With the welcome of a new member within the Hierarchical Family, the Holy Archdiocese of Australia celebrated the New Year of 2022 and the memory of St. Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia.
The Archbishop presided over the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Marrickville, Sydney, accompanied by Bishops Iakovos of Militoupolis, and Bartholomew of Charioupolis. During the service, he ordained Nikolaos Carmonas as a Deacon.
At this important moment in his life, when he fulfilled a childhood dream, the young Deacon had his spouse and daughter by his side, who were proud and moved with the ordination. The newly ordained deacon received the paternal instructions and advice of his Pastor, as well as his heartfelt wishes for a blessed path in the priesthood.
In more detail, in his speech, Archbishop Makarios referred to the life and work of Saint Basil the Great, who is an important role model, ascetic, teacher, hierarch and theologian.
“The life of the honored Hierarch is in itself an advice, and a spiritual and ecclesiastical teaching,” he remarked, addressing the ordained deacon, but focusing on two key points of St. Basil’s teaching, which he further analyzed.
The first point concerns the Church, which according to Saint Basil “is the court of God”. “Moving away from the court of God means that I take God out of my life and I am deprived of Divine Grace. Those who remain in the house of God, in the court of God, in the canonical Church are those who ultimately progress spiritually and flourish in virtues and gifts,” the Archbishop noted.
The second point of the teaching of Saint Basil concerns the role of the priesthood, which, like the bones of the human body, supports and holds the body of the Church together.
“Entering the priesthood does not imply the assumption of a secular power or a supreme order,” the Archbishop stressed to the new deacon and continued: “The priesthood is a cross and, in fact, it is hard to carry. It is a ministry based on love and humility. If these do not exist in the life of each clergyman, then a major issue arises in the Church. […]
Humility will lead us to the forerunner of the soul, and the more we ascend the steps of the priesthood, the more we must humble ourselves to ensure the salvation of the souls of the people who are the greatest for our Church.
Afterwards, Archbishop Makarios praised the new deacon, acknowledging that he showed great patience and composure, fought spiritually, ecclesiastically, obeyed the voice of his pastor, waited humbly, prepared and gave place to the grace of God.
After the Divine Liturgy, the Archbishop performed the service of the cutting of the New Year’s pie for Marrickville Parish and everyone exchanged wishes for the new year 2022.
It should be noted that on New Year’s Eve, Archbishop Makarios cut the New Year’s pie with the close associates of the Archdiocese’s Offices.
