On Saturday 8 March and Sunday 9 March we had services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, and in honour of the finding of the head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John.  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.  Many people received Holy Communion.  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.

On Saturday 22 March and Sunday 23 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.

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.  As there will not be a service in our parish on that Sunday, arrangements for a moleben to Saint Tikhon and another to Saint Jonah will be made later in the year.  Holy Hierarchs Tikhon and Jonah, pray to God for us!

On Saturday 8 March and Sunday 9 March we will have services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  Matins 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.

Our Autumn 2025 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2025 - is now available in digital format.  It includes services for Great Lent, Holy Week, and our patronal feast-day of Saint Nicholas.  Our parishioners and friends are reminded that there will be no Paschal services in our parish this year.  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 22-23 February.

On Saturday 22 February and Sunday 23 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 22 February 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 (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk and milk alternatives, bottled water, packaged crackers) and new personal care products (soaps, shampoos and conditioners, wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, combs and brushes, female sanitary items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.

On Saturday 22 February and Sunday 23 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 22 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 (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk and milk alternatives, bottled water, packaged crackers) and new personal care products (soaps, shampoos and conditioners, wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, combs and brushes, female sanitary items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  A full list of items that may be donated is available here.

On Saturday 8 February and Sunday 9 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and in honour of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Matins and Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  To the great joy of our small parish, the choir at Divine Liturgy was formed by the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia (ROMCA).  At the conclusion of the Sunday service the parish rector congratulated ROMCA conductor Reader Nektary Kotlaroff and his choristers on their important and edifying work, wishing them God’s continued help and a successful trip to Russia later this year.  Following the service many of the faithful took the opportunity to speak with members of the choir and purchase recordings of their work.  A collection taken up during the service and a donation from the Parish Council raised $1500 to assist the choir.

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.

On Saturday 8 February and Sunday 9 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.  Matins 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 sung by the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia.

On Saturday 25 January and Sunday 26 January we had services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after Theophany, and in honour of Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus of Belgrade (+c.315 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours, Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Water were served on Sunday morning.  It being Australia Day, prayers for the civil authorities and a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings bestowed upon us in this country were offered at Divine Liturgy.  A prayer of thanksgiving was also offered for the work of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Theophany, a parish in Mayfield (Newcastle) that existed from 1994-2009.

On Saturday 25 January and Sunday 26 January we will have services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after Theophany, and in honour of Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus of Belgrade (+c.315 AD).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours, Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Water will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Note:  There will be no refreshments in the hall after Divine Liturgy on Sunday.

On Sunday 12 January we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  There was no service on the preceding Saturday evening.  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.  At the end of the service a prayer of blessing was read over a new icon of New Hieromartyr Silvester of Omsk (+1920), a gift to our parish from Lidia Stroud-Watts.

On Sunday 12 January we will have services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am.  At the end of Divine Liturgy, prayers of blessing will be read over a new icon of New Hieromartyr Silvester of Omsk (+1920), a gift to our parish from Lidia Stroud-Watts.  Note:  There will be no service on the evening of Saturday 11 January.

On Monday 6 January and Tuesday 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 Monday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Tuesday morning.  These were our first Christmas Day services since 2019.  On both days our small church was full to overflowing.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  A great many of the faithful received Holy Communion, and Archbishop George’s Nativity Epistle was read in place of a sermon.  Following the services on Tuesday many people gathered in the church hall for a festive meal and a visit from Father Christmas. 

“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.

This year was one in which we celebrated a number of major anniversaries in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Hunter Valley – 75 years since the first Russian Orthodox service on the Great Feast of the Dormition in Greta in 1949; 60 years since the consecration of our current church of Saint Nicholas; 30 years since the establishment of the Theophany parish in Mayfield and 15 years since its closure and unification with our parish; 40 years of service as a reader and subdeacon by Vitaly Lupish; and 20 years of service as a reader and subdeacon by Luke Goura.  To our great sorrow, Subdeacon Vitaly departed this life in June – he had been a key figure in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in the region since 1949 and in our parish from its foundation in 1952.  We had three weddings and ten baptisms this year - five of the baptisms were of adults, and five were of children.  Our parish continued to grow and for the first time in many years our church was regularly full.  In November we welcomed Archbishop George on his first visit to our parish since 2019 and held an exhibition of icons, sacred items and photographs from across the 75 years of Russian Orthodoxy in the region.  By the end of the year, the Parish Council had effectively finalised a ‘Master Plan’ for improvements to our church and grounds incorporating reconstruction of our church porches, improvement of our outside toilet facilities, and better paving.  All the news from 2024 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Sunday 29 December, the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers,  the Hours and Divine Liturgy  were celebrated at Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast.  As in December 2023, the services were held at Boambee Memorial Hall, a short distance from Coffs Harbour.  In anticipation of the main feast of Saint Symeon on 31 December, a moleben to the saint was served immediately after Divine Liturgy and the faithful were given blessed icon-cards.  As 2024 was the fifth anniversary of services on the Mid North Coast, Father James then announced the bestowal of special Certificates of Appreciation on mission founders, benefactors and hosts Tatiana Tobin, Evan and Katerina Cotten, Evgeniya Biryukova and Ashish Sinha, and Liubov Sleaford.  Those present, amongst whom were both new faces and guests from further afield, then shared in a festive meal.

On Sunday 30 March 2025, the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall, 2/10 Oxley Lane, Wauchope.  As Saturday 29 March will be a day of commemoration of the departed, Divine Liturgy will be followed by a litia for our departed relatives, parishioners and friends.  All are welcome! 

On Monday 6 January and Tuesday 7 January we will have services for Christmas, the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  These will be our first services for 2025 and our first Christmas Day services since 2019.  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.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a festive meal in the church hall to which all are invited.

On Saturday 21 December and Sunday 22 December we had services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Conception by Saint Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy our small church was full, and prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land. These were our final services for 2024.

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 Wednesday 18 December and Thursday 19 December we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+342 AD), the heavenly protector of our parish.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil 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 prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land.  Following Divine Liturgy there was a moleben to Saint Nicholas.   The parish rector then congratulated our Warden Nikolai Goura and our Parish Council member Dean (Nicholas) Crawford on their name-day, and altar-server Daniel Goura on his recent birthday and forthcoming name-day.  After ‘Many Years’ was sung for them, those present gathered in the church for a festive meal.

On Saturday 21 December and Sunday 22 December we will have services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Conception by Saint Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos.  Matins 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 Wednesday 18 December and Thursday 19 December we will have services in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+342 AD), the heavenly protector of our parish.  This is the lesser patronal feast-day of our parish, the main commemoration being in May.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil will be served at 6.00pm on Wednesday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Thursday.  Following Divine Liturgy on Thursday there will be a moleben to Saint Nicholas.  Afterwards there will be a festive lunch in the church hall.

On Sunday 8 December our parish held its 2024 Annual General Meeting.  The 2024 Annual Report was presented and accepted.  Nikolai Goura was elected Warden for a further three-year term, and Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucea Szabunia and Dean (Nicholas) Crawford were elected to serve on the 2024-25 Parish Council.

On Saturday 7 December and Sunday 8 December we had services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the Apodosis of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and in honour of Hieromartyr Clement of Rome (+101 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. It being the Nativity Fast, a great many people received Holy Communion. Following the services on Sunday the third and final announcement was made concerning the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the parish.

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 and provides details of some future plans.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 8 December 2024, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

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 7 December and Sunday 8 December we will have services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the Apodosis of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and in honour of Hieromartyr Clement of Rome (+101 AD).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following the services on Sunday the 2024 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.   Services of note will be for Saint Nicholas on 18-19 December and for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ (Christmas) on 6-7 January.

On Saturday 23 November and Sunday 24 November we had services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyrs Minas (+304 AD), Victor and Stephanida (+2nd C. AD), and Vincent (+304 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.  As Saturday 23 November was the anniversary of the repose of Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), a panikhida was served immediately before Matins and a memorial litia was served immediately after Divine Liturgy.  At both services Father John was commemorated together with his matushka, Maria (+1979), and his eldest son, Subdeacon Vitaly (+2024).  Following the services on Sunday an announcement was made concerning the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the parish. 

Our 2024 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 8 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 23 November and Sunday 24 November we will have services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyrs Minas (+304 AD), Victor (+2nd C. AD), and Vincent (+304 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 23 November is the anniversary of the repose of Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), a panikhida will be served at 5.00pm, immediately before Matins.

On Saturday 9 November and Sunday 10 November we had services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev (+1651 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening.  On Sunday, His Eminence Archbishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand arrived for what was his first visit to our parish since May 2019.  Following the greeting and vesting of the archbishop, the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served.  Concelebrating with Vladyka George were the parish rector and Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy the choir sang beautifully under the direction of Ludmila Alexandrovsky, and prayers were offered for the repose of the newly-departed Archbishop Peter of Chicago and Mid-America (+8 November 2024).  After the dismissal, a parish Certificate of Appreciation was presented to Leonid and Tatiana Bondarchuk, and many years was sung for them and the head of the parish Ladies’ Auxiliary, Irene Lupish, whose birthday it was.  An announcement was then made concerning the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the parish.  A festive meal was held in the church hall afterwards.  Those present also took the opportunity to view a display of photographs, icons and others items prepared to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of our community in the Hunter Region, beginning with the arrival of Archpriest John Lupish in Greta in August 1949.

On Saturday 26 October and Sunday 27 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.  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.  At Divine Liturgy our small church was again full.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land, and a great many people received Holy Communion.

On Saturday 26 October and Sunday 27 October we will have services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 12 October and Sunday 13 October we had services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Gregory, enlightener and bishop of Greater Armenia (+335 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services our small church was full, and the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michael Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.

On the weekend of Saturday 5 October – Monday 7 October, the New South Wales (NSW) Labour Day Long Weekend, a small group of Orthodox Christians from the NSW Hunter, Central Coast and Mid North Coast regions gathered at the site of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Monkerai, NSW, for a weekend of work and prayer.  Under the leadership of site caretaker, Gregory Alexandrovsky, work undertaken included final clearing and levelling of a new road; further work on the toilet block; repositioning of the shipping containers used for storage; construction of work benches; plumbing; and a number of cleaning and maintenance tasks.  On Sunday, the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of the conception of Saint John the Baptist, a "reader" service comprising the Hours and Typika was held in the site’s small chapel.  God willing, there will be a further working-bee in December 2024. Note, 13 October 2024: Photographs will be added soon!

On Sunday 29 December, the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast will celebrate the patronal feast-day of the Mission.  We will transfer the main feast-day of Saint Symeon - he is also commemorated in February, May, June and September - from 31 December to the nearest Sunday.  Update, 22 October 2024: We will keep things simple this year with just the Hours and Divine Liturgy at 9.00am on Sunday, a moleben to the saint immediately afterwards, and a festive lunch at which we will draw our fundraising raffle.  The services and lunch will be at Boambee Memorial Hall, 579 Pacific Highway, Boambee NSW 2450.  All are welcome!  Why not plan to join us?

On Sunday 29 September our parish rector visited Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast and conducted services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross, and the day of commemoration of Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (+304 AD).  The services were held at the Wauchope Community Arts Hall, the Mission’s Port Macquarie-Hastings region ‘home’ since April 2023.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  Prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land, and many of those present received Holy Communion.  At the end of the service there was a blessing of honey.  As is customary, those present afterwards shared a common meal.

On Saturday 12 October and Sunday 13 October we will have services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Gregory, enlightener and bishop of Greater Armenia (+335 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 Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September we had services for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Cross, the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and in honour of the Righteous Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Mother of God.  Matins 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 our small church was full, and prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  In the church hall after Divine Liturgy, Central Coast author Anya Nielsen presented her two most recent books, ‘Following the Grand Tour’ and ‘Babushka’s Feast’.

On Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September we will have services for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and in honour of the Righteous Ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Mother of God.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 7 September and Sunday 8 September we had services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the ‘Vladimir’ Icon of the Mother of God and Martyrs Adrian and Natalia and those with them (+305-311).  Matins 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 the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land, and our regular parishioners were joined by newcomers wishing to learn more about the Orthodox faith.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-35, the appointed Gospel reading) and the history and significance of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

Updated 28 September 2024: On Sunday 29 September, the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross, and the day of commemoration of Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (+304 AD), the Hours and Divine Liturgy  will be served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall, 2/10 Oxley Lane, Wauchope.  All are welcome!

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 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.

On Saturday 7 September and Sunday 8 September we will have services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the ‘Vladimir’ Icon of the Mother of God and Martyrs Adrian and Natalia and those with them (+305-311).  Matins 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 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 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 Saturday 9 November and Sunday 10 November we will have services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev (+1651 AD).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday.  On Sunday, God willing, we will welcome His Eminence Archbishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand on his first visit to our parish since May 2019.  We will greet Vladyka George at 9.00am, and following his vesting the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served.  There will be a festive meal in the church hall afterwards.  The parish is also organising a display of photographs and items to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of our community in the Hunter Region, beginning with the arrival of Archpriest John Lupish in Greta in August 1949. 

On Tuesday 27 August and Wednesday 28 August we will have 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 will be served at 6.00pm on Tuesday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Wednesday.  On this day it will be 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.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Wednesday there will be a brief moleben of thanksgiving, and afterwards there will be a light festive meal in the church hall.

On Saturday 24 August and Sunday 25 August we will have 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 will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

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 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. 

On Saturday 10 August and Sunday 11 August we will have services for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Callinicus of Cilicia (+c.250 AD).  Matins 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 27 July the parish rector baptised an adult convert to Orthodoxy, Harry McInnes.  In baptism Harry took the name John in honour of Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople.  He had as his sponsor our parishioner, James Savage.  Afterwards, family members, friends and parishioners gathered in the church hall for a festive BBQ lunch.  On the following day, John received Holy Communion for the first time.  We warmly congratulate the newly-baptised servant of God John, wishing him good health, every blessing from above, and many years!  John was the sixth adult convert to be baptised in our parish since May 2023.  

On Saturday 27 July and Sunday 28 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Prince Vladimir, Enlightener of the Russian people (+1015 AD), and the Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils.  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 the newly-baptised servant of God John, an adult convert to Orthodox Christianity, received Holy Communion for the first time.

On the evening of Wednesday 24 July the Parish Council met by videoconference.  This was the sixth meeting of the Parish Council in 2024 and the first of the new financial year.  The minutes of the May 2024 meeting were ratified, and the parish rector presented his usual report on church life and his own pastoral activity.  Reports were also presented by the Warden and the Treasurer.  It was agreed that new red vestments would be purchased for the church and icon stands, and that we would again provide a calendar to parishioners and friends in 2025. A charitable donation was approved.  Design drawings of improvements to our church, amenities, hall, and grounds prepared by Beyond Space Residential Design were discussed and modifications to the plan recommended.  A draft 2023-24 Annual Report and an updated plan to ensure the safety, security and stability of our parish were tabled for further discussion in due course.  The Parish Council will meet next on Wednesday 21 August.

Between Friday 19 July and Friday 21 July, Orthodox Christians from Newcastle, Gosford, Armidale, and across the Mid North Coast gathered at the site of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Monkerai, NSW, for a weekend of work and prayer.  Under the leadership of the site caretaker, Gregory Alexandrovsky, work undertaken included the mounting of solar panels on the roof of the main building and their connection to the previously installed inverter and battery; the pouring of footings for the shower block; removal and disposal of trees and levelling of ground for a new access road and parking area; the digging of a pit in preparation for the relocation of the toilet; and general upkeep and maintenance of the buildings and site.  An adventurous group trekked the property in an effort to establish access to highest peak on the site.  Although unsuccessful, they plan to try again soon with the aid of a drone and geolocator technology; it is hoped that a small chapel will ultimately be constructed on the peak.  In the morning on Sunday, the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of the appearance of the revered “Kazan” Icon of the Mother of God in 1579 AD, a "reader" service (that is, a service without a priest) comprising the Hours and Typika was held in the small corner chapel in the main building on the site.  All present took turn in the reading and afterwards shared a common meal.  The weekend was a wonderful opportunity for Orthodox Christians of diverse backgrounds to form new friendships and strengthen existing bonds through common labour and prayer.  Much has been accomplished at the monastery site under Gregory Alexandrovsky’s leadership since 2022 – arguably more than in the entire twenty years previously.

On Saturday 27 July and Sunday 28 July we will have services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Prince Vladimir, Enlightener of the Russian people (+1015 AD), and the Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 13 July and Sunday 14 July we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of All Saints of Russia.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As is customary on the day of commemoration of All Saints of Russia, the church was beautifully vested in green.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and the prosperity of the Russian Church.  On Sunday morning our small church was full, with our regular parishioners joined by visitors from the Mid North Coast and by newcomers interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian faith.

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.

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 29-30 June our parish rector visited Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast.  On Saturday 29 June In Brierfield, NSW, he baptised Ksenia, the infant daughter of Mitchaell Eames and Ellen Rubbo. On Sunday 30 June, the First Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday of All Saints, the Hours and Divine Liturgy  were served at Bellingen Neighbourhood Centre.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land, and the newly-baptised Ksenia received Holy Communion for the first time.  Many other members of the Mission took the opportunity to confess and receive Holy Communion.  We were again joined by newcomers interested in the Orthodox faith, and after Divine Liturgy all shared a common meal.  God willing, the next services on the Mid North Coast will be Hours and Divine Liturgy in Wauchope, NSW, on Sunday 29 September, the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

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 30 June 2024, Deacon Mark Donnelly of the Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Newcastle will be ordained to the priesthood during Divine Liturgy at that parish.  Deacon Mark, a convert to Orthodoxy, is a respected clergyman who is known to many in our parish.  His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia will travel to Newcastle and preside at Matins and Divine Liturgy at the Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox church.  More information is available here.  On the same day, the newly-elevated Metropolitan Siluan of the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand will visit Saint Naum of Ohrid Serbian Orthodox Church and preside at Divine Liturgy in anticipation of its patronal feast (“Slava”).  More information is available here.

On Saturday 13 July and Sunday 14 July we will have services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of All Saints of Russia.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday, and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 22 June and Sunday 23 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.  Prior to the service our small church had been beautifully decorated with flowers and green branches in honour of the life-giving Holy Spirit.  On Sunday morning, the Hours and Divine Liturgy were immediately followed by Vespers with the reading of the customary "kneeling prayers".  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land, and the newly-baptised servant of God Cyprian received Holy Communion for the first time.

On Saturday 22 June, the eve of the Great Feast of Pentecost, the parish rector baptised an adult convert to Orthodoxy, Corey Minns.  In baptism Corey took the name Cyprian in honour of Hieromartyr Cyprian of Carthage.  Cyprian had as his sponsor Thaddeus Anthoney.  Afterwards, family members, friends and parishioners gathered in the church hall for a festive BBQ lunch.  We warmly congratulate the newly-baptised servant of God Cyprian, wishing him good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On Tuesday 18 June approximately 200 mourners gathered in our church for the funeral of Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish (+9 June 2024).  Our parish rector conducted the service with the assistance of Deacon Michal Matys.  A visiting choir sang beautifully under the direction of Andrei Lapteff.  Following the service many gathered in the church hall and grounds for refreshments.  The burial at Sandgate Cemetery – delayed as a result of recent heavy rain – took place on Friday 21 June.  That morning, a small group of family members and close friends gathered for a graveside service in the Macedonian section of the cemetery.  Memory eternal!

The funeral for Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish will be held in our church at 10.00am on Tuesday 18 June 2024.  There will be a wake in the church hall after the service.  Update, 17 June 2024: Burial at Sandgate Cemetery will follow on Friday 21 June 2024 at 10.00am.

On Saturday 22 June and Sunday 23 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 with the reading of the customary "kneeling prayers".

On Sunday 9 June we learned with great sadness of the repose, that morning, of Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish.  Vitaly, the eldest son of ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish, was a founding member of our parish.  An indispensable helper to his father in parish life, he was also the designer of our church and hall, a participant in both building projects, and an active member of the Parish Council.  After the repose of his mother, Matushka Maria, in 1979, he became our choir director.  Tonsured a reader and ordained subdeacon by the ever-memorable Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) in 1984, Vitaly assisted the many clergymen assigned to serve our parish after his father’s repose in 1977.  It is impossible to over-estimate Vitaly's contribution to Saint Nicholas' in the course of over 70 years. In recognition of his long and distinguished service to our parish he received a number of church awards, amongst which were the prestigious Diocesan Cross and the medal commemorating 75 years of our Diocese.  He is survived by his beloved wife Irene and their children Larissa and Alexander and their families, and by his brother John and his family, to whom we offer heartfelt condolences.  Funeral details will be shared in due course.

On Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June we had services for the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Blind Man.   Matins 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 peace in the Holy Land.  Following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for the newly-reposed Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish.

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 the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 29-30 June our parish rector will be visiting Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast.  On Sunday 30 June, the the First Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday of All Saints, the Hours and Divine Liturgy  will be served at Bellingen Neighbourhood Centre, 31 Hyde Street, Bellingen NSW 2454.  As the Sunday of All Saints has since 2008 been designated the Day of Youth of the Russian Church Abroad, there will be a moleben for our youth at the end of Divine Liturgy.  All are welcome!

On the evening of Wednesday 29 May the Parish Council met by videoconference.  This was the fifth meeting of the Parish Council in 2024.  The minutes of the April 2024 meeting were ratified, and the parish rector presented his usual report covering the life of the parish and the Diocese, Orthodox life in Newcastle, and his own pastoral activity.  Reports were also presented by the Warden and the Treasurer.  Consideration was given to initial design drawings prepared by Beyond Space Residential Design, an architectural firm engaged in February 2024 to develop a plan for much-needed improvements to our church, amenities, hall, and grounds; the planned improvements include new church entrances, an accessible toilet, new paving, and a small extension to the church hall.  The Parish Council will take a break during June 2024 and next meet late in July 2024, again by videoconference.  At the July 2024 meeting it is expected that the Parish Council will consider a draft 2023-24 Annual Report and an updated plan to ensure the safety, security and stability of our parish.

On Tuesday 21 May and Wednesday 22 May we had services commemorating the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  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. Divine Liturgy on Wednesday was preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a cross procession around our small church.  It being a working day, only a small number of our parishioners and friends were able to be present.  Upon completion of the services on Wednesday there was a simple festive meal in the church hall.

On Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June we will have services for the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Blind Man.   Matins will be served at 6.00 pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Tuesday 21 May and Wednesday 22 May we will have services commemorating the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  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. Divine Liturgy on Wednesday will be preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water at 8.00am and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas.  Upon completion of the services on Wednesday we will have a festive meal in the church hall.  All are welcome! 

Our Winter 2023 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available.  Services of particular note during this period will be All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy on Saturday-Sunday 22-22 June for the Great Feast of Pentecost, Matins and Divine Liturgy on Saturday-Sunday 13-14 July for All Saints of Russia, Matins and Divine Liturgy on Saturday-Sunday 27-28 July for the Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils and for Saint Vladimir, and All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy on Tuesday-Wednesday 27-28 August for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are also available in church.

Edited: On Saturday 18 May and Sunday 19 May we had services for the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers.  On this day the Holy Orthodox Church remembers those righteous men and women who buried Christ and later came to his tomb bearing myrrh and sweet spices: Mary Magdalen; Mary, the wife of Cleopas; Joanna; Salome, mother of the sons of Zebedee; Susanna; Martha and Mary, the sisters of Saint Lazarus; Mary, mother of the Apostle James; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea; and Nicodemus.  Matins 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 peace in the Holy Land and the newly-baptised servant of God Joseph, an adult convert received into Orthodoxy by baptism on the previous day, received Holy Communion for the first time.  Following Divine Liturgy pieces of the Artos, a special loaf of bread blessed at the end of Divine Liturgy on Pascha and divided on Thomas Sunday in Gosford, were given to the faithful.

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.

On Saturday 18 May and Sunday 19 May we will have services for the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers.  On this day the Holy Orthodox Church remembers those righteous women and men who came to the Tomb of Christ bearing myrrh and sweet spices: Mary Magdalen; Mary, the wife of Cleopas; Joanna; Salome, mother of the sons of Zebedee; Susanna; Martha and Mary, the sisters of Saint Lazarus; Mary, mother of the Apostle James; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea; and Nicodemus.  Matins will be served at 6.00 pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

This year, our parish again had a small 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 2 May and Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served in the afternoon on Friday 3 May.  On Saturday 4 May Midnight Office was served late in the evening, with Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy following in the early hours of 5 May, the Sunday of Pascha.    Easter baskets with cakes, eggs and other festive foods were blessed following Matins.  Many then remained for Divine Liturgy and a small celebration in the church hall afterwards.  At all the services, the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.

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.

On Palm Sunday each year the parishes, monasteries and missions of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia customarily take up a collection to benefit the Russian Eccelesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.  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.  As we will have no Palm Sunday services in our parish this year, those who wish to make a donation may do so via Paypal through the Mission's website.  For those planning to visit our neighbouring Gosford parish, a collection will be taken up there.

Our parish will have Matins with the reading of the Twelve Gospels on Great Thursday, 2 May, at 6.00pm.  On Great Friday, 3 May, we will have Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ at 3.00pm.  On Great Saturday, 4 May, we will have Midnight Office, Paschal Matins, and Divine Liturgy beginning at 11.20pm on Saturday.  Those who wish to confess so as to receive Holy Communion at Divine Liturgy in the early hours of Sunday 5 May, the Sunday of Pascha, will be able to do so from 10.30pm on Saturday 4 May.  The blessing of Easter baskets will take place after Paschal Matins – i.e., approximately 1.00am – on Sunday 5 May.  For other traditional Holy Week services, our parish rector will be serving at Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford.

On Saturday 20 April and Sunday 21 April we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Mary of Egypt (+522 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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  Our small church was full on Sunday and many people received Holy Communion.  In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about Saint Mary of Egypt as a model of repentance and steadfast spiritual struggle.

On the evening of Sunday 14 April we had a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Twenty-five of our parishioners gathered to pray and receive anointing with oil for the healing of soul and body.  For Orthodox Christians this service, otherwise served only for individuals who are grievously ill, is a customary part of Great Lent.

On Sunday 14 April, the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent and the day of commemoration of Saint John of the Ladder, a group of lay members of the Mid North Coast Mission gathered 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 of the Resurrection and Saint John of the Ladder.  The lives of Saint John and of Saint Mary of Egypt were then read aloud, followed by the appointed readings from The Prologue of Ohrid by Saint Nikolai (Velimirovic).  At the conclusion of the readings, all present shared a Lenten meal.  It is planned that the community will continue to gather this way on one Sunday of each month with the intention of supplementing the quarterly visits from a priest, strengthening friendships, and developing liturgical and other experience necessary for the growth of the Mission.

On Friday 12 April the family and friends of Nikolai Shalimov gathered in our church for his funeral.  Nikolai, who was born in 1947 and departed this life on 4 April 2024 aged 77, was a son of Michael Shalimov, one of the builders of our small church.  After the funeral service he was laid to rest in Wallsend Cemetery together with his wife Raisa (+2022) and his daughter Joanne (+2016), a short distance from the graves of parents, Michael and Nina.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Nikolai’s son Dean and the wider family.  May God give rest to his newly-departed servant!

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 20 April and Sunday 21 April we will have services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Mary of Egypt.  Matins will be served at 6.00 pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

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 14 April.  Note: This is a sacrament in which only baptised Orthodox Christians may fully participate.

On Saturday 6 April, the eve of the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, the parish rector baptised an adult convert to Orthodoxy, Howard Trott.  In baptism Howard, who has been a regular worshipper at our parish for some time and is also a member of the Mid North Coast Mission, took the name Thaddeus in honour of Apostle Thaddeus.  Thaddeus had as his sponsor Gregory Alexandrovsky.  Afterwards, parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a festive afternoon tea.  We warmly congratulate the newly-baptised servant of God Thaddeus, wishing him good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On Saturday 6 April and Sunday 7 April we had services for the Third Sunday of Great Lent and 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 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.  At Divine Liturgy the choir was conducted by Nikolai Morozoff.  Our church was full on Sunday morning, with visitors from the Central Coast and from the Serbian Orthodox parish in Broadmeadow joining our regular congregation.  Many took the opportunity to confess and receive Holy Communion.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land, and the newly-baptised Thaddeus (Howard) Trott received Holy Communion for the first time.  Following the dismissal at Divine Liturgy all venerated the Precious and Life-giving Cross of our Lord.

On Sunday 31 March our parish rector visited Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast and conducted services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica  (+1359 AD).  The services were held the Wauchope Community Arts Hall, the Mission’s Port Macquarie-Hastings region “home” since April 2023.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy  were served on Sunday morning, with many of those present confessing and receiving Holy Communion.  At these services some new items were used for the first time: a portable altar table and table of preparation made by Michael Sokolsky, and a number of folding wooden icon stands made by Mission member Howard Trott.  As Saturday 30 March had been a day of commemoration of the departed, a memorial litia was served following Divine Liturgy.  All present stayed for a common meal afterwards. 

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.

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.  The faithful who wish to do so may also attend this service.

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.

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.

On Saturday 6 April and Sunday 7 April we will have services for the Third Sunday of Great Lent and 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 6.00 pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 16 March 2024 the parish rector appointed Olga Bogacheva, Matushka Marie Carles, and James Savage 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 16 March and Sunday 17 March we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness, the final preparatory Sunday for Great Lent.  Matins 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 peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector spoke about the key themes of the appointed reading from the Holy Gospel (Matthew 6:14-21): forgiving one another if we hope for God’s forgiveness, fasting joyfully, and storing up treasure in heaven. Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness was served immediately after Divine Liturgy.  At the Sunday services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.

On Saturday 16 March and Sunday 17 March we will have services for the Sunday of Forgiveness, the final 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.  Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness will be served immediately after Divine Liturgy.

On Saturday 2 March and Sunday 3 March we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the second preparatory Sunday for Great Lent.  Matins 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 Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Prodigal Son and preparation for Great Lent.

On the evening of Tuesday 27 February the Parish Council met by videoconference.  This was the second meeting of the Parish Council elected in December 2023.  The minutes of the January 2024 meeting were ratified, and the parish rector presented his usual report covering parish and Diocesan life, Orthodox life in Newcastle, and his own pastoral activity.  Brief reports were also presented by the Warden, the Treasurer, and the Head Sister.  Arrangements for a pancake evening on Friday 8 March, cashless payments in church, and waste disposal were discussed.  Importantly, a decision was made to formally engage a Central Coast-based firm, Beyond Space Residential Design, to develop a plan and undertake preparatory work for much-needed improvements to our church, amenities, hall, and grounds.  The Parish Council will next meet late in March 2024, again by videoconference.

On Saturday 2 March and Sunday 3 March we will have services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the second 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.

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 first and third Sundays of each month and on other days as scheduled; we will return to our usual pattern of services on the second and fourth 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 24-25 February.

On Saturday 24 February and Sunday 25 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the first preparatory Sunday for Great Lent.  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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14), noting in particular a verse from the Matins canon: “Let us make haste to follow the Pharisee in his virtues and to emulate the Publican in his humility. And let us hate what is wrong in each of them: foolish pride and the defilement of transgressions.”

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 10 February and Sunday 11 February we had services for the Thirty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of All Saints of Ekaterinburg, amongst whom are the Royal Martyrs of Russia and Venerable Symeon of Verkhoturye, the heavenly protector of our North Coast Mission.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At both services the parish rector served alone, Deacon Michal Matys having been invited to serve at the Cabramatta parish on the occasion of Bishop George’s visit.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.

On Saturday 24 February and Sunday 25 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the first 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.

On Saturday 10 February and Sunday 11 February we will have services for the Thirty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of All Saints of Ekaterinburg, amongst whom are the Royal Martyrs of Russia and Venerable Symeon of Verkhoturye, the heavenly protector of our North Coast Mission.  Our parish has a lovely icon of All Saints of Ekaterinburg that was brought to Australia by our parish rector after a visit to the Ekaterinburg Diocese in 2015.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 27 January and Sunday 28 January we had services for the Thirty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Paul of Thebes (+341 AD) and Venerable John Calabytes the Hut-dweller (+Fifth Cent.AD).  Matins 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 peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Saint Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, the rules for Christian living set out in it, and the examples of Christian living provided by Saints Paul and John, the saints commemorated on this day.

In 2024 we will celebrate a number of major anniversaries in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Hunter Valley – 75 years since the first Russian Orthodox service on the Great Feast of the Dormition in Greta in 1949; 60 years since the consecration of our current church of Saint Nicholas; 30 years since the establishment of the Theophany parish in Mayfield, and 15 years since its closure; 40 years of service as a reader and subdeacon by Vitaly Lupish; and 20 years of service as a reader and subdeacon by Luke Goura.  We plan to mark these anniversaries with a hierarchical service and a festive lunch.  An important priority this year will be the finalisation and implementation of a ‘Master Plan’ for improvements to our church and grounds – our church porches need reconstruction, and we hope to improve our outside toilet facilities and lay better paving.  We will continue to support people 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.

On the evening of Tuesday 23 January the Parish Council met by videoconference.  This was the first meeting of the Parish Council elected in December 2023.  The minutes of the November 2023 meeting were ratified and the parish rector presented his usual report on parish life.  Office-bearers were reappointed to their roles and plans for the year ahead were reviewed and endorsed.  Plans were made to meet with an architectural firm in February 2024 to discuss improvements to our church, hall, and grounds.  The Parish Council will next meet on Tuesday 27 February 2024, again by videoconference.

On Saturday 27 January and Sunday 28 January we will have services for the Thirty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Paul of Thebes (+341 AD) and Venerable John Calabytes the Hut-dweller (+Fifth Cent.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 Thursday 18 January and Friday 19 January we had services for 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 Thursday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served on Friday morning.  At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and at Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land. Following the blessing of water a brief moleben of thanksgiving was served for the benefits bestowed upon the faithful of Newcastle through the life and the work of the former Theophany parish (est.1994) in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish fifteen years ago, in 2009.  After the dismissal, ‘Eternal Memory’ was sung for the departed parishioners of the Theophany parish, and the parish rector congratulated the faithful on the occasion of the feast.  Some photographs taken on Friday morning can be viewed on the parish Facebook page.

On Thursday 18 January and Friday 19 January we will have services for 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 Thursday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water will be served at 9.00am on Friday.  Following the blessing of water a brief moleben of thanksgiving will be served for the work of the former Theophany parish (est.1994) in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish fifteen years ago, in 2009.  Eternal memory will also be sung for the departed founders and benefactors of that parish.

On Saturday 13 January and Sunday 14 January we had services for the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday before Theophany, the day of commemoration of the Circumcision of the Lord, and in honour of Saint Basil the Great (+379 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday evening. At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  At Divine Liturgy we were joined by friends from the Central Coast, Sydney, and the Serbian Orthodox parish in Broadmeadow.  These were our first services for 2024.

In 2024 we hope to have services in the Port Macquarie area on 31 March (the Second Sunday in Great Lent) and 29 September (the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost) and in the Coffs Harbour area on 30 June (the First Sunday after Pentecost) and 29 December (the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers).  Our plans for this year involve acquisition of a number of items: a portable altar table and table of preparation; folding icon stands that are easier to store and move; a ‘pop-up’ iconostasis to give a better sense of church space in the secular halls that we are using for services; and candle stands that use sand and so are easier to clean.  We expect Howard Trott to be baptised in the first half of the year.  We will continue to grow our community and to gain the experience and resources necessary for more regular services.  Please keep us in your prayers!

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 30-31 March – the Australian Easter weekend – our parish rector will be visiting Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast.  On Sunday 31 March, the Second Sunday of Great Lent and the day of commemoration of Saint Gregory Palamas, the Hours and Divine Liturgy  will be served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall, 2/10 Oxley Lane, Wauchope.  As Saturday 30 March is a day of commemoration of the departed, there will be a memorial litia with a blessing of kutiya (koliva) following Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  All are welcome!

On Saturday 30 December and Sunday 31 December, the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, our parish rector Archpriest James Carles led services at  Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast in honour of its patron saint.  The December commemoration of Saint Symeon - he is also commemorated in February, May, June and September – is the main feast-day of the saint and the patronal feast-day of the Mission.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening.  This was the first time since its establishment that the Mission had had an evening service.  Early on Sunday morning there was a lesser blessing of water, after which the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served.  Following a moleben to Saint Symeon and the customary singing of ‘Many years’, all present shared a festive meal.  The services and lunch were held at Boambee Memorial Hall, just outside Coffs Harbour.  Concelebrating at the divine services together with Father James was Archpriest Dionysios Halim, the rector of the Holy Dormition parish in Wollongong, NSW.

This year was a peaceful and uneventful one in the life of our parish.  The COVID-19 pandemic having come to an end, we resumed social gatherings in the church hall after Sunday and feast-day services.  Our services were regularly attended by a number of people, both young and old, interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian faith.  We had five baptisms in 2023, two of adult converts to Orthodoxy and three of children.  There was one wedding.  Two of our parishioners were laid to rest: Tamara Adamczyk (+13 January 2023) and Maria Istomyn (+12 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 Gosford parish we provided an English-Russian 2023 wall calendar commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  We continued to support the Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Mission on the Mid North Coast of the New South Wales.  In December our clergy and five of our parishioners received Diocesan medals in honour of this same anniversary, and another five of our parishioners received parish awards.  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 13 January and Sunday 14 January we will have services for the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday before Theophany, the day of commemoration of the Circumcision of the Lord, and in honour of Saint Basil the Great (+379 AD).  Matins 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 for 2024.

On Tuesday 19 December, the summer feast-day of Saint Nicholas, and on Sunday 24 December, the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, the parish rector presented Diocesan and parish awards to our deacon and ten parishioners.  Deacon Michal Matys and our parishioners Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish, Subdeacon Luke Goura, Nikolai Goura, Irene Lupish, and Eugenia Millard received medals and certificates commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of our Diocese.  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.  Lucea Szabunia, Dean Crawford, Raisa Zyza, Olga Bogacheva and Paul Goura received parish Certificates of Appreciation.  Further information about awards in the Russian Orthodox Church, in our Diocese, and in our parish, is available here.

On Saturday 23 December and Sunday 24 December we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Forefathers.  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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  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 in English and in Russian.  After Divine Liturgy there was a presentation of Diocesan and parish awards.  These were our final services for 2023.

On Monday 18 December and Tuesday 19 December we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+342 AD), the heavenly protector of our parish.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil was served on Monday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Tuesday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land. Following Divine Liturgy there was a moleben to Saint Nicholas and a presentation of a number of Diocesan and parish awards, after which those present gathered in the church for a festive meal.

On Monday 18 December and Tuesday 19 December we will have services in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+342 AD), the heavenly protector of our parish.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil will be served at 6.00pm on Monday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Tuesday.  Following Divine Liturgy on Tuesday there will be a moleben to Saint Nicholas and a presentation of Diocesan and parish awards.  Afterwards there will be a festive lunch in the church hall.

On Saturday 23 December and Sunday 24 December we will have services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Forefathers.  Matins 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 2023.

On Sunday 10 December our parish held its 2023 Annual General Meeting.  The 2023 Annual Report was presented and accepted, and Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucea Szabunia and Dean (Nicholas) Crawford were elected to serve on the 2023-24 Parish Council.

On Saturday 9 December and Sunday 10 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the wonderworking Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God.  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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  At the completion of the services on Sunday, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held that afternoon.

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 and provides details of some future plans.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 10 December 2023, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

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.

On Saturday 9 December and Sunday 10 December we will have services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the wonderworking Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God.  Matins 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.

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 will be available in church from the weekend of 25-26 November.   Services of note will be for Saint Nicholas on 18-19 December and for the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 18-19 January, a day on which we will have a Great Blessing of Water and commemorate Newcastle's former Theophany parish (1994-2009).

On Sunday 26 November a meeting of the Parish Council was held.  The usual pastoral, administrative and financial reports were heard.  A decision was made to engage an architect to prepare plans for the replacement of the church entrances and for other works on the church grounds, including construction of an accessible toilet and new paving.  It was agreed that the Parish Council would meet again briefly before the Annual General Meeting scheduled for 10 December 2023 to endorse the final 2023 Annual Report.

On Saturday 25 November and Sunday 26 November we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople (+407 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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  Following Divine Liturgy, a memorial litia was served for the ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish (+22 November 1977), Kenneth Cross (+18 November 2018), Alexander Evteev (+8 December 2018), and Eugenia Kallaur (+19 November 2021).  At the completion of the services on Sunday, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held on Sunday 10 December 2023.

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.

On Saturday 25 November and Sunday 26 November we will have services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople (+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.

Our 2023 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 10 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 11 November and Sunday 12 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Zenobius, bishop of Aegae in Cilicia, and his sister Zenobia (+285 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 Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy our small church was full, with visitors joining us from Sydney, the Central Coast, and the Mid North Coast.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held on Sunday 10 December 2023.

Updated 14 November 2023: On Saturday 30 December and Sunday 31 December, the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast will have services in honour of Saint Symeon.  This is the main feast-day of the saint - he is also commemorated in February, May, June and September - and the patronal feast-day of the Mission.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday.  At 8.00am on Sunday there will be a lesser blessing of water, followed  by the Hours and Divine Liturgy at 9.00am, a moleben to the saint, and a festive meal.  This will be the first time that services in the Mission have coincided with a feast-day of the saint, and the first celebration of its patronal feast.  The services and lunch will be at Boambee Memorial Hall, 579 Pacific Highway, Boambee NSW 2450.  This is less than five minutes' drive from our usual venue in Boambee, and less than ten minutes' drive from the centre of Coffs Harbour.  All are welcome!  Why not plan to join us?

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 28-29 October our parish rector visited Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast. On Saturday he baptised Sophia, the infant daughter of Evan and Katerina Cotten, a couple who have been central to the life of the Mission since it began in 2019.  Sophia’s godparents were Tatiana Tobin and Gregory Alexandrovsky.  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  were served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land, and the newly-baptised Sophia received Holy Communion for the first time.  Following Divine Liturgy there was a general panikhida, Saturday having been Saint Demetrius Saturday, a day of commemoration of the departed.  A photo-report of the weekend can be viewed at the Mission's Facebook page.  God willing, the next services of the Mission will be in Coffs Harbour on Saturday-Sunday 30-31 December, the day of commemoration of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye.

On Saturday 2 December and Sunday 3 December our neighbouring Gosford parish 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.  Bishop George will be welcomed at 9.00am, after which there will be the vesting of the bishop, the reading of the Hours, the blessing of the parish's new iconostasis, hierarchical Divine Liturgy, and a moleben to Saint Panteleimon.  This will be Bishop George's first visit to either the Gosford or Wallsend parishes since 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a festive lunch at the Gosford parish centre for 80 people.  There is no charge for lunch, but bookings are essential, and can be made via Eventbrite here.

On Saturday 11 November and Sunday 12 November we will have services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Zenobius, bishop of Aegae in Cilicia, and his sister Zenobia (+285 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 Saturday 21 October and Sunday 22 October we had services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787 AD) and the Holy Apostle James, son of Alphaeus (+1st C. 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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the Orthodox Christian veneration of icons.

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.

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 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 (+1^st 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 will be in Coffs Harbour on Saturday-Sunday 30-31 December, the day of commemoration of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye.

On Saturday 21 October and Sunday 22 October we will have services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787 AD) and the Holy Apostle James, son of Alphaeus (+1^st C. AD).  Matins 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 meeting of the Parish Council.

On Saturday 7 October and Sunday 8 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh (+1392 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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  At the end of the Sunday service, a moleben to Saint Sergius was served at which prayers were again offered for peace in Ukraine; for our parishioners and friends, especially those studying; for the rulers of this country; and for the safety and well-being of our city of Newcastle and the wider Hunter Region.

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.

On Saturday 7 October and Sunday 8 October we will have services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh (+1392 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 Saturday 23 September and Sunday 24 September we had services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and in honour of Venerable Theodora of Alexandria (+c.474 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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  At the end of the Sunday service, a collection was taken up to help the Resurrection of Christ Russian Orthodox Church in Auckland, New Zealand, purchase and renovate a new parish centre.

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.  We commend this worthy endeavour to our parishioners and friends, and we will take up a collection in our parish on Sunday 24 September.  Those who wish to do so may also contribute to our collection online (BSB: 032-509, Account number: 281104, “Auckland donation”), or make direct contact with the Auckland parish for its Australian bank account details.

On Saturday 23 September and Sunday 24 September we will have services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and in honour of Venerable Theodora of Alexandria (+c.474 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 this weekend, a collection will be taken up to assist the Resurrection of Christ Russian Orthodox Church in Auckland, New Zealand, a parish of our Diocese.

On Saturday 16 September and Sunday 17 September we had services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia, the Wonderworkers of Murom.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. These were extra services, not previously scheduled, as our neighbouring parish of Saint Panteleimon, Gosford, remained closed for the installation of a new iconostasis.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon a brief moleben was served to Saints Peter and Febronia, the heavenly patrons of family life, love and faithfulness, at which the couples amongst our parishioners and friends were commemorated by name.

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.  Matins 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.  *** NOTE: These services are in addition to those listed in our Spring 2023 Schedule of Services. ***

On Saturday 9 September and Saturday 10 September we had services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of the finding of the relics in 1659 of Venerable Job, the abbot and wonderworker of Pochaev.  Matins 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 life and work of Saint Job of Pochaev and of his significance in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

Our next services will be Matins at 6.00pm on Saturday 9 September and Divine Liturgy at 9.00am on Sunday 10 September, the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of the finding of the relics in 1659 of Venerable Job, the abbot and wonderworker of Pochaev.  Saint Job was a great publisher and defender of Orthodoxy whose influence on our Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia (ROCOR) cannot be overestimated. Leaving the Pochaev Monastery in the 1920s, the future Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko) went to Ladomirova, Slovakia, and there established a Brotherhood of Saint Job of Pochaev.  Fleeing the Soviet forces after World War 2, the Brotherhood went to Germany, Switzerland, and then the United States, settling at the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York.  It is from this Brotherhood that many of our ROCOR hierarchs have come, and it is under Saint Job’s patronage that the Holy Trinity Monastery continues its publishing work to this day.

On Saturday 2 September and Sunday 3 September we had 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). These were extra services, not previously scheduled, as our neighbouring parish of Saint Panteleimon, Gosford, remained closed for the installation of a new iconostasis.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At both services our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and at the Prayer before the Amvon prayers of blessing were read over four icons of Great Feasts in beautiful new kiots (hinged box-frames) made by Michael Sokolsky, and a new portable chalice for taking Holy Communion to the sick. The new icons are of the Meeting of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Ascension of the Lord, and the Exaltation of the Cross. A matching icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God was blessed separately.

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 26 August and Sunday 27 August we had services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, the Forefeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and in honour of Prophet Micah (+8th Century BC).  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 Deacon Michal Matys.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and at the Prayer before the Amvon there was a blessing of honey.

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). Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. *** NOTE: These services are in addition to those listed in our Spring 2023 Schedule of Services. ***

Our Spring 2023 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  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 26 August and Sunday 27 August we will have services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, the Forefeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and in honour of Prophet Micah (+8th Century 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 Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August we had services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Forefeast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, and in honour of Righteous Eudocimus (Evdokim) of Cappadocia (+9th Century AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together. At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine. 

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; Russian-language 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 Sunday 30 July, the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils, Divine Liturgy was served in Boambee, near Coffs Harbour, at the home of Drs Ashish Sinha and Evgenia Biryukova.  Joining regular worshippers from across the Mid North Coast were friends from the Gold Coast (QLD) and Armidale (NSW), with approximately 30 people present.  Afterwards, most stayed for lunch and fellowship.  Following lunch the Mission Committee briefly discussed ideas for a portable iconostasis, a website, and plans for the Mission’s first patronal feast-day on December 30-31, 2023.  God willing, the next service on the Mid North Coast will be Divine Liturgy in Wauchope on Sunday 29 October.

On Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August we will have services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Forefeast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, and in honour of Righteous Eudocimus (Evdokim) of Cappadocia (+9th Century 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 Saturday 22 July and Sunday 23 July we had services for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves (+1073 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  On Sunday morning our church was full, with visitors from Sydney, Armidale and elsewhere joining our regular parishioners.  In his sermon Father James spoke about Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves and of living a life that shows to others the love of Christ.  In this regard, he drew the attention of the faithful to Patriarch Kirill’s Report to the Bishops’ Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church on 19 July 2023, and the emphasis in that report on loving-kindness, concern, gentleness, and compassion in the internal life of the Church.  Afterwards, many of those present gathered in the church hall for fellowship and refreshments.

On Tuesday 11 July and Wednesday 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 Tuesday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Wednesday morning.  Prior to the services, our small church was for the first time beautifully vested in the new gold vestments received in March this year.  At All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon, Father James spoke of the different backgrounds of the Apostles Peter and Paul; of their repentance; and of their great labours to spread the Gospel of Christ.

On Saturday 22 July and Sunday 23 July we will have services for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves (+1073 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 Sunday 30 July, the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils, our parish rector will be serving at Saint Symeon of Verkohturye Mission on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday in a temporary chapel in Boambee, near Coffs Harbour.  For further information, please contact us.  NOTE: Our regular worshippers and all who have expressed interest in attending will be advised of the arrangements by email one week before the service.

On Saturday 8 July and Sunday 9 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the appearance of the “Tikhvin” Icon of the Mother of God in 1383 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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Joining us on Sunday were friends from Sydney holidaying in the Hunter Valley, and parishioners of Saint Naum of Ohrid Serbian Orthodox Church in Broadmeadow, their church being closed for building works.

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, 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 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 or concerns about this information, please contact us.

On Tuesday 11 July and Wednesday 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 Tuesday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Wednesday.

On Saturday 8 July and Sunday 9 July we will have services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the appearance of the “Tikhvin” Icon of the Mother of God in 1383 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 Saturday 24 June and Sunday 25 June we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Onuphrius the Great (+4th Century) and Venerable Peter of Mount Athos (+734 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Matins and Divine Liturgy our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  Early on Sunday morning Father James and a small group of parishioners newly-received into Orthodoxy again gathered in church to read the Prayers of Preparation for Holy Communion.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, and prayers of blessing were read over two new icons for our church, one of Great-Martyr Panteleimon and another of Saint Gregory Palamas.

On Saturday 24 June and Sunday 25 June we will have services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Onuphrius the Great (+4th Century) and Venerable Peter of Mount Athos (+734 AD).  On this day the Orthodox Church also honours All Saints of Belorussia, a commemoration of importance to our parish as Archpriest John Lupish and many of our church founders came from Belarus.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. 

On Saturday 10 June and Sunday 11 June we had services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints and the Day of Youth of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  Prior to Divine Liturgy, the parish rector and a small group of parishioners newly-received into Orthodoxy gathered in church to read the Prayers of Preparation for Holy Communion.  At the end of Divine Liturgy a brief moleben was served for the children and young people of our parish, our Diocese, and of our ROCOR as a whole, asking God that He “deliver them from every snare of the Enemy, preserve them in Orthodoxy and the Faith, and in all godliness and purity all the days of their life”.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the commemoration of All Saints and of the way in which our Orthodox Christian saints show many different paths to holiness.  He also spoke about the history and significance of ROCOR’s Day of Youth, and of the importance of our children and young people participating appropriately, actively, and confidently in the divine services and in the broader life of the church.

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 27-28 May, our parish clergy,  Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, 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 sang at both services.  Updated 13 June 2023: An article with more detail and links to photographs is available here.

On Saturday 10 June and Sunday 11 June we will have services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints and the Day of Youth of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).  Matins 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 a brief moleben will be served for the young people of our parish and for all ROCOR youth.

Our Winter 2023 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available.  Services of particular note during this period will be All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy on Tuesday-Wednesday 11-12 July in honour of the Holy Preeminent Apostles Peter and Paul.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are also available in church.

On Sunday 21 May and Monday 22 May we had services commemorating the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  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. Divine Liturgy on Monday was preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas.  At All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  It being a working day, only a small number of our parishioners and friends were able to be present.  Upon completion of the services on Monday there was an informal festive meal in the church hall.

On Saturday 13 May and Sunday 14 May we had services for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, the Fifth Sunday of Pascha.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. On both days the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, and the newly baptised servants of God James and John received Holy Communion for the first time.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about our Lord’s conversation with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well (John 4:5-42), and of how all that we long for finds its true satisfaction only in Christ.

On Saturday 13 May, the parish rector baptised two adult converts to Orthodoxy, Brock Savage and Jack Summerhill.  In baptism Brock and Jack took the names James and John in honour of the brother-apostles, Saints James and John the sons of Zebedee.  Both men had as their sponsor Paul Goura, and James had as an additional sponsor Natalie Thoroughgood.  Afterwards, parishioners, family members and friends – amongst whom were a number of young men who had recently been received into Orthodoxy in various Newcastle parishes – gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.  We warmly congratulate the newly-baptised servants of God James and John, wishing them good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 29-30 April our parish rector visited Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast. On Sunday 30 April, the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Hours and Divine Liturgy  was served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall.  Fifteen people were present.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon, Father James spoke about the humble and faithful service of the Myrrhbearers as a model for Christian life.

On Sunday 21 May and Monday 22 May we will have services commemorating the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  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. Divine Liturgy on Monday will be preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water at 8.00am and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas.  Upon completion of the services on Monday we will have a festive meal in the church hall.  All are welcome! 

On Saturday 13 May and Sunday 14 May we will have services for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, the Fifth Sunday of Pascha.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. 

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 29-30 April our parish rector will be visiting Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast. On Sunday 30 April, the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Hours and Divine Liturgy  will be served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall, 2/10 Oxley Lane, Wauchope, 2446.  God willing, the Mission will also have services this year on Sunday 30 July, Sunday 29 October, and Saturday-Sunday 30-31 December.

On Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April we had services for Thomas Sunday, the Second Sunday of Pascha.  Matins 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 Ukraine and following the Prayer before the Amvon, the Prayer at the breaking of the Artos was read.  In place of a sermon, the Paschal Epistle of Bishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand was read aloud.  After the dismissal, pieces of the Artos were distributed to the faithful.

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 an 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 22 April and Sunday 23 April we will have services for Thomas Sunday, the Second Sunday of Pascha.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy, the Prayer at the breaking of the Artos will be read and pieces of the blessed bread will be distributed to the faithful.

This year, our parish had a small 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 13 April and Vespers  with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served in the afternoon on Friday 14 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.  The parish rector was assisted on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon by Deacon Michal Matys, and on Saturday evening by Protodeacon Martin Naef.

Our parish will have Matins with the reading of the Twelve Gospels on Great Thursday, 13 April, at 6.00pm.  On Great Friday, 14 April, we will have Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ at 3.00pm.  On Great Saturday, 15 April, an early Midnight Office with a procession, Paschal Matins and the blessing of Easter baskets will be served at 7.00pm, finishing at approximately 9.00pm.  There will be no services in our church on the Sunday of Pascha, 16 April.  For the other traditional Holy Week services and for the midnight Paschal services, our parish rector will be serving at Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford.

On Saturday 8 April and Sunday 9 April we had services for Palm Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Great Lent and the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil, and five loaves and the blessing of palms and pussy-willows was served at on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  Prior to the evening service our church had been decorated beautifully with palm fronds.  On both days the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and at Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

On the evening of Thursday 30 March we had a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Together with the parish rector, thirty-one of our parishioners gathered to pray and receive anointing with oil for the healing of soul and body.  For Orthodox Christians this service, otherwise served only for individuals who are grievously ill, is a customary part of Great Lent.

On Saturday 8 April and Sunday 9 April our parish will take up a collection to benefit the Russian Eccelesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.  This collection is customarily taken up at this time every 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 the 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 8 April and Sunday 9 April we will have services for Palm Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Great Lent and the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil, and five loaves and the blessing of palms and pussy-willows will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  At both services a collection will be taken up to benefit the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jersualem.

In the Orthodox tradition it is customary during Great Lent to have a General Service of Anointing with Oil 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 Thursday 30 March.  Note: This is a sacrament in which only baptised Orthodox Christians may fully participate.

On Saturday 25 March and Sunday 26 March we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 25 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 (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta and pasta sauces, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to local charitable organisations for relief of the homeless. At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

On Saturday 25 March and Sunday 26 March we will have services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins will be served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 25 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 and pasta sauces, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to local charitable organisations for relief of the homeless.

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 Panteleimon, West Gosford, 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!

On Saturday 11 March and Sunday 12 March we had services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 11 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 (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta and pasta sauces, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to local charitable organisations for relief of the homeless. At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  At the end of Divine Liturgy prayers of blessing were read over new gold sets of altar and church vestments, priest’s vestments, and chalice covers.

On Saturday 11 March and Sunday 12 March we will have services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins will be served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 11 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 and pasta sauces, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to local charitable organisations for relief of the homeless.

On Saturday 25 February and Sunday 26 February we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  The parish rector was assisted at both services by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy, Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness was served. Afterwards, many of our parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall to enjoy pancakes and a short Russian-language play about Maslenitsa performed by some of the parish children.

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 10-11 February.

On Saturday 25 February and Sunday 26 February we will have services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  Matins 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, we will have  Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness. During Vespers, the duration of which will be approximately forty-five minutes, the church vestments are 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 11 February and Sunday 12 February we had 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 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 Parable of the Prodigal Son and the possibility of each one of us returning to our Father’s house with confidence in His love and His willingness to forgive us.  He also spoke about the lives, influence on Orthodoxy, and example of the Three Hierarchs.

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 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 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 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 Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January we will have 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 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.  Following the blessing of water a brief moleben of thanksgiving will be served for the work of the former Theophany parish (1994-2009) in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish in 2009.

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 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.

This year we mourned the loss of ROCOR First Hierarch Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) (+16 May 2022), who as Diocesan Bishop showed great kindness to our parish and did much to help Russian Orthodox unity in Newcastle.  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, offering prayers for peace.  We had just one baptism this year, that of an infant, Vasily Watson.  The funerals of Valentina Abramow (+23 January 2022) and Raisa Shalimov (+1 August 2022), two women with a long association with our parish, were served.  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 Gosford 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.  We received our new memorial table, new shrouds of Christ and of the Mother of God, and new sets of priests’ vestments in green and blue.  The renovation of our sacristy was completed. 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!

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 8 January we will have services for the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  There will be no service on Saturday evening.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy there will be a festive lunch in the church hall.  A visit from Father Christmas is expected during lunch.

On Saturday 17 December and Sunday 18 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified (+532 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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the formative influence of Saint Sabbas on the Typikon of the Orthodox Church.  Following Divine Liturgy there was a moleben to Saint Nicholas the wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, in anticipation of his commemoration on Monday 19 December.  Many years was then sung for two parishioners: our warden Nikolai Goura and Parish Council member Dean (Nicholas) Crawford, both of whom celebrate their names-day on 19 December.  These were the final services in our parish for 2022.

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 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 episcopal, ukase, or directive, can be viewed here. A poster with contact information and booking arrangements is available in English here and in Russian here.

On Saturday 17 December and Sunday 18 December we will have services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified (+532 AD).  Matins 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 moleben to Saint Nicholas the wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, in anticipation of his commemoration on Monday 19 December.  These will be the final services in our parish for 2022.

On Saturday 10 December and Sunday 11 December we had services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Monk-Martyr Stephen the New (+767 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 Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy the parish rector congratulated Father Michal on the recent first anniversary of his service in our parish and presented him with an embroidered orarion and cuffs, a joint gift from our parish and the Gosford parish.

On Saturday 10 December and Sunday 11 December we will have services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Monk-Martyr Stephen the New (+767 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 Saturday 26 November and Sunday 27 November we had services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Philip (+87 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 peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), emphasising the relationship between love for God and love for one’s neighbour; the extraordinary call to love one’s neighbour as oneself; and of one’s neighbour as being simply any other person with whom we have contact.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday a litia was served for the ever-memorable founder of our parish, Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), Tuesday 22 November 2022 having been the forty-fifth anniversary of his repose.  After the service many of those present gathered in the church hall for a light meal, this practice having been re-established after a break of over two-and-a-half years.

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; 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.

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 from the weekend of 26-27 November.   Services of note will be for the second day of the Great Feast of the Nativity Of the Lord (Christmas) on Sunday 8 January, and for the Sunday after the Great Feast of Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 23 January, a day on which we will have a Great Blessing of Water and commemorate Newcastle's former Theophany parish.  Although we will not have services this year for the summer feast of Saint Nicholas on 18-19 December, a moleben to the saint will be served after Divine Liturgy on Sunday 18 December.

On Saturday 26 November and Sunday 27 November we will have services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Philip (+87 AD).  Matins 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 a litia will be served for the ever-memorable founder of our parish, Archpriest John Lupish (+22 November 1977).

On Saturday 12 November and Sunday 13 November we had services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Apostles of the Seventy Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles and Aristobulus (1st C. AD) and Martyr Epimachus of Alexandria (+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 peace in Ukraine and, in view of the rising number of cases, for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Christ's miraculous healing of the demon-possessed man (Luke 8:26-39); His miracles as signs of both His divine power and His love for humanity; and the need for a response to both those things.  He spoke about the different forms of response evident in the lives of the saints commemorated, commending in particular Saints Spyridon and Nicodemus, prosphora-bakers of the Kiev Caves (+12th C. AD), for the simplicity and faithfulness of their Christian lives.

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 rector served at the cathedral together with Bishop George and 49 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 12 November and Sunday 13 November we will have services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Apostles of the Seventy Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles and Aristobulus (1^st Century 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 Saturday 22 October and Sunday 23 October we had services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 787 AD) and the Venerable Elders of Optina Hermitage.  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 Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy our much-loved parishioner and long-serving (2012-2022) treasurer, Anu Kinnunen, was presented with a parish Certificate of Appreciation and a copy of our ‘Newcastle’ Icon of the Mother of God.  This was Anu’s final service in our parish, as she and her husband are returning to Europe after living in Australia for many years.  After the parish rector thanked Anu for her diligent service and her valued contributed to the social and liturgical life of the parish, ‘Many Years’ was sung for her.

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 and Subdeacon Luke Goura.  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 22 October and Sunday 23 October we will have services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 787 AD) and the Venerable Elders of Optina Hermitage.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 8 October and Sunday 9 October we had services for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (+ Second Century 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.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

On Saturday 8 October and Sunday 9 October we will have services for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (+ Second Century 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 Sunday 25 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.  Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucea Szabunia and Dean (Nicholas) Crawford were elected to serve on the 2022-23 Parish Council, and Subdeacon Luke Goura was chosen to represent the parish at the Twentieth Diocesan Assembly to be held in Strathfield in October 2022.

On Saturday 24 September and Sunday 25 September we had services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and for the Apodosis of the Nativity of the Mother of God.  Matins 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 prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following the services on Sunday 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 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 25 September 2022, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

On Saturday 24 September and Sunday 25 September we will have services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and for the Apodosis of the Nativity of the Mother of God.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 10 September and Sunday 11 September we had services for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in memory of the Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John.  Matins 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, for deliverance from the coronavirus, and for the aid of the forthcoming Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. In accordance with the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church on this feast of Saint John the Baptist, a litia for all Orthodox soldiers, sailors and airmen slain in battle was served immediately after Divine Liturgy.  With Bishop George's blessing, prayers were also offered for the repose of the soul of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (+9 September 2022).  Following the services on Sunday an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday 25 September 2022.

On Saturday 27 August and Sunday 28 August we had services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost and 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 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.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  As on this day it was 73 years since the first Russian Orthodox services in the Hunter Valley, a moleben of thanksgiving was served at the end of Divine Liturgy.  Following Divine Liturgy an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday 25 September 2022.  Afterwards, our parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a light festive meal.

On Saturday 10 September and Sunday 11 September we will have services for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in memory of the Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John.  Matins 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 the Russian Orthodox Church on this day, a litia for all Orthodox soldiers slain in battle will be served immediately after Divine Liturgy.  UPDATE, 5 September 2022: In accordance with Bishop George's directive of 5 September 2022, prayers will be offered 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.  UPDATE, 9 September 2022: To our prayers for all Orthodox soldiers slain in battle we will, with Bishop George's blessing, add prayers for the repose of the soul of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (+9 September 2022).

Our 2022 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 25 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 13 August and Sunday 14 August we had services for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord and the Holy Maccabean Martyrs (+166 BC).  On this day the Russian Orthodox Church also commemorates the Baptism of Rus' in 988 AD and the feast of the Most Merciful Saviour and the All-Holy Theotokos, established in 1162 AD to commemorate the simultaneous victory of Byzantine and Russian forces over their enemies.   Matins with the bringing out of the Cross 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.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday there was a Blessing of Water and, in accordance with the custom of the Russian Orthodox Church, a blessing of honey.  The honey, a gift to our parish and the Gosford parish in memory of the departed servants of God Anna, Olga and Nestor, Michael and Alla, and Evgenia, was afterwards shared amongst those present.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the various historical events and saints commemorated on this day and the way in which they bear witness to the continuing relationship between God and His people.

On Saturday 27 August and Sunday 28 August we will have services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost and the Great Feast of the Dormition 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 Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  On this day it will be 73 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.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday there will be a light festive meal in the church hall.

On Saturday 30 July and Sunday 31 July our parish rector undertook a pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the third and final visit for 2022. On Sunday morning, the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and day of commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the first Six Ecumenical Councils, Divine Liturgy was served in Wirrimbi, near Macksville, at the home of Liubov Sleaford. Following the service those present shared a meal and discussed plans for the future.  We hope to have services on the Mid North Coast again in January, April, July, October and December 2023.

On Saturday 23 July and Sunday 24 July we had services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of Great-Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (+304 AD) and Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, princess of Russia (+969 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.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers of blessing were read over a beautiful new embroidered image of the Mother of God for veneration at services for the Great Feast of the Dormition.

On Saturday 13 August and Sunday 14 August we will have services for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and the feast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord.  On 14 August, the first day of the two-week Dormition Fast, the Orthodox Church also remembers the Holy Maccabean Martyrs (+166 BC).  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 Saturday.  Divine Liturgy on Saturday will be followed by the Lesser Blessing of Water and, in accordance with the custom of the Russian Orthodox Church, a blessing of honey.  This year we have again been given a quantity of honey that will be blessed on this day and shared amongst our parishioners and friends in memory of the departed servants of God Anna, Olga and Nestor, Michael and Alla, and Evgenia.

On Saturday 23 July and Sunday 24 July we will have services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of Great-Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (+304 AD) and Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, princess of Russia (+969 AD).  Matins 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 prayers of blessing will be read over a beautiful new embroidered image of the Mother of God for veneration at the services for the Great Feast of the Dormition.

On Saturday 9 July and Sunday 10 July we had services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of Venerable Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople (+c.530 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.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Drawing on the appointed reading from the Apostol, Romans 6:18-23 (§93, Servants of righteousness), the parish rector spoke in his sermon on Sunday about being servants of righteousness rather than servants of sin.

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, 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.

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 an awards to our own parish rector; 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 the reestablishment of canonical communion between the Serbian and Macedonian Orthodox Churches; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

On Monday 27 June, a meeting of the Parish Council was held.  This was the first meeting of the Parish Council in 2022 and the first face-to-face meeting since September 2019.  The parish rector tabled detailed reports covering the life of the parish and the wider church from October 2021 until June 2022.  Decisions were made concerning requests for assistance, donations and collections, and new acquisitions.  A report was given on the implementation of new financial management software and the new reports were tabled and discussed.  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 25 September 2022.  The Parish Council will meet again in July to discuss several policy documents and a draft Annual Report.

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.

Updated 10 July 2022: On Saturday 9 July and Sunday 10 July we will have services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of Venerable Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople (+c.530 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 Saturday 25 June and Sunday 26 June we had services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of All Saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia.  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 Deacon Michael Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday there was  a memorial litia for the evr-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), Friday 24 June having been the fortieth day of his repose.

On Saturday 25 June and Sunday 26 June we will have services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of All Saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia.  Matins 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 memorial litia for the newly-reposed Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral).

On Saturday 11 June and Sunday 12 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.  Prior to the service our small church had been beautifully decorated with flowers and green branches in honour of the life-giving Holy Spirit.  On Sunday morning, the Hours and Divine Liturgy were immediately followed by Vespers with the reading of the customary "kneeling prayers".  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  At the end of the services on Sunday the faithful were reminded of a Diocesan collection to assist the Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute, the theological and higher education institute of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

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.

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 12 June, the Great Feast of Pentecost.  Those wishing to make a direct donation or a commitment to ongoing support are encouraged to contact SCMOI.

On Saturday 11 June and Sunday 12 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 with the reading of the customary "kneeling prayers".

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 Pentecost on 11-12 June; for the beginning of the Dormition Fast and the Procession of the Wood of the Cross on 13-14 August; and for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God on 27-28 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 21 May and Sunday 22 May we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, and in honour of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This was the patronal feast-day of our church.  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. Divine Liturgy on Sunday was preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas.  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.  Following the moleben the parish rector congratulated those present and spoke about the unfailing help that Christians throughout the centuries have found in the prayers of Saint Nicholas.  Many of our parishioners then gathered in our church hall for a festive meal, the first such gathering in two years.

On Saturday 21 May, immediately before All-night Vigil for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha and in honour of Saint Nicholas, our parish rector served a panikhida for the newly-reposed Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and much-loved Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese for over twenty-five years.  Following the service, our rector spoke spoke briefly concerning Vladyka Hilarion’s great humility, kindness and pastoral dedication.

On Saturday 21 May and Sunday 22 May we will have services for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, and in honour of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  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 on Sunday will be preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water at 8.15am and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a procession around the church.  Upon completion of the services on Sunday there will be an informal parish lunch in the church hall.  All are welcome!  For friends from Sydney and further afield, information about visiting the Hunter Valley is available here.

On Saturday 7 May and Sunday 8 May we had services for the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.  Matins 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 the Artos was cut and distributed.

On Saturday 7 May and Sunday 8 May we will have services for the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As the services scheduled for Bright Saturday were cancelled, at the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday we will cut and distribute the Artos.

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.

*** UPDATE 28 April 2022:  These services have been cancelled.  We apologise for any inconvenience. *** On Friday 29 April and Saturday 30 April we will have services for the First Saturday of Pascha, Bright Saturday.  Paschal Matins will be served at 7.00pm on Friday and the Paschal Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Saturday there will be a procession around the church and we will cut and distribute the Artos.

This year, our parish again had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha.   Divine Liturgy was served in the morning on Great Thursday, 21 April.  On Great Friday, 22 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served in the afternoon.  On Saturday 23 April Midnight Office was served late in the evening, with Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy following in the early hours of 24 April, the Sunday of Pascha.    Easter baskets with cakes, eggs and other festive foods were blessed following Matins.  At the services on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.

The Hours, Typika and Vespers with Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Great Thursday, 21 April.  On Great Friday, 22 April, we will have Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ at 3.00pm.  On Great Saturday, 23 April, we will have Midnight Office 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 24 April.  For a number of other traditional Holy Week services, our parish rector will be serving at Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford.  NOTE: The service planned for the evening of Wednesday 20 April has been cancelled because of illness.

On Saturday 9 April and Sunday 10 April we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the commemoration of Saint Mary of Egypt.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus. Following the Prayer before the Amvon on Sunday, prayers of blessing were read over a new Shroud ("плащаница") of Christ, new blue and green sets of priests' vestments donated in memory of the departed servants of God Michael and Alla, and an analogion cover embroidered with an image of the Holy Trinity.  All these items were the work of the Saint Elisabeth Convent in Minks, Belarus.

On Saturday 9 April and Sunday 10 April we will have services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the commemoration of Saint Mary of Egypt.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday. Updated 3 April 2022: At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday 10 April, prayers of blessing with be read over a new Shroud ("плащаница") of Christ and new blue and green sets of priests' vestments.

On Saturday 26 March and Sunday 27 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 Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  As Saturday 26 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, several people attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods 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.

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 Deacon Michal Matys, 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.

On Saturday 26 March and Sunday 27 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 Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As Saturday 26 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 Saturday 12 March and Sunday 13 March we had services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Prayers were offered for the restoration of peace between Russia and Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, a brief moleben was served ‘For the Conversion of Those in Error’, at which 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.  In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about the restoration of the icons to the churches on the First Sunday of Great Lent in 843 AD, the event leading to the establishment of the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, and about the essential place of icons in the defence of the doctrine of the Incarnation of Christ.  At the end of Divine Liturgy, a collection was taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York.

Early in the evening on Sunday 6 March, Forgiveness Sunday, 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.  At the end of the service the parish rector spoke briefly about the Gospel injunction to grant forgivenss to others if we are to hope for forgiveness from God (Matthew 6:14-15).  Following this, all present venerated the Gospel, the Cross, and the Holy Icons, and asked forgiveness of one another in accordance with Orthodox custom.

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. Our collection will be taken up on Sunday 13 March, and collection envelopes will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 12 March. Please give generously!

On Saturday 12 March and Sunday 13 March we will have services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday 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.  Also on this day, a collection will be taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York.

On Sunday 6 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 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 26 February and Sunday 27 February we had services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 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, several people attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods and sanitary 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.  Following Divine Liturgy, a collection as taken up to benefit Orthodox Action.  Afterwards, the Ladies’ Auxiliary served pancakes in the church hall.

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.

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, Pascha and our patronal feast of Saint Nicholas.  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 will be available in church from the weekend of 26-27 February.

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 27 February.  Collection envelopes will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 26 February.  Please give generously!

On Saturday 26 February and Sunday 27 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As Saturday 26 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 (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.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday a collection will be taken up to benefit Orthodox Action.

On Saturday 12 February and Sunday 13 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Prior to the service on Saturday evening, prayers of blessing were read over our new memorial table, largely the work of the late ever-memorable Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and a panikhida was served for him.  At Matins and Divine Liturgy our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michael Matys.  Also assisting at both services was Subdeacon Irenaeus (Ryan) Strickler, now living in the Hunter Valley and teaching at the University of Newcastle.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector spoke about emulating the humility of the Publican and the virtue of the Pharisee while avoiding the sinfulness of the one and the foolish pride of the other.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, the first anniversary of Protodeacon Vasily’s repose, he was again commemorated at a memorial litia. 

On Thursday 3 February our parish rector served the funeral of Valentina Abramow, née Katonin.  Both the Abramow and Katonin families have a long and important association with our parish.  Valentina, who was born in Europe in 1943, departed this life on 23 January 2022.  She was laid to rest in Wallsend Cemetery, a short distance from her parents Michael and Maria.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Valentina’s husband of nearly 55 years, Eddie; to their children Michael, Natalie and Phillip; to her grandchildren; and to her sister Anna.  Memory eternal!

On Saturday 29 January and Sunday 30 January our parish rector undertook a pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the first such visit since May 2021. On Sunday morning, the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and day of commemoration of Saint Anthony the Great, Divine Liturgy was served in Boambee, near Coffs Harbour, at the home of Drs Ashish Sinha and Evgenia Biryukova.  Joining locals for the service were friends from the Central Coast (NSW) and the Gold Coast (QLD) and enquirers from Armidale (NSW).  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, it being the first service after Theophany, the Great Blessing of Water was served. After lunch the members of the community held a meeting at which they reviewed the activities and achievements of the past three years, discussed future plans, and elected a "mission committee" comprising Katerina Cotten, Tatiana Tobin, Evan Cotten, and Dr Evgenia Biryukova.  The committee will now seek Bishop George’s blessing of its decisions.  God willing, there will be services on the Mid North Coast again in May, July and October 2022.

On Saturday 12 February and Sunday 13 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday morning.  At 5.15pm on Saturday, prayers of blessing will be read over our new memorial table, largely the work of the late ever-memorable Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin, and a panikhida will be served for him.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, the first anniversary of Father Vasily’s repose, he will again be commemorated at a memorial litia.

On Saturday 22 January and Sunday 23 January we had services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost, for the Sunday after Theophany, and in honour of Saint Theophan the Recluse of Vysha Monastery (+1894).   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served at on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy and the Blessing of Water our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michael Matys.  Following the blessing of water a brief moleben of thanksgiving was served for the work of the former (1994-2009) Theophany parish in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish in 2009, and Eternal Memory was sung for the departed founders, parishioners and benefactors of that parish.

On Saturday 22 January and Sunday 23 January we will have services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost and for the Sunday after Theophany.   Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water will be served at 9.00am on Sunday morning.  Following the blessing of water a moleben of thanksgiving will be served for the work of the former (1994-2009) Theophany parish in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish in 2009.  The NSW Government requirement that face masks be worn in indoor areas other than places of residence should be noted.

On Saturday 8 January and Sunday 9 January we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  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.  In place of a sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector read aloud Metropolitan Hilarion’s Nativity Epistle in both Russian and English.

Our parish often receives enquiries about the Holy Trinity Orthodox Monastery of Monkerai and its founder, Father John MacPherson.  To help consistently answer such enquiries and to provide some history, to date, of an interesting episode in the history of Russian Orthodoxy in the Hunter Region, some information has been compiled here.

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, is now 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 English-language 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 Monday 2 August until Saturday 23 October – a period of almost three months! – and various other restrictions were in place for the entire year.  We had five baptisms including Gabriel Golovdovski and Lira Koster.  We laid to rest two long-serving and much loved members of the parish, Anna Morhun and Eugenia Thoroughgood (nee Kallaur).  Prayers were offered on the two-hundredth anniversary of the assassination of Emperor Paul I of Russia.  We acquired new blue and green vestments for the altar table and church, a new seven-branched lampstand for the sanctuary, and a new candle-stand for the church.  Together with the Gosford parish we provided an English-Russian wall calendar commemorating the centenary of 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.  The renovation of our sacristy was almost completed and planning for further improvements to the church and grounds commenced.  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 8 January and Sunday 9 January we will have services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 18 December and Sunday 19 December we had services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+c.345 AD).  This summer feast-day of Saint Nicholas is the lesser patronal feast-day of our church.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services, our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  Divine Liturgy was preceded by a blessing of water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a procession around the church.  At the end of the moleben the parish rector offered congratulations to our Warden Nikolai Goura and Parish Council member Dean (Nicholas) Crawford, both of whom were celebrating their name-day.

On Saturday 18 December the parish rector baptised the infant Lira, the first child of James and Masha Koster.  Lira, who was baptised in honour of the Martyr Valeria of Caesarea, had as her godparents Victorya Atrahimovich and Craig Beck.  We warmly congratulate James, Masha, Victorya and Craig, and pray that God will grant His newly-baptised servant Valeria good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, 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 12 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 Nikolai Goura was elected Warden for a sixth consecutive three-year term, and Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucea Szabunia, Anu Kinnunen and Dean (Nicholas) Crawford were elected to serve on the 2021-22 Parish Council.  

On Saturday 18 December and Sunday 19 December we will have services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+c.345 AD).  This summer feast-day of Saint Nicholas is the lesser patronal feast-day of our church.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday.  On Sunday there will be a blessing of water at 8.00am, followed by Divine Liturgy at 9.00am and a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a procession around the church.  These will be our final services for 2021.  All are welcome to join us!

On Saturday 11 December and Sunday 12 December we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Paramon and 370 martyrs with him in Bithynia (+250 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services, our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  Following Divine Liturgy an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held that afternoon.

On Friday 19 November we learned with great sadness of the repose, early that morning, of Eugenia (“Zhenya”) Thoroughgood (née Kallaur, b.1938), a much-loved member of our parish.  Born in Belarus, Zhenya came to Australia via Poland, Germany, and Italy, arriving in October 1949.  After living for a time at the Greta Migrant Camp, Zhenya’s family became deeply involved in our parish, with her father Anton helping build our church and later serving as a trustee.  Zhenya, a humble and pious woman who rarely missed a service, for many years sang in the choir and helped with cleaning and the changing of the church vestments.  Her funeral was served on Friday 26 November; she was laid to rest in Sandgate Cemetery on Wednesday 8 December, her burial having been delayed by heavy rain.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Zhenya’s daughters Karen, Tania and Natalie, and to her grandchildren.  May God grant this good and faithful servant of our parish rest with the saints and make her memory to be eternal!

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 12 December 2021, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

On Saturday 11 December and Sunday 12 December we will have services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Paramon and 370 martyrs with him in Bithynia (+250 AD).  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 Saturday 27 November and Sunday 28 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus of Edessa (+3rd-4th Century AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services, our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read. Following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for the ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish (+22 November 1977); our much-loved parishioner Evgenia Thoroughgood (+19 November 2021); and Protodeacon Anatol Daniluk (+16 November 2021), a long-serving cleric of the Białystok and Gdańsk Diocese of the Polish Orthodox Church and a preceptor of Deacon Michal.  Afterwards, an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, on Sunday 12 December 2021, and a collection was taken up to benefit the Fund for Assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

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 will be available in church from the weekend of 27-28 November.   Services of note will be for the summer feast of Saint Nicholas on 18-19 December; the Sunday after the Great Feast of the Nativity Of the Lord (Christmas) on 8-9 January; the Sunday after the Great Feast of Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 22-23 January, a day on which we commemorate Newcastle's former Theophany parish; and the commemoration of the departed on Saturday 26 February.

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 28 November.  Collection envelopes will be available in church from Saturday 27 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.

On Saturday 27 November and Sunday 28 November we will have services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus of Edessa (+3rd-4th Century AD).  Orthodox Christian experience bears witness to these saints as great helpers in prayer to married couples, particularly when there is animosity between the spouses.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  On Sunday 28 November the Nativity Fast begins.  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.

Updated 28 November: On Saturday 13 November and Sunday 14 November we had services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Unmercenary Healers and Wonderworkers, Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia (+3rd Century AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services, our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  Our choir was beautifully augmented on Sunday by a small group of experienced singers from the Sydney parishes visiting the Hunter Valley for the weekend.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a blessing of honey that was afterwards distributed to those present. In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about Saints Cosmas and Damian, saints who were skilled physicians; about unmercenary healers who, recognising their skill as God’s gift, have taken literally Christ’s instruction to “freely give” (Matthew 10:8); about each one of us using our own specific gifts for the glory of God; and about the importance, particularly in our current circumstances, of understanding and accepting that God helps us by means of the medical skill and wisdom that he has given to physicians.  An announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, on Sunday 12 December 2021.

Our 2021 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 12 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.

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.

Updated 8 November 2021: On Saturday 13 November and Sunday 14 November we will have services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Unmercenary Healers and Wonderworkers, Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia (+3rd Century AD).  Matins 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 23 October and Sunday 24 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.  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.  Serving together with the parish rector, Archpriest James Carles, was Deacon Michal Matys, a cleric of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese who has recently moved to the Hunter region.  Many of the faithful took the opportunity to confess and receive Holy Communion.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, prayers of blessing were read over a new seven-branched lampstand for the sanctuary and a new candlestand for the church.  In his sermon Father James spoke about the history of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, the authority of the Seven Ecumenical Councils and other councils of bishops, and the importance of attending to reliable authorities in spiritual matters.  At the dismissal, Father James expressed his joy at the recommencement of services following the long COVID-19-related lockdown and welcomed Father Michal and his family to the parish.

On Saturday 23 October and Sunday 24 October we will have services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Attendance at both services is open to all who wish to attend, but if the number of people in church exceeds 32 it may be necessary to manage the situation so as to give as many as possible the opportunity to venerate the icons, light candles, and participate in the services.  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 Thursday 7 October, the Parish Council met by teleconference.  The usual reports on parish life and finances were tabled and discussed.  A decision was made to recommence services in our parish on the weekend of 23-24 October, provided that the 80 per cent vaccination target is reached in New South Wales and vaccination status has no impact on church attendance.  It was further agreed that the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the parish would be convened on Sunday 12 December, and that an architect would be engaged to help the Parish Council develop a Master Plan for ongoing improvements to the parish buildings and grounds.  The Parish Council is due to meet next in November 2021.

On Thursday 7 October our Parish Council will meet by teleconference.  In addition to the usual reports, consideration will be given to plans for re-opening parish life in accordance with the NSW Government "roadmap" and plans for the 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM).  At this stage, it is expected that services will recommence in our parish on the weekend of 23-24 October, provided that NSW has reached the 80 per cent vaccination target and all are free to attend, regardless of vaccination status.  God willing, our AGM will be held on Sunday 12 December.

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”.  As our church in Wallsend remains closed for public services the moleben will not be served in our parish.  May our merciful God nevertheless deliver us from sickness, death, and strife amongst His people!

On Tuesday 31 August the Parish Council met by teleconference.  The usual reports on parish life and finances were tabled and discussed.  Our parish rector reported that a new seven-branched lampstand had been purchased for the sanctuary and that a new candle-stand had been purchased for placement before our icon of the Mother of God, "All Creation Rejoices in Thee".  An update was given on ongoing renovations and a number of proposed improvements to the parish facilities and grounds; a decision on further work was set aside until the Parish Council can meet in person to discuss the matter.  It was noted that places of worship in regional New South Wales had been closed to the public since the first week of August, and that it remained unclear when public services would again be possible.  The Parish Council will meet again prior to the next public services.

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.

On Friday 13 August and Saturday 14 August we will have services for the feast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord.  On 14 August, the first day of the two-week Dormition Fast, the Orthodox Church also remembers the Holy Maccabean Martyrs (+166 BC).  Matins with the bringing out of the Cross will be served at 6.00pm on Friday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.  Divine Liturgy on Saturday will be followed by the Lesser Blessing of Water and, in accordance with the custom of the Russian Orthodox Church, a blessing of honey.  This year we have been given a quantity of honey that will be blessed on this day and shared amongst our parishioners and friends in memory of the departed servants of God Protodeacon Vasily, Paraskeva, Olga and Anna.  Update, 12 August 2021: As places of worship in Newcastle and the Hunter Region are currently closed, these services have been cancelled.  We plan to bless honey at a time when all can be present.

On Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August we had services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils and the finding of the relics of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1903).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As a result of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions in New South Wales, attendance at both services was limited to 32 people.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read and, following the Prayer before the Amvon, a brief moleben to Saint Seraphim was served.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils and of Saint Seraphim of Sarov as defenders of Orthodoxy, both intellectually and in their manner of life.

On Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyrs Hilary and Proclus of Ancyra (+Second Century AD) and Venerable Michael Maleinos (+961 AD).  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.  As a result of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions in New South Wales, attendance at both services was limited to 32 people.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the lives and witness of the saints commemorated.

On Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August we will have services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils and the finding of the relics of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1903).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As the COVID-19 situation in New South Wales remains unstable, our parishioners and friends are encouraged to monitor this website and NSW Government announcements concerning restrictions limiting attendance or requiring the wearing of masks at services.

On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Unmercenary Healers and Wonderworkers Cyrus and John (+ 412 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.   As a result of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions in New South Wales, attendance at services was limited to 32 people.  In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the commemorations of saints on the first three Sundays after Pentecost and of seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

On Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July we will have services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyrs Hilary and Proclus of Ancyra (+Second Century AD) and Venerable Michael Maleinos (+961 AD).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As the COVID-19 situation in New South Wales remains unstable, parishioners and friends are encouraged to monitor this website for advice restrictions limiting attendance or requiring the wearing of masks at services.

On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July we will have services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Unmercenary Healers and Wonderworkers Cyrus and John (+ 412 AD).  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  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, attendance at these services will be restricted to 32 people, and those attending services should wear face masks.

On Saturday 26 June and Sunday 27 June we had services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints and the Day of Youth of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As a result of COVID-19 restrictions that took effect in New South Wales on Saturday 26 June, attendance at services was limited to 32 people.  At the end of Divine Liturgy a brief moleben was served for the young people of our parish and for all ROCOR youth.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the history of the commemoration of All Saints on the First Sunday after Pentecost and of this day as the ROCOR Day of Youth.

On Saturday 26 June and Sunday 27 June we will have services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints and the Day of Youth of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).  Matins 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 a brief moleben will be served for the young people of our parish and for all ROCOR youth.  UPDATE: As a result of COVID-19 restrictions that take effect from 6.00pm on Saturday 26 June,  attendance at services this weekend is limited to 30, or one person per four square metres.  It is also a requirement that face masks be worn in places of religious worship.

On Saturday 12 June and Sunday 13 June we had services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council and the Afterfeast of Ascension.  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.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, prayers of blessing were read over two new sets of vestments for the altar and icon stands, one green and one blue, ordered by our Ladies' Auxiliary from the sewing workshop of Saint Elisabeth Convent in Minsk, Belarus.  Prayers of blessing were also read over new icons of Martyr Natalia and Saint Nina, Equal-to-the-Apostles, gifts to our parish from the Kuleschow family.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the history and accomplishments of the First Ecumenical Council.

On Saturday 12 June and Sunday 13 June we will have services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, and for the Afterfeast of the Ascension.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  UPDATE: Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday the prayers of blessing will be read over two new sets of vestments for the altar and icon stands, one green and one blue, the work of Saint Elisabeth Convent in Minsk, Belarus.

On Saturday 22 May and Sunday 23 May we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Paralytic.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the forty-day celebration of the Resurrection of Christ in the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church and of Christ as a compassionate God able to raise us up who are “paralysed grievously by all manner of sins and unseemly deeds” (from the kontakion for the Sunday of the Paralytic).

On Friday 21 May and Saturday 22 May we had services commemorating the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  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. Divine Liturgy was preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a procession around the church.  Praying in the altar during Divine Liturgy was Priest Theodor Postelnisescu of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Australia and New Zealand, and we were joined in church by friends from the Gosford parish.  Following the services our parish rector spoke about the veneration of Saint Nicholas throughout the Christian world, thanked Father Theodor for his prayers, and congratulated all present on the patronal feast-day of the parish.  A festive BBQ lunch was then held in the church hall and grounds, the first major social gathering in the parish since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Winter 2021 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available in PDF format.  Services of note during this period include those for Saint Seraphim of Sarov on 31 July-1 August, for the beginning of the Domition Fast and the Procession of the Wood of the Cross on 13-14 August, and for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God on 27-28 August.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2021 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2021 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages will be available in church as of the weekend of 22-23 May.

On Saturday 8 May and Sunday 9 May we had services for the Second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy, the Prayer at the breaking of the Artos was read.  In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud Metropolitan Hilarion’s Paschal Epistle in Russian and in English.  After the veneration of the cross, pieces of the Artos were distributed to the faithful.

On Friday 21 May and Saturday 22 May we will have services commemorating the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  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. Divine Liturgy on Saturday will be preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water at 8.15am and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a procession around the church.  Upon completion of the services on Saturday we will have a festive barbeque in the church grounds.  All are welcome!  For friends from Sydney and further afield, information about visiting the Hunter Valley is available here.

With the blessing of Bishop George, our parish rector will be making a seventh pastoral visit to the New South Wales Mid North Coast on the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 29-30 May. On Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, Divine Liturgy will be served in Barraganyatti. The Russian Orthodox community on the Mid North Coast is under the heavenly protection of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye. Those interested are welcome to contact us.

On Saturday 22 May and Sunday 23 May we will have services for the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Paralytic.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 8 May and Sunday 9 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 Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy, the Prayer at the breaking of the Artos will be read and pieces of the blessed bread will be distributed to the faithful.

The April 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 Paschal edition continues the beautiful glossy colour format introduced in December 2021.  Content includes Metropolitan Hilarion’s Paschal Epistle in Russian and English; details of ordinations and clergy appointments; a list of living and departed clergy of the Diocese for commemoration in prayer; a letter from the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in Australia to the NSW Attorney-General concerning confession and mandatory reporting of child sexual offences; a directory of clergy and parishes; ‘Christian Morals and Values Shaping the Future of the Russian World’, a paper presented at a seminar in Germany in 2015; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

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 29 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ at midday on Friday 30 April, Matins with Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ in the evening on Friday 30 April, and Divine Liturgy in the morning on Saturday 1 May.  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.

The 2021 Paschal Epistle of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia may be read in English here and in Russian here.  An extract: "From year to year, from century to century, from millennium to millennium, this thanksgiving triumphantly resounds throughout the world – resounds despite all temptations, hardships and ordeals. And it does not stop today, when the world is suffering from the baneful pestilence.  At these trying times it is particularly important to support those diseased and infirm, those grieving over the loss of their relatives and friends, those who have lost their livelihood, those who cannot come to church. Let us do what we can to help the afflicted, let us not walk with indifference past the people in need of our concern, attention and care".

The 2021 Paschal Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion 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: "Together, as we send up gratitude to God, Who has spared our souls from death, for the preservation of our life and the opportunity to spend the present highly-exalted days in church, we should not forsake those lessons that are given to us by current events. Let us not neglect the health measures implemented for staving off the coronavirus infection, as the Sacred Scriptures say: “before you fall ill, take care of your health” (Sirach 18:19). This means that precaution is itself a lifesaving medicine. Let us also not forsake prayer that the plague – which has distressed many with the fear of death – will pass, that the Lord, just as in the Old Testament, will relent “concerning the disaster” and say to the Angel who is afflicting us, "Enough! Withdraw your hand" (2 Samuel 24:16)".

On Saturday 24 April and Sunday 25 April we had services for Palm Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Great Lent and the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil, and five loaves and the blessing of palms and pussy-willows was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Prior to the services our small church had been cleaned and beautifully decorated with palm branches.  On Sunday we were joined by friends from the Gosford parish for our largest service since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  Many of those present received Holy Communion. As 25 April was Anzac Day, the major day of commemoration in Australia of those fallen in war, Divine Liturgy was followed by a memorial litia for all Orthodox Christian soldiers, sailors, airmen and nurses who have fallen in the field of battle, and for all Orthodox Christians who have died in war.  A collection was then taken up to benefit the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jersualem, raising over $500.

Our parish will have Matins with the reading of the Twelve Gospels on Great Thursday, 29 April, at 6.00pm.  On Great Friday, 30 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, 1 May, Hours, Typika and Vespers with Divine Liturgy will be served at 8.00am and an early Midnight Office with a procession and Paschal Matins will be served at 7.00pm.  Regrettably, we will have no services on Sunday 2 May.  For a number of other traditional Holy Week and Paschal services, our parish rector will be serving at Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford.  Attendance at services in both parishes is now open to all on the understanding that we are permitted a maximum of 65 people in church at any one time.

On the evening of Tuesday 20 April we had a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Together with the parish rector, thirty of our parishioners gathered to pray and receive anointing with oil for the healing of soul and body.  For Orthodox Christians this service, otherwise served only for individuals who are grievously ill, is a customary part of Great Lent.

On Monday 12 April the Parish Council met by teleconference.  The usual reports on parish life and finances were tabled and discussed and an update was given on our renovations and other proposed improvements to the parish facilities and grounds.  The arrangements for managing attendance at the Easter services were considered, together with plans for our patronal feast of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas on 21-22 May.  It was noted that the Ladies' Auxiliary, having received donations for this purpose, would be purchasing new blue and green covers for the altar table and icon stands.  The Parish Council is due to meet again in mid-May 2021.

On Sunday 25 April our parish will take up a collection to benefit the Russian Eccelesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.  This collection is customarily taken up on this Sunday every year in all the parishes, monasteries and missions of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Collection envelopes will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 24 April.  Many places of immense spiritual and historical significance in the Holy Land have been entrusted to the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, and we have many monastics there who care for these holy places, undertake good works, and pray for the whole world.  The monastics there are in particular need of support at present as the coronavirus has halted the flow of pilgrims.  Those who wish to make a donation online direct to the Mission may do so via Paypal through the Mission's website.

On Saturday 24 April and Sunday 25 April we will have services for Palm Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Great Lent and the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil, and five loaves and the blessing of palms and pussy-willows will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.  As 25 April is Anzac Day, Divine Liturgy will be followed by a litia for all Orthodox Christian soldiers, sailors and airmen who have died in war.  At the end of the services on Sunday, a collection will be taken up to benefit the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jersualem.

On Saturday 10 April and Sunday 11 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 10 April was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins was preceded by a general panikhida during which prayers were offered for the newly-reposed Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (+9 April 2021), Russian Orthodox clergy victims of the coronavirus, the ever-memorable departed clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese, and our departed founders, benefactors, parishioners and relatives.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Saint John of the Ladder and the significance of his life and work.

On Saturday 10 April and Sunday 11 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 10 April is a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins will be preceded by a general panikhida at 5.00pm.

On Saturday 27 March and Sunday 28 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 27 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins was preceded by a general panikhida during which prayers were offered for the ever-memorable Emperor Paul I of Russia (+23 March 1801), Metropolitan Laurus (Shkurla) (+16 March 2008), Russian Orthodox clergy victims of the coronavirus, and our departed founders, benefactors, parishioners and relatives.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Saint Gregory Palamas and his defence of the Orthodox Christian experience of God in prayer.  On Sunday a collection was taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York.

On Saturday 21 March the Mid North Coast Orthodox community learned with sadness of the repose of Donald John (“Don”) Sleaford after a grievous illness.  Don, who was born in the United Kingdom in February 1936, was received into the Orthodox Church in October 2020.  On Friday 12 March, the end of his earthly course drawing near, Don received the sacraments of Anointing with Oil and Holy Communion.  His funeral was served on Friday 26 March in the chapel at the Memorial Gardens in Everingham Lane, Frederickton.   We offer heartfelt condolences to Don’s wife, Liubov, and to his son Paul.  May God grant him rest where there is no more sickness or sorrow, but life everlasting!

On Tuesday 30 March and Wednesday 31 March many of the clergymen of our Australian-New Zealand Diocese will gather in Sydney for their customary Great Lenten Pastoral Conference.  On Tuesday evening 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 morning 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.  Our parish rector Archpriest James Carles plans to attend.  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 privately to discuss a range of 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 this year we will not have Divine Liturgy on the First Sunday in Great Lent our collection will be taken up on Sunday 28 March, the Second Sunday in Great Lent. Collection envelopes will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 27 March. Please give generously!

On Saturday 27 March and Sunday 28 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 27 March is a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins will be preceded by a general panikhida at 5.00pm, during which prayers will be offered for Emperor Paul I of Russia (+1801).  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday a collection will be taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York.

On Saturday 13 March and Sunday 14 March we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  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-baptised infant Gabriel Golovodovski received Holy Communion for the first time. In his sermon the parish rector spoke about forgiveness, the Lenten obedience of fasting and the approach to it set out in the Holy Scriptures, and Great Lent as a time to “lay up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).  Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness was served immediately after Divine Liturgy.

Paul I (1754-1801) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination on 24 March 1801.  Devoted to Russia and steadfast in the Orthodox faith from his childhood, he opposed the revolutionary and anti-religious currents that were then disturbing Europe.  During his brief reign he improved the circumstances of peasants, serfs and soldiers, and did much to aid the education and living conditions of the Orthodox clergy.  He was brutally murdered by members of the nobility and military leaders who resented his reforms.  Emperor Paul’s memory having long been revered by the Russian Orthodox Church, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia has directed that prayers be offered in his memory on the Saturday closest to the two-hundred and twentieth anniversary of his assassination, Saturday 27 March.  In this parish he will be commemorated at the general panikhida to be served at 5.00pm that day.

The information on this website concerning weddings in the Russian Orthodox Church has been updated to address modesty of attire and the visibility of tattoos and piercings during the wedding ceremony.  The updated information can be viewed here.  Any questions about this information should be directed to the parish rector.

On Saturday 27 February and Sunday 28 February we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about the willingness of our Heavenly Father to accept our repentance even though we, like the Prodigal Son, have been insolently wasteful with all that God has given us.  On Sunday a collection was taken up to benefit a Diocesan charitable organisation, Orthodox Action.

On Saturday 13 March and Sunday 14 March we will have services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am.  Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness will be served immediately after Divine Liturgy.

Our Autumn 2021 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2021 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha and our patronal feast of Saint Nicholas.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2021 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2021 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies will be available in church from the weekend of 27-28 February.

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 2021 our parish will take up this collection on Sunday 28 February.  Collection envelopes will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 27 February.  Please give generously!

On 18 February 2021 Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, published an Archpastoral Epistle to the Clergy and Flock of the Eastern American and Australian-New Zealand Dioceses.  The full text of the Epistle can be read in English here and in Russian here.  An extract: "Dear fathers, brothers, and sisters! Bowing reverently before the memory of the above-mentioned giants of the Russian Church, let us take an interest in their lives, labors, and legacies, and let us take up the “exhausting and difficult task” of working on ourselves during the approaching Great Lent. Let us augment our prayers and reading, and take care for the doing of good deeds, taking hold of ourselves and declaring war on our sinful habits. It is truly comforting to observe how, in preparation for this salvific time, full of the most beautiful and meaningful services of the Church year, the pandemic has begun to die down, quarantine measures are being relaxed, and the normal flow of life is gradually returning. Nevertheless, I call on the rectors of the parishes and monasteries to continue to act with careful circumspection, adhering to common sense, sanitary norms, and the regulations set by local authorities, taking the recommended precautionary measures as circumstances dictate, while the order of receiving Communion should remain unchanged. Manifestations of disobedience and "zeal not according to knowledge" (Romans 10:2) on these matters, as the pandemic has shown us, lead not only to outbreaks of sickness, but also to serious divisions among the people, to say nothing of every manner of other temptations. Therefore, obey readily and without complaint the directives of the Hierarchy and local governments, which in the present circumstances are being undertaken precisely for our benefit. Calling on God’s aid, let us also call on doctors and medics to offer assistance in the parishes, remembering the words of the most wise Sirach: "the Lord hath created the physician… and medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them" (Sirach 38:1,4). The great luminaries of Christ’s Church respected doctors and medical science. The Holy Hierarch Basil the Great says, “Humanity is the regular business of all you who practice as physicians… for health we are dependent on your skill” (Letter to Eustathius the Physician). In his Letter to Olympias, the Holy Hierarch John Chrysostom asks for remedy for himself, and counsels others to make use of the aid of physicians and medicines".

On Saturday 13 February and Sunday 14 February we had services for the Thirty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Zaccheus Sunday; the Forefeast of the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple; and in honour of Martyr Tryphon (+250 AD).   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Prayers for deliverance from the coronavirus were offered at Divine Liturgy.  In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector spoke about Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-9) as a model of repentance and on the importance of allowing the possibility of repentance in others, no matter their way of life.

On Saturday 27 February and Sunday 28 February we will have services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.  Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday and Divine Liturgy will be served at 8.30am on Sunday.  Following Divine Liturgy a collection will be taken up to benefit Orthodox Action.

With the blessing of Bishop George, our parish rector will be making a sixth pastoral visit to the New South Wales Mid North Coast on the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 30-31 January. A new home will be blessed near Port Macquarie on Saturday, and on Sunday, the Thirty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of Saints Athanasius the Great (+373 AD) and Cyril (+444 AD), archbishops of Alexandria, Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water will be served in Barraganyatti. The Russian Orthodox community on the Mid North Coast is under the heavenly protection of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye. Those interested are welcome to contact us.

On Saturday 13 February and Sunday 14 February we will have services for the Thirty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Zaccheus Sunday; the Forefeast of the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple; and in honour of Martyr Tryphon (+250 AD).   Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy  will be served at 9.00am on Sunday morning.  Provided numbers in church do not exceed 65, all are welcome to attend.

On Saturday 23 January and Sunday 24 January we had services for the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and for the Sunday after Theophany.   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served on Sunday morning.  Following the blessing of water a moleben with prayers of thanksgiving was served for the founders, benefactors and parishioners of the former Theophany church (1994-2009), all of whom joined our parish in 2009.

On Saturday 9 January and Sunday 10 January we had services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost and for the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  In place of a sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector read aloud the Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia.

On Saturday 23 January and Sunday 24 January we will have services for the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and for the Sunday after Theophany.   Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water will be served at 9.00am on Sunday morning.  Provided numbers in church do not exceed 65, all are welcome to attend.

On Tuesday 5 January, our parish rector served the funeral of 97-year-old Anna Morhun, our long serving Head Sister and a tireless worker for our church.  In view of concern about the COVID-19 pandemic, the funeral was a small gathering of close family and friends.  Following the service, the newly reposed Anna was laid to rest in Sandgate Cemetery beside her beloved husband Ivan (+1998).

The December 2020 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, has recently become available in our parishes. This edition commemorates the centenary of the foundation, in 1920, of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and is in a beautiful new format that includes colour photographs and QR codes with links to further information.  Content includes details of ordinations, clergy awards, and appointments; reports on feast-day celebrations in Geelong and at the Kazan Convent in Kentlyn, NSW; an extensive report marking the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of Saint John the Baptist Skete in Kentlyn, together with an appeals for funds to assist with the rebuilding of the skete; an obituary of His Holiness Irenej, Patriarch of Serbia, who reposed this year as a result of the coronavirus; the Jubilee Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion; a beautiful colour reproduction of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, suitable for framing; materials on globalisation from the perspective of the Russian Orthodox Church; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

For us as for everyone, 2020 was dominated by the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 and the public health measures implemented to manage it.  Our parish had no services from Monday 23 March until Thursday 21 May and restrictions on attendance were in place from Saturday 21 March until the end of the year.  We had four baptisms: Thea Yakimov, Timothy Martin, and Sophia and Katie Edwards.  Funerals were served for Nicholas Markatcheff and Olga Osadczuk.  Our long-serving Head Sister, Anna Pavlova Morhun, departed this life.  Litanies and prayers were offered to mark the Centenary of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and together with the Gosford parish we provided an English-Russian wall calendar commemorating this milestone in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church.  Our website provided information to help with the planning of weddings and instructive material about Sunday commemorations and readings, certain Great Feasts, and the system of tones used for singing in the Russian Orthodox Church.  The extension to our sanctuary was effectively completed and work to renovate the sacristy commenced.  Our beautiful new icon case was received and blessed, and we purchased a set of new white vestments for our church.  Our parish rector made pastoral visits to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in August and November.  All the news from 2020 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Saturday 9 January and Sunday 10 January we will have services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost and for the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.   Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday morning.  Provided numbers in church do not exceed 65, all are welcome to attend.

On Saturday 26 December and Sunday 27 December we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Forefathers, the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh and all the great fathers, mothers and prophets of the Old Testament.   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for the newly-reposed handmaiden of God Anna and for Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovic) of Montenegro and the Littoral, and more than one hundred hierarchs and clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church who have departed this life in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus.  A comprehensive list of the departed clergy is available in Russian here, and a shorter list in English that includes monastics is available here.  These were our final services for 2020.

Updated: On Monday 21 December we learned with deep sadness of the repose, early that morning, of Anna Pavlovna Morhun.  Anna Pavlovna was active in the life of our parish from the time of its foundation in 1952.  She was a member of the Parish Council and active in the Ladies' Auxiliary for most of that period, filling the role of Head Sister for over fifty years.  She continued to be actively involved in church life well into her nineties, cooking, cleaning the church, and changing the vestments.  She received a gramota from Archbishop Sava (Raevsky) in 1964, a medal from then Archbishop Hilarion in 1998 on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the establishment of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese, and in 2017 Bishop George awarded her the prestigious Diocesan Cross.  May God grant this good and faithful servant of our parish rest with the saints, and make her memory to be eternal!  

On Friday 18 December and Saturday 19 December we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia.  All-night vigil was served on Friday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Saturday morning.  Immediately after Divine Liturgy a moleben was served to Saint Nicholas, following which the parish rector congratulated two parish members on their name-day: our warden, Nikolai Goura, and Parish Council member Dean (Nicholas) Crawford.  Many years was then sung for them both.  This commemoration of Saint Nicholas is the "lesser" patronal feast of our church, the main feast-day for us being that of the Translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari, commemorated on 22 May. 

On Saturday 26 December and Sunday 27 December we will have services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Forefathers, the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh and all the great fathers, mothers and prophets of the Old Testament.   Matins will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday morning.  As this will be the final service of 2020, a memorial litia will be served following Divine Liturgy for the clergy and monastics who have departed this life during 2020 as a result of the coronavirus.  Provided numbers in church do not exceed 65, all are welcome to attend.

On Friday 18 December and Saturday 19 December we will have services in honour of Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia.   This is the "lesser" patronal feast of our church, the main feast-day for us being that of the Translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari, commemorated on 22 May.  All-night vigil will be served at 6.00pm on Friday evening and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday morning.  A brief moleben to Saint Nicholas will follow Divine Liturgy.  Provided numbers in church do not exceed 65, all are welcome to attend.

On Saturday 12 December and Sunday 13 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about Christ's healing of the infirm woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17) and the importance of not weaponising spiritual disciplines against one another, and about the life and Christian example of the Holy Apostle Andrew.  As from 7 December we were allowed 65 people in church, these were the first services since the beginning of March at which attendance was essentially unrestricted.

With the blessing of Bishop George, on Saturday 28 November and Sunday 29 November our parish rector undertook a further pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. On Saturday Evan Cotton was baptised, and on Sunday, the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the commemoration of the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Divine Liturgy was served in Boambee, a suburb of Coffs Harbour, in a temporary chapel at the home of Ashish Sinha and Evgenia Biryukova. At Divine Liturgy the newly-baptised Evan received Holy Communion for the first time, and in place of a sermon the parish rector read aloud the Jubilee Epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.