The Great Vespers for the feast of Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous, the Wonderworker, was celebrated with due splendour on Wednesday evening, 11 December, at the Church of Saint Spyridon in the suburb of Kingsford, Sydney. The Service was officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who was joined by a multitude of clergy from the city of Sydney, including the Parish Priest of the celebrating Parish, Fr. Steven Scoutas, and Assistant Priest, Fr. Stavros Ivanos.
Also present in prayer were His Eminence Metropolitan Prodromos of Rethymno and Avlopotamos, and Their Graces, Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis and Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia, Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod. It should be noted that His Eminence Metropolitan Prodromos of Rethymno, is visiting Australia, bringing fragments of the holy relics of the Four Holy New Martyrs of Rethymno, Manuel, Angelos, George, and Nicholas, and is accompanied by the Archimandrites, Very Rev. Father Vasilios Papadakis and Very Rev. Father Theologos Papalevyzakis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Anastasia of Rome in Rethymno and Spiritual Councillor of the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Arkadi respectively. Also present were the Federal Minister for Immigration, The Honourable Matt Thistlethwaite MP, the State Minister for Local Government, Leader of the NSW Government in Parliament and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council, The Hon. Ron Hoenig MP, and the Mayor of Randwick, Mr. Dylan Parker.
Archbishop Makarios warmly welcomed the Metropolitan of Rethymno and his entourage, as well as the representatives of the political leadership and local government, and after thanking everyone for their honorary presence at the celebrating Greek Orthodox Parish, His Eminence offered for the Minister for Immigration to address a brief greeting. Mr. Thistlethwaite spoke warmly of the valuable contribution of the Greek Community to Australian society, while praising the inspired leadership of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
At the end of the Hierarchal Vespers, in a climate of deep emotion, the awarding of the Order of Christ-loving, the highest honorary distinction of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, took place, awarding four women who have dedicated their entire lives to the preservation of the Greek language, the Orthodox faith and Greek Orthodox traditions. These are four “teachers of the Nation”, as Fr. Steven Scoutas aptly described them, since “they have offered national and spiritual work, with a sacrificial and martyric spirit, under the most adverse conditions of emigration here in the Antipodes”.
Those honoured by the Archbishop of Australia with the Order of Christ-loving are specifically: a) Ms. Artemisia Ieroklis, originally from Kos, who has been teaching the Greek language in the schools of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia since 1970, particularly at Saint Spyridon, b) Ms. Barbara Lykoudis, from Monopolata, Kefalonia, who served since 1973 and for 50 years in the schools of the Parish of Saint Spyridon, c) Ms. Anna Lambrou, originally from Kythira, who for 65 years kept thousands of Greek children in contact with the language and faith of their ancestors, and d) Ms. Sofia Haska, from Rhodes, who has emerged as the “Mother” of Greek dance in Australia, as she has been teaching the dance steps and passing on the flame of love for the Greek dance tradition to members of the Greek Community for almost seven decades.
