“At the Theological School of St Andrew, the future of our Church and of Orthodox witness on the fifth continent is being cultivated,” emphasized Archbishop Makarios of Australia during the official dinner held on the evening of Tuesday, 30 September, at La Montage Reception Centre in Sydney, marking the conclusion of the 2nd Pan-Australian Clergy Synaxis and the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Theological School of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia.
With words of gratitude, the Archbishop commemorated his late predecessors, Archbishops Ezekiel and Stylianos, the one for envisioning, and the other for bringing into being the establishment of the Theological School in Sydney, declaring his firm resolve to labor for the further flourishing of this sacred institution. “From the very moment of my arrival in Australia in 2019,” he noted, “the Theological School has been at the heart of my thoughts, holding a central place in my vision and pastoral care for our Holy Archdiocese.”
The Archbishop, who also serves as Dean of the School, went on to affirm that its future looks promising, since it will soon be relocated to its own state-of-the-art facilities, fully equipped to meet the educational needs of the 21st century. He also referred to the expansion of the School’s academic programs, with the introduction of undergraduate studies in the Greek language and, more recently, the establishment of a Diploma in Byzantine Music. “These initiatives,” he stressed, “mark a new chapter in the life of the School, which promises to deepen its contribution both to the Church and to society.”
On the occasion of the presence at the dinner of representatives from the Australian University College of Divinity, the Archbishop offered his warm thanks to the leadership and board of the institution for their wise guidance, rigorous academic oversight, and fraternal support extended to the Theological School of St Andrew. “This ongoing collaboration,” he remarked, “has been, and remains, essential for the growth of our Theological School and for the credibility of Orthodox theological scholarship within Australia’s academic sphere.”
Concluding with the prayer that the Theological School may continue to bear spiritual fruit unhindered into the future, Archbishop Makarios conferred the Order of the Philochrists upon nine individuals who were either founding members of the School or have distinguished themselves through many years of steadfast support for its mission and work. The honorees were: His Grace Bishop Themistocles of Nicopolis of the Patriarchate of Alexandria; the Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Throne, Fr John Chryssavgis; Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne, Fr Miltiadis Chryssavgis; Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the School, Dr Philip Kariatlis; Mr Alan Galt; Professor Angelos Karantonis; Dr John Lee; Dr Guy Freeland; and Fr Anastasios Kalogerakis.
The festive event was further honored by the presence, among others, of His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of Miletus, representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch at the 2nd Pan-Australian Clergy Synaxis and Abbot of the Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of St Anastasia Pharmakolytria in Halkidiki; the invited Hierarchs: Metropolitans Ignatius of Demetrias and Almyros, Gregory of Cameroon, Justin of Nea Krini and Kalamaria, Nathanael of Chicago, Myron of New Zealand, and Damaskinos of Aetolia and Acarnania; the Bishops—members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of Australia: Elpidios of Perth, Silouan of Adelaide, Kyriakos of Melbourne, Evmenios of Kerasia, Bartholomew of Brisbane, and Athenagoras of Canberra; the Assistant Bishops: Iakovos of Miletoupolis, Christodoulos of Magnesia, and Christoforos of Kerasounta; Archimandrite Ignatios Mourtzanos, Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of Larisa and Tyrnavos; Hieromonk Chrysostomos, Elder of the Cell of St John Chrysostom of the Koutloumousian Skete on Mount Athos; Mr Fotios Poulopoulos, Patriarchal Deacon; and the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Mr George Skemperis.
