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MEMORY ETERNAL

HIS EMINENCEARCHBISHOP

STYLIANOS1935 - 2019

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia would like to

express its sincere thanks to all the Faithful of the Greek

community, and to all those who expressed their condolences

either in writing, verbally or in whatever other way, and who

joined in the Church’s mourning for the falling asleep of our

Father and Archbishop Stylianos of blessed memory.

We pray that the Lord our God will grant rest to his

blessed soul amongst his Saints and the Just.

1/26 The Greek Australian VEMAΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ APRIL 2019

Archbishop Stylianos (Harkianakis) of blessed memory, the ever-remembered Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia, was born in Rethym-non, Crete, Greece, in 1935 and studied theology at the Theological School of Halki, Constantinople.

In 1970, as Abbott of the Vlattades Monastery in Thessaloniki and Lecturer at the University of Thes-saloniki, he was unanimously elected Metropolitan of Militoupolis and Exarch of Mt. Athos.

On the 3rd February 1975 the Holy Syn- od of the Ecumenical Patriarchate unanimously elected him Archbishop of Aus- tralia. He arrived in Sydney on the 15th April 1975 and was officially enthroned on Lazarus Saturday on the 26th April 1975.

The new Archbishop, respecting the work of his predecessors in erecting churches and other benevo-lent institutions, took on as one of his special concerns the social and cultural development of his flock with the systematic cultivation and promotion of the spir-itual treasure of the Greek Orthodox Tradition.

In order to achieve this, he created closer contact between Orthodox and non-Orthodox churches in Aus-tralia and with the educational centres of this country. The Archbishop was officially appointed to the Univer-sity of Sydney to teach Orthodox theology. Apart from this he continued to be a permanent member of vari-ous Christian Theological Commissions.

The establishment of new churches and other benev-olent institutions continued under the inspiration of the new Archbishop. However, priority was given to the promotion of the spiritual and cultural treasures of the Greek Orthodox Tradition. This was the aim also of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Archdiocese in 1976, which included an entire range of events with positive repercussions not only within the Greek com-munity but in the Australian soci- ety at large.

The new Archbishop encouraged the rapid growth of the Archdiocesan or- ganization of “St Basil’s” Hostels and Nursing Homes for the frail elderly in every State.

A decisive landmark for ecclesiastical matters oc-curred with the 4th Cler- gy-Laity Congress which took place in January 1981. The importance of this historic Congress cannot only be seen in the fact that the Gov-ernor-Generalof Australia opened its proceedings, but also in the presence, for the first time, of official representatives of the Patriarchate, as well as special rep-resentatives of the Greek Government and Australia’s Greek Ambassador.

Of equally great importance and success were the 5th Clergy-Laity Congress in Brisbane in January

1985, the 6th in Melbourne in Janu- ary 1989, the 7th in Sydney in January 1993, the 8th in Sydney in Janu-ary 1998, the 9th in Syd- ney in January 2003, as well as the 10th again in Sydney in January 2008.

With a delay of one year in 2013, the 11th Cler-gy-Laity Congress was held in the new multi-purpose hall of St Spyridon College. For the first time, His All Holiness addressed all the

delegates in a live message via Skype.This new and blessed period of our Archdiocese

characterized, amongst other things, by the ordina-tion of many new priests, the sponsoring of spiritual fathers from Mt. Athos and other spiritual people from Greece, pilgrimages to the Holy Land and the Ecumen-ical Patriarchate, the establishment of the Stand- ing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Churches of Aus-tralia (SCCOCA) under the permanent presidency of the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Archbishop of Australia.

A pioneering initiative in 1983 was the establish-ment of the system of Greek Orthodox Day Schools in the major States for the children and youth.

The Estia Foundation of Australia, established in 1994

as a mission of St An- drew’s Parish at Gladesville in Syd-ney, was an initiative of Archbishop Stylia- nos, which provides services to people with severe disabilities.

This initiative was later followed by St. John the Baptist Parish in Cairns, Queensland, with the estab-lishment of St John’s Community Care Ltd which is committed to caring for both elderly and young people with disabilities.

The climax of the work of the Archdiocese by the Archbishop was seen in the completion, after many long efforts, of the establishment of St. Andrew’s Theological College. The College curriculum is recognized as equiva-lent to university courses in Australia and Greece.

Important, too, were the National Youth Confer-ences held since 1982 in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane as well as the alternate State Youth Con-ferences, all of which were the outcome of the resolu-tion of the 4th Cler- gy-Laity Congress.

A great milestone in the life of our church and peo-ple in Australia was of course the historic Official Visit of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in November 1996.

During the anniversary celebrations of the year 2000, the Archbishop took significant steps to establish relevant institutions, councils and com- mittees as part of its ongoing efforts towards spiritual development.

First of all, the Millennium Heritage Council was formed, comprising representatives of both genders from various States around Australia. Arising from that Council were the following initiatives:

a) The 200 member Millennium Choir of the Arch-diocese which, together with the Children’s Choir drawn from the Orthodox Day Schools in Syd- ney, brought worldwide recognition to the Greek Austra-lian community, through their splendid participation in the historic Olympic Games of Syd- ney 2000.

b) The pioneering ProviCare Foundation (whose name derives from the “providence” of God and human “care”, so that both the divine and human aspects of the Church could be appreciated in an Orthodox man-ner). The highly painful and responsible concern of this Foundation continues to be one which offers every possible assistance to the growing number of victims of alcohol and drug abuse.

c) The establishment of ‘St Andrew’s Orthodox Press’, for the publications of our Theological College, as well as of our Church newspaper (VEMA), which is the mirror of our entire community in Australia, cov-ering Greek Australian issues and projects. The oldest Greek newspaper in Australia, having been established

Main Pastoral Milestones and Ecclesiastical Achievements of the ever-remembered Archbishop

of Australia Stylianos of blessed memory

1/27The Greek Australian VEMA ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑAPRIL 2019

in Sydney in 1913, the VEMA was a gift given com- pletely freely to the Church by the prominent and in-dustrious businessman Mr Greg Gavrielides.

Another important ecclesial event during the Arch-bishop’s tenure was the convening of the first ‘Episco-pal Assembly’ of all canonical Hierarchs of the Oceania region in October 2010, to strengthen inter-Orthodox co-operation and witness among the various Orthodox jurisdictions.

A further milestone in the life of our Church and com-munity were the celebrations in February 2011 of the 25th anniversary since the establishment of St Andrew’s Theological College, including an official Dinner and a reunion of all the graduates, both Clergy and lay. The cli-max of these celebrations was the unanimous election of one of the College’s graduates, Archimandrite Iako-vos Tsigounis, as the first Australian-born Bishop of our Archdiocese, following his nomination by His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos to His All Holiness and the Holy Synod of our Ecumenical Patriarchate.An equally important event for our Arch-diocese was also the National Offi- cial Dinner, organised in Sydney during the month of May 2015, for His Emi- nence Archbishop Stylianos in order to celebrate forty years of Episcopal service in Austra-lia. More than 850 attended this milestone function. His All-Holiness Ecumenical Pa-triarch Bartholomew sent His Eminence Metropolitan Ambro- sios of Korea as his representative who also read the Patriar-chal Message.

As Archbishop of Australia, he slept in the Lord on the Feast of the Annun- ciation of our Lady Theotokos, Monday 25th March 2019, at 83 years of age.

AArchbishop Stylianos of Australia - Academic and Distinguished Poet

rchbishop Stylianos studied at the Theological School of Halki, Constan-

tinople. In late 1957, he was ordained to the Diaconate. Upon graduating and be-ing ordained to the Priesthood in 1958, he received a scholarship from the Ecumeni-cal Patriarchate to complete postgraduate studies in Systematic Theology and Phi-losophy of Religion in Bonn, W. Germany (1958-1966). In order to become a Doctor of Divinity from an Orthodox Theological Faculty, rather than from an analogous western Faculty, he submitted in 1965 his doctoral dissertation entitled ‘The Infalli-bility of the Church in Orthodox Theolo-gy’ [in Greek], to the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens.

As Abbot of the historic Patriarchal Monastery of Vlattades, he established, together with other scholars of the local Theological Faculty, what was to be called ‘The Patriarchal Institute of Patristic Stud-ies’. He soon became the Vice-President of that research centre, a role had for a few months before be-coming President. Upon completing his post-doctoral dissertation under the title ‘The Dogmatic Constitution De Ecclesia of the Second Vatican Council’ (Thessaloniki), he became As- sociate Pro-fessor at the University of Thessaloniki in 1969. In the years im- mediately following, he also lectured at various Faculties and academic institutions, within Greece and Abroad, especially at the University of Re-gens- burg, W. Germany, in 1973. He was unanimously elected by the Holy Syn- od of Constantinople as Titular Metro- politan of Militoupolis and Exarch of the Ecumen-ical Patriarchate for Mount Athos in 1970 (residing at the Monas- tery of Vlatades).

The Archbishop published widelyin Systematic Theology and Ecclesiol-

ogy in international theological journals, and represented the Ecumenical Patriarch-ate in Assemblies of the World Coun- cil of Churches and in bilateral Dialogues. From 1975 he also taught Orthodox theology and spirituality at the University of Syd-ney. He was unanimously elected in 1980 by all representatives of Orthodox Church-es as their Chairman in the official Theo-

logical Dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church, while his Co-Chair, Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, was ap-pointed by the Vatican. Af- ter serving faithfully for more than two decades in this highly responsible and difficult position, he tendered his third and final resignation (15th April 2003) – having attempted this twice before without acceptance – when he published an extensive Report, ti-tled “The Misfortune of the Official Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics” ([in Greek] Epistimoniki Epe- tirida of the Theological School, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, vol. 13, 2003).

He is also a recognized essayist and poet, having published over 40 collec- tions of poetry (all of these in Greek and some translated Bilingual editions). For his outstanding contribution to European culture, and after being nominated by the distinguished Philologist of

the University of Vienna, Professor Albin Lesky, he re-ceived from the relevant Committee the prestigious in-terna- tional award Gottfried von Herder in Vienna, 1973. Then, in 1980, having been nominated by the renowned writer Pantelis Prevelakis, Archbishop Stylianos received the Award for Poetry from the Academy of Athens. The University of Lublin, Poland, conferred on him an hon-orary doctorate (1985), while the Syd- ney College of Divinity awarded him its first ever honorary doctorate (2001). In2005, he was acknowledged as a Professor by an independent academic panel of the Sydney College of Divinity. In 2014, he received Honorary Doctorate from the University of Crete. Archbishop Stylianos was also the Founding Dean (in 1986) of St Andrew’s Greek Or-thodox Theological College, Sydney, where he lectured in Systematic Theology.

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

ST. SPYRIDON PARISH Programme of Services

HOLY WEEK 2019

PALM SUNDAY Morning….. Matins and Divine Liturgy 7.30 – 10.30 a.m. 21st April (HOLY COMMUNION and distribution of Palm Crosses) Evening…… The Service of the BRIDEGROOM 7.00 – 8.30 p.m. (Procession of the Lord’s Holy Icon)

HOLY MONDAY Morning….. Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts 7.30 – 9.00 a.m. 22ndApril (HOLY COMMUNION) Evening…… The Service of the BRIDEGROOM 7.00 – 8.30 p.m.

HOLY TUESDAY Morning….. Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts 7.30 – 9.00 a.m. 23rd April (HOLY COMMUNION) Evening…… The Service of the BRIDEGROOM 7.00 – 8.30 p.m.

HOLY WEDNESDAY Morning….. Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts 7.30 – 9.00 a.m. 24th April (HOLY COMMUNION) Afternoon… The Sacrament of Healing (HOLY UNCTION) 2.30 – 4.30 p.m. (Anointing with HOLY OIL) Evening…… Matins of Holy Thursday 7.00 – 8.30 p.m.

HOLY THURSDAY Morning….. Vespers and Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great 5.00 – 7.00 a.m. 25th April (HOLY COMMUNION) Evening…… Service of the HOLY PASSION OF CHRIST 7.00 – 10.30 p.m. (12 GOSPEL READINGS and Procession of HOLY CRUCIFIX)

HOLY FRIDAY Morning…… The Service of the Great and Imperial Hours 7.30 – 9.30 a.m. 26th April (Decoration of Holy Epitaph) Afternoon…. Vespers – REMOVAL OF THE LORD FROM THE CROSS 3.00 – 5.00 p.m. Evening……. The LAMENTATION Service 7.00 – 11.00 p.m. (The Lamentation Hymns and the Procession of the HOLY EPITAPH)

HOLY SATURDAY Morning........ Vespers and Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great 5.30 – 7.30 a.m. 27th April (HOLY COMMUNION with THREE PRIESTS) Evening……. The Preparatory Service for the Holy Resurrection at 11.00 p.m. (Sharing of the HOLY LIGHT)

EASTER SUNDAY Midnight…... The Service of the Life-giving and Glorious RESURRECTION of our Lord, 28th April followed by the Paschal Matins and the Divine Liturgy of

St. John Chrysostom 12.00 - 2.15 a.m. (HOLY COMMUNION and distribution of EASTER EGGS)

Morning…… The Vespers of LOVE (during which the Holy Gospel will be read in several languages) will be held at the Cathedral of “The Annunciation of our Lady”,

242 Cleveland Street, Redfern, celebrated by His Grace, Bishop Seraphim of Apollonia, with the participation of all the reverend Clergy of Sydney at 11.00 a.m. Our devout Parishioners are encouraged to participate in this JOYFUL Easter Service.

• Holy Communion is always administered just before the end of each Divine Liturgy Service. We are all encouraged to come to Church much earlier for our spiritual edification before receiving the Holy Eucharist.

• Our faithful are reminded that during all Holy Services the Collection Trays are situated mindfully at the Entrance of our Church. We all give cheerfully to the Church because the Church also helps those who are in need and in pain.

• Let us all please be considerate of the neighbours at all times when parking our car in the vicinity of the church.

• For the visual participation in the worship Services by the more than ten thousand faithful who will gather outside our church on Holy Friday and Holy Saturday, an appropriate screen will be positioned externally. Modern technology makes this possible. And the Church blesses its use.

• The ANZAC Day Service will be held at our War Memorial Church of St. Spyridon on Saturday 4th May at 8.30 in the morning. It is a very moving Service honouring Australia’s fallen. Please wear your family’s medals and come! It will be an honour to the fallen.


“To sin and not repent is blasphemy against

the Lord”, Anonymous

Issue 26

Portion 26.1 On obedience. According to Saint Silouan: “Rarely does one come to know the deep mystery of obedience. The obedient one is great in the eyes of God, he is an imitator of Christ. The Lord loves the obedient soul and gives it of His peace. Then all things are well and the soul feels love for all. Whoever walks in obedience has placed all his hope in God and his soul is always in God. The Lord gives him His grace, and grace guides the soul in all goodness and gives the power to remain in this goodness. The obedient one has surrendered to the will of God, and for this reason receives freedom and rest in God, and can pray with a pure intellect. Through obedience one is protected from pride. Through obedience one is granted the gift of inner prayer. Through obedience does one receive the grace of the Holy Spirit.” Portion 26.2 On obedience and virtue. According to Saint Ephraim: “Blessed is he who has acquired true and sincere obedience. This one has become an imitator of our good Teacher, who became obedient until death. The obedient one is joined to all in spiritual love. The obedient one is quick to progress and quick to climb up. He is easy to command and easy to correct. He is ready for every good work. In the place that he is called there he remains, and bears fruit with patience.”

Portion 26.3 On monastic obedience. According to the Rule of the Master: “The first degree of humility is obedience without delay. This is proper to those who consider nothing more dear to them than Christ and His will. As soon as they hear something commanded by the superior they can tolerate no delay in conforming. Relinquishing their own concerns and abandoning their own will, they comply by their actions with the voice of the one who commands, falling into step with prompt obedience. The command issued by the superior and the obedience given by the disciples is done in all the reverence and swiftness of the fear of God.” Written by Metaphrastis In the next Issue we will speak about Hope.

With profound sentiments of both deep sadness, but at the same time of un-failing hope in the Resurrection, we have gathered together here in this Cathedral of the Annunciation of our Lady, to farewell from this life, a pre-eminent Church lead-er and distinguished Hierarch of our Ec-umenical Patriarchate. Indeed, one could only infer that his ‘falling asleep’ in the Lord, on the feast day of the Annunciation, was nothing less than divine Providence, for a man who spent his entire life ‘an-nouncing’ the Word of God and ‘preparing the way’ for others to follow.

Archbishop Stylianos was truly a great theological scholar and inspiring Teacher of the Christian Faith, an Archbishop who radically changed the course of the Greek Orthodox Church here in Australia upon his arrival in 1975. During his 44 year tenure as Archbishop of Australia, the Church saw the establishment of many benevolent in-stitutions: day schools, aged care facilities,

organisations caring for people with special needs, social welfare centres together with the addition of scores of Parishes around Australia, and so much more.

Beyond these achievements, however, that which stands above and apart was arguably his inimitable vision to ‘give birth’ to an accredited Theological Col-lege - which he did in 1986 through the Sydney College of Divinity - knowing full well that such an Institution would main-tain the well-being and viability of the Church here in the Antipodes, as he liked to call Australia. Indeed, speaking today, on behalf of all graduates of St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, of which I too was blessed to be - and sub-sequently as a member of its Faculty - we give thanks to God today, at this solemn hour, for our Founding Dean, who ‘in the place and type of Christ’ can rightly be called the College’s ‘chief cornerstone’ (cf. Eph. 2:20). It will be incumbent upon all of

us who serve in the Theological College to continue to strengthen these firm founda-tions that he inaugurated.

In hearing his inspirational lectures and in reading his published works - his books, his countless articles and vast po-etic anthology - one quickly discerned, not only a consummate scholar, but a man marked by a strikingly inclusive and comprehensive vision of the world, a man with a heart wide open ready to encoun-ter and embrace the uniqueness of all that he beheld. This was most evident in his broad ecumenical openness where he was always ready to learn, receive and be enriched, by all those of good will whom he encountered from the different Chris-tian denominations and other faiths more broadly. He was the first appointed co-Chair in the official international theolog-ical dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches and a host of oth-er bi-lateral and multi-lateral dialogues. His ecumenical acclaim was recognised by the Sydney College of Divinity from which he received an honorary doctorate in 2001 - indeed, one of a number - and which, several years later, acknowledged him as its first Professor of Theology.

Over and above his academic achieve-ments, he was a man who understood all things to have been created by God out of love, and as therefore being sacred. Not only the human person, but even the slightest blade of grass - and every living creature - was for him, an ‘epiphany’ of God. In class we would often be remind-ed never to remain indifferent to anyone or anything. This loving predisposition to uncover the ‘original beauty’ of creation is seen most distinctly in the Archbish-op’s poetry. What many of us might, at first sight, have considered mundane, is precisely what is both valued and trans-figured in his prodigious anthology; the seemingly ‘ordinary’ is reborn and recast into its original beauty. Indeed, he wrote that poetry was nothing less than “inten-sive care over the bleeding creation.”

This radical openness to, and love for, all creation can be seen, for example, in a short poem that he wrote about simple seashells: “collecting shells on the beach, you shake hands with the Invisible.” As creations of God, these too were able to remind the Archbishop, and reveal to him the love and immediacy of God.

Whilst one could speak at length of his eloquence, I leave you with but one last example, which I believe can console and comfort the loss that we are all experienc-ing. In a poem entitled Mother Forgive, His Eminence compares a person lying in a coffin to “an infant secured in a cradle of worship”. If he could speak to us today, he would remind us that we even in our death - lying in our coffin - we all remain God’s children - or as the poem states, “infants in a cradle” where our heavenly Father will for-ever cradle us - namely, keep us secure - in a reality of endless joy and worship.

In the midst of our common sadness, may we all be comforted in knowing that the Archbishop ran the good race to the end, faithful to his calling as a bishop of the Church of Christ, and that he is now in the peace and loving embrace of our Lord and Saviour, in whom we trust now and always. Amen.

Dr Philip KariatlisAcademic Director, Senior Lecturer in TheologySt Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College

In Memoriam: Archbishop StylianosEulogy for the late Archbishop Stylianos on behalf of St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College


242 CLEVELAND ST, REDFERN, NSW 2016, AUSTRALIA T 02 9690 6100 W WWW.GREEKORTHODOX.ORG.AU

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia Inter-Communities Council (NSW)

VALE

ARCHBISHOP STYLIANOS HARKIANAKIS

To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 3.10) On behalf of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Inter-Communities Council of NSW, we express our gratitude to God for having granted us such a dynamic and enlightened leader for so many years here in Australia in the person of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos of Australia, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia and Exarch of All Oceania. The day of his passing, the 25th March is a day of significance, as it is both the Feast of the Annunciation but also Greece’s Independence Day! As our Shepherd, our Archbishop weathered many trials and struggled under very difficult circumstances in order to protect his flock. He did so with the heart of a lion, the discernment of an eagle and the gentleness of a dove. As Dean and founder of the St Andrew’s Theological College, he established order within the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia. This order manifests itself in the manner with which the clergy, as well as active lay members who serve in the church today conduct themselves. He inspired so many, the young and those who have aged with him, the clergy and many lay people with his zeal for Orthodoxy in such a powerful way that they feel the need to carry on his legacy and transmit this spirit to forthcoming generations. The foundations he has laid, together with his Assistant Bishops are strong, and with God’s help, and through the intercessions of Panaghia, our Church will continue to grow like the powerful cedar tree (Psalms 92:12-14) here in the antipodes. Many Churches and all of our Monasteries across Australia were established with his blessing and support. These are spiritual places of worship that are true havens in a troubled world, both for Orthodox Christians and for the wider Australian public. It may be that few people fully understand this, yet with time, many will come to appreciate the solace that they can receive from such places of worship in their personal struggles, in times of joy, pain and spiritual searching. Archbishop Stylianos nurtured and loved his flock unconditionally. He had a deep compassion for the needy, the young, the fragile and those who were in need of a life rope in the storms of life. This compassion inspired many charitable organizations and works of love across Australia. This includes child-care centres, pre-schools, day schools, welfare, aged care centres, disability care facilities, chaplaincy programs, scripture programs, libraries, bookstores and numerous publications, youth groups and retreat centres. For this we remain grateful. We, as a body that represents the parishes and communities of the Greek Orthodox Church here in Australia, remain indebted to the true leadership and guidance that Archbishop Stylianos gave us over a period spanning more than four decades. May his memory live forever with us, and through us, to all those who are to follow the path of the holy Orthodox Church here in the antipodes.

Eternal be his memory!

On behalf of Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, Inter-Communities Council (NSW)

Kos Dimitriou President

I wish to pay tribute to His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos Harkianakis, who passed away last Mon-day. I extend my deepest sympathies and condolenc-es to the Greek community and to His Eminence’s family. Archbishop Stylianos served as the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia since 1975 and was truly a modern spiritual leader. He made an extraordinary contribution to the Greek Orthodox community and beyond. His Eminence founded the first Greek Orthodox seminary in the Southern Hemi-sphere, with the establishment of St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College in Sydney. He had a strong sense of justice, was passionate about educa-tion, and worked tirelessly to help children with spe-cial needs and the elderly.

His Eminence loved the beauty of poetry and was himself an accomplished poet, publishing 37 col-lections of his work. I was fortunate to have the op-portunity to attend many functions and gatherings with His Eminence and spend time with him during celebrations at St Spyridon parish in Kingsford, St Spyridon College at Maroubra, St Catherine parish

at Mascot and the Castellorizian nursing home in Kensington, all of which serve the thriving and pas-sionate Greek orthodox community that I am proud to represent in this parliament. It was a privilege to attend the annual Epiphany Festival celebrations at Yarra Bay, led by His Eminence, who performed the blessing of the waters. He will be sorely missed by all Australians. May he rest in peace.

Matt Thistlethwaite Shadow Assistant Minister for an Australian Head of State on

His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos Harkianakis Condolences from political

leaders


It seems like 44 years of sacrificial Service to the Church of Australia by our departed Father and Ecclesiastical Head, Archbishop Stylianos of blessed memory, are now as “a dream that passes and has gone”.

The silence of his physical absence, however, seems to me more powerful than could ever be imagined, for we now search for his words that filled our hearts for over four decades to inspire us.

On a very personal level, Archbishop Stylianos was my greatest spiritual Benefactor. He ordained me to the priesthood; his first ordination as Archbishop of Australia.

CALL TO OBEDIENCEI have often stopped to consider my unworthiness

for the frightening responsibility which the Archbishop placed on my head by the laying of his hand. Yet, he showed enormous faith and hope in my youthfulness by calling me to move from St George Church, the parish of my childhood in Brisbane, to St Spyridon Church in the more needy and challenging city of Sydney.

With my young Presvitera Patricia and our firstborn child, I soon found myself charged with the responsibility of such a vibrant and complex Parish after the untimely departure from this world of my Proistamenos, Father Elias Economou of blessed memory, a strong and visionary “workhorse” of the Church.

TOUGH LOVELike my late mother, Maria, whom I lost just

weeks ago, Archbishop Stylianos treated me with much wisdom. Stern but caring; cautious but always

encouraging; rebukeful but always inclusive. I knew he was moulding me spiritually. I appreciated that he was pushing my limits of obedience to guide me to that most necessary habit of humility which is the essential ingredient for all other virtues to prevail.

And when, after many years, he felt more comfortable with my seeming “advancement”, he entrusted me with more responsibility and accepted me as a loyal collaborator.

He taught me, by example, to stand up for the Truth Who is Christ Himself; perfect God and perfect Man; the perfectly Holy and Sinless Head of the Church.

LESSONS IN COMPASSIONHe taught me, by example, to be compassionate and

forgiving to my fellow human but to have the courage to stand up with loyalty to Christ and to censure with faith and love any attempt to undermine the Teachings of the Church which is nothing less than the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

He taught me, by example, to reach out to the downtrodden. An indelible lesson in this cause is the memory of his tearful sorrow for the people during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. He called upon his friend and regular communicator Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict of Rome, to join him in standing on the main bridge in Belgrade as targets to stop the bombing. The Cardinal did not respond in kind. But my Archbishop’s courage remained as a powerful lesson to my priesthood – never dismiss those who come to seek the support of the Church.

‘Archbishop Stylianos was my greatest spiritual Benefactor’

Archbishop Stylianos was a great spiritual leader for many. Father Steven Scoutas writes about his memories of the Archbishop Stylianos


UNITY OF THE FAITHArchbishop Stylianos drew enormous strength from

the first millennium of the Undivided Church during which the Christian Church was united in the Faith of the Apostolic Tradition. This would be a core reference both in his sermons throughout the Archdiocese and in his lessons at St Andrew’s Theological College which he founded through shear love for the Church in Australia. This was not merely historical observation or theological romanticism. It was his conviction that, throughout the persecutions, the unity of the Faith prevailed as the most invincible defence.

And now, this luminous figure of the Orthodox Church and of our Archdiocese, has gone to be with Christ.

WHAT NOW?It is natural that all of our people are wondering

when and whom the Ecumenical Patriarchate will choose as his successor to this challenging corner of world. The answer to this question must be entrusted to God Himself. We must pray both individually and corporeally for the future of our children and the future generations.

WHO DECIDES?Some enlightenment might be shed on our concerns

by a discussion I had with Archbishop Stylianos of blessed memory in his office some decades ago. I asked him: “Given the human considerations of the Patriarch and the individual Metropolitans of the Holy Synod; and given the “jockeying” and “lobbying” by those who might aspire to further elevation of position; and given all other traits of human weakness, can we be sure that the outcome of the Synod on any issue will be the “

work of the Holy Spirit?The Archbishop looked at me with much

sympathy and responded forthrightly: “It will always be the work of the Holy Spirit. Never doubt this. The Holy Spirit is aware of every activity that leads up to a decision. He cannot be fooled because in His perfect Knowledge, He knows not only the actions of each member of the Synod but their very thoughts and dispositions. After all is said and done, however, God the Holy Spirit, in His perfect Wisdom, will either stop a decision or allow it to happen. The decision is the work of the Holy Spirit. Take myself. The furthest thing on my mind was to leave my beloved Thessaloniki in Greece. Yet, suddenly, came the news like “lightning through a clear sky” that I had been elected Archbishop of Australia. I had great hesitation in accepting the decision of the Synod. Australia sounded so distant and unknown to me. Yet, in the end, I showed obedience to the Holy Spirit and came to serve the People of God, here in the Antipodes.”

Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, come and abide in us also and help us to accept Your decision for us in these troubling times.

MY DEAR ARCHBISHOP AND FATHER, PLEASE PRAY UNCEASINGLY FOR MY UNWORTHINESS FROM HEAVEN. PLEASE ALSO ENCOURAGE US ALL FROM ABOVE TO ACCEPT YOUR SUCCESSOR WITH THE SAME LOVE AS WE DID YOU.

Source: Neos Kosmos


The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Austra-lia would like to express its wholehearted gratitude to all those who, in whatever way, contributed in the organisation of all prac-tical matters relating to the Funeral Service of our beloved Father and Spiritual Leader, the late Archbishop Stylianos. Firstly, we sincerely thank the Priests of the First District of our Archdiocese, many of whom worked with much love, together with the Priests of other States who came to pay their last respects to their Spiritual Leader. We thank the Members of the Archdiocesan Council and the Inter-Communities Council for their participation in the reception of all political dignitaries and other distinguished persons on the day of the Funeral.Furthermore, we extend our thanks to the Byzantine Choir led by the Head Chanter, Mr Asterios Zouriakas together with all those chanters who participated in the choir and who sang during the Divine Liturgy and the Funeral Service. Thanks also go to the Police departments of the districts of the City, Surry Hills and Redfern for not only facilitating ease of ac-cess to and from the Cathedral on the day of the Funeral Service through their effective traffic management, but also for their sur-veillance efforts within the grounds of the Archdiocese.

We thank the video production crew and the photographers who broadcast the Service with much respect towards our Archbishop of blessed memory; namely: Elia Economou, Harley Economou, Simon Spyrou – Final Touch Media, Chris Spyrou - Final Touch Me-dia, Jim Giann – AV Productions, Nick Ba-rounos – AV Productions, Nick Bourdaniotis – Bourdo Photography, Billy Gee – Greek City Times, George Karantonis – Image Smart, Kym Borrett – Starscribe Productions, Rob-ert Parker – Final Touch Media, Andy Ektoros – AV Productions, Mark Karlis – AV Produc-tions. We thank our fellow workers of the VEMA newspaper, our bi-lingual Day Schools and their Head Masters and Principals, together with the Cretan Associations of Sydney and Melbourne and the Greek Lyceum of Syd-ney. Finally, we extend our thanks to all those Australian employees at Rookwood Ceme-tery who performed their duties relating to the burial with exemplary respect. We pray that our loving Lord will grant rest to the soul of our ever-remembered First Hierarch, the late Archbishop Stylianos, and that He may grant life, health and all good things coming from above to all.

Sydney, 9th April, 2019From the Central Offices

EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE


ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AUSTRALIA Parish-Community of Saints Theodore, Townsville

654 Sturt Street, Townsville, QLD 4810 P.O. Box 5486, Townsville, QLD 4810

p: 07 4721 1625 e: [email protected]

_________________________________________________________________________

†Holly Week

Saturday, 20 April †Saturday of Lazarus, Matins and Divine Liturgy Home Hill 7:00-09:10am VESPER Townsville 5:00-05:50pm Sunday, 21 April † Palm Sunday, Matins and Divine Liturgy 7:30-10:30am Service of the Bridegroom 18:00-19:15pm

(The Matins of Holy Monday)

Monday, 22 April † Holy Monday, Pre-sanctified Divine Liturgy 7:00-08:30am Joseph the All-virtuous man Service of the Bridegroom 18:00-19:15pm

(The Matins of Holy Tuesday) Tuesday, 23 April †Holy Tuesday, Pre-sanctified Divine Liturgy 7:00-08:30am Parable of the Ten Virgins Service of the Bridegroom 18:00-19:15pm (The Matins of Holy Wednesday) Wednesday, 24 April † Holy Wednesday, Pre-sanctified Divine Liturgy Home Hill 7:00-08:30am The woman who poured myrrhHoly Unction (Efchelaion)Home Hill 8:30-09:30am Mating of Holy Thursday &

Holy Unction (Efchelaion) 18:00- 20:30pm Thursday,25 April †Holy Thursday, Vesper Divine Liturgy Basil the Great 7:00-09:45am he Last Supper Service of the Holly Passion 18:00-21:00 pm Friday, 26 April † Holy Friday, Service of the Imperial Hours 7:00-9:00am The Holy Passion of our Lord. Decorate Epitaphio 9:00am start Great Friday Apokathilosi 15:00- 16:30pm Mating of Holy Saturday Service of 19:30-21:45pm the Epitaphio Exit the Epitaphio of the Church 21:00pm Saturday, 27 April † Holy Saturday, Great Vespers and Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great 7:00-9:30am The Decent of the Lord into Hades Home Hill Service (ANASTASI) 18:00-19:15pm Service of the Midnight Office 23:00-00:00 The Holy Resurrection Service 00:00-1:45am

Sunday, 28 April †GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA Great Vespers of Pascha Agape 10:00 am Morning

HOLY WEEK PROGRAM AT ST IOANNIS CHURCH, CORNER OF PURCHASE ST AND GEORGE ST,

PARRAMATTA PH 9635 9480

SATURDAY 20 April LAZARUS SATURDAY Matins - D. Liturgy 7.15 - 10am then preparation of crosses - children welcomeSUNDAY 21 April PALM SUNDAY Matins - D. Liturgy 7.30 - 11am then fish luncheon in our hall Bridegroom Service 7 - 8.30pm HOLY MONDAY 22 April Joseph the all-virtuous 9th Hour and Divine Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts 8 - 10am Bridegroom Service 7 - 8.30pm HOLY TUESDAY23 April Parable of 10 Virgins 9th Hour and Divine Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts 8 - 10am Bridegroom Service 7 - 8.30pm HOLY WEDNESDAY24 April Woman who poured myrrh 9th Hour and Divine Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts 8 - 10am Holy Unction 4 - 6pm Matins of Holy Thursday 7 - 8.30pm HOLY THURSDAY25 April The Last Supper Vespers - D. Liturgy of St Basil 6 - 8am Service of Holy Passion 6.30 - 10pmHOLY FRIDAY26 April Holy Passion of our Lord Hours 8 - 10am then decoration of tomb - children welcome Service of Taking Down from the Cross 4 - 5.30pm Service of Lamentations 7 - 10pmHOLY SATURDAY27 April Descent of the Lord in Hades Vespers - D. Liturgy of St Basil 6 - 8.30am SERVICE OF THE RESURRECTION - MATINS - D. LITURGY 11pm - 2.30am

Whilst many of their school friends were on the way to sporting events or shopping at a nearby mall, these families gave up their other interests and made their way to their parish church.This was the occasion of an English liturgy for the children who attended scripture classes in state schools. In New South Wales, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese provides weekly half-hour lessons in public schools to almost 5,000 children from infants to high school.The Parish and Community of Kogarah looks after 1500 pupils across all grades through the marvellous efforts of over 50 volunteers. They undertake to pass on the Greek Orthodox faith as their personal contribution to this major community education program.Very Reverend Fr Prochoros conducted the liturgy and he was accompanied by the English chanting of the Very Reverend Fr Sophronios. Together with Mrs Mary Stathos – the parish coordinator - they oversee the special religious education program in schools. It is by far the largest parish in the State.At the conclusion of the liturgy and under the gaze of the Theotokos, both parents and children lined up to receive the antidoron and the blessing from Fr Prochoros. He reminded everyone of the importance of preparation especially during the Lenten period.

Such celebrations reinforce the importance of an Orthodox identity in the minds and hearts of our children. They remind them that the church is their home, their solace and their refuge. The church is always by their side throughout their life. Surrounded by the majesty of this beautiful church, the icons and the chanting transport each child to another world. This Saturday morning will leave a lasting impression in their life. After the service, the parish provided breakfast for parents and children. It was a chance to mingle and for parents to speak to their parish priest informally. In the midst of busy and stressful lives, this was a moment to pause and enter a different world.Our children need the opportunity to enjoy the company of others. They welcome the chance to be Greek-Orthodox Australians. It is a pity there more parishes cannot celebrate breakfast on a Saturday morning for the youth.

Letter from Maroubra The number of Orthodox in Australia April 2019People have some strange ideas about the number of Orthodox in Australia. I am not sure how they arrive at these figures.Probably the best source of information is the number of people who say they are Orthodox on the night of the Census.Of course, this information is not perfect. Some people may not wish to indicate their religion. Others may have language problems completing the form. Some might indicate “Christian” or just “Orthodox” rather than “Greek Orthodox” or any one of a number of other alternatives.For many years the Australian Bureau of Statistics also lumped all Orthodox together under the heading of Eastern Orthodox. So this will include Serbian Or-thodox, Russian Orthodox, Antiochian, Romanian and so forth. It might also in-clude some other denominations who should not properly be termed Orthodox.Nevertheless, it is the best source of data that we have. It overestimates the number of Greek Orthodox.So I was surprised when an official source overseas announced that there were some 900,000 to 1 million Greek Orthodox in Australia. No way!In 2016 there were just 502,801 Eastern Orthodox. Out of these 373,591 indicat-ed that they are Greek Orthodox. Not as many as most people think.I do not know if you like charts but I think you can make sense of the following figure: Itis a chart of the figures since 1911. Most likely there are some problems with the consistency of the information. The data in the early years, during the depression orthe war years might not be accurate but it is the trend that is im-portant. In the early days, incidentally, we were called Greek Catholic.

The 502,801 Eastern Orthodox are around 2.1% of the population. Since 2001 this proportion has declined steadily from 2.82% of the Australian population in 2001, to 2.74% in 2006, 2.6% in 2011 and now 2.1% in 2016.For the first time in 100 years it is starting to decline. Yes, decline. There are fewer Eastern Orthodox in the last Census in 2016 compared to 2011.In 1923, when my father came to Australia there were maybe only 6000 or so Greek Orthodox and when I was young it seemed to me that you could almost know every Greek in Sydney because there were so few of us.To some, today’s figures will seem small and an underestimate. Maybe they are and if you wish, feel free to allow a margin of error, say 10%. Even then it is still a decline from 2011 to 2016.What are the implications for Orthodox? Well it really depends on what ques-tions you are asking or where you want to head. One can see that it does have consequences for planning and also our role in the community.But do not despair. All is not lost. In one sense Orthodoxy is better equipped to handle the future.Also Christianity has never been about numbers. In the final analysis you and I are on our own – we have to make sure who we are and what we are when it is time for our final Census.


BREAKFAST AT KOGARAH

It was a sunny autumn morning when more than 120 children lined up for Holy

Communion at the parish of the Resurrection of our Lord in Kogarah, Sydney.

Letter from Maroubra The number of Orthodox in Australia April 2019

The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 3/19MARCH 2018

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Marching into April with the EvzonesAfter a whirlwind visit in 2017,, the soldiers of Hellenic Presidential Guard return to Adelaide with special permission from the President of Greece and the support of the Government of South Australia. Wee were honoured to host the Evzones at St Basil’s in 2017 and witnessed some touching scenes and heard many touching stories from our residents about the reverence they have for the Evzones. Wee look forward to welcoming them again in April as part of their busy schedule, which includes many public events.For more information on their schedule, sign up for our newsletter at www.stbasils.com.au, follow us on Facebook /stbasilshomes or find out more in next month’s VEMA.

ZOI KAFE is open for business! Yeesterday His Grace Bishop Nikandros of Dorylaeon and distinguished residents, guests and families attended the Aegean Village at Christie Downs for the official blessing of a $1.6M refurbishment that has transformed the Aegean Village, with the new Zoi Kafe – a bright, modern and friendly on-site café. With free

Job VacanciesCalling all registered and enrolled nurses, carers and volunteers who take care to make every day count and are determined to make a difference for our elders! If you’re enthusiastic and flexible with availability and want to discover some amazing people, then give David Weest,our People & Culture Advocate, a call on 08 7424 0914 for a chat and a copy of the relevant job description.

Film Club: Exclusive Preview - Peter Rabbit Sunday 18 March at 3.00 for 3.30pm.The St Basil’s Film Club is open to everyone! Book your $20 ticket plus booking fee to see a latest release at HOYTS Norwood and enjoy a refreshment on us. Validate your car park before you leave and that’s free too!

Tickets are limited so book now, included in the Film Club 2018 are Peter Rabbit, The Avengers: Infinity War; Oceans 8; Mamma Mia - Here we go again; and Johnny English 3.

Tickets are limited so book now at www.trybooking.com/UBPK.

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