On Saturday, December 27, the feast of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Archbishop Makarios of Australia paid a pastoral visit to the Holy Diocese of Chora in Victoria and presided at the Divine Liturgy in the Holy Cathedral of the Theotokos “Axion Estin” in Northcote.
Concelebrating in prayer with His Eminence were Bishop Eumenios of Chora and Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne. Among the large congregation were the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Dimitra Georgantzoglou, Archons of the Ecumenical Throne, as well as the brother by blood of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Nikolaos Archontonis, accompanied by his wife, Katerina.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Makarios officiated at the annual memorial service for the late Vasiliki Vasilopoulou, the mother by blood of the local Bishop, Eumenios. In his memorial address, the Archbishop expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the Bishop of Chora and to the relatives and loved ones present, offering prayers for the repose of the blessed soul of the departed Vasiliki in the land of the living.
Addressing the faithful thereafter, the Archbishop emphasized the value of the “remembrance of death” as a source of spiritual awakening, one that guards us from becoming absorbed in the transient and futile concerns of this present life.
“We must be mindful that each of us will one day depart from this life,” he noted, adding: “Life is like a river. From the moment we step into it, whether we wish it or not, we will reach the opposite bank, where Christ awaits us. And although we may not wish to die—something entirely human and natural, since we have not yet experienced the other life—we must not forget that our true destination is the far shore.”
The constant awareness of this perspective, the Archbishop stressed, helps orient our lives toward works of love. “The remembrance of death teaches us that it is urgent to love,” he underlined.
“When death is near,” he explained, “one does not think about how to wrong another. One does not act with malice or hatred. The remembrance of death teaches us that it is urgent to love one another, because when we leave this life behind, what will ultimately remain will not be material possessions, official titles, degrees, honors, or pleasures. One thing alone will remain: the love we have shown to our fellow human beings.”
Finally, Archbishop Makarios made special mention of the late Metropolitan of Chalcedon, Meliton (Hatzis), who reposed in Constantinople on December 27, 1989.
He reminded those present that this gifted hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne, who served for thirteen years as Metropolitan of Imbros and Tenedos (1950–1963), was the spiritual father of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and played a decisive role in shaping his spiritual journey.
“It was in Imbros that he first encountered our Patriarch, then a young child, recognized him, guided him, and prepared him to become what he is today—a great Patriarch,” he noted, concluding with the prayer that God may grant him rest among the Saints and the Righteous.
