“Our hearts are filled with joy as we praise the Triune God for yet another great blessing granted to us upon the completion of one hundred years since the establishment of our Holy Archdiocese,” stated Archbishop Makarios of Australia during his speech following the consecration of the Holy Church of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos in Perth, Western Australia.
This sacred pilgrimage site, the first on the fifth continent dedicated to the Patron of Australia and the Holy Archdiocese, is located at the Holy Monastery of Saint John in the Forrestfield area.
The joyous and historic event of the consecration took place on Friday, July 12, during the celebration of the memory of the great contemporary saint of the Orthodox Church. Archbishop Makarios presided over the divine services and the consecration ceremony, accompanied by the Bishops Elpidios of Kyanea and Evmenios of Kerasounta, the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint John, Archimandrite Makarios Souris, and many clergy from Western Australia. Numerous devout pilgrims participated in the worship events. At the same time, the consecration ceremony was honored by the presence of Greece’s Consul in Perth, Georgia Karasiotou, the President of the Greek Community of Western Australia, Pavlos Afkos, the Director of the Greek Welfare Centre of the Holy Archdiocese, Stylianos Magdalopoulos, President Dr. Ioannis Psaromatis, and members of the Christian Union Choir, among others.
The Archbishop expressed his gratitude to everyone for their presence at the historic event for the Holy Archdiocese, marking the consecration of the first church named in honor of its Patron Saint, Saint Paisios. He spoke about the significance of the consecration, highlighting, among other things, that it serves as an opportunity for the faithful to encounter the living God and renew their spiritual relationship with Him. Furthermore, the Archbishop, referring to the honored Saint, emphasized that “he shows us that when we are grafted onto the tree of life, which is Christ and His Church, we blossom and bear fruit.” He added, “Being within the Church means we are active members and remain united with Christ, who is its head,” and concluded, “Today, we are called to renew our devotion to Christ and commit our lives to the Church.”
Concluding his speech, Archbishop Makarios shared a teaching from Saint Paisios with the congregation, highlighting his disdain for fanaticism and judgment: “A Christian should not be fanatical. Let us not stone our fellow humans… A person who publicly criticizes someone for sinning, or speaks passionately against a specific individual, is not inspired by the Spirit of God but by another spirit”.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou