The ordination of the elected Bishop of Kerasounta, Christoforos, was celebrated with ecclesiastical splendor in Sydney on Sunday, September 28. The Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation was filled with Hierarchs, clergy, and hundreds of pious believers who actively participated in the joy of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia.
Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided over the Synodal and Polyarchieratic Divine Liturgy, accompanied by the visiting Hierarchs: Metropolitans Ignatios of Demetrias and Almyros, Gregorios of Cameroon, Justin of Nea Krini and Kalamaria, Nathaniel of Chicago, and Myron of New Zealand, as well as Bishop Themistocles of Nikopolis. Also concelebrating were the Bishops, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod: Elpidios of Perth, Silouan of Adelaide, Kyriakos of Melbourne, Athenagoras of Evmenia, Bartholomew of Vrysvanis, and Bartholomew of Canberra, together with the Assistant Bishops Iakovos of Miletoupolis and Christodoulos of Magnesia.
Metropolitan Apostolos of Miletus, Abbot of the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Saint Anastasia Pharmakolytria, also attended the upcoming 2nd Pan-Australian Holy Synaxis.
Among the large congregation were the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Georgios Skemberis, ministers, MPs, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, representatives of Greek diaspora organizations and Pontian associations from Melbourne (the birthplace of the newly ordained Bishop), executives of organizations, institutions and schools of the Holy Archdiocese, as well as the brother of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Nikolaos Archontonis, together with his wife, Catherine.
During the ordination of Bishop Kerasounta, Archbishop Makarios delivered a paternal and exhortative address to his spiritual child, first highlighting his charismatic personality and his blessed ministry in the Church.
“If I try to describe your life with a scriptural verse,” he noted, “then I will refer to the Prophet Isaiah, who, hearing the commandment of God with absolute confidence and inner peace, said: ‘Behold, I am here, Lord; send me.’” With the same conviction, you entered the priesthood at a mature age, making a conscious choice while heeding the voice of God.”
The Archbishop went on to congratulate Fr. Iordanis Krikelis and Presbytera Polyxeni for the Christ-centered upbringing they offered, while praising the dedication with which Bishop Christoforos had served in his executive roles as Director of the Private Archdiocesan Office and Protosyncellus of the Holy Archdiocese.
“Your ministry and the blessed transformation you underwent after your entry into the priesthood are truly remarkable,” he emphasized, “so much so that many times, when I discerned the joy and grace in your service, I thought you were ready to proclaim in every direction: ‘We have found the Messiah.’”
A particularly moving moment of His Eminence’s speech came when he recalled the words of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during last month’s session of the Holy Synod, praising Christoforos:
“The candidate for the Diocese of Kerasounta and the office of Protosyncellus of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia is one of the most prudent clergymen I have met in my life,” said the Ecumenical Patriarch, at the meeting where the unanimous decision was taken for his election.
“These words of our Patriarch,” Archbishop Makarios remarked, “are not only praise, but also a legacy.” Turning again to the newly ordained Bishop, he offered his paternal exhortation: “Do not lose the sensitivity of your heart. Remain prudent, humble, and sensitive.”
The Archbishop also referred to the gift of unity possessed by the new Bishop, the fruit of which is the love and trust shown to him by all the clergy. In conclusion, he urged the Bishop never to forget what it means to be a Bishop of the Holy Great Church of Christ.
“In the small yet boundless Phanar,” he emphasized, “the entire soul of Greekness is enclosed. And you, as a scion of Pontus, know this great reality well.
There lies our canonical reference, and there rests our heart. Always turn your mind there, to the banks of the Bosphorus, and fix your gaze upon the most honorable Person of our Patriarch. Be taught what morality, struggle, and sacrifice mean… what it means not merely to live in the Church, but to live for the Church and for Christ.”
Before the conclusion of the ordination, the newly ordained Bishop expressed his gratitude to his Archbishop and Elder, Makarios, acknowledging that “he sowed in my soul the seed of the entire tradition in Christ.”
“Your Eminence, I promise you with all my heart the obedience of a loving and devoted son,” he affirmed, also extending his thanks to the members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of Australia, to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and to the Holy and Sacred Synod for the trust they placed in him.
At the end of the ordination, the Hierarchs, clergy, and faithful fervently exclaimed “Axios!” After the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Christoforos received the congratulations and heartfelt wishes of all.
