The Feast Day of the Dormition of the Theotokos was celebrated with due ecclesiastical splendour at the celebrating Church of Panagia Soumela, in the Diocese of Chora, in the suburb of East Keilor, Melbourne. The Feast Day Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia while this was preceded, immediately after the Matins Service, by the reverent Service of the Consecration of the Church.
His Eminence was joined in the holy services by Their Graces, Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne and Bishop Evmenios of Chora, the Chancellor of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Christophoros Krikelis, and a multitude of clergy from the Holy Dioceses of Melbourne and Chora.
The participation of the faithful, who came reverently to venerate the “Lady of Pontus”, to entrust her with their woes, hopes and supplications, was overwhelming and moving, but also to celebrate the historic event for the Parish of the official consecration of its most beautiful Church. Among the crowded congregation was the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Mr. Emmanuel Kakavelakis.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Makarios spoke appropriately about the events of the dormition and translation of the Most Holy Theotokos, while he also made a special reference to the historical monastery of Panagia Soumela in Pontus, as well as to the unforgettable homelands where the spiritual wealth possessed by the modern generations of Greeks was conceived, and not only these, but generally Orthodox Christians. “We must not forget where we began and who our ancestors were”, His Eminence emphasised, among other things, and asked the faithful to preserve their Greek Orthodox heritage, and to pass it on to the younger generations.
Concluding his address, on the occasion of the consecration service, the Archbishop expressed the gratitude of the local Church to all those who worked for the construction of the Holy Church and in general for the progress and development of the Parish. Archbishop Makarios personally addressed warm thanks to the Parish Priest, Father Iordanis Krikelis, for his tireless struggle for the needs of his parishioners and generally for his dedicated and fruitful ministry.
He remarked, visibly moved with emotion, that “for a clergyman, the greatest recognition is for his child to become a clergyman, which signifies that he also lived properly in his home, so he inspired the child to follow in his footsteps.” “No matter how many thanks I mention for Fr. Iordanis, they will be only a few”, he added, “because above all God rewarded him with this extraordinary honour, that his child would become the Chancellor of our Archdiocese. This is the best kind of recognition.”
