The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple was celebrated solemnly in the Parish of Coburg in the Archdiocesan District of Northcote in Victoria.
Archiepiscopal Vicar of Melbourne, Bishop Ezekiel of Derby, presided over the Vespers on Monday, February 1, with the participation of many priests of the city as reported by vema.com.au.
On the feast day, Archimandrite Fr. Evmenios Vasilopoulos, Archiepiscopal Vicar of Northcote, presided over the Divine Liturgy. Apart from the priest in charge of the parish, Fr. Leonidas Ioannou, and the priest, Fr. Efstathios Papadopoulos, Archimandrite Fr. Christoforos Krikelis, and his father, Fr. Ioardanis Krikelis, participated in the service.
In his sermon, Fr. Evmenios spoke about the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the message behind this great event. Ypapanti means reception, he noted: “Receiving Christ not only in our arms but also in our heart, in the center of our life. That is, making Christ the center of our life and the motivation in everything we do to achieve peace of mind and elation.” “But this can be achieved only if we first receive our fellow man with open arms,” Fr. Evmenios pointed out, “When we manage to accept our neighbor without limits, conditions or self-interest, then Christ becomes our life. After all, Christ Himself tells us that what we do to a fellow human being is like doing it to Christ Himself. In closing, Fr. Evmenios conveyed to the faithful the wishes and blessings of Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
The celebrations for the Feast of the Presentation continued in Coburg on Sunday, February 7, and focused on the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821. After the Divine Liturgy, a Doxology was performed and then a meal was hosted in the parish hall.
The participants had the opportunity to attend the talk delivered by Vaios Anastasopoulos, Director of the School of Byzantine Music in Australia, on the crucial role of the Church in the education of the Nation during the Turkish occupation.