On Tuesday 27 August and Wednesday 28 August we had services for the Great Feast of the Dormition 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.  As on Wednesday it was 75 years since the first Russian Orthodox services in the Hunter Valley, served in the Anglican Chapel at the Greta Migrant Camp just nine days after the arrival in Newcastle from Europe of Archpriest John Lupish and his family, a brief moleben of thanksgiving was served at the end of Divine Liturgy.  Afterwards, ‘Eternal Memory’ was sung for the departed hierarchs, clergy and lay people who had laboured over the course of 75 years for the benefit of the Russian Orthodox Church in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.  Following the services on Wednesday there was a light festive meal in the church hall.

Our Spring 2024 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  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.  Important services on the schedule include Archbishop George’s planned visit to our parish on Sunday 10 November, and a memorial service for Archpriest John Lupish (+1977) on Saturday 23 November.

On Saturday 24 August and Sunday 25 August we had services for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of Transfiguration, and in honour of Martyrs Photius and Anicetus and those with them (+305-306 AD).  Matins 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 Michael Matys, and at Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  On Sunday we were joined by friends from the Central Coast and by newcomers interested in learning more about Orthodox Christianity.

On Saturday 10 August and Sunday 11 August we had services for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Callinicus of Cilicia (+c.250 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land, and at the end of the service there was a blessing of honey.  The honey, a gift to our parish and the Gosford parish, was afterwards distributed amongst the faithful.

On the weekend of Saturday 17 August and Sunday 18 August, a small group of men from Newcastle, Armidale, and across the Mid North Coast gathered at the site of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Monkerai, NSW, for a further weekend of work and prayer.  Unpredictable weather and poor ground conditions were no hindrance to the team of volunteers, and under the leadership of site caretaker, Gregory Alexandrovsky, work undertaken included the installation of a safe; reorganisation of the kitchen area; significant progress on the toilet block; cutting and storing an immense amount of firewood; the laying of a stone border on portions of the new roadway; removal of thistles and other weeds; and general upkeep and maintenance of the buildings and site.  The volunteers were grateful to have a new dual-axle trailer purchased by the Australian-New Zealand Diocese, and funds were raised by the volunteers themselves for the purchase of a new chainsaw.  Early on Sunday, the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, the Forefeast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and the commemoration of Martyr Eusignius of of Antich (+362 AD), a "reader" service comprising the Hours and Typika was held in the site’s small chapel.  All present afterwards shared a common breakfast.  God willing, there will be a further working-bee in September 2024.

On Sunday 4 August, the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of Holy Myrrh-bearer Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles, a group of lay members of the Mid North Coast Mission gathered again at a private home in Coffs Harbour for the reading of the Hours and Typika.  A copy of the order of service followed is available here.  In addition to the reading of the psalms and prayers, those present were able to venerate the Holy Gospel, the Cross, and the icons belonging to the mission. The life of Saint Mary Magdalene was then read aloud, followed by the other appointed readings from The Prologue of Ohrid by Saint Nikolai (Velimirovic).  At the conclusion of the readings, all present shared a common meal.