On Sunday, 17 November 2024, with the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis visited the Church of Saint Ioannis, in the Parramatta district of Sydney, where he officiated at the Matins and presided over the Divine Liturgy.
Bishop Iakovos was welcomed and received by the Parish Priest, Father Dimitri Kokkinos, who thanked His Grace for his blessed presence in the Parish of Saint Ioannis.
Following the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Iakovos attended the end-of-year concert performed by the Sunday School children of St Ioannis Parish.
After singing Christian songs with much enthusiasm, the children presented a re-enactment of the life of the Holy Forerunner, St John the Baptist. The children, guided by their Sunday School teachers, performed this in response to a request made by His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis when he presided over the Vespers for the Beheading of the Forerunner in August earlier in the year – when he addressed the children in his sermon and encouraged them to learn the life of the patron saint of their parish.
Visibly moved, Bishop Iakovos commended the Sunday School children for performing the life of St John the Baptist with much reverence, modesty, and respect. Bishop Iakovos conveyed to the children the love, prayers, and blessings of Archbishop Makarios of Australia, and thanked the Greek Orthodox Christian Society for their work in organising the Sunday Schools in the Holy Archdiocese of Australia.
