The faithful of the Parish of Saints Constantine and Helen in Melbourne’s suburb of South Yarra, experienced blessed moments on Thursday 17th October, as they reverently and joyfully welcomed with much emotion the Primate of the Orthodox Church, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
His All-Holiness arrived at the church accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, and the members of his honourable entourage, namely: Their Eminences, Metropolitan Kyrillos of Imvros and Tenedos, and Metropolitan Filotheos of Thessaloniki, 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 Nicholas-George Papachristou, Director of the Patriarchal Press and Communication Office, and Mr Themistocles Karanikolas, from the Patriarchal staff as well as Their Eminences, Metropolitan Ezekiel of Dervis and Metropolitan Seraphim of Sevasteia, the Venerable God-loving Bishops of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Mr Emmanuel Kakavelakis and the parents of Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Emmanuel and Fotini Griniezakis.
Parish Rector, the Reverend Father Panteleimon Laskaris welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch with heartfelt words of filial love, respect, and devotion. He thanked His All-Holiness, and through him the Ecumenical Patriarchate, for all the blessings received by the Christ-loving people of the fifth continent from their spiritual mother in the Queen of Cities. “This humble parish, from its very inception in the late 1960s,” he noted, “is an example of how the broader Greek community, under the guidance and support of our Mother Church, has strived to faithfully preserve and cultivate our holy Orthodox tradition, while also maintaining, with the church always at the centre, Greek culture and values in the fifth continent.”
After the church service, the Patriarch visited the parish hall and met with volunteers of the charitable program “Five Loaves,” about which he was thoroughly informed by His Grace Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne. Expressing his paternal satisfaction and congratulating the program’s visionary, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, as well as His Grace Bishop Kyriakos and all who contribute to its successful implementation, His All-Holiness praised the fact that it “offers the daily bread, or the essentials for survival, to those in need, without the slightest religious, social, national, or any other form of discrimination.” “The Church always offers its help and support indiscriminately, for otherwise it would cease to be the Church of Christ,” he emphasised, adding: “The charity of the Church knows no borders or limits, but is generously given to all, even to its enemies, as the Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch went on to explain the fundamental characteristics of the Church’s mercy, which differentiate it from social activism and other forms of social welfare and charity. Concluding his speech, His All-Holiness urged the other bishops of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia to adopt and implement this “necessary program for modern society” in their respective dioceses, “not only to give a good and practical witness of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia but mainly to fulfill the Lord’s command: ‘Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
At the request of His All-Holiness, a brief greeting was also delivered by His Eminence Metropolitan Kyrillos of Imvros and Tenedos. His Eminence, after congratulating Archbishop Makarios and all those involved in the “Five Loaves” program, spoke with admiration about the broader work being carried out by the Holy Archdiocese of Australia. “The Diaspora for us is an example of bravery of spirit and love for the homeland, as well as an example of love for Christ,” he noted, praising the fact that the migrants, who once faced many hardships and trials, are now practically expressing their love for those who experience similar problems in our time. He pointed out that if one’s heart is not filled with love for Christ, one cannot offer love to other people. “That is why this is so important, this transfusion of life through Christ,” he added.
