The Holy Archdiocese of Australia announces with profound sorrow the passing of Nun Makrina.
Born in Australia in 1941, the blessed nun’s secular name was Gwendoline Valerie Eve. Raised in the Anglican faith, she embraced Orthodoxy through the Sacrament of Holy Chrismation in 1988 following catechesis by the Very Reverend Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne, Fr. Miltiadis Chryssavgis, who was then parish priest of the Church of St. George in Rose Bay, Sydney. She received the name Anna at this time. In 1992, she was tonsured a nun and given the name Makrina by Metropolitan Ezekiel of Dervis, who was Bishop of Dervis at the time. In 1998, she received the Great Schema from the same hierarch.
Upon learning of the repose of Nun Makrina, Archbishop Makarios of Australia stated:
‘The blessed Makrina was a humble and devout soul, dedicated to prayer, and distinguished by her inexhaustible love for the Sisterhood and for the pilgrims who visited the Monastery where she did repentance in Geelong.’ The gentleness of her countenance and the peace of her heart bore witness to the presence of Christ within her. May the Lord, through the intercessions of His All-Holy Mother — whom the blessed one loved and served so faithfully — grant her a place among the righteous.”
The funeral service for Nun Makrina will be held on Holy Tuesday, 7 April 2026, at 11:00, at the Holy Monastery of the Precious Cross in Mangrove Mountain, New South Wales. Interment will take place in the monastery’s cemetery.
