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 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.

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!