St Mary Magdalene Orthodox Christian Mission, Elimbah QLD in Elimbah, Queensland, Australia | Religious centre

St Mary Magdalene Orthodox Christian Mission, Elimbah QLD

Locality: Elimbah, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 437 539 817

Address: Coronation Drive - Uniting Church building 4516 Elimbah, QLD, Australia

Website: http://australianorthodoxchristians.org

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25.01.2022 Many are familiar with the Holy Archdeacon Stephen as the first Christian martyr. The path to women's martyrdom however was opened by Saint Thecla, a woman disciple of Saint Paul.

25.01.2022 Debates surrounding atonement theology over the last several decades have centered on two terms, propitiation and expiation. Both of these terms describe the f...unction of particular sacrificial rituals. There is not, of necessity, a conflict between the core meanings of these two terms. They have come, however, to be emblematic of entire theological positions regarding the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Clearing away the accumulated theological baggage from these terms, however, allows them to highlight two important elements of the sacrificial system described in the Hebrew scriptures which will, in turn, reveal elements of the Gospels portrayal of Christs atoning death. Rather than summarizing two incompatible views or options or theories regarding how atonement works, these elements, along with others, convey An Ancient Faith Blog The post Propitiation and Expiation appeared first on The Whole Counsel Blog .

24.01.2022 Here are 6 things about St Silouan the Athonite.

24.01.2022 In case you didn't know...

24.01.2022 "Persevere with patience in your prayer, and repulse the cares and doubts that arise within you. They disturb and trouble you, and so slacken the intensity of y...our prayer." Evagrios the Solitary Curated by His Eminence, Metropolitan Basilios, Philokalic Nourishment is a short reading from the Philokalia. It's a spiritual dose from our Holy Fathers for internal nourishment and growth. https://www.antiochian.org.au/philokalic-nourishment

24.01.2022 Blessed is our God.... Services for this weekend are as follows: Saturday (Pomona)... 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy Sunday (Elimbah) 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy

23.01.2022 Going to church with a child is a podvig, a labor, a sacrifice, laying a path to the Kingdom of Heaven both for the children and the parents. Archpriest Sergei Nikolaev

23.01.2022 Blessed is our God.... Wed 25th Nov (Pomona) 5pm Vespers... Saturday 28th Nov (Pomona) 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy 4pm Great Vespers Sunday 29th Nov (Elimbah) 9:30am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy

23.01.2022 A Statement of the Holy Synod Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East Damascus, April 4, 2020 To all our beloved children of the Antioch Church, clergy, monast...ics, and all faithful First of all, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you, and may His peace fill your hearts with the light of His Resurrection, as the anchor of reassurance for tomorrow, abiding in faith and hope (1 Cor. 13:13), in the joy of the redeemed children. May He strengthen you by His love, through which He conquered on the Cross, once and for all, the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26). We, the hierarchs of the Holy Synod of Antioch, under the primacy of His Beatitude John X, address you today, as pastors of your journey in Christ, walking in the midst of the most serious health issue from the beginning of the twentieth century. We lift up our prayers for you and your families well-being, and for the whole world. Beloved Children As you know, we have been committed to halting church services, and we have requested from you to abide by these general measures taken by the whole world and to stay at home. Our previous directives came in the context of our great concern for the physical, mental and spiritual safety of each one of you, as a way to incarnate our communities evangelical love concerned for the safety of each human being in the world, and as a sign of our commitment to the social measures taken by the official authorities for the safety of all. These unusual measures come in the midst of our holy Lenten journey to Pascha. These measures increase our longing to the Holy Eucharist and to the common participation in prayers and supplications in our churches. It is a rightful longing that is held by us as a mystery of sonship. However, our Church, whose history testifies to its several harsh episodes in which her children and saints were displaced, has remained gathered alive, following the concerns of her people. The Church is present in the prayers of her children, who associate themselves closely with the words of the Holy Scripture and form temples with their kneeling bodies a holy sacrifice on the Lords altar. Therefore, the first thing we invite you to contemplate these feelings, and to abide by the Divine joy which no suffering can impede. You are called to do this through intensifying your daily prayers and reading of the Bible, writings and lives of the Holy Fathers, and everything that makes your houses little churches filled with entreaties and prayers, while remembering that the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). Beloved, lift up one another to the Lord, and pray for the whole world, for the sick, wounded, needy, displaced, kidnapped, and all the victims. Pray for all scientists and physicians, for all nurses who are working to help people out of this tribulation. Pray for the workers and janitors, for those who keep the security and regulations, and for all those unknown soldiers that work for your well-being and social safety, who are endangering their lives in order to provide you with the basic necessities of life. Pray for your shepherds. See Christ in the needy and in all those who are suffering from these circumstances. Share your bread and your goods with them. Protect yourself from all fear and panic, remembering that you are the children of the Creator of life, Who said: Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Mat. 28:20). In doing this, you are the one gathered Church, longing to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Church that the Lord desires, and in which He is pleased today. Make out of your time, the time of confinement and staying at home, a desert of repentance and longing to Holy Communion, and an acceptable time to work for the Lord and for the neighbor (2 Cor. 6:2). Endure this stage in light of the experience of monastics who went out to the desert in the beginning of Great Lent, in order to focus on prayer and repentance, and to fuel the longing for the meeting of the brothers and sisters at the Risen Christs feast. Beloved Children In addition to the foregoing, and to our prayers for you and for the sake of the world, we are keeping pace with the developments of the pandemic that threatens human life today. After meeting with each other, through communication and consultation between His Beatitude the Patriarch and Their Eminences the hierarchs, especially in light of the imminence of the Great and Holy Week and the Glorious Pascha, while facing the tragedies and repercussions of this difficult ordeal, we inform you of the decisions and directives we have taken: Firstly: We emphasize the necessity of strict adherence to the procedures adopted and taken by the official authorities specialized in fighting this pandemic and its spread, including the stay at home policies, while experiencing the mystery of the family as the joy of life. Secondly: We call upon the believers in all the Archdioceses, clergy, monastics and laity, to fully cooperate with the competent official and health authorities, in everything that provides aid and serves the welfare of the social health security. Thirdly: The services and prayers during the Great and Holy Week, and during Palm Sunday and Great Pascha (April 19) are to be held by just the priests and monastics in churches and monasteries, offered for the sake of all the people and for the peace of the whole world. In other words, the services are held behind closed doors, without the participation of any of the believers, while activating the possibility of direct broadcasting of daily prayers through the websites of the parishes, thus allowing the believers to follow the services from their homes. Fourthly: We pray, when conditions allow, and by God's mercy, to celebrate the Paschal service together on the day of the Leave-taking of Pascha (May 27, 2020), when the Paschal service is celebrated in its entirety and with our participation together. We hope that by that by time we will have triumphed over the pandemic and the life cycle be returned to normal. In order to prevent any confusion, the holy forty-days period of fasting ends at twelve o'clock at midnight of Saturday-Sunday, April 19. Fifthly: The parish priests and all believers, along with the parish councils and various church organizations and brotherhood are called to work together and collaborate in everything that helps and supports the needy and relieves the suffering of the victims and their families. Sixthly: The Church prays that the Lord may have compassion for His creation, remove this health distress from our world, strengthen the medical staff, nurses and all paramedic teams in hospitals and society, protect them from all harm, heal every patient, have mercy on all the deceased, and inspire all specialists, physicians and scientists to work on whatever protects life and the universe from all pandemics and evils. Seventhly: These measures were taken according to the latest data and developments, with our hope that these days will be shortened and life will return to its natural cycle Eighthly: While we accept the diversity of opinions and differing ideas in the approach to these matters, the aforementioned decisions and directives express the official position of the Antiochian Church. Accordingly, every violation of these decisions constitutes an explicit violation of the Church's position, and the Church authorities are not responsible for any civil consequences of these violations. Beloved children, We pray and hope that this worldwide tribulation will end, and that it will not cause us any hardship, difficulty, or suffering. We ask you to be strong in the Lord, looking forward to seeing the joy after this storm. We ask you again to look forward to the day in which we will make our contribution to a new world dawning upon us with reassurance, stability, solidarity, joy and splendor, under the Lords protection. In this hope, we entrust you under Gods protection, hoping that you be steadfast in your prayers, so that we can cross this stage together, without carrying in us any pain and wound, other than our longing for the Savior's Body and Blood.

22.01.2022 Spoys Retreat Photos Part 2

21.01.2022 Blessed is our God.... I have just been informed by the Uniting Church folk that all Uniting Church services in QLD have been shut down in response to the Coronavirus. This means that the Church is available to us for earlier starting time. Therefore as of this Sunday, Matins will commence at 8:30am followed by Liturgy at 9:30am. After Liturgy we will share in morning tea rather than a lunch as has been our practice.... We can discuss this matter further after Liturgy bearing in mind that information and direction from Sayedna can change rapidly in these circumstances.

20.01.2022 Christ is risen! Services for this weekend. Saturday ... 3:30pm Great Vespers at POMONA Sunday 10:30am Matins at ELIMBAH 110:30am Divine Liturgy at ELIMBAH (Fr Athanasios will be visiting and chanting )

20.01.2022 We often hear about "Patriarchal Succession" but usually its limited to St Peter as the first Patriarch & how it continues to our current day Patriarch - JOHN ...X BUT...Have you ever seen or given thought to the ENTIRE list? Here is your chance... #OrthodoxChristian #AntiochianOrthodox

19.01.2022 Our parish's first Family Retreat. Was a great success!

19.01.2022 Annual National Clergy Conference 2019 With the blessing and under the patronage of His Eminence, Metropolitan Basilios of Australia, New Zealand, and the Phili...ppines, the faithful clergy of the Archdiocese gathered for the Second Annual National Clergy Conference from Wednesday the 15th to Friday the 17th of May 2019, at St Michaels Monastery, Antiochian Village, Goulburn NSW. More...https://www.antiochian.org.au/2019/05/17/ancc2019/

17.01.2022 ELDER ZACHARIAS (ZACHAROU) OF ESSEX: A WORD OF CONSOLATION FOR THE PANDEMIC Many people are in confusion and others panic because of the threat of the Coronavir...us epidemic that spread in the whole world. I think, however, that this should not happen, for whatever God does with us, He does it out of love. The God of Christians is a good God, a God of mercy and lovingkindness, ‘Who loveth mankind’. God created us out of His goodness in order to share His life and even His glory with us. When we fell into sin, He allowed death to enter our life again out of goodness, so that we may not become immortal in our wickedness, but to seek for a way of salvation. Although we have fallen, God has never stopped to provide for us, not only material goods in order to sustain our race, but He also sent prophets and righteous, preparing His way so that He might come and solve our tragedy, and bring eternal salvation through the Cross and Resurrection of His inconceivable love. He came and took upon Himself the curse of sin, and He showed His love to the end: ‘Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end’ (John 13:1). All the things that God did when He created us, when He provided goods in order to sustain the world, when He prepared His way for Him to come on earth, when He came Himself in person and wrought our salvation in such an awesome way, all these things He did out of goodness. His goodness is boundless. He saves us and is so longsuffering towards us, waiting until we ‘come to the knowledge of the truth’ (1 Tim. 2:4) and bring true repentance, so that we may be with Him for all eternity. Thus, at every stage of His relationship with man, our God shows only His goodness and mercy, ‘which is better than life’ (Ps. 63:3); goodness is His Nature and He does all things for the benefit and salvation of man. Consequently, when He shall come again to judge the world, will a different God judge it? Will it not be the same good God, the God of mercy and lovingkindness, Who loves mankind? Let us be certain that we shall not appear before any other God than Him Who created us and saved us. And so, it is again with the same mercy and love that He will judge us. For this reason, we should neither panic nor waver, for it will be the same God that will receive us in the other life and will judge us with the same kindness and compassion. Some fear that the hour of their end has come. This plague of Coronavirus has also a positive aspect, because we have a few weeks from the moment it will assail us until our end. Therefore, we can dedicate this time to prepare ourselves for our meeting with God, so that our departure may not occur unexpectedly and without preparation, but after we have run through our whole life each time we stand in prayer before God, at times with thanksgiving unto the end for all the things God has done for us and at other times with repentance, seeking the forgiveness of our transgressions. Nothing can harm us with such a God, Who allows all things out of His goodness. We must simply keep thanksgiving unto the end and the humble prayer of repentance for the forgiveness of our sins. As for myself, this plague is helping me. I longed to find again the prayer I had before, with which I can run through my whole life from my birth until now, thanking God for all His benefits ‘whereof I know and whereof I know not’; and also, with which I can run through my whole life repenting for all my sins and transgressions. It is wonderful to be able to run through your life praying, bringing all things before God with persistence in prayer. Then you feel that your life is redeemed. This is why this situation is truly helping me. I am not panicking but ‘I will be sorry for my sin’ (Ps. 38:18). We must see the goodness of God in all the things that are happening now. The Holy Fathers did see His lovingkindness. A similar epidemic occurred in the 4th century in the Egyptian desert, which harvested more than a third of the monks, and the Fathers were saying with great inspiration that, ‘God is harvesting souls of saints for His Kingdom,’ and they did not waver. The Lord Himself speaks in the Gospel about the last days, about the trials and afflictions which the world will go through before His Second Coming. However, we discern neither morbid sadness nor despair in His words. The Lord Who prayed in the garden of Gethsemane with a sweat of blood for the salvation of the whole world, says that when we see the terrible things that precede His Second Coming, we should lift up our heads with inspiration, for our redemption draws nigh (cf. Luke 21:28). Some tell me, ‘May God extend His helping hand.’ But this is precisely the hand of God. He desires and works our salvation ‘at sundry times and in divers manners’ (Heb. 1:1): ‘My Father worketh hitherto, and I work’ (John 5:17). This virus may be a means that God uses in order to bring many to themselves and to repentance, and to harvest many ready souls for His eternal Kingdom. Therefore, for those who surrender and entrust themselves to the Providence of God all will contribute for their good: ‘All things work together for good to them that love God’ (Rom. 8:28). Thus, there is no room for morbid dismay. Neither should we resist the measures that the government is taking in order to diminish the spreading of the afflictions we see in the lives of so many people. It is wrong to go against the authorities. We should do whatever the Government says, because they are not asking for us to deny our faith, they are only asking us to take a few measures for the common welfare of all people, so that this trial may pass, and this is not at all unreasonable. Some people take it too confessionally, they raise flags and play the martyrs and the confessors. For us there is no doubt: we shall show pure submission to the orders of the Government. It is unfair to disobey the Government since, when we fall ill, it is to their hospitals that we run and they are the ones who undertake all the expenses and our care. Why not listen to them? This is the ethos of Christ that God showed in His life on earth and this is the apostolic commandment that we have received: ‘...be subject to principalities and powers, obey magistrates, be ready to every good work, speak evil of no man, be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men’ (cf. Tit. 3: 1-2); and ‘Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme...’ (see 1 Pet. 2:13-17). If we do not obey our governors who are not asking much, how will we obey God, Who gives us a divine law, which is far more sublime than any human law? If we keep the law of God we are above human laws, as the apologists of the 2nd century said during the Roman Empire which was persecuting the Christians. It is surprising to see in the country where we live, in the United Kingdom, that the footballers show such understanding and discernment so as to be the first to withdraw from their activities with docility towards the indications of the Government to take prophylactic measures. It would be sad for us, people of faith, to fail reaching the measure of the footballers and showing the same docility towards the authorities for which our Church prays. If they ask us to stop our Church services, let us simply surrender and bless the Providence of God. Besides, this reminds us of an old tradition that the Fathers had in Palestine: in Great Lent, on the Sunday of Cheese fare, after the mutual forgiveness, they would go out in the desert for forty days without Liturgy; they would only continue in fasting and prayer so as to prepare and return on Palm Sunday to celebrate in a godly way the Passion and the Resurrection of the Lord. And so, our present circumstances force us to live again that which existed of old in the bosom of the Church. That is to say, they force us to live a more hesychastic life, with more prayer, which will however make up for the lack of the Divine Liturgy and will prepare us to celebrate with greater desire and inspiration the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Thus, we will turn this plague into a triumph of hesychasm. In any case, whatever God allows in our life is out of His goodness for the well-being of man, for He never wants His creature to be harmed in any way. Certainly, if we will be deprived of the Divine Liturgy for a longer period of time, we can endure it. What do we receive in the Liturgy? We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, which are filled with His grace. This is a great honour and benefit for us, but we also receive the grace of God in many other ways. When we practice hesychastic prayer, we abide in the Presence of God with the mind in the heart calling upon the holy Name of Christ. The Divine Name brings us the grace of Christ because it is inseparable from His Person and leads us into His Presence. This Presence of Christ which is purifying, cleanses us from our transgressions and sins, it renews and illumines our heart so that the image of God our Saviour, Christ, may be formed therein. If we shall not have Easter in the Church, let us remember that every contact with Christ is Easter. We receive grace in the Divine Liturgy because the Lord Jesus is present in it, He performs the sacrament and He is the One imparted to the faithful. However, when we invoke His Name, we enter the same Presence of Christ and receive the same grace. Therefore, if we are deprived of the Liturgy, we always have His Name, we are not deprived of the Lord. Moreover, we also have His word, especially His Gospel. If His word dwells continually in our heart, if we study it and pray it, if it becomes our language with which we speak to God as He spoke to us, then we shall have again the grace of the Lord. For His words are words of eternal life (John 6:68), and the same mystery is performed, we receive His grace and are sanctified. Furthermore, each time we show kindness to our brethren the Lord is well-pleased, He considers that we did it in His Name and He rewards us. We show kindness to our brethren and the Lord rewards us with His grace. This is another way in which we can live in the Presence of the Lord. We can have the grace of the Lord through fasting, alms giving and every good deed. So, if we are forced to avoid gathering in Church, we can also be united in spirit in these holy virtues which are known within the Body of Christ, the holy Church, and which preserve the unity of the faithful with Christ and with the other members of His Body. All the things we do for God is a Liturgy, for they minister unto our salvation. The Liturgy is the great event of the life of the Church, wherein the faithful have the possibility to exchange their little life with the boundless life of God. However, the power of this event depends on the preparation we perform before, through all the things we have mentioned, through prayer, good deeds, fasting, love for neighbour, repentance. Therefore, my dear brethren, it is not necessary to make heroic confessions against the Government for the prophylactic measures that it takes for the good of all people. Neither should we despair, but only wisely machinate ways so as not to lose our living communication with the Person of Christ. Nothing can harm us, we must simply be patient for a certain period of time and God will see our patience, take away every obstacle, every temptation and we shall again see the dawn of joyful days, and we shall celebrate our common hope and love that we have in Christ Jesus. (Edited lightly for formatting. Source: https://pemptousia.com//word-of-consolation-for-the-pande/)

17.01.2022 On the lighter side. Those of us that have long beards (as I have) can relate. Masks don't work very well on long beards. God Bless.Fr James.

15.01.2022 Bible Church and Tradition by George Florevsky - A free book for Orthodox Christians

15.01.2022 Everywhere you go...there you are.

15.01.2022 Blessed is our God.... Weekend Services are as follows: Saturday 10 Oct (Pomona)... 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy Sunday 11 Oct (Elimbah) 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy

14.01.2022 Hold on to your spiritual sanity, my dear, dear ones. This crisis is NOT a conspiracy against the Church, this is not directed against the Divine Liturgy or the... Sacraments. The real danger is to allow the voices that tell you otherwise to influence your heart, so that your heart might harden and not love anymore. The real danger is that you might be pushed into separating from the rest of this fallen humanity which Christ SO loved that He gave His Life for its salvation. We all created this crisis by abusing our world - we are one in this sin, as we are one in the sin of our forefather Adam. The way forward is to not repeat the same mistake he did. The way forward it to ignore the one who tells your heart to bite of the fruit of hatred, and to obey the Voice of Him Who tells your heart to Love. There is no life in hatred. Life and Love and One and the same - Jesus Christ, our loving God on the Cross.

14.01.2022 Third Sunday after Pentecost - 7 July 2019 Divine Liturgy presided by His Eminence Basilios And More.....

12.01.2022 Blessed is our God.... I have been asked by the Behean family to offer prayers for healing. So, on Saturday evening at 7pm at the Mission I will celebrate an Akathist to St Luke the Confessor, Archbishop of Simferopol to intercede to our most loving God of healing. All are welcome to attend. Saturday 31st (Pomona)... 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy 4pm Great Vespers 7pm Akathist to St Luke the Confessor (Elimbah) Sunday 1st Nov (Elimbah) 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy 5:30pm Divine Liturgy at St Paul's Woolloongabba

11.01.2022 A video from the kitchen volunteers at the Acoy Qld Retreat 2019 - Official video Coming soon

11.01.2022 Blessed is our God.... I have just received word from the Uniting Church folk that they wish to recommence services from this weekend. Therefore from this Sunday in Elimbah we will be returning to our old times for Matins/Liturgy. Services for this weekend are as follows:... Friday 20th Nov (Pomona) 5pm Great Vespers for the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos Saturday 21st Nov (Pomona) 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos 4pm Great Vespers Sunday 22nd Nov (Elimbah) 10:30am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy

10.01.2022 Glory to God for an awesome and blessed retreat over the weekend. A truly beautiful time spent with beautiful people! Many thanks to the clergy, volunteers an...d everyone who assisted in making it a successful weekend. And a massive thank you to our speakers, the talks were amazing and we all highly appreciate your time James Savage Andrew Smith Fromanos Stergiou See more

10.01.2022 Holy Week 2019 Saturday 20th 9am Matins/Orthros at ELIMBAH https://antiochianprodsa.blob.core.windows.net//2-Laz-Sat- 10am Divine Liturgy for Lazarus Saturday at ELIMBAH https://antiochianprodsa.blob.core.windows.net//3-Laz-Sat-... 3:30pm Great Vespers at ELIMBAH https://antiochianprodsa.blob.core.windows.net//4-Palm-Sun Sunday 21st 10:30 am Matins/Orthros at ELIMBAH https://antiochianprodsa.blob.core.windows.net//6-Palm-Sun 11:30 am Divine Liturgy for Palm Sunday at ELIMBAH https://antiochianprodsa.blob.core.windows.net//7-Palm-Sun 5pm Bridegroom Vespers at POMONA see Service Book (approx 1:15 hours) Holy Monday 22nd 5pm Bridegroom Vespers at POMONA see Service Book (approx 1:15 hours) Holy Tuesday 23rd 5pm Bridegroom Vespers at POMONA see Service Book (approx 1:15 hours) Holy Wednesday 24th 5pm Holy Unction Service at POMONA see Service Book (approx 2 hours) Holy Thursday 25th 5pm Service of the 12 Gospels at ELIMBAH see Service Book (approx 3 hours) Holy Friday 26th 9am Royal Hours at ELIMBAH see Service Book (approx 2 hours) 3:30 pm Removal of Christ from the Cross at ELIMBAH see Service Book (approx 2 hours) 5pm Burial of Christ at ELIMBAH see Service Book (approx 2 hours) Holy Saturday 27th 9am Vesperal Liturgy at ELIMBAH see Service Book (approx 2 hours) 10:30pm Great and Holy Pascha Services at ELIMBAH see Service Book (we usually finish about 2am Sunday morning) 5pm Paschal Vespers at POMONA see Service Book

09.01.2022 Services for this weekend Saturday (Pomona) 9am Prayers of Preparation followed by Divine Liturgy 4pm Great Vespers... Sunday (Elimbah) 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy 5:30pm Divine Liturgy at St Paul’s Woolloongabba

09.01.2022 The blessing of the foundations of the Archdiocese Education and Youth Centre, by His Eminence, Metropolitan Basilios. Read the article below for more information +

08.01.2022 One piece of recent Orthodox history and continued current controversy that often strikes those first learning about the church as odd is the controversy betwee...n the old and new, or Julian and revised Julian, calendars. For those outside the church, and even some inside, this controversy may seem odd. The difference in celebrating the immovable feasts two weeks earlier or later may seem almost irrelevant. The tenacity with which people hold to one calendar or the other and the vehemence which the arguments between them can reach may seem strange or misplaced. The idea that it is one date for everyone else in the world and a different date at church in an old calendar parish may even seem fanciful An Ancient Faith Blog The post Calendars Old and New appeared first on The Whole Counsel Blog .

07.01.2022 A public statement, issued at the conclusion of Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocesan Annual National Clergy Conference With the blessing and under the patronage of ...His Eminence, Metropolitan Basilios of Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, the faithful clergy of the Archdiocese gathered for the Second Annual National Clergy Conference from Wednesday the 15th to Friday the 17th of May 2019, at St Michaels Monastery, Antiochian Village, Goulburn NSW. Moved by the spirit of altruism, service, and responsibility for the welfare of the churches and the Archdiocese, the fathers travelled from all states and gathered to discuss current affairs relevant to life in the church and to enhance their knowledge in ministry and topics of governance; equipping them with necessary skills to guide the flock entrusted to them by God to the shore of salvation. The occasion was also taken to meet, pray and share experiences with newly ordained deacons. The Conference was opened by His Eminence, with a Trisagion Service remembering those who had served the Archdiocese and an opening benediction in the monastery chapel. Using the teaching of the Apostle Paul How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things (Romans 10:15) as a measure for excellence, His Eminence focused on the importance of the priest both as a servant of the Sacraments and as a teacher of the Word. Throughout the conference, diverse topics were offered and discussed by presenters from among the clergy and academics outside the Archdiocese. In addition to topics covering the sacramental, liturgical and matters of legalities, briefs of progress were presented by the Liturgical Committee, the Child Safe Committee, the IT & Media Department, and representatives of Catholic Church Insurance. Two key spiritual projects were adopted by the conference as the ministerial focus for realisation in 2019/20, namely: 1. Holy Communion: Concerning how to raise laity awareness on the significance of Holy Communion and the importance of preparation; 2. Criteria of Lay Leadership: Concerning the criteria of appointment and training of Sunday School Teachers and Youth Ministers. Sub-committees for these projects were established to discuss and provide methods of implementation of the recommendations made through workshops and the outcomes that were proposed by the fathers in their discussions of the above-mentioned. Continuing daily in prayers, His Eminence presided throughout the daily cycle and concluded the Conference with an all-night vigil for the feast of the Holy Apostles Andronicus and Junia. The chapel was adorned with clergy serving and chanting the divine services in a harmonious and awesome manner. Concluding the conference, the fathers rejoiced over the announcement made by His Eminence of the upcoming ordination of Fr Dn John Daher to the rank of priesthood, to be held on Sunday the 23rd of June, 2019. With great hope and gratification, the fathers left the monastery in anticipation for the next conference to continue their labours and deliberation over further topics to lead the Archdiocese in the steps towards excellence.

06.01.2022 A Statement Regarding Recent Reports on the Two Missing Archbishops of Aleppo Over the past couple of months, many worrying reports and claims regarding the cas...e and fate of the two Archbishops Boulos Yaziji and Mor Gregorius Youhanna Ibrahim who were kidnapped on April 22, 2013 in the western countryside of Aleppo Syria, went viral in media outlets. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, have been closely monitoring these reports that are totally independent from our relentless efforts and endeavors in the search for our two missing Archbishops and we are determined to leave no stone unturned until we identify their whereabouts and their fate. In that respect, we neither confirm nor deny the validity of these reports, or the different other claims we have been receiving from various sources on a daily basis. While we extend our sincere gratitude to all individuals and entities who are concerned about the fate of our Archbishops and especially those who are undertaking initiatives to help shed the light on their ordeal, we ask all to pray for the two Archbishops and invite all those who can help our official endeavors in bringing this humanitarian case to an end to contact the churches through the official, designated channels. 20 January 2020

05.01.2022 Christ is risen! Services for this week are as follows: Wednesday (today)... 5pm Vespers at POMONA Saturday No Great Vespers as I will be at St Pauls Woolloongabba Sunday 10:30am Matins at ELIMBAH 11:30am Divine Liturgy at ELIMBAH

05.01.2022 Here is a google translation of the statement of the four primates of Antioch, Jeruslaem, Alexandria and Cyprus released at the end of their meeting concerning ...the Ukraine. The meeting was significant as they are 4 out of the 5 'historic" Sees of the Orthodox Church - Constantinople being the other. It was also significant as it was the first meeting between Patriarch John of Antioch and Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem since a dispute over Qatar. Here is the text; ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETING OF THE ORIENTED ORTHODOX CHURCHES MIDDLE EAST A- A + 2019-04-18 ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETING OF THE ORIENTED ORTHODOX CHURCHES MIDDLE EAST The Most Holy and Most Holy Priests of Orthodox Churches in the Middle East, Alexandria Theodore II, Antioch John I, Jerusalem Theophilus III and Cyprus Chrysostom II met on 18 April 2019 at the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus in Nicosia. During the Synax, they prayed for the peace of the universe of the universe, the stability of the local Holy Churches, and in particular for the tested Middle East. They also reiterated the offerings of the people of this region for the benefit of the faithful so that the faithful of the Churches could continue to give the orthodox testimony of our dead Anastasia, our Lord, here in the blessed land where Christ and the His apostles, and in general the world, who longs for and expects the hopeful redemptive message of the Gospel. The Beatitude and Holy Initiates stressed the need for maximum efforts to ensure stability in the Middle East and discussed the most important ecclesiastical issues concerning the consolidation of the Christian presence in this region and the deepening of the co-operation among the local Churches in order to achieve the as above. They also appealed to all political actors to work, with a view to the development of this region, to remove the injustice suffered by its peoples as a result of the wars, occupation and economic difficulties. During the special meeting between the two Churches of Antioch and Jerusalem, in honesty, brotherhood and love, they exchanged different views on the problem, which concerned the two local Churches and expressed the intention and good mood, to immediately overcome the these difficulties to reach the desired Eucharistic Society. In addition, the Beatitudes of Orthodox Churches in the Middle East discussed the various ecclesiastical problems that occasionally arise within the Orthodox Church, and looked particularly at how to resolve them. They also discussed the problems that arose after the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Following the briefing of His Beatitude Archbishop of Cyprus, Mr. Chrysostom, for the mediatory initiative, which he personally undertook, the three Priests are drawn together with him, so that the Beatitude can continue it in favor of the unity of the Orthodox Church in Christ. In this ecclesiological spirit, the Beatitudes and Hidden Priests affirmed their attachment to the spirit of the holy rules which were established by the Ecumenical Councils and concern all aspects of ecclesiastical problems that involve bilateral relations between the Churches or the Orthodox Church in general . In this context all sides were called upon to work on the one hand to achieve the Eucharistic unity, which is the crew of the Church in Christ Jesus and on the other, in order to protect the faithful and holy temples and monasteries from attacks and any act of violence, whatever they come from or whatever the causes and motives that cause them. The Most High Priests denounced the total indifference of the States and powerful of this world for the fate of the two Metropolitans of Aleppo, Pavlos Yaziji and Ioannou Ibrahim, pointing out that the sixth anniversary of their abduction coincides this year with the beginning of the upcoming Holy Week. Finally, the Initiates, having initially emphasized their intention and determination to continue this communication and cooperation for the good of the Church, then stressed that in Orthodoxy, while the views may be divided, the Orthodox Church remains united and brilliant with the Head This, our God-Man, continues his salvific course in the world. By completing their Synod, they have raised from our hearts our supreme Lord Jesus and our Lord Jesus Christ, so that by His divine and vital grace He soon healed the varied wounds of our peoples, and by the incomparable light of His resolute Resurrection illuminates and pacifies and devours the hearts of all believers and as a guide to us all in spiritual recreation and preserves us in the unity of faith and love, wishing to all blessed Resurrection

05.01.2022 Blessed is our God.... Confirming the services for this weekend: Saturday 24th Oct (Pomona)... 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy 4pm Great Vespers Sunday 25th Oct (Elimbah) 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy. Jamie and his children will be received into the Orthodox faith by Chrismation during Liturgy.

03.01.2022 Christ is risen! Services for this week are as follows: Wednesday... 5pm Vespers at GYMPIE Saturday 3.30pm Great Vespers at ELIMBAH Sunday 10.30am Matins at ELIMBAH 11.30am Divine Liturgy at ELIMBAH

03.01.2022 Antiochian Village Goulburn

03.01.2022 A message from His Eminence, Metropolitan Basilios.

03.01.2022 Blessed is our God.... Weekend Services are as follows: Saturday 11th July (Pomona)... 9:15am Canon of Repentance and Prayers For Holy Communion followed by Divine Liturgy. !!Please let me know if you wish to attend as numbers are limited due to space while Covid-19 restrictions are in place. Sunday 12th July (Elimbah) 9am Matins followed by Divine Liturgy !!We can have 12 people in the church and a further 19 in the hall area so we should be ok numbers wise even if everyone attends now that Covid-19 restriction have eased a bit.