On Sunday, March 2, Archbishop Makarios of Australia visited the Church of All Saints in Belmore, Sydney, where he presided over the Divine Liturgy. He was accompanied by the Hierarchical Head, Fr. Dimitrios Papaikonomou, his predecessor, Fr. Christos Triantafyllou, Fr. Ioannis Kapetas, and his brother, Hieromonk Fr. Christodoulos Kapetas from Mount Athos. Among the many faithful who attended the service was Ioannis Mallikourtis, Consul General of Greece in Sydney.
During the Divine Liturgy, the Catechetical Homily of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the commencement of Holy and Great Lent was read in Greek and English.
At the conclusion of the service, Archbishop Makarios officiated a memorial service for the heroes who fought and sacrificed for the liberation of the city of Ioannina and the rest of Epirus.
This memorial marked the beginning of an anniversary event organized by the Panepirotic Union of New South Wales, commemorating the 112th anniversary of the liberation of Ioannina.
In his brief speech, Archbishop Makarios emphasized the deep connection between patriotism and faith in Christ.
“We must not forget that faith and homeland go together,” he stressed, adding: “And if today there is a free homeland called Greece, we owe this mainly to faith and to Christ, who inspired our heroes to fight and even give their lives.”
He highlighted the strong faith and devotion of the people of Epirus throughout history, making special mention of the National Benefactors of Epirus.
He expressed gratitude for the contributions of Manthos and Georgios Rizaris, the brothers who founded the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Athens, where he himself was blessed to study the Holy Scriptures.
The Archbishop also welcomed Athonite Hieromonk Fr. Christodoulos Kapetas, who has lived and served in Australia for the past nine years.
Initially, Archbishop Makarios spoke with emotion about his personal connection with the Kapetas family, recalling that during his stay in the United States, he had the opportunity to meet Nausica, the sister of Fathers Ioannis and Christodoulos.
“The Kapetas family is an ‘ecumenical’ family,” he remarked, while also emphasizing that Fr. Christodoulos is one of the very spiritual and blessed hieromonks of Mount Athos.
He described it as an honor and a blessing for the Holy Archdiocese of Australia to have Fr. Christodoulos remain on the fifth continent throughout Holy and Great Lent. During this time, he will be visiting local parishes, confessing the faithful, and engaging in spiritual dialogue with them.
On his part, Fr. Christodoulos expressed his deep respect for the Archbishop of Australia and sought his blessing as he embarks on his sacred ministry of celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Confession.
In his message to the faithful, the Athonite Hieromonk offered a spiritual exhortation: “When we fast, let us not be gloomy, but let us be happy, and also let us not be hypocrites.”
Making special mention of the patron saint of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, Saint Paisios the Athonite, whom he was blessed to meet as a student at the Athonite School, he emphasized that Saint Paisios was a man of prayer and fasting, yet always joyful.
“Although he fasted, he was cheerful and happy,” he stressed. “He always spoke to us about Christ, encouraging us to fight and to welcome Christ into our souls. Because, as he said, if Christ enters our soul, He will become the helmsman of our lives.”
In conclusion, Fr. Christodoulos urged everyone to forgive their fellow human beings, emphasizing that forgiveness is a necessary condition for one’s own sins to be forgiven by God.
