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2025 Annual CalendarDedicated to the Apostolic Visit of his All-Holliness Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew To Australia 2024 |
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Barthlomew Apostolic visit to Australia 2024His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited Australia from October 4 to October 19, 2024. This visit marked the centenary celebrations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. It was a significant and historical occasion for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. Leading the clergy and the Christ-loving laity was His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, President of the Holy Eparchial Synod, surrounded by the hierarchs of our local Church. |  |
Filled with feelings of joy and filial emotion, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios warmly welcomed His All-Holiness: |
“On behalf of everyone, I welcome You to beautiful Australia, the land of contrasts but also of harmony, the country with the most differences but also the most similarities with other peoples…..Welcome to a place that is rightly called a mosaic of cultures, languages, and beliefs. Welcome to the fifth continent, an integral part of which is the Greek Orthodox faith and tradition, which has flourished and is bearing spiritual fruit, which I am sure You will have the opportunity to enjoy during this blessed apostolic visit of Yours.
I welcome You and hope that what You see and experience during Your stay in the most beautiful country in the world will bring You joy and satisfaction and be indelibly etched in your memory and heart, just as, be assured, the blessed moments of Your presence here will be indelibly etched in the memory and hearts of our people. Your Holiness, we love You very much. Welcome to Australia. Welcome to Your home.”
SPACING ONLY. CLEAR FORMATTING TO MAKE TEXT.
SPACING ONLY. CLEAR FORMATTING TO MAKE TEXT.
His All-Holliness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew responded with great emotion to the Archbishop’s welcome with: |
“Today, under the Southern Cross, one of my deepest desires, nurtured for almost 30 years – to see the Orthodox faithful of Australia, whom I love and have missed very much – has been fulfilled. Not a day has passed without me praying for your progress and spiritual well-being. Australia may be geographically the most distant province from the Sacred Centre, yet you remain closer than ever to my heart”.
 | The Centenary of the Holy Archdiocese of AustraliaHis All-Holiness referred to the centenary of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, expressing gratitude to the pioneering immigrants who sowed the seeds of the Holy Gospel in the fifth continent, which they brought from their homelands, while also making special mention of His visionary predecessor, the late Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory VII who, in 1924, “laid the foundations for the flourishing Orthodox community we see today”. With grateful words, he also referred to the blessed land of Australia, which provided fertile ground for the cultivation and blossoming of Orthodoxy. |