The annual memorial service for the late Protopresbyter Elias Kentrotis was held in an atmosphere of deep emotion on Sunday, August 23, at the Church of Saint Charalambos in Templestowe, Melbourne.
Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided over both the memorial service and the Divine Liturgy that preceded it, assisted by Metropolitan Ezekiel of Dervis and Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne.
Speaking from the heart about the blessed and remarkable personality of the late founder of the Parish of Saint Charalambos, the Archbishop noted that Fr Elias had been destined by God—“set apart from his mother’s womb” (cf. Galatians 1:15)—to serve at the Holy Altar and become a bearer of the Holy Spirit through the priesthood.
As the Archbishop observed, Fr Elias loved Christ and His Church from an early age and demonstrated a calling to the priesthood. He later studied theology in Greece, where he was ordained. Upon returning to Australia, he founded and organised two parishes: the Presentation of the Lord in Coburg and Saint Charalambos in Templestowe.
Archbishop Makarios expressed the gratitude of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia for the late clergyman’s many years of invaluable service, while praising his ecclesiastical ethos and profound spiritual stature.
Having previously reflected on the day’s Gospel reading (Matthew 19:16–26), which describes the rich young man’s attachment to material possessions, the Archbishop noted that Fr Elias’ life was an example of freedom from worldly attachments, both in the narrow and broader sense.
“I am not referring only to money,” he clarified. “I am referring to anything that keeps us bound to this earth, to this deceptive world. For Fr Elias, all worldly things were an illusion. Even health, which most people consider the most precious good, was never placed above his relationship with Christ. When I met him, I realised that he was a truly exceptional person.
“He had freed himself from the absolute value that we tend to attribute to health. He used to say that what is important, what brings salvation, is not health but Christ. At the end of the day, our concern should not be merely to remain healthy and live for many years, but to be united with Christ and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Concluding, Archbishop Makarios conveyed to Presvytera Stavroula, the late priest’s children and his many spiritual children gathered at the Church of Saint Charalambos the patriarchal blessings and love of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
As he noted, the Ecumenical Patriarch had known Fr Elias personally and held him in particularly high esteem.
