On Saturday 11 February and Sunday 12 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son and in honour of the Three Hierarchs: Saints Basil the Great (+379 AD), Gregory the Theologian (+389 AD), and John Chrysostom (+407 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 Monday 23 January 2023 the funeral of 97 year-old Tamara Adamczyk was served in our church.  Tamara, who was a member of our parish and, before that, of the Theophany parish in Mayfield, was born in 1925.  She departed this life on 13 January 2023.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Tamara's children Wanda and Stephen, to their spouses, and to Tamara's grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Following the funeral Tamara was laid to rest in Wallsend Cemetery beside her beloved husband Stanislaw (+2017).  May God grant her rest!

On Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January we had services for the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after Theophany, and in honour of Hieromartyr Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (+1569 AD).  Matins 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 the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  At the end of the service the parish rector spoke about the work of the former Theophany parish (1994-2009) in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish in 2009, and intoned ‘Eternal Memory’ for the newly-reposed Tamara (Adamczyk) and the other reposed founders, benefactors and parishioners of the Theophany parish.

On Sunday 8 January we had services for the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy were served.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine. 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 great many of our parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a festive meal and a visit from Father Christmas.

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 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 it is anticipated that 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 that weekend.  Further information will be made available at the earliest possible opportunity.