On Sunday 18 January and Monday 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 Sunday evening and the Hours and the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great with the Great Blessing of Water were served on Monday morning.  At both services we were joined by friends from Newcastle, Sydney and the Central Coast. Following Divine Liturgy, many people gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.

On Saturday 17 January and Sunday 18 January we had services for the Sunday before Theophany.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As often happens at this time of year, we were joined on Sunday by dear friends holidaying on the Central Coast.  Following Divine Liturgy our church vestments were changed to white in preparation for the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany), and a panikhida was served for a much-loved parishioner of the early years of our Gosford parish, Nestor Petroff (+16 January 2022).

"For every Christian, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is beloved and joyful. Throughout the world on this day, people remember the Star of Bethlehem and the manger, the shepherds and angels, the Mother of God and Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, while the Orthodox celebrate, confessing the cornerstone of faith—the Incarnation of Christ, the manifestation of God in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Out of His greatest love, the Lord descended to be born of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, uniting fallen humanity with God through Himself. "The Word became flesh so that we might be renewed and divinized in Him," says St. Athanasius the Great."  Metropolitan Nicholas’s Epistle is available in full in English here and in Russian here.

"Once again we hear the message of the angelic host, God’s messengers to mankind, as they announce the glad tidings of the Birth of Christ our Saviour, Emmanuel, Who has become incarnate in order to free mankind from the bondage of sin... Let us hearken to their angelic message, and let us make every effort to worship and glorify God every day of our lives. In this way we will bear witness to the presence of Christ in our hearts, Who was incarnate for our salvation."   Archbishop George’s Epistle is available in full in English here and in Russian here.

On Tuesday 6 January and Wednesday 7 January we had services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ (Christmas).  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.  We were joined by visitors from Newcastle, Sydney, and the New South Wales Mid North Coast, and on both days our church was full to overflowing.  At Divine Liturgy a great many of the faithful received Holy Communion.  In place of a sermon on Wednesday, the Nativity Epistle of Archbishop George was read aloud in English by the parish rector and in Russian by Reader Alexey Douriaguine.  At the veneration of the Cross following Divine Liturgy, those present were given chocolates and Christmas crackers.

On Saturday 3 January and Sunday 4 January we had services for the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ.   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 holidaying on the Central Coast.  The customary prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land, and many people received Holy Communion.

2026 will be for our small parish a year of consolidation.  We hope to enrich the liturgical life of our community through additional weekday services and by acquiring new icons and other items for the divine services.  Although we will not have a midnight Paschal service this year, we will have many services during Great Lent and Holy Week and one late in the morning of the Sunday of Pascha itself.  We will continue to make newcomers welcome and to assist all who wish to better understand and experience Orthodox Christian faith and worship.  In August we hope to welcome Archbishop George on a pastoral visit in honour of our patronal feast of Saint Panteleimon, a commemoration that will fall this year on a Sunday.