“Our hearts are filled with joy as we praise the Triune God for yet another great benefaction he has bestowed upon us during this centenary year since the establishment of our Holy Archdiocese,” said His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia while moved with great emotion, during his address after the consecration of the Chapel of Saint Paisios of Athonite, in Perth, Western Australia. This holy pilgrimage site, the first on the fifth continent dedicated to the Patron Saint of Australia and the Holy Archdiocese, is located at the Holy Monastery of Saint John in Forrestfield.
The joyous and historic event of the consecration took place on Friday, 12 July 2024, during the celebration of the memory of the great modern Saint of the Orthodox Church. The Holy Feast Day and the consecration service were presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who was joined by the Their Graces, Bishop Elpidios of Kyanea and Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta, Archiepiscopal Vicars of Perth and Northcote respectively, as well as by the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint John, Archimandrite Makarios Souris, and by many clergymen of Western Australia. A large number of devout pilgrims participated in the divine services, while the consecration service was honoured with the presence of the Consul of Greece in Perth, Ms. Georgia Karasiotou, the President of the Hellenic Community of Western Australia, Mr. Paul Afkos, the Director of the Greek Welfare Centre of the Holy Archdiocese, Mr. Steve Magdas, the President Dr. John Psarommatis and members of the Choir of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society, and other guests.
His Eminence thanked everyone for their presence at the historic event for the Holy Archdiocese of the consecration of the first Church that is honoured with the name of its Patron Saint, Saint Paisios, while he spoke appropriately about the importance of consecrations, pointing out, among other things, that they are an opportunity for believers to meet the living God and to renew their spiritual relationship with Him. In addition, the Archbishop, referring to the person of the honoured Saint, emphasised that “it shows us that when we are grafted to the tree of life, which is Christ and his Church, then we flourish and bear fruit”. “Being in the Church means that we are its active members and remain united with Christ, who is its head”, he added and commented: “Today, we are called to renew our commitment to Christ and to entrust our lives to the Church”.
Concluding his address, Archbishop Makarios shared with the congregation a small teaching of Saint Paisios, in which His aversion to fanaticism and criticism is reflected: ” A Christian must not be fanatical. Let us not stone our fellow human being in a so-called ‘Christian manner’. The person who in the presence of others judges someone because they have sinned, or speaks in an impassioned manner about a certain person, is not moved by the Spirit of God. They are moved by another spirit.”
