The annual feast of Panagia Myrtidiotissa was celebrated on Thursday, September 24, in Wangaratta, regional Victoria, bringing together Orthodox faithful from Melbourne and communities across the region.
Pilgrims travelled by bus from Melbourne early in the morning and were joined by faithful from Wangaratta and other parts of regional Victoria, continuing a tradition that has been maintained for many years and expressing their devotion to the Mother of God.
Bishop Eumenios of Chora presided over the Divine Liturgy and conveyed to those present the paternal love, prayers and blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
In his homily, Bishop Eumenios reflected on the title “Myrtidiotissa” and its connection with the myrtle, a simple and humble element of creation that became associated with the presence of the Virgin Mary and the faith and devotion of the people.
Drawing on the natural landscape of the Australian countryside, the Bishop said that God often chooses what is simple, quiet and unnoticed to reveal His grace.
Just as the myrtle became a symbol associated with Panagia Myrtidiotissa, he explained, the Australian countryside, despite its vast distances and quiet surroundings, can become a place of prayer, encounter and the living presence of the Church.
Bishop Eumenios also paid particular tribute to those who keep the Orthodox faith alive in communities far from Australia’s major urban centers.
He stressed that geographical distance does not diminish the Church’s pastoral responsibility toward its faithful, emphasizing that for the Church, “no place is distant and no person is forgotten.”
