On Saturday, 24 May, the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Parish of Saint Savvas the New of Kalymnos, in the suburb of Banksia of Sydney, was celebrated with splendour, in an atmosphere of spiritual joy and emotion. The official Dinner for the celebration of the anniversary was honoured with the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia. Also present were His Grace Bishop Elpidios of Perth, and other distinguished guests, including the Mr. Peter and Mrs. Nila Deriashnyj, leading figures of the Ukrainian Orthodox community and the Ukrainian Free Kozaks of Australia.
During the Dinner, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios extended a warm greeting to the pious members and friends of the celebrating Parish, expressing his paternal satisfaction for its spiritual progress and for the atmosphere of unity and concord that has been cultivated within it. He particularly praised the contribution of the Parish Priest, founder and pioneer of the Parish, Fr. Savas Pizanias, while he also thanked the Parish President Mr. Constantine Vellis, Presbytera Stella Pizanias and all their devoted collaborators for their contribution. He also expressed the gratitude of the local Church to Mr. Damian Trad, CEO of “Trad Financial Services”, and Mr. John and Mrs. Julia Marcus, co-founders of “Marcus Legal”, for their valuable support to the Parish of Saint Savvas of Kalymnos.
Furthermore, the Archbishop reminded that “where there is unity and love, there is the Holy Spirit”, while, on the contrary, “where there are divisions, splitting and hatred, there is the devil”. Referring to the course of the celebrating Parish, he pointed out that, like all Parishes, it too experienced trials and struggles, until the “moment of God” arrived, its blessed integration, three years ago, into the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “It was integrated into the canonical Church smoothly, sweetly, in the way of the Holy Spirit”, he noted, “and truly, today, what we are doing is rejoicing in the fruits of unity; rejoicing in the fruits of the Most Holy Spirit”.
For his part, Fr. Savas Pizanias, after thanking His Eminence and the Holy Archdiocese for their support and spiritual guidance, visibly moved, described the course of the Parish, from a dream of his youth to a thriving spiritual community. “This journey began as a quiet prayer in my youth, born not of ambition, but of devotion. To honour the miracle worker Saint Savvas here, in Australia, once seemed impossible. But with the providence of God, and despite setbacks and adversities, what began as a hope became a reality,” he said, among other things. At the end, Fr. Savas offered the Archbishop and the other dignitaries commemorative gifts, including a hardbound anniversary book with a detailed description of the history and achievements of the Parish.
The warm and beautiful evening included music and traditional dances, while at its climax His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, joined by His Grace Bishop Elpidios of Perth, the Parish Priest Fr. Savas, Presbytera Stella and the President, Mr. Vellis, cut the impressive anniversary cake, which was in the shape of a miniature of the church of Saint Savvas the New of Kalymnos in Banksia, Sydney.
