Australian and New Zealand Diocese (ROCOR)

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This year, the Gosford parish will celebrate its patronal feast on Saturday 8 August 2009.  All-night Vigil will begin at 6.00pm on Friday 7 August 2009, with the Lesser Blessing of Waters at 8.15am on Saturday 8 August 2009, and Divine Liturgy at 9.00am.  Afterwards, there will be a festive lunch at the Narara Community Centre.  All are invited!  Clergy and altar servers should bring gold vestments. (more…)

8th Sunday after Pentecost – Feeding the Five Thousand

Homily From “The One Thing Needful,” Sermons of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko)

“Give ye them to eat!” said Christ to His disciples. And He said this to them as if answering their advice: “This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.” But Christ insisted, “Give ye them to eat!” Then the disciples said to Him, “[Teacher], we have here but five loaves, and two fishes” (Mt. 14:15-17).

Let us put ourselves in their position: a tremendous crowd  —  the men alone were about five thousand, not counting women and children. With the approach of darkness, the places where bread was sold would be closed. So this crowd of many thousands faced a hungry night in the wilderness. With them were little children. While Christ spoke, all physical needs were silent; but now He fell silent and the people were already beginning to feel hungry. What would happen next? People would become weak, children would cry from hunger, and no one would be able to fall asleep. The result would be despondency, disillusionment, and maybe even murmuring. We believed Thee; we came in search of the Kingdom of God and its Truth. That’s why we came to Thee here. Thou didst promise that everything else would be added to us. But here Thy promise has not been fulfilled. We don’t even have the food necessary for our children; and night is approaching, a dark southern night. (more…)

8th Sunday after Pentecost

MATINS (VIII)

John 20:11-18

11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. 14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things unto her. (more…)

Topic: The Spiritual Significance of the Paschal Period
(A continuation of the talk Fr. Alexis gave during Great Lent on the different aspects of Great Lent)

Speaker: Archimandrite Alexis, Abbott of Holy Transfiguration Monastery (more…)

A Talk by Priestmonk Kosmas, Why Logic and Reason in Spiritual Matters Can Lead to a Loss of Grace will be held in the hall of the parish of  St George Church, Carlton, at 6pm. A Paraklesis (Moleben) to the Most Holy Theotokos will be served in English beforehand at 4.45pm. (more…)

7th Sunday after Pentecost – Healing the Blind and Dumb

Homily From “The One Thing Needful,” Sermons of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko)

The first Sunday readings after Pentecost showed us the Commandments of God according to which all the saints of the universal Church and our Russian Church lived. These commandments were like steps into the Kingdom of Heaven. And the Kingdom of Heaven the Merciful God has prepared for all. This means that these steps are leading there; these commandments of God are a must for every one of us. So with such a purpose the Holy Church presented them to us.

But now for the last several weeks the Holy Church has begun to show us not what we should cultivate in ourselves, but things which we should avoid, against which we should fight. These readings told about the power of evil, about being possessed by it, about passions, sins, slavery to sin, bodily paralysis which is the result of sin; and this pointed out to us our spiritual paralysis, which is always the result of sin. (more…)

7th Sunday after Pentecost

MATINS (VII)

John 20:1-10

1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. (more…)

The Chancery of the Diocese of Western Europe has announced the sad news that Bishop Ambrose (Cantacuzene) reposed in the Lord today.

Bishop Ambrose, whose secular name was Peter Cantacuzene, was born on 3/16 September 1947, in Vevey, Switzerland, the son of Prince Peter Georgievich Cantacuzene (1922-1975) and his ife, Olga Alekseevna (nee Orlov, 1923-1984). He completed his secondary schooling with a certificate in classical philology, and then went on tto study law at Lausanne University. Within seven years he had become a teacher of French and basic principles of law in a secondary school. In 1972, in the Vevey’s Church of the Greatmartyr Barbara, during its patronal feast, he was tonsured a reader. In 1974, he took part in the Third Pan-Diaspora Council. (more…)

Епархиальное Управление Западно-Европейской епархии сегодня с прискорбием сообщило о кончине епископа Амвросия (Кантакузена).

Епископ Амвросий, в миру Петр Кантакузен, родился 3/16 сентября 1947 г. в г. Вевэ (Швейцария), сын князя Петра Георгиевича Кантакузен (1922-1975 гг.) и его супруги Ольги Алексеевны, урожденной Орловой (1923-1984 гг.). Окончил школьное образование с аттестатом зрелости по классической филологии, а затем – юридический факультет Лозаннского университета. В продолжении 7 лет был преподавателем французского языка и элементарных юридических понятий в средней школе. В 1972 г. в храме святой великомученицы Варвары в Вевэ в день ее памяти был поставлен во чтецы. В 1974 г. – участник III Всезарубежного Собора. (more…)