On Thursday 17th October, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Parish of the Transfiguration of our Lord of the Holy Diocese of Chora, in the suburb of Thomastown, Melbourne. The Patriarch, who was accompanied by, among others, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, received an enthusiastic welcome with rose petals and joyful ringing of bells, while the Parish Priest, Fr George Frangos, offered a warm, filial greeting.
“We are proud that you are our spiritual leader,” Fr George emphasised in his address, noting that the Apostolic visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch to Australia further strengthens the spiritual ties of the local Church’s faithful with the Sacred Centre of Orthodoxy. “You are the beacon that guides us with your wisdom, the voice of Orthodoxy that resonates throughout the world, calling for peace, justice, and love,” he added, addressing His All-Holiness, while assuring him that “your presence among us will remain etched in our memories forever.” He also expressed gratitude for the election of His Eminence as Archbishop of Australia, stating that during his five-year tenure, he has spiritually renewed the Holy Archdiocese, which has opened its “arms” to the youth and to the broader Australian society. At the end of his address, Fr George gifted the Ecumenical Patriarch with an 18th-century icon of St. Haralambos as an expression of the parishioners’ deep love and devotion towards his venerable person and the Mother Church.
In his response, His All-Holiness Bartholomew expressed the mixed feelings he had, feelings of both joy and sadness, as he put it, due to the nearing conclusion of his visit to Australia. “Feelings of joy because we have witnessed tremendous progress in the life, work, and ministry of the Archdiocese of Australia, and sadness because our visit is ending and, at least physically, we will be separated,” he explained. “So, we leave but we are leaving a part of our heart here,” he emphasised, and then spoke warmly of the ministry of the Shepherd, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios. He highlighted that since taking over the leadership of the local Church, the bonds with the Sacred Centre have become closer and more heartfelt as “he himself is a hierarch who is wholeheartedly devoted to the Mother Church and always ready to assist in its work in various ways.” “We deeply appreciate all of this and surround him with love and trust,” he added. Concluding his remarks, he addressed the faithful, saying emphatically, “We love you very much! And because we love you so much, we sent you the best Archbishop!”
At the request of the Ecumenical Patriarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Filotheos of Thessaloniki also offered a brief greeting. He began by expressing his joy over what he had experienced among his Orthodox brethren in the fifth continent using a phrase addressed to Christ during the Transfiguration by the disciples: “It is good for us to be here.” “Of course, that is not possible,” he noted, “but the hospitality and experiences we are receiving these days make us feel at home with all the people here.” Then His Eminence Philotheos focused on the venerable person of the Primate of the Orthodox Church pointing out that, as in every place he visits, so in Australia, “he comes to fulfill the work of an Evangelist.” “Our Ecumenical Patriarch preaches Christ,” he explained, “and he does so in many ways: through his sermons, through his service in the Great Church, through his way of life, and through all the things he generously offers for the sake of the Church and all humanity. His work embraces not only the Orthodox Church but the entire world. He proclaims the truth to God’s people. He gives us all the opportunity, through this proclamation, to become witnesses of the truth.” Concluding, he remarked that this work of evangelism is also carried out by the collaborators of His All-Holiness, the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne around the world, and he congratulated His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, the Venerable God-loving Bishops, and all the supporters of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Australia.
Present at the Patriarchal visit to the Parish of the Transfiguration of our Lod in Thomastown was also His Eminence Metropolitan Kyrillos of Imvros and Tenedos, The Very Reverends, Grand Protosyncellus Archimandrite Gregory, and Grand Ecclesiarch Archimandrite Aetios, Director of the Personal Patriarchal Office, the Reverend Patriarchal Deacon Evlogios, Codifier of the Holy and Sacred Synod, the Righteous Nun Iakovi, Abbess of the Holy Monastery of St John the Baptist in Akritochori, the Honourable Archon Didaskalos of the Nation Mr Konstantinos Delikostantis, Director of the First Patriarchal Office, and the Honourable Archon Didaskalos of the Church Mr Theodoros Yiangou, Professor of the Theological School at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Honourable Mr Themistocles Karanikolas, from the Patriarchal staff as well as Their Eminences, Metropolitan Ezekiel of Dervis and Metropolitan Seraphim of Sevasteia, the local Bishop of Chora, His Grace Bishop Evmenios and the other Bishops of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne Mr Emmanuel Kakavelakis, Archons of the Great Church of Christ, the biological brother of His All-Holiness, Mr Nikolaos Archontonis, and the parents of Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Emmanuel and Fotini Griniezakis.
