The Feast of the Patron Saint of the Parish of St. Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous, the Wonderworker, was celebrated with ecclesiastical splendor and a solemn atmosphere of devotion in the Parish of St. Spyridon, located in the suburb of Kingsford, Sydney.
On the morning of Thursday, December 12, a great Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held, presided over by Archbishop Makarios of Australia. He was joined by Metropolitan Prodromos of Rethymno and Avlopotamos and the Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis. They were assisted by the clergy of the city, including the parish priest of the celebrating parish, Fr. Stylianos Skoutas, and his co-priest, Fr. Stavros Ivanos, as well as the Archimandrites accompanying the Metropolitan of Rethymno, Archimandrite Vasileios Papadakis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Agia Anastasia of the Romans in Rethymno, and Archimandrite Theologos Papalevzyakis, Elder Monk-Counselor of the Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of Arkadi.
A large congregation of devout believers attended, including the President of the Parish, Mr. Ilias Oikonomou, and members of the Parish Council, as well as students from the Greek Orthodox College of St. Spyridon, accompanied by their Principal, Mrs. Emelia Katsogianni.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, a procession with the holy icon of the honored Saint was held around the church. Before the procession, Archbishop Makarios greeted and warmly welcomed Metropolitan Prodromos, who is visiting Australia with his entourage to bring the relics of the Four New Martyrs of Rethymno: Manuel, Angelos, George, and Nicholas. Archbishop Makarios expressed his deep gratitude to the distinguished Hierarch of the Church of Crete for making it possible to bring the holy relics of the Four New Martyrs to the fifth continent for the blessing of the faithful of Melbourne and Australia. Archbishop Makarios went on to praise the personality of Metropolitan Prodromos, highlighting his rich theological training and asked him to deliver the homily.
In his response, Metropolitan Prodromos thanked the Archbishop for the invitation and hospitality, recalling the long-standing spiritual bond they share from their time of service in their native Crete, and praised the many gifts of the Archbishop and his dynamic pastoral leadership in the Orthodox Church in Australia.
In his homily, Metropolitan Prodromos focused on the virtues of simplicity and humility that St. Spyridon possessed. Through these virtues, he explained, the Saint was deemed worthy by God to become a vessel of divine grace and to perform miracles. “God, in every age,” he pointed out, “has His share, His people, His presence in this world. And as He did with St. Spyridon at the First Ecumenical Council, so He has done and continues to do countless times in the life of our Holy Church. As you can see, the saints have not left this world, and holiness is not a matter of past centuries in the life of the Church.”
To support his words, the Metropolitan invoked the holy lives of the Four New Martyrs of Rethymno and of St. Paisios the Athonite, Patron of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia. He concluded by emphasizing that the common message of all the saints is: “Love Christ, choose the path of holiness, choose to hold the cross in your hand, even if many people in our time mock or ridicule it. Make the sign of the cross and begin this beautiful journey of faith, which never ends except in the Kingdom of God”.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
