On Sunday, November 3, Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne presided over Orthros and the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries in Oakleigh, Melbourne, accompanied by Fr. Stavros Kakavas and Fr. Kyriakos Tsapas.
In his sermon, Bishop Kyriakos reflected on the day’s Gospel passage and conveyed the blessings and well-wishes of Archbishop Makarios of Australia to the congregation. Fr. Stavros, in turn, expressed gratitude to Bishop Kyriakos for his ongoing presence at the parish’s celebrations.
Following the service, Bishop Kyriakos and the clergy attended the annual “Oakleigh Glendi” Festival, held in the heart of Oakleigh. The event featured performances by students from Oakleigh Grammar School, who sang two hymns: the Apolytikion of Saint Paisios the Athonite, Protector of Australia, in English, and the Apolytikion of the Holy Unmercenaries in Greek.
The festival drew visitors from diverse cultural backgrounds, with dignitaries in attendance including the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Emmanuel Kakavelakis, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Vasilis Papastergiadis, President of the Greek Community of Oakleigh, Christos Damatopoulos, and Oakleigh Grammar School Director, Mark Robertson.
Bishop Kyriakos, joined by Fathers Stavros and Kyriakos, also conducted a Trisagion service at the park monument where the festival took place, honoring the fallen of 1940. Wreaths were laid by Bishop Kyriakos and other officials, and he delivered a greeting on behalf of Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
The Bishop later visited various stalls at the “Oakleigh Glendi,” including the mobile food unit of the Five Loaves program.
