The questions below are those most often asked by enquirers and non-Orthodox visitors to our church. A list of questions commonly asked by Orthodox Christians is available here.
Our church is usually only open when we have scheduled services. Our basic pattern of services is the Hours and Divine Liturgy on the the second and fourth Sundays of each month and either Matins or All-night Vigil on the preceding Saturday evenings, but occasionally this schedule varies. We have so few services because our parish priest also looks after the Russian Orthodox parish in Gosford and a small Orthodox Christian outreach on the NSW Mid North Coast. Information about forthcoming services and activities is available on our home page. Our full Schedule of Services can be viewed here.
Of course! All people of good will are welcome to visit our church and to stay for the services. Our parish is a friendly one and we do what we can to make visitors and enquirers feel welcome. Our parish has changed significantly in recent years, with many enquirers and converts to Orthodoxy now a part of our congregation.
Not at all! Although Orthodoxy is generally organised along cultural lines - Russian, Serbian, Greek, Ukrainian, and so on - our churches should not be thought of as gatherings of people only of those backgrounds. The Russian Orthodox Church has long been a multicultural church, gathering together Orthodox Christians of diverse backgrounds. Most Orthodox parishes outside the traditionally Orthodox Christian countries now have members and enquirers from backgrounds other than their traditional constituency. In our parish several converts to Orthodoxy have been baptised since 2023, and several more are preparing for baptism. The Serbian and Greek parishes in Newcastle can tell a similar story.
Smart casual wear is best. For men, this means a collared shirt, trousers or jeans, and dress shoes. For women, it means a dress or skirt and top; it is not the usual practice for women to wear slacks or trousers during worship in the Russian Orthodox Church. Shoes should be comfortable for prolonged standing. Our church is small and it can be quite warm at morning services when it is full and candles are burning. Married women generally cover their heads with a scarf or light shawl, but this is not strictly observed. A good general principle is this: dress in such a way as to not draw undue attention to yourself. Clothing with slogans or with political or religious imagery of any kind is not suitable for church, even if the subject matter is overtly Orthodox.
Arriving around ten minutes before the scheduled start time is best. That will give you time to find your bearings. Having said that, don’t worry too much if you are running late. On Sunday mornings some people arrive before 9.00am, but many - especially families with small children - are still arriving at 9.30am and even later.
When people arrive, they usually buy candles to light in church and then venerate the icons as they light the candles. Newcomers generally feel a bit too self-conscious to do that, and it is certainly OK to simply come into the church and take your place.
The icon in the centre of the church is of the feast-day or of the saints commemorated that day, and the icons a little farther back on either side are of Christ (to the right) and the Mother of God (on the left). Each of these icons has candle-stands beside or behind them. There are also icons of various saints on either side of the church. On the left-hand side towards the sanctuary there is a carved wooden cabinet with candle-holders on top; this is where we customarily light candles for the departed.
In the Russian Orthodox Church it is the practice for most people to stand during the entire service. There are a few chairs, but they are usually taken by the older people. If you find it hard to stand for an extended period it is OK to go outside for a time - you will see that others do that. Smaller children will often sit on the carpet.
Our evening services are quiet services with usually only 10-15 people attending. They consist of readings, short hymns, litanies, and a Gospel reading. The duration is usually about two hours. For much of these services the lights will be off and the people present sit or stand quietly and listen to the readings or go to confession in preparation for receiving Holy Communion the next day. There isn’t a lot of interaction amongst the congregation at evening services. Following the Gospel reading, at around the half-way point, there is an anointing with oil. Some people leave after that, especially if they have young children or some distance to travel home.
Our morning services are much busier, with usually 50-60 people in attendance. The usual morning service is Divine Liturgy, the focal points of which are Scripture readings and the Eucharist. Once agian, the duration of the service is usually about two hours. These are much busier services than those in the evening. A sermon is given at the end in English. All are welcome to attend, but participation in the Eucharist is limited to baptised Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared. In the Russian Orthodox Church it is customary for baptised children under seven years of age to receive Holy Communion at every Divine Liturgy. Adults tend to receive Holy Communion much less frequently than children; it is customary for adults to receive Holy Communion during Great Lent and other fasting periods, and on major feast-days.
Confession takes place on the left-hand side of the church, towards the sanctuary, in front of a stand on which is placed a book of the Holy Gospels and a Cross. People wishing to confess will usually form a line on that side of the church and the priest will come out to hear their confession when he can. More information about confession is available here.
Don’t worry! We have many newcomers and our congregation is welcoming and understanding. The best thing to do is when visiting for the first time is to find a place closer to the back of the church where you will feel a little less exposed and self-conscious. Watch what others do. That's the way our children learn - by watching and copying.
We do not have any scheduled services wholly in English but we do use some English in almost every service. On Saturday evenings many of the hymns, the Psalm readings, the Gospel reading, and some of the canons will be in English. On a Sunday morning, for example, some of the litanies, some of the troparia and kontakia, the Scripture readings, some prayers, and the sermon will be in English. The other language that we use is Church Slavonic, the liturgical language of the Russian Orthodox Church.
At our regular services the only thing that the non-Orthodox may not do is receive Holy Communion. Apart from that, they may receive anointing, venerate the icons and the Holy Cross, light candles, drink and take Holy Water for home use, and receive blessed bread. Visiting Orthodox Christians may receive Holy Communion if they have prepared properly.
Following the service in a book can be challenging! This is because Orthodox Christian divine services have many variable parts. At the beginning, it is best to simply watch and listen to the service attentively.
If you wish to follow the morning service in a book, we recommend The Divine Liturgy for Choir and Laity. A publication of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York, it includes the Third and Sixth Hours, the prayers customarily read before and after receiving Holy Communion, and some of the variable texts. It is available for purchase from Holy Trinity Publications and from booksellers like Amazon and Booktopia. The Prayer Book published by the Holy Trinity Monastery also has the text of the Divine Liturgy.
The fixed parts of the evening service are set out in The All-Night Vigil for Choir and Laity, a companion volume to The Divine Liturgy for Choir and Laity. As there are many variable parts in our evening services that are not include, this book is likely to be less helpful to newcomers. The complete text of the evening services celebrated in most parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia - that is, with all the variable parts included - can be accessed here and here. It should be noted that many parishes have their own customary variations to these texts, usually abbreviations.
We usually have tea, coffee and a light meal in the church hall after Divine Liturgy on Sundays. This is a good opportunity to talk with others and make connections. As our parish is a small one, other social activities or educational activities are rare.
Our parish priest, Archpriest James Carles, is usually available to talk after Divine Liturgy on Sundays. He serves here in a voluntary capacity, and does not live in the Hunter Region but travels here from the Central Coast for services. Like many clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, he has secular employment during the week. In addition to our parish, Father James has responsibility for Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church in Gosford and Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the New South Wales Mid North Coast. As a result, his pastoral availability is largely limited to scheduled services in the three communities and to occasional services such as baptisms, weddings, end-of-life care, and funerals.
Our parish does not have a formal program of preparation for reception into the Orthodox Church. Adults wishing to become Orthodox should begin by attending services regularly and becoming involved in parish life. They should also start to follow an Orthodox prayer rule at home and keep the fasts to the extent possible. Our parish priest generally encourages people to attend services for 6-12 months before considering their formal reception. The length of this period of preparation varies according to each individual’s circumstances, background, and learning style. Most people who are new to Orthodoxy take some time to settle into the community and feel comfortable with Orthodox customs and the liturgical life of the church. Come as often as you can, watch what others do, and make helpful connections in the parish. We can talk more about your reception as you settle in. Further information about reception into Orthodoxy is available here.
Yes. As noted above, there is also a Sebrian Orthodox parish and a Greek Orthodox parish. The Serbian Orthodox parish of Saint Naum of Ohrid is at 38 Gosford Road, Broadmeadow. The parish website is here and the parish Facebook page is here. The Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox parish is at 11 Steel Street, Hamilton. The parish Facebook page is here. Both are friendly parishes that have services every Sunday, and many of our parishioners worship there on the weekends that we do not have services. Like our parish, they also have many enquirers and converts to Orthodox Christianity from various backgrounds.
