On Sunday, August 29, the faithful of Perth commemorated the Beheading of the Holy Forerunner in the Monastery of Saint Ioannis.
On the eve of the feast, Bishop Elpidios of Kyanes presided over the Hierarchical Vespers.
In the katholikon of the Monastery, all the faithful and the clergy of Perth sang together encomia and hymns for the most important son who had ever been born, as Christ named him.
At the end of the service, Bishop Elpidios, accompanied by the abbot of the Monastery, praised the works that have been recently completed in the sanctuary of the church, including the installation of new wooden cabinets for the storage of liturgical objects.
On Sunday morning, the Bishop of Kyanes presided over the Orthros and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, who was pleased to meet many new families in the church as reported by vema.com.au.
In his sermon, Bishop Elpidios said August 29 was a day of strict fasting and mourning, as this day we commemorate the horrible death of St. John the Baptist.
The thread of his life was cut, he pointed out, as he was the only one who had the courage to approach King Herod and strongly disapprove of him for his scandal.
When he uttered the words of St. John: “It’s not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18), they were enough to put him into jail and execute him.
“The experience of martyrdom and death was the price that Saint John paid for telling the truth,” concluded the Bishop and underlined that the Holy Forerunner “is an example for all those who want to confess the truth in life, regardless of the cost.”
After the Divine Liturgy, the Bishop of Kyanes invited the congregation to stay for a lenten morning tea at the monastery.