On the evening of Friday, April 5, Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis, with the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Australia, led the Great Festive Vespers in honor of Saint Savvas the New of Kalymnos. The service took place at the celebrating church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Parish-Community located in the suburb of Banksia in Sydney. During the Service, the Bishop was accompanied by the Hierarchical Head of the Church, Fr. Savvas Pizanias, and many clergy members of the city of Sydney.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, addressing the large congregation, Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis spoke about various aspects of the life of the honored saint, with a particular focus on the Christian upbringing he received from his devout parents. “He was born and raised in a Christian Orthodox family,” he explained, “and learned the fundamental teachings of the faith, to the point that his desire was to offer himself to Christ and His Church.” “He did not want anything from this world,” he pointed out, recalling that from an early age Saint Savvas desired only Christ and that is why he had already left for Mount Athos at the age of twelve.
Referring to the later spiritual struggle of the Saint, the Bishop noted: “He learned the disciplines of fasting, prayer, spiritual struggle, and the submission of his own will to the will of God. In other words, he learned obedience to God, which denotes a great virtue, humility. And the humble neither blasphemes God nor condemns his fellow human being.”
In summary, Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis urged the faithful to emulate the example of Saint Savvas the New, encouraging them to wholeheartedly devote themselves to Christ. He emphasized the importance of nurturing children with the teachings of the Orthodox faith to ensure their closeness to the Church.
Finally, he conveyed the paternal wishes of Archbishop Makarios to Fr. Savvas and to all the faithful of the celebrating Parish-Community.
Translated by Thanos Chrysanthopoulos
