With the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Australia, the Greek Orthodox Christian Society of NSW visited Canberra for a three-day spiritual event, which took place last week. Over one hundred people travelled to the Capital of Australia at the invitation of Bishop Bartholomew of Charioupolis.
On Friday, a performance titled “From Byzantium to the War of Independence 1821” was held at the Hellenic Club of Canberra. This event consisted of theatrical performances, traditional Greek songs, dance and storytelling which honoured the recent anniversary of 200 years of Greek independence. The performances commemorated the courageous sacrifice, hope and struggle for freedom maintained by the Greeks during 400 years of Turkish occupation.
On Saturday, Vespers were held at the church of St Nicholas, Canberra. The choir of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society chanted during the service and afterwards performed hymns and Christian songs to the congregation. Following this, a talk was delivered on the topic of living an Orthodox spiritual life within the family. The talk emphasised the importance of being good role models for our children, the power of praying as a family and the spiritual need to attend church weekly.
On Sunday, at the church of St Nicholas, Matins and Divine Liturgy were celebrated by His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Charioupolis, with chanting and Sunday School conducted by the Greek Orthodox Christian Society.
The Greek Orthodox Christian Society of NSW would like to sincerely thank the Greek Orthodox faithful in Canberra for their warm welcome, love and hospitality over the duration of the three days.
