On Saturday 20 April and Sunday 21 April we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Mary of Egypt (+522 AD).  Matins  was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  Our small church was full on Sunday and many people received Holy Communion.  In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about Saint Mary of Egypt as a model of repentance and steadfast spiritual struggle.

On the evening of Sunday 14 April we had a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Twenty-five of our parishioners gathered to pray and receive anointing with oil for the healing of soul and body.  For Orthodox Christians this service, otherwise served only for individuals who are grievously ill, is a customary part of Great Lent.

On Sunday 14 April, the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent and the day of commemoration of Saint John of the Ladder, a group of lay members of the Mid North Coast Mission gathered at a private home in Coffs Harbour for the reading of the Hours and Typika.  A copy of the order of service followed is available here.  In addition to the reading of the psalms and prayers, those present were able to venerate the Holy Gospel, the Cross, and the icons of the Resurrection and Saint John of the Ladder.  The lives of Saint John and of Saint Mary of Egypt were then read aloud, followed by the appointed readings from The Prologue of Ohrid by Saint Nikolai (Velimirovic).  At the conclusion of the readings, all present shared a Lenten meal.  It is planned that the community will continue to gather this way on one Sunday of each month with the intention of supplementing the quarterly visits from a priest, strengthening friendships, and developing liturgical and other experience necessary for the growth of the Mission.

On Friday 12 April the family and friends of Nikolai Shalimov gathered in our church for his funeral.  Nikolai, who was born in 1947 and departed this life on 4 April 2024 aged 77, was a son of Michael Shalimov, one of the builders of our small church.  After the funeral service he was laid to rest in Wallsend Cemetery together with his wife Raisa (+2022) and his daughter Joanne (+2016), a short distance from the graves of parents, Michael and Nina.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Nikolai’s son Dean and the wider family.  May God give rest to his newly-departed servant!

On Saturday 6 April, the eve of the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, the parish rector baptised an adult convert to Orthodoxy, Howard Trott.  In baptism Howard, who has been a regular worshipper at our parish for some time and is also a member of the Mid North Coast Mission, took the name Thaddeus in honour of Apostle Thaddeus.  Thaddeus had as his sponsor Gregory Alexandrovsky.  Afterwards, parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a festive afternoon tea.  We warmly congratulate the newly-baptised servant of God Thaddeus, wishing him good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On Saturday 6 April and Sunday 7 April we had services for the Third Sunday of Great Lent and the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil, and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy the choir was conducted by Nikolai Morozoff.  Our church was full on Sunday morning, with visitors from the Central Coast and from the Serbian Orthodox parish in Broadmeadow joining our regular congregation.  Many took the opportunity to confess and receive Holy Communion.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land, and the newly-baptised Thaddeus (Howard) Trott received Holy Communion for the first time.  Following the dismissal at Divine Liturgy all venerated the Precious and Life-giving Cross of our Lord.

On Sunday 31 March our parish rector visited Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast and conducted services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica  (+1359 AD).  The services were held the Wauchope Community Arts Hall, the Mission’s Port Macquarie-Hastings region “home” since April 2023.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy  were served on Sunday morning, with many of those present confessing and receiving Holy Communion.  At these services some new items were used for the first time: a portable altar table and table of preparation made by Michael Sokolsky, and a number of folding wooden icon stands made by Mission member Howard Trott.  As Saturday 30 March had been a day of commemoration of the departed, a memorial litia was served following Divine Liturgy.  All present stayed for a common meal afterwards. 

On Saturday 16 March 2024 the parish rector appointed Olga Bogacheva, Matushka Marie Carles, and James Savage to be the new Child Safety Contact Persons for our parish.  By virtue of their appointment, the Child Safety Contact Persons also become members of the parish Pastoral Council.  The Pastoral Council, which is comprised of the rector and other parish clergy, the Child Safety Contact Persons, and other persons with knowledge or experience relevant to child participation and safety, supports child-related work in our parish.  More information concerning child safety in our parish is available here.

On Saturday 16 March and Sunday 17 March we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness, the final preparatory Sunday for Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector spoke about the key themes of the appointed reading from the Holy Gospel (Matthew 6:14-21): forgiving one another if we hope for God’s forgiveness, fasting joyfully, and storing up treasure in heaven. Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness was served immediately after Divine Liturgy.  At the Sunday services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.

On Saturday 2 March and Sunday 3 March we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the second preparatory Sunday for Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served at on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Prodigal Son and preparation for Great Lent.

Metropolitan Nicholas writes: “Great Lent is approaching – a time set aside for delving into ourselves, for examining our lives, for repentance and correction. Great Lent is not only a time to refrain from certain types of food; it is a time for asceticism of the mind and senses, when we abstain from impure thoughts, separate ourselves from our habitual sins, entertainments, and harmful routines, when we fast, as St. John Chrysostom says, "with the mouth, the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies."  His letter can be read in full in English here and in Russian here.

The Fund for Assistance (FFA) to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia has issued a Great Lent 2024 Appeal to the Faithful of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  The appeal has been made with support for needy clergy particularly in mind, and an undertaking that any donations made will be matched up until a target of US$10,000 is reached.  Donations can be made via the FFA website here.  Questions about the appeal can be asked here.

This year Bright Monday, the second day of Pascha, will fall on 6 May, the day of commemoration of the Holy Great-Martyr and Trophy-Bearer George.  The clergy of the Greater Sydney region have been asked to not schedule services in their own parishes on this day, but rather to celebrate Divine Liturgy together with Bishop George on the occasion of his name-day.  Divine Liturgy will be served at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield on Monday morning – the time and any other relevant information will be shared as soon as it is known.  The faithful who wish to do so may also attend this service.

With Bishop George's blessing, from late May 2024 the English-language Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church, a parish of our Diocese in Brisbane, will be offering an online course of religious instruction in Orthodox theology and practice.  This course consists of 17 sessions, each comprising an online video (which can be watched at each participant's convenience), a revision task, and an interactive Q&A session via Zoom on Sunday evenings.  The course is suitable for inquirers, catechumens (i.e. those preparing for baptism), and those who are already Orthodox Christians.  The first Zoom session will be held on Sunday 26 May, with the course scheduled to finish in October 2024.  For more information please visit: HolyAnnunciation.net/Catechism.  To enrol, please visit: https://forms.gle/ce5DDCFxRitzuoAz6.

Each year on the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia take up a collection to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York. The Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary has for over seventy-five years been the main institution of higher education in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  This collection provides financial assistance to students, covering tuition, room, and board.  As we don’t always have a service on the day of the collection and as in the post-COVID world people carry less cash, our parish now simply makes a donation from parish funds towards this collection.  Those who wish to make a direct donation to the Seminary may do so here.

From 25 June to 1 July 2024 the Fourteenth All-Diaspora Orthodox Youth Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) will be held in Stuttgart, Germany.  The All-Diaspora Youth Conferences, which began in Montreal, Canada, in 1972, bring together ROCOR youth from around the world.  Over the years, many important friendships have been formed at these conferences.  The theme of the 2024 Conference is “Preserving our Orthodox Identity and Heritage in the Diaspora”.  It will be held at a retreat in the mountains near Stuttgart and lectures will be in Russian, English, and German.  The conference program will also include excursions, sports, cultural activities, and a youth ball.  Youth (aged 18-24) of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese who wish to attend should email youth.rocor.anz@gmail.com for further information.