The festive celebrations in honor of St. Elessa, Patron Saint of Kythera, concluded on Sunday, August 2, with a solemn Hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated by Archbishop Makarios of Australia at the Parish of the Resurrection of our Lord, our Lady of Myrtles, and St. Elessa in Kogarah, Sydney.
Concelebrating with the Archbishop were Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne and Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia, Chief Secretary of the Holy Provincial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and parish priest of Kogarah.
Among those in attendance were representatives of the Greek Consulate General in Sydney and the Kytherian Brotherhood of Australia.
A highlight of the Divine Liturgy was the ordination of fifteen young parish members to the ministry of Reader.
Addressing the newly ordained Readers, Archbishop Makarios stressed that “today does not simply mark the acceptance of a responsibility. It is the confirmation of a divine calling and a sacred mission.” He added that the Church entrusts them with this ministry because “it believes that the Holy Spirit has already begun to work within you.”
The Archbishop emphasized the unique role of Readers in the life of the Church, noting that when the Holy Scriptures are proclaimed during the Divine Liturgy and other services, “it is not merely the reading of an ancient text, but the living voice of God proclaimed anew to His faithful people.”
He explained that a Reader “becomes an instrument through which the word of God is proclaimed to the faithful,” a ministry that requires far more than a clear voice or proper pronunciation. Rather, it demands “a heart that has first loved and listened to the word of God,” together with humility, obedience, prayer, and a life shaped by the Gospel.
Concluding his address, Archbishop Makarios encouraged the fifteen new Readers to devote themselves to the study of the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers, to participate faithfully in the liturgical life of the Church, and to cultivate humility, obedience, purity, and love.
“May the word of God that you are called to proclaim become the rule and measure of your lives,” he said, praying that the Holy Spirit would strengthen them in their ministry and enable them to contribute to “the unity, holiness, and spiritual growth of Christ’s Holy Church.”
