Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov of the Archbishop's Chapel of All Saints Of Russia (Croydon, NSW), Sister Anastasia of the Presentation of the Mother of God Convent (Bungarby, NSW), and all those suffering illness as a result of the coronavirus.

On Saturday 15 January and Sunday 16 January we will have services for the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before Theophany.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn in indoor areas other than places of residence should be noted.  Please wear masks in church and maintain social distancing during services, even if only out of concern for others.  Our experience has been that most people are fearful not for themselves, but at the prospect of passing the virus to an elderly or immuno-compromised family member or friend.   We encourage respect for this.

Updated 19 January 2022: On Thursday 6 January and Friday 7 January we had services for Christmas, the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  Our small church had been beautifully prepared beforehand with green vestments and a Christmas tree.  All-night Vigil – Great Compline, Matins and the First Hour – with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Thursday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Friday morning.  As Protodeacon Martin Naef had again been asked to assist with the hierarchical services at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, our parish rector served alone.  At Divine Liturgy Craig Koppman received Holy Communion for the first time.  At the end of Divine Liturgy, we had a brief moleben of thanksgiving to observe the anniversary of the deliverance on Christmas Day in 1812 of the Russian Church and Empire from the invasion of the French and twelve other nations.  In place of a sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector read aloud Metropolitan Hilarion’s Nativity Epistle in both Russian and English.

With the blessing of Bishop George, on Monday 3 January December the parish rector received Craig Koppman, a longstanding and well-known friend of our parish, into the Orthodox Church by chrismation. Upon his reception into Orthodoxy Craig took the name Alexander in honour of Saint Alexander Nevsky.  Craig has a rich history of involvement in our parish from the very earliest days, having assisted with fundraising, building, and social events.  He and his wife Tammey (née Golovin) were married in our church in 2006, and their daughters Emily and Chloe were baptised here.  We warmly congratulate the newly illumined Craig-Alexander, praying that our merciful God will grant him good health and many years!

On Thursday 6 January and Friday 7 January we will have services for Christmas, the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Thursday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Friday.  At the end of the service on Friday we will have a brief moleben of thanksgiving commemorating the deliverance on this day in 1812 of the Russian Church and Empire from the invasion of the French and twelve other nations.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn in indoor areas other than places of residence should be noted.

On Saturday 1 January and Sunday 2 January we had services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of the Holy Fathers, and in honour of Saint John of Kronstadt (+1909).  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday.  As Protodeacon Martin Naef had been asked to assist with the hierarchical services at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, Strathfield, our parish rector served Divine Liturgy alone.

The December 2021 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, has recently become available in our parishes. This edition continues the beautiful glossy colour format introduced in December 2021.  Content includes Metropolitan Hilarion’s 2021-22 Nativity Epistle in Russian; ‘Скорбней Юбилей’, a Russian-language article about the centenary of the 1922 Soviet decree confiscating church valuables; details of clergy movements and awards; a Russian-language list of living and departed Diocesan clergy for commemoration in church and in private prayer; ‘The Relationship Between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia in the period from 1950 until 1969’, the text of a lecture presented to the ROCOR Centenary Conference; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

This year, like 2020, was dominated by the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 and the public health measures implemented to manage it.  Our parish had no public services from Saturday 3 July until Saturday 30 October – a period of almost four months! – and various other restrictions were in place for the entire year.  We had five baptisms: Marta Apale, Yana Starikova, Amy Newcombe, Michael Trigg, Maria Rezk and Richard Elphick.  Stan Baric and David Baric were received into Orthodoxy by confession of faith and chrismation.  George Biankin and Amy Newcombe were married in our church in June.  Prayers were offered on the two-hundredth anniversary of the assassination of Emperor Paul I of Russia and the fiftieth anniversary of the repose of Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy.  Together with the Wallsend parish we provided an English-Russian wall calendar commemorating the First All-Diaspora Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Our website provided updated information to help with the planning of weddings and instructive material about Sunday commemorations and readings and certain Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church.  We arranged for the manufacture of a new iconostasis for our parish centre and saw with great satisfaction that much progress was made during the year.  Our parish rector made pastoral visits to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in January and May.  All the news from 2021 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Saturday 1 January and Sunday 2 January we will have services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of the Holy Fathers.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 25 December and Sunday 26 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  For Divine Liturgy our church was full, with regular worshippers joined by friends from Sydney and elsewhere holidaying on the Central Coast, and many received Holy Communion.  Our parish rector was assisted at Divine Liturgy by Protodeacon Alexander Kotlaroff of Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, Strathfield.  Our choir, led by visiting conductor Reader Nektary Kotlaroff - the conductor of the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia - and augmented by many visiting singers, sang beautifully.  The Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.

In conjunction with Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Wallsend, our parish has developed and published an explanation of the reasons why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons. It incorporates a list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated that has now been updated to include Sundays and Fridays in 2023.  This information, which can be accessed either here or via our Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals page, has been prepared to help our parishioners and friends when planning weddings in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Should anyone have any questions about this information, please contact us.

On Sunday 5 December the parish rector baptised Maria, the infant daughter of Rafael and Olesya Rezk and a baby sister to Sylvia, Ricky, Arseny, Seraphim, Stephan, and Varvara.  Maria, who was baptised in honour of Saint Mary of Egypt, had as her godparents Oxana Sharpe and Konstantin Belikov.  We warmly congratulate Rafael and Olesya and their family, together with Maria’s godparents, and pray that God will grant His newly-baptised handmaiden many years!

On Sunday 5 December our parish held its 2021 Annual General Meeting.  The 2021 Annual Report was presented and accepted.  The path of parish life and plans for the future were discussed, following which Vladimir (“Rick”) Golovin, Anna Kourbatov, Anne Nielsen, Nina Golovin, Kate Marcotrigiano and Alexei Kozlovski were elected to serve on the 2021-22 Parish Council.  

On Saturday 4 December and Sunday 5 December we had services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and in honour of the Holy Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy, the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read and the newly-illumined servants of God Stanley Baric, David Baric and Michael Trigg received Holy Communion for the first time.  Following Divine Liturgy an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held that afternoon.

On Saturday 25 December and Sunday 26 December we will have services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  NOTE: We will have services on this weekend rather than the weekend of 18-19 December so that the feast of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, celebrated on 19 December, can be observed in our neighbouring parish of Saint Nicholas, Wallsend.

On Saturday 4 December, the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, the parish rector baptised the infant Michael, the first child of Ben and Ekaterina Trigg.  Michael, who was baptised in honour of the Holy Archangel Michael, had as his godfather Alexander Smirnov.  We warmly congratulate Ben, Ekaterina and Alexander, and pray that God will grant His newly-baptised servant Michael good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On Friday 3 December and Saturday 4 December we had services for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Friday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Saturday morning.  At Divine Liturgy, the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read. 

With the blessing of Bishop George, on the evening of Wednesday 1 December the parish rector received Stanley Baric and David Baric, father and son, into the Orthodox Church by confession of the Orthodox Faith and chrismation. Upon his reception into Orthodoxy Stanley took the name John in honour of Saint John of Damascus; David retained his name in honour of Righteous David the King.  We warmly congratulate Stanley and David, and pray that God will grant His newly-illumined servants many years!

Our 2021 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2020-21 Financial Statements, is now available.  It includes information about the governance of our parish and gives a little parish history.  It also summarises the life and activity of the parish in 2020-21 and provides details of some future projects.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 5 December 2021, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

On Saturday 4 December and Sunday 5 December we will have services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and in honour of the Holy Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As from 8 November 2021 density limits of one person per two square metres apply to places of worship in NSW – allowing us up to 65 people in church – all who wish to attend these services may do so.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn whilst indoors at public places up until 95 per cent double vaccination or 15 December 2021, whichever comes first, should be noted.  Following Divine Liturgy, the 2021 Annual General Meeting of our parish will be held.

On Friday 3 December and Saturday 4 December we will have services for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Friday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.  As from 8 November 2021 density limits of one person per two square metres apply to places of worship in NSW – allowing us up to 65 people in church – all who wish to attend these services may do so.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn whilst indoors at public places up until 95 per cent double vaccination or 15 December 2021, whichever comes first, should be noted.

Our Summer 2021-22 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2021-22 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2021-22 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are available in church as of the weekend of 20-21 November.   Services of note will be for the Great Feasts of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple on 3-4 December; the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) on 6-7 January; the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 18-19 January; and the Meeting of the Lord on 14-15 February.

On Saturday 20 November and Sunday 21 November we had services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Archangel Michael and the other Bodiless Hosts: Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Salaphiel, Jegudiel, Barachiel and Jeremiel.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As Protodeacon Martin Naef was assisting at the hierarchical service for the patronal feast of the Archangel Michael parish in Blacktown, our parish rector served Divine Liturgy alone. The Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read, and there was a blessing of honey following the Prayer before the Amvon.  After Divine Liturgy, a collection was taken up to benefit the Fund for Assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, on Sunday 5 December 2021.

In parishes of our Diocese a collection is generally taken up every year during November to help the work of the Fund for Assistance (FFA) to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).  The FFA supports the participation of our youth in church life; helps with the financial, insurance and health care needs of clergy; and provides emergency relief to missions of the ROCOR, particularly in poorer countries.  This year, the collection will be taken up in our parish on Sunday 21 November.  Collection envelopes will be available in church from Saturday 20 November.  Those who wish to support the work of the FFA but will be in church on this day may make a direct donation here.

Our 2021 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 5 December.  A formal Notice concerning the AGM is available here.  The Notice includes the AGM agenda, an explanation of why AGMs are held, information about preparation for and participation in the AGM, and an explanation of the role of Parish Councils and Parish Council members.  A nomination form for parish office-bearers is available here.  A form for those wishing to renew their parish membership is available here.

On Sunday 7 November Saint Jonah’s Russian Orthodox School Committee, a Sydney-based charitable organisation supporting initiatives in education from a Russian Orthodox perspective, hosted an online forum on home education.  Participating in the forum were Bishop George, Archpriest George Lapardin, members of the Committee, teachers from within the Russian Orthodox community, and parents considering home education.  Presentations were given by two home educators, Katherine Iliuk and our own Matushka Marie Carles.  Matushka Marie, who has over 25 years’ experience as a home educator, spoke about the reasons for home-schooling, the various methods of home-schooling, the practicalities of each method, and the pros and cons for parents and children.  Candidly reflecting on her own experience as a home educator, she emphasised the need to consider the long-term personal, social, and occupational implications of home-schooling for the children involved.  Following the presentations, participants were able to ask questions of the speakers, share their own experiences, and make comments.

On Saturday 20 November and Sunday 21 November we will have services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Archangel Michael and the other Bodiless Hosts: Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Salaphiel, Jegudiel, Barachiel and Jeremiel.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday there will be a blessing of honey.  As from 8 November 2021 density limits of one person per two square metres apply to places of worship in NSW – allowing us up to 65 people in church – all who wish to attend these services may do so.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn whilst indoors at public places up until 95 per cent double vaccination or 15 December 2021, whichever comes first, should be noted.

On Saturday 6 November and Sunday 7 November we had services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius, notaries of Constantinople (+355 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 6 November was Saint Demetrius Saturday, a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served immediately before Matins on Saturday evening.  It being the centenary year of the First All-Diaspora Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, we commemorated the ever-memorable archpastors and pastors of our Diocese and of the Russian Diaspora, particularly the renowned Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy (+5.11.1971), together with our own parishioners and relatives and the many clergy and monastics of the Russian Orthodox Church who have departed this life as a result of the coronavirus.  A number of people attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read. Following the Prayer before the Amvon, a prayer of blessing was read over new black vestments for our altar-servers.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) and the importance of using the time we have in this world to properly prepare ourselves for the world to come.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, on Sunday 5 December 2021.

The October 2021 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, has recently become available in our parishes. This edition continues the beautiful glossy colour format introduced in December 2021.  Content includes, in both Russian and English, Metropolitan Hilarion’s Jubilee Epistle; details of clergy awards and movements; an appeal and a statement from Bishop George relating to the COVID-19 pandemic; ‘Why Keep the Ten Commandments’; material on Saint Alexander Nevsky; ‘About the Power of a Child’s Prayer’; ‘The Beginning of Construction of the First Church [in Australia] in Memory of the All-Russian Wonder-Worker, St John of Kronstadt’; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Saturday 6 November and Sunday 7 November we will have services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius, notaries of Constantinople (+355 AD).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As Saturday 6 November is Saint Demetrius Saturday, a day of commemoration of the departed, there will be a general panikhida at 5.00pm that day.  It is important to note that attendance at Divine Liturgy on Sunday is by invitation only.  Provided that numbers do not exceed 32, attendance at the Saturday panikhida and Matins is open to all who wish to attend.  General information concerning attendance at services in our parish as COVID-19 restrictions ease is available here.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn whilst indoors at public places up until 30 November 2021 should be noted.

On Saturday 30 October and Sunday 31 October we had services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  Serving together with our parish clergy was Deacon Michal Matys, a cleric of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese who has recently moved to the Hunter region.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the life and significance of the Apostle and Evangelist Luke and about hearing the word of God, keeping it, and bearing fruit with patience (Luke 8:15).

As COVID-19-related restrictions continued into October 2021, no public services were held in our parish on the first three weekends of the month.  With just one singer assisting, our parish rector served behind closed doors on the following days: Saturday-Sunday 2-3 October, the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross; Saturday-Sunday 9-10 October, the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost; and Saturday-Sunday 16-17 October, the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost.  At each Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read and prayers were offered for our living and departed founders, benefactors, parishioners and friends.  Although our church could have been open on the weekend of 16-17 October to those with COVID-19 vaccination, the Parish Council had previously agreed to recommence services in our parish only after the 80 per cent vaccination target is reached in New South Wales and vaccination status has no impact on church attendance.

On Saturday 30 October and Sunday 31 October we will have services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  It is important to note that attendance at Divine Liturgy on Sunday is by invitation only.  Provided that numbers do not exceed 32, attendance at the Saturday evening service is open to all who wish to attend.  General information concerning attendance at services in our parish as COVID-19 restrictions ease is available here.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn whilst indoors at public places up until 30 November 2021 should be noted.

On Tuesday 5 October, the Parish Council met by teleconference.  A detailed 2020-21 financial report was presented by the parish treasurer, and the independent auditor’s report for the financial year was tabled.  A decision was made to recommence services in our parish only after the 80 per cent vaccination target is reached in New South Wales and vaccination status has no impact on church attendance.  In making this decision, the Parish Council was guided by the desire to avoid conflict in the parish over vaccination status, a concern for individual privacy, and a commitment to compliance with the law. It was further agreed that the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the parish would be convened on Sunday 5 December.  The Parish Council is due to meet next in November 2021.

On Tuesday 5 October our Parish Council will meet by teleconference.  This will be the first meeting of the Parish Council since late in June 2021.  In addition to the usual reports, consideration will be given to plans for re-opening parish life in accordance with the NSW Government "roadmap"; the recently-completed independent audit of our 2020-21 accounts; progress on our new iconostasis; and plans for the 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM).  At this stage, it is expected that services will only recommence in our parish when NSW has reached the 80 per cent vaccination target and all are free to attend, regardless of place of residence or vaccination status.  God willing, our AGM will be held on Sunday 5 December.

As COVID-19-related restrictions continued throughout September 2021, no public services were held in our parish.  With just one singer assisting, our parish rector served behind closed doors on the following days: Saturday-Sunday 3-4 September, the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost and the Apodosis of the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God; Saturday-Sunday 11-12 September, the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost; Saturday-Sunday 18-19 September, the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Monday-Tuesday 20-21 September, the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God; Saturday-Sunday 25-26 September, the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost; and on 26-27 September, the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.  At each Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read and prayers were offered for our living and departed founders, benefactors, parishioners and friends. On Sunday 19 September, at Bishop George’s request, the full “Moleben sung in time of devastating epidemic and death bearing pestilence” was served.

At the request of Bishop George of Canberra, Administrator of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the Australian parishes of our diocese will on Sunday 19 September serve the “Moleben sung in time of devastating epidemic and death bearing pestilence”.  Noting “the turmoil in our country at the present time”, Bishop George has asked that the moleben be served after Divine Liturgy “so that God may have mercy on us and grant us peace and health”.  Although our church in Gosford remains closed for public services our parish rector continues to serve Divine Liturgy each Sunday, and so the moleben will also be served in our parish.  May our merciful God indeed deliver us from sickness, death, and strife amongst His people!

As a result of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions, no public services were held in our parish during August 2021.  With just one or two singers assisting, our parish rector served behind closed doors on the following days: Saturday-Sunday 7-8 August, the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday-Monday 8-9 August, the commemoration of Great-Martyr Panteleimon; Saturday-Sunday 14-15 August, the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost; Wednesday-Thursday 18-19 August, the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord; Saturday-Sunday 21-22 August, the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; Friday-Saturday 27-28 August, the Great Feast of the Dormtion of the Mother of God; and on Saturday-Sunday 28-29 August, the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost.  At each Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read and prayers were offered for our living and departed founders, benefactors, parishioners and friends.

In a Jubilee Epistle to the clergy and faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Metropolitan Hilarion writes: “In this special year of the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Holy Right-Believing Alexander, that wise diplomat and ruler, and the centennial of the I All-Diaspora Council – which took place from November 21 to December 2, 1921, in Sremski Karlovci – the Russian Orthodox people living in the Diaspora are called to augmented prayer, the doing of good deeds in all respects, and a private examination of the tablets of history, so that, by drawing from it much-needed strength and inspiration, they might continue in fortitude and renewal of spirit the patient bearing of their life’s cross. We celebrate anniversaries in our lives and honour the jubilee celebrant; so must we also unite ourselves in one common assembly and with great zeal confirm ourselves in Holy Orthodoxy, by no means shaming the memory of the Venerable Prince and of our ever-memorable forebears in the Diaspora, or the honour of our dear Mother – the Local Russian Orthodox Church”. The complete Jubilee Epistle can be read in Russian here and in English here.

In 2020 our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia observed the centenary of its foundation.  To mark this historic anniversary, an academic conference will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, in November this year.  Titled ‘Links between Times: Conclusions and Perspectives – On the Centennial of the Russian Church Abroad’, the conference has been organised by the Archive of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the website Historical Studies of the Russian Church Abroad.  The conference will be broadcast live.  A detailed program with information about registration is available here.

As places of worship throughout Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast, are currently closed to members of the public other than for funerals and memorial services, there will be no public services until further notice.  Our parishioners and friends are encouraged to monitor New South Wales Government announcements concerning COVID-19 rules and to check this website as the rules change.

On Sunday 11 July and Monday 12 July, in compliance with COVID-19-related Public Health Orders in New South Wales, we had closed-door services in honour of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Sunday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Monday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Monday the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  In addition to our parish clergy, just two others were present to help the services to proceed.

On Sunday 11 July and Monday 12 July, God willing, we will have services in honour of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Sunday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Monday.  UPDATE, 7 July 2021: As a result of COVID-19 restrictions that took effect in New South Wales from 6.00pm on Saturday 26 June and have now been extended until 11.59pm on Friday 16 July 2021, these services will be closed to the public.

On Saturday 3 July and Sunday 4 July, in compliance with COVID-19-related Public Health Orders in New South Wales, we had closed-door services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints who have shone forth in the Russian Land.  In addition to our parish clergy, just two singers were present to allow for Divine Liturgy to be served.

On Monday 28 June, the Parish Council met by teleconference.  The usual reports on parish life and finances were tabled and discussed.  Consideration was given to several requests from ROCOR institutions and projects for charitable assistance, with the Parish Council resolving to donate to the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York.  Plans for our parish feast-day celebrations on 8-9 August were discussed, but final arrangements will depend on the extent of any COVID-19-related restrictions in effect at the time.  The Parish Council is due to meet again late in July 2021.

On Saturday 3 July and Sunday 4 July we will have services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints of Russia.  All-night Vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  UPDATE: As a result of COVID-19 restrictions that took effect in New South Wales from 6.00pm on Saturday 26 June, these services will now be closed to the public.

On Wednesday 23 June and Thursday 24 June we will have services for the Afterfeast of Pentecost and in honour of the 222 Holy Protomartyrs of China slain during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Wednesday, and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Thursday.  UPDATE:  Following new COVID-19 restrictions introduced in NSW for one week from 23 June 2021, those attending these services will be required to wear face masks.  

On Saturday 19 June and Sunday 20 June we had services for the Great Feast of Pentecost.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy with Vespers and the "kneeling prayers" was served on Sunday morning.  Our small church, beautifully decorated beforehand with green branches in honour of the Life-Giving Holy Spirit, was full almost to capacity, with friends from Sydney joining our regular worshippers.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke of the history of the feast of Pentecost, of the coming of the Holy Spirit as the fulfilment of prophecy, and of the acquisition of the Holy Spirit as the goal of Christian life.

On Saturday 19 June and Sunday 20 June we will have services for the Great Feast of Pentecost.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday, and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Divine Liturgy will be immediately followed by Vespers and the "kneeling prayers" appointed to be read on this day.

On Wednesday 9 June and Thursday 10 June we had services for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Wednesday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Thursday morning.  As it was on this feast-day in 2007 that canonical communion was re-established within the Russian Orthodox Church, the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read at Divine Liturgy and a moleben of thanksgiving was served following the Prayer before the Amvon.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the exaltation of human nature in Christ, the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the blessing of unity in the Russian Orthodox Church.

On the evening of Tuesday 8 June, the Eve of the Apodosis of Pascha, a small group of our parishioners gathered for the final Paschal Matins of 2021. In accordance with the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, Matins was served as it is during Bright Week – sung in its entirety, and with the doors to the sanctuary open.  The icon of the Resurrection of the Lord was then returned to the sanctuary, the Shroud of Christ was removed from the Holy Table, and the church was made ready for the festive services for the Ascension of the Lord.

At 7.00pm on Tuesday 8 June, the Eve of the Apodosis of Pascha, Paschal Matins will be served.  In parishes of our Diocese, services for the Apodosis of Pascha - the day before the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord - are customarily served as on the day of Pascha itself, fully sung and with the sanctuary doors opened.  On this day we sing the joyous Paschal hymns for the final time before "taking leave" of Pascha and celebrating our Lord's Ascension.