With ecclesiastical grandeur, the Festal Vespers for the Feast of the Holy and Equal-to-the-Apostles Saints Constantine and Helen was celebrated on the evening of Tuesday, May 20, at the church dedicated to them in Newtown, Sydney.
The service was presided over by Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who was joined by the Parish Priest of the celebrating community, Fr. Nikolaos Stavropoulos, along with other clergy from the city of Sydney.
In his homily, after a brief reference to the Feast of Mid-Pentecost, the Archbishop focused on the personalities of the honored Saints, emphasizing the contribution of Saint Constantine to the Orthodox Church. He reminded the faithful that it was Emperor Constantine who convened the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in the year 325 A.D., stressing that the Orthodox Church owes him immense and unending gratitude. As he characteristically noted, guided by a desire to preserve the unity of the Church during a time when the people were divided due to the heresy of Arianism, Saint Constantine summoned the Bishops to address the emerging ecclesiastical issues, while he himself chose to sit aside. In doing so, he inaugurated the institution of the Ecumenical Councils and the conciliar expression of the Church.
“Saint Constantine became an instrument of the Holy Spirit, opening the path for us, helping us move forward and enabling us to bring the truth to the people,” the Archbishop emphasized at another point. “The truth of the faith,” he underlined, “is not expressed by individuals, but by the Council and the Church as a whole.”
On this occasion, the Archbishop also expressed the great joy of the Christ-loving faithful of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia at the recent establishment of the conciliar system within the local Church of the fifth continent. “We are joyful,” he said, “because we now also have our own Provincial Synod in Australia, and whenever issues arise that need resolution, it is not the Archbishop alone who makes the decisions, but the Bishops collectively, in synod.”
In conclusion, he offered his paternal blessings to the large congregation and warmly thanked the Parish Priest, Fr. Nikolaos, for his tireless efforts and for his prudent and quiet ministry in advancing the parish of Saints Constantine and Helen.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
