On Sunday, December 14, Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria, Exarch of Hungary and Central Europe, presided over a concelebrated Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Ukrainian-speaking Parish of Saints Vladimir and Olga in Vienna.
Concelebrating with the Metropolitan were Bishop Maximos of Aristi, the parish priest Protopresbyter Economos Nikolaos Lesjuk, Presbyters Georgios Strugov, Kornilios Khrushsch, Nikitas Magalas, and Deacon Ioannis Chornoknysch, in the presence of a large congregation of faithful.
Before the Dismissal, Metropolitan Arsenios elevated Fr. Georgios Strugov to the rank of Protopresbyter and appointed him Archieratical Commissioner for the Ukrainian-speaking parishes of the Metropolis. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, he also blessed members of the altar servers for their ecclesiastical ministry. The liturgical celebration was followed by a festive Christmas concert.
In his homily, Metropolitan Arsenios reflected on the Gospel passage of the Great Banquet, emphasizing that it reveals the very heart of Christian ontology. The Kingdom of God, he explained, is not a place, a reward, or a metaphysical state, but a Banquet—an event of relationship, communion, and shared life. God calls humanity into personal communion. The tragedy, he noted, lies not simply in refusal, but in its justification: the invited guests do not merely decline the invitation, but rationalize their absence, replacing relationship with utility. Accepting the divine invitation requires abandoning self-sufficiency and embracing faith as a transition from the “I” to the “we” of the Kingdom. The Banquet is both Eucharistic and eschatological, and Christ calls all to the table of faith, asking us to prepare for the encounter with God who comes to become human.
Before the Dismissal, the Metropolitan offered prayers for a ceasefire and for the restoration of peace in Ukraine, expressing his heartfelt solidarity with the families and loved ones of the victims of the unjust war. He then proceeded with the ordination of Fr. Georgios Strugov to the rank of Protopresbyter, recalling that ten years earlier, with the Metropolitan’s blessing, Fr. Georgios had begun the formation of the first Ukrainian-speaking parish in Vienna. His appointment as Archieratical Commissioner aims to support the pastoral work of the Auxiliary Bishop Maximos among the Ukrainian-speaking communities of the Metropolis.
The celebration concluded with a festive reception and a Christmas concert featuring seasonal hymns, held on the parish premises, offering the faithful an atmosphere of joy, prayer, and communal unity.
