The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia has proclaimed the coming year as the “Year of Patriarch Bartholomew,” marking the 35th anniversary of the distinguished Patriarchal ministry of the revered Primate of Orthodoxy, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Throughout 2026, a series of events will be held across Australia in his honor. In October, a pilgrimage to Constantinople is also planned, culminating in a major anniversary celebration to be held on the day commemorating the Ecumenical Patriarch’s election.
The announcement was made with joy by Archbishop Makarios of Australia during his address at the Archdiocese’s Vasilopita-cutting ceremony, held on Friday, January 2, at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Sydney.
The Archbishop spoke about Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and expressed the local Church’s gratitude for the many benefactions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, especially for the practical care and support personally shown by the Ecumenical Patriarch to the Christ-loving people of the Fifth Continent.
He also recalled that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is now the longest-serving Primate of the Apostolic Throne of Constantinople, adding pointedly: “God has blessed His All-Holiness; He wants him there, because in the end it is God who decides.”
Turning again to the anniversary year, the Archbishop offered warm thanks to the Christian Union for its key role in the event to be held in Constantinople, and issued an open invitation for all to take part either in the pilgrimage to the sacred center of Orthodoxy or in the celebrations organized by the local dioceses across Australia.
During his address, the Archbishop also urged those present to set spiritual goals for 2026 and briefly reviewed highlights of the past year, including the historic election—significant for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia—of Bishop Athanagoras of Canberra and Bishop Christophoros of Kerasous.
“For the first time, the Holy Eparchial Synod, by vote, formed the three-person shortlist,” he noted, describing the development as historic and deeply moving.
Following the cutting of the traditional Vasilopita, Archbishop Makarios distributed the pieces and conveyed his paternal wishes to all, with special congratulations to Antonia Fantaki, who was blessed to find the coin.
Those present included Metropolitan Seraphim of Sebasteia; Bishops Bartholomew of Brisbane and Athanagoras of Canberra; the Auxiliary Bishops Iakovos of Miletoupolis (Abbot of the Monastery of St George, Yellow Rock), Christodoulos of Magnesia (Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod), and Christophoros of Kerasous (Protosyncellus of the Archdiocese), as well as numerous clergy from Sydney and leaders and representatives of local Church organizations and institutions.
