Archbishop Makarios of Australia celebrated the feast of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, with the Greek Orthodox flock of Canberra.
The Archbishop presided over the services that took place at the namesake Holy Temple while holding a series of meetings with officials in the Australian capital.
More specifically, on the afternoon of Sunday, December 5, Archbishop Makarios presided over the Solemn Vespers in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Canberra, accompanied by Bishop Bartholomew of Charioupolis, Archimandrite Christologos, Archbishop Christoforos Krikelis, and the Hierarchical Head of the Parish of Saint Nicholas, Fr. Petros Kipouros.
On the day of the feast, Monday, December 6, Archbishop Makarios presided over the Solemn Divine Liturgy in the same Holy Temple.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Archbishop honored two prominent members of the Greek Orthodox community, Sotiria Liagkis, and Mick Calatzis, with the Golden Cross of the Apostle Andrew of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia.
Sotiria Liagkis is a great benefactor of the local Church, as she not only contributes financially to the needs of the Parish of Saint Nicholas in Canberra but has also undertaken the construction of the Greek Orthodox Church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, in the Batemans Bay, New South Wales. It should be noted that for her philanthropic work and her exceptional contribution to society, Liagkis was honored earlier this year by the Australian state with the Medal of the Order of Australia.
Mick Calatzis is a senior and distinguished member of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), where he has served conscientiously for 38 consecutive years. He is, in fact, the first Greek-born Federal Police Officer in Australia. He currently serves as a Police Inspector in the Northern District of Canberra and is also the President of the AFP Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Network.