The feast of St. Spyridon the Wonderworker was celebrated solemnly in Melbourne.
The Protsyncellus of the Archdiocese of Australia, Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, presided over the festal Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning in the Chruch of St. Spyridon in the suburb of Clayton, accompanied by Archimandrite Evmenios Vassilopoulos, the priest in charge of Saint Spyridon Church, Fr. Georgios Athanasiadis, and other priests of Melbourne.
After the Divine Liturgy, a festive luncheon was served at the adjacent Community Center of the Parish.
On the eve of the feast, the Great Vespers was celebrated with artoklasia, officiated by Bishop Emilianos of Meloa.
The Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Dimitrios Michalopoulos attended the service, whom the Holy Archdiocese of Australia honored by the time its term of office comes to an end.
The Bishop of Meloa, representing Archbishop Makarios, awarded Dimitrios Michalopoulos an honorary diploma as well as the Golden Cross of Andrew the Apostle as a token of recognition of the diligence and devotion of the outgoing consul general to the Church and the ideals of the nation.
Dimitrios Michalopoulos expressed warm;y thanked the Archdiocese and Archbishop Makarios for the honor while emphasizing the value of cooperation and unity within the Greek community.