Australian and New Zealand Diocese (ROCOR)

Most Reverend fellow archpastors, most honorable fathers–concelebrants, reverent diaconate in Christ, beloved in the Lord monastics, laboring in our monasteries; brothers and sisters, faithful children of the Russian Church Abroad, spread as God’s grains of wheat across the face of the entire earth!

From the depth of my heart, filled with joy, I greet all of you with the Nativity of the God of peace and love, who became a live Human Being, one of us! Contemplating the manger of Christ, I offer the gift of fervent prayer for the establishment of a deep and inalienable peace in the hearts of all men, all peoples, in my heart and in your hearts—that compunctious peace which was brought to the city of Bethlehem by that great chorus of angels, which proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Today the Holy Church represents Bethlehem in each of Her temples. She desires that (more…)

With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, His Grace Bishop Peter of Cleveland, Administrator of the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America, Treasurer of the Synod of Bishops has arrived in Australia to attend the 4th Annual Teen Retreat to be held in Melbourne, VIC, from 19 December to 24 December 2014. He is also here to participate in the 50th Anniversary Syezd to be held in Kentlyn, NSW from 26 December to 31 December 2014.

Bishop Peter’s Timetable

                                                            18 / 19 Dec – St Nicholas Cathedral, Brisbane

                                                       20 / 21 Dec – Our Lady’s Dormition Church, Dandenong

                                                                       21 / 23 Dec – Teen Retreat, Melbourne

                                                                               26 / 30 Dec – Syezd, Kentlyn

                                                 27 / 28 Dec – Protection of the Holy Virgin Church, Cabramatta

                                                                                 31 Dec – Departs Australia

По благословению Высокопреосвященнейшего митрополита Илариона, в субботу 13-го декабря, 3 часа дня, будет отслужена панихида по усопшим отцам, братьям и сестрам у которых недавно были разрушены могилы на кладбище Руквуд. Служение панихиды будет на старой секции кладбища в сослужении русского и сербского православного духовенства.

With the blessing of his Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, a Memorial Service will be served Saturday, 13 December 2013 at 3pm at Rookwood cemetery in the chapel located in the old section. This service will be served jointly with Russian and Serbian Orthodox clergy to offer prayers for the departed servants of God who have had their graves desecrated recently.

30th Anniversary of Metropolitan Hilarion’s Episcopal Consecration & 80th Anniversary of Eastern American Diocese’s Founding celebrated at Eastern American Diocesan Center
English version of report, see here

On 4 November 2014 the “New-Shamordino” Kazan Convent of the Mother of God in Kentlyn, NSW, celebrated its patronal feast.  On the evening of Monday 3 November, All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served.  To the great joy of the sisters and of the faithful, His Grace Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal and Canada, a son of the Australian and New Zealand Diocese, was present, presiding at both the Litia and the Polyeleos.  Also participating were Mitred Archpriest Nikita Chemodakov, Dean of New South Wales and the monastery’s spiritual father (Saint Nicholas Parish, Fairfield), Archpriest George Lapardin (Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral, Strathfield), Archpriest Boris Ignatievsky (Intercession of the Holy Virgin Parish, Cabramatta), Hieromonk Dorofey  (Urusau) (monastery cleric), Priest James Carles (St Panteleimon Parish, Gosford, and St Nicholas Parish, Wallsend), Priest Alexander Korjenevski (St George Parish, Carlton), Priest Dionysios Halim (St John the Baptist Skete, Kentlyn), Priest Seraphim Slade (Australian Orthodox Indigenous Mission) and Protodeacon Ivan Bots (Cabramatta).  The choir sang solemnly and beautifully under the direction of Abbess Maria (Miros), the convent superior.  Joining the choir was Abbess Anna (Karipoff), the superior of the Presentation Convent in Bungarby, NSW, who had travelled with some of her sisters to celebrate the feast.  Of particular note at the evening service was the antiphonal singing of the Polyeleos by the clergy and choir. (more…)

On Thursday 1 May to Sunday 4 May, St John the Baptist Parish in Canberra hosted the diocesan Choral Conference (Певческий Съезд). Video and audio recordings of the three key note addresses are available on the St John the Baptist Parish web site, along with photographs. Georgiy Safonov spoke on the life and work of Pavel Chesnokov, Abbot Sergei (Shatrov) on Znamenny Chant and Archpriest George Johnson on Orthodox Church Singing in English.

Also available are audio recordings of musical highlights from the All Night Vigil and the Divine Liturgy, in both Church Slavonic and English. Settings range from Znamenny Chat to modern arrangements and compositions, including those by Chesnokov and one of the conference’s key note speakers, Archpriest George Johnson.

SERBIA IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918

Following the Pan Orthodox commemoration of those fallen in the Great War in Melbourne on the 11th September, a second service was held in the nation’s capital on the 25th October under the aegis of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Australia and Oceania.

The focus of the second commemoration was to honour the Serbian Nation and especially its war dead, which took the full brunt of an Austro-Hungarian invasion and four years of savage fighting, exile and eventual victory.  (more…)