The Archdiocesan District of Perth organized a festive event for the celebration of Christmas on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers in the new facilities of the Holy Archdiocese.
The participants of the event, under the guidance of the Bishop Elpidios of Kyanes, impressed the audience with the excellent preparation and performance of Byzantine hymns, traditional carols, theatrical performance, as well as the recitation of the Gospel pericope of Christmas in Greek, English and Romanian.
Archbishop Makarios of Australia addressed a short greeting, welcoming the event with joy and cordially giving his paternal blessing. He noted that Christmas was the metropolis of the holidays according to St. Ioannis Chrysostomos and emphasized the importance of preserving the traditions and carols to pass them on the future generations.
The Archbishop also urged the flock of Perth to prepare for Christmas with prayer, confession and participation in the Mysteries of the Church, while he concluded that we should “not to love wealth and glory but the hearts of our neighbor.”
In his reply, Bishop Elpidios thanked the Archbishop for blessing the event with his participation, emphasizing the anticipation of the people of Perth for the upcoming visit of the Archbishop to Western Australia.
At the end of the event, the Bishop thanked the audience for their active participation in the Christmas event of the Holy Archdiocese and received dikirotrikira as a gift from the priests of Western Australia.
Finally, he distributed to everyone a souvenir gift, wishing Merry Christmas with health and every blessing from God.