The Holy Archdiocese of Australia has paid tribute to Archbishop Makarios of Australia on the seventh anniversary of his enthronement, expressing gratitude for his dedicated leadership and pastoral ministry since assuming the Archiepiscopal Throne in 2019.
In a message issued by the Office of the Chancellor, the clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese gave thanks to God for the Archbishop’s seven years of service, describing his ministry as one marked by wisdom, theological depth, missionary vision, courage, and genuine paternal love.
Reflecting on the biblical words of Ecclesiastes, the tribute highlighted the spiritual responsibility carried by a bishop, noting that true theological wisdom is inseparable from sacrifice, compassion, and service. Archbishop Makarios was praised for embracing his apostolic calling with faithfulness to Orthodox tradition while guiding the Church in Australia with humility and devotion.
The statement emphasized that throughout his ministry, Archbishop Makarios has shared in both the joys and sorrows of his flock, offering pastoral care, fostering unity, and working for the spiritual growth of the Church. It also noted that future generations would recognize his contribution as part of the unfolding providence of God in the life of the Archdiocese.
On the occasion of the anniversary, the Archdiocese expressed heartfelt gratitude to Archbishop Makarios and offered prayers for his continued health, wisdom, peace, and strength. The message also conveyed appreciation to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for their ongoing care and support of the Church in Australia.
Concluding the tribute, the faithful prayed that the Holy Spirit would continue to guide Archbishop Makarios in his ministry and grant him many more fruitful years of service to the Church and the people of God.
Read the full tribute below:
Today, with hearts overflowing in thanksgiving to our Almighty and Loving God, the clergy and faithful of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia joyfully commemorate the seventh anniversary since the enthronement of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Primate and Exarch of All Oceania. It was seven years ago when the Holy Archdiocese of Australia received from the gracious providence of God a new Chief Shepherd. For this reason, today is an opportunity to give thanks and glory to God for the gift of a Chief Shepherd who, for seven years now, has devoted himself tirelessly to the service of Christ and His Holy Church, leading the faithful of this land here in the Antipodes with wisdom, courage, theological depth and genuine paternal love.
As we prayerfully reflect upon these seven years of His Eminence’s ministry, our thoughts are drawn almost instinctively to the inspired words of Ecclesiastes: “For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18). At first, these words almost certainly appear paradoxical. Yet they reveal a profound truth: the more deeply one comes to know God, the more one’s heart is enlarged to love as He loves in utter selflessness, sacrificing all for the sake of Christ. Genuine theological knowledge, and the wisdom that flows from this, is never merely the acquisition of sacred learning, nor simply the mastery of doctrine. Rather, it is participation in the very life of Christ; embracing not only the splendour of divine truth but also the burdens, the struggles for the sake of the salvation of the people of God. Such knowledge carries with it a sacred weight—not the burden of scholarship alone, but the burden of pastoral responsibility.
Nowhere is this mystery more beautifully embodied than in the ministry of a Bishop. Night and day, it is the bishop who remains vigilant, carrying before God both the joys, but also the sorrows of His people, and becoming, in some small measure, a participant in the compassionate love of Christ Himself—to the extent that the Bishop is said to be “in the type and place of Christ [εἰς τύπον καὶ τόπον Χριστοῦ]” (cf. St Ignatius of Antioch). Upon his arrival to Australia, our Archbishop Makarios embraced not merely an ecclesiastical office, but an apostolic vocation—a lifelong participation in the sacrificial and self-effacing ministry of Christ, the Good Shepherd, who knows His sheep and lays down His life for them. Since that blessed day, His Eminence has sought to shepherd the flock of Christ with profound theological insight, unwavering fidelity to the sacred traditions of the Orthodox Church, missionary vision and a father’s unwavering love for every soul entrusted to his care.
It is in this sense that we can say that knowledge brings with it much weight. For seven years, our Archbishop has carried the weight of responsibility upon his shoulders. And for this reason, his ministry has been accompanied by tears: tears of thanksgiving as one beholds the quiet triumphs of God’s grace; tears of joy as lives are renewed through the Gospel; tears of compassion for those among his spiritual children who suffer; but also many tears of sorrow over the wounds that afflict the Body of Christ; and tears silently offered before the throne of God for the peace, unity and salvation of His people. Such tears are not signs of weakness but manifestations of spiritual strength. They are themselves a gift of the Holy Spirit, purifying the heart and granting us momentary yet precious glimpses of the living God.
For this reason, in the years yet to come, when future generations look back upon this chapter in the life of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, we are certain that they will behold far more than a succession of events or achievements. They will recognise the quiet unfolding of divine Providence through humility, sacrifice, perseverance and love. They will see the Church of Christ here in this Fifth Continent that was committed to communion and fellowship over division; to forgiveness over condemnation; to loving service over self-interest; and hope over despair. And they will contemplate that what was accomplished, was indeed accompolished together under the loving guidance of their Chief Shepherd and his Omophorion. And for this reason, with much gratitude in their hearts they will give expression to the words spoken by our loving Creator Himself at the dawn of all things: “And God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). And they will repeat the words of David, the Prophet and King: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when we all dwell together in unity” (Ps 132 LXX).
On this blessed anniversary, we therefore offer to His Eminence our heartfelt congratulations, our profound gratitude and our filial love. We thank Almighty God for the precious gift of his Episcopal ministry and pray that He who called him to the fullness of the priesthood may continue to grant him abundant health, wisdom, discernment, peace and every heavenly blessing. We express our gratitude to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, ‘the pre-eminent and suffering Church’ and to our Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, for his unwavering solicitude for the Great Church of Christ. May the Holy Spirit continually illumine the heart of our Archbishop and strengthen him to continue his apostolic ministry with the same humility, faith, devotion and self-sacrificial love that have characterised these first seven years, granting him many more fruitful years for the glory of His Holy Name and the salvation of His people.
Εἰς πολλὰ ἔτη, Δέσποτα!
From the Office of the Chancellor
29 June 2026
