On Sunday, 7 December, Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided at the Divine Liturgy in the celebrating Parish of Saint Nicholas, located in the predominantly Greek suburb of Marrickville in Sydney. Concelebrating with him were Bishop Elpidios of Perth and Bishop Christoforos of Kerasous, Protosyncellus of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
At the Archbishop’s invitation, the homily was delivered in English by Bishop Elpidios, who presented and explored key aspects of the life and remarkable personality of Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker.
Archbishop Makarios then spoke about this year’s commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (AD 325), drawing inspiration from the active role played by the parish’s Patron Saint at the Council. He also shared with the large congregation the moving impressions he gained from his participation in the recent joint pilgrimage of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Leo XIV of Rome to Nicaea in Bithynia.
“It was deeply moving to be there,” he said, “because we saw the very foundations of the church where the First Ecumenical Council was convened. We closed our eyes and allowed ourselves to travel mentally 1700 years back in time, imagining where Constantine the Great and the Holy Fathers present at that monumental moment for the Orthodox Church might have been seated.”
He then turned his attention to two key reasons why the First Ecumenical Council stands among the most significant and defining events in the history of the Orthodox Church.
The first reason, he explained, is that it established the fundamental principle of conciliarity: “The word of a single bishop, monk, or cleric does not constitute the voice of the Church. The voice of the Church is that which is expressed through conciliar processes.”
“The First Ecumenical Council opened the way for all those that followed. Above all, it laid the foundation for the Church’s conciliar character. And today we rejoice, for God has granted us the blessing of having our own local Council here in Australia, enabling us to make decisions on matters that concern the people of God and our local Church.”
The second reason why the First Ecumenical Council stands as a “landmark” in Church history is that it produced the Creed—specifically, its first seven articles.
“The Fathers studied, prayed, and invoked the grace of God, and what we now recite in every Divine Liturgy is a text that—at least in its first part—emerged from the First Ecumenical Council,” the Archbishop recalled.
Concluding his address, His Eminence congratulated the Parish Priest of Saint Nicholas, Fr. Irineos Trilonakis, along with the Parish President, Elias Dimakis, and all those who assisted in the exemplary organization of this year’s feast.
He also expressed his paternal joy at the spirit of renewal that Fr. Irenaeus has brought in the short time of his ministry at the Marrickville parish.
He urged the faithful to embrace their new Priest with love, to actively support his work, and to move forward together in unity and mutual affection, for the glory of Christ and His Church. “It has been proven time and again throughout our rich history that if we are not united, we cannot move forward,” he emphasized in closing.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a procession of the holy Icon of Saint Nicholas took place, borne by members of the Lyceum of Greek Women of Sydney, dressed in traditional Greek attire.
