On the evening of Pascha Sunday, the Vespers of Love service was celebrated at the Church of Sts Constantine and Helene in Northbridge.
The service was presided over by Bishop Elpidios of Perth and assisted by the clergy of the Holy Diocese of Perth, including the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St John, Archimandrite Makarios Souris.
In keeping with Church tradition, the Gospel reading was proclaimed in various languages, symbolising the universality of the Orthodox faith.
Parish priest, Fr Eleftherios Gerovasilis, arranged for the Gospel to be read in Ngaanyatjarra—an Indigenous Australian language from the Central Desert region of Western Australia.
Furthermore, the Gospel was read in Greek by His Grace, as well as in the following languages: English, Spanish, Romanian, Afrikaans, Bulgarian, French, Arabic and Italian.
At the conclusion of the service, His Grace, before distributing the traditional Easter tsoureki, reminded the faithful that the Paschal greeting, “Christ is Risen,” used over the next forty days, is not merely a greeting but a confession of faith.
Finally, His Grace called upon all the faithful to chant “Christos Anesti” with all their strength and with all their hearts.
