The world-saving event of the Incarnation of God was celebrated with ecclesiastical splendor and solemn majesty in the capital of Western Australia. On the day of the great Feast of the Lord, a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of Saint Nektarios in the suburb of Dianella, Perth, presided over by Archbishop Makarios of Australia and concelebrated by Bishop Elpidios of Perth and Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint George at Yellow Rock, New South Wales.
The celebration also included the ordination of a new member of the clergy of the Orthodox Church in Australia. Ioan Ancuta, who had served for many years as a chanter at the Holy Monastery of Saint John of the Mountain in Forrestfield, Perth, was ordained to the first degree of the Holy Priesthood by Archbishop Makarios. He has been noted for his dedication and faithful service to the Church.
Addressing paternal exhortations to the newly ordained Deacon, the Archbishop first referred to the mystery of the Incarnation of the Savior Christ and offered a theological explanation of the term “mystery.”
As he explained, it is an event that transcends human understanding and logic: “It is not something that someone keeps hidden as a secret, but an event that lies beyond human perception and beyond the limits of the created world. A mystery is not subject to investigation or proof. It is a truth of another order, which cannot be approached through ordinary methods or criteria, or by experimental instruments. It is a matter of a pure heart, as the Lord Himself says: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’ (Matthew 5:8). Purity of heart is the fundamental and necessary condition for participating in the mystery of the priesthood.”
Emphasizing that a pure heart is kindled by love for Christ, for people, and for all creation, the Archbishop urged the ordained member to serve his mission as a clergyman in this spirit.
“Never forget the divine commandment of love,” he stressed, reminding him that love constitutes the very essence and being of God and is offered unconditionally to every person, as we experience and understand it through the Incarnation of the Son and Word of God.
Concluding his address, Archbishop Makarios expressed his conviction that the new Deacon possesses all the necessary qualities for a blessed and fruitful ministry.
This conviction was further affirmed by the local Bishop, Elpidios, the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint John and spiritual father of the ordained member, Archimandrite Makarios Souris, as well as by all the faithful who filled the Church of Saint Nektarios. Among them were the wife and children of Fr. Ioan, who at the conclusion of the ordination proclaimed “Axios” with visible enthusiasm.
It is also noted that present at the Christmas Divine Liturgy were the Consul of Greece in Perth, Eleni Georgopoulou, and State Member of Parliament, Frank Paolino.
