The consecration of the Church of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene in Athelstone, Adelaide, was celebrated with ecclesiastical splendor and in an atmosphere of spiritual joy and emotion on Saturday, August 22.
The Consecration Service was presided over by Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who also celebrated the first Divine Liturgy at the newly consecrated Holy Altar. Concelebrating with him were Bishop Silouan of Adelaide and Bishop Elpidios of Perth.
In his homily, the Archbishop offered a profound theological reflection on the significance of the consecration of a church. He emphasized that it does not refer merely to the sanctification of a church building, but primarily to the spiritual renewal of the faithful.
“At the center of Orthodox Christian life stands the Holy Altar,” he stressed.
“It is here that the Church on earth is united with the Church in heaven. It is here that time meets eternity. We can be good people. We can be generous. We can perform good works and lead respectable lives.
“Christianity, however, does not simply aim to make us better people. Its purpose is to unite us with God. And this union takes place here. It takes place at the Holy Altar. It takes place through the Holy Mysteries. It takes place when we approach the Holy Chalice and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ.
“Salvation is not merely an idea, nor is it simply a matter of moral improvement. Salvation comes through our union with Christ.”
The Archbishop then expressed the hope that “today’s consecration will become a new beginning for each one of us.” He encouraged the members of the parish to make the newly consecrated church their spiritual home and to place the Holy Altar at the center of their lives.
Archbishop Makarios also expressed his gratitude to all those who had contributed in any way to the development of the parish community.
In particular, he praised the contribution of its first parish priest, the late Fr. Athanasios Dalianas, and its first president, Byron Stavropoulos. Three decades ago, they laid the foundations of the parish through the purchase of a building and an adjoining residence.
He also referred to the current priest-in-charge, Fr. Efthymios Efthymiou, who played a leading role in the construction of the new and imposing Church of the Martyrs Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene.
Addressing Fr. Efthymios and his associates, the Archbishop thanked them for their unwavering dedication to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and wished them abundant blessings from God.
Archbishop Makarios also thanked Bishop Elpidios of Perth for his presence and praised the God-pleasing episcopal ministry of the local hierarch, Bishop Silouan of Adelaide. He called upon the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Adelaide to maintain a spirit of positive cooperation with their bishop.
“The message of our Archdiocese is, and always will be, expressed in two words: love and unity,” he concluded.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Makarios elevated the parish priest, Fr. Efthymios Efthymiou, to the rank of Protopresbyter.
Deeply moved and grateful, Fr. Efthymios thanked the Archbishop for the honor and, more broadly, for his efforts to renew the entire Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia both ecclesiastically and spiritually.
Archbishop Makarios praised Fr. Efthymios’ contribution and thanked him for the considerable effort he had made in assuming responsibility for the completion of the church.
Among the large number of faithful who prayerfully attended the Consecration Service and the Eucharistic gathering were the Archons of the Great Church of Christ, Vladimir Devrelis, Ioannis Kiosoglou and Antonios Michael.
