On Palm Sunday each year the parishes, monasteries and missions of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia customarily take up a collection to benefit the Russian Eccelesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.  Many places of immense spiritual and historical significance in the Holy Land have been entrusted to our Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, and we have many monastics there who care for these holy places, undertake good works, and pray for the whole world.  As we will have no Palm Sunday services in our parish this year, those who wish to make a donation may do so via Paypal through the Mission's website.  For those planning to visit our neighbouring Gosford parish, a collection will be taken up there.

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.

On the evening of Tuesday 27 February the Parish Council met by videoconference.  This was the second meeting of the Parish Council elected in December 2023.  The minutes of the January 2024 meeting were ratified, and the parish rector presented his usual report covering parish and Diocesan life, Orthodox life in Newcastle, and his own pastoral activity.  Brief reports were also presented by the Warden, the Treasurer, and the Head Sister.  Arrangements for a pancake evening on Friday 8 March, cashless payments in church, and waste disposal were discussed.  Importantly, a decision was made to formally engage a Central Coast-based firm, Beyond Space Residential Design, to develop a plan and undertake preparatory work for much-needed improvements to our church, amenities, hall, and grounds.  The Parish Council will next meet late in March 2024, again by videoconference.

Our Autumn 2024 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2024 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha.  Our parishioners and friends are reminded that during Autumn 2024 we will have services on the first and third Sundays of each month and on other days as scheduled; we will return to our usual pattern of services on the second and fourth Sundays of each month during Winter 2024.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2024 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2024 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 24-25 February.

On Saturday 24 February and Sunday 25 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the first 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 the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14), noting in particular a verse from the Matins canon: “Let us make haste to follow the Pharisee in his virtues and to emulate the Publican in his humility. And let us hate what is wrong in each of them: foolish pride and the defilement of transgressions.”

On Saturday 10 February and Sunday 11 February we had services for the Thirty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of All Saints of Ekaterinburg, amongst whom are the Royal Martyrs of Russia and Venerable Symeon of Verkhoturye, the heavenly protector of our North Coast Mission.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At both services the parish rector served alone, Deacon Michal Matys having been invited to serve at the Cabramatta parish on the occasion of Bishop George’s visit.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.

On Saturday 27 January and Sunday 28 January we had services for the Thirty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Paul of Thebes (+341 AD) and Venerable John Calabytes the Hut-dweller (+Fifth Cent.AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services the parish rector served alone.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Saint Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, the rules for Christian living set out in it, and the examples of Christian living provided by Saints Paul and John, the saints commemorated on this day.

In 2024 we will celebrate a number of major anniversaries in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Hunter Valley – 75 years since the first Russian Orthodox service on the Great Feast of the Dormition in Greta in 1949; 60 years since the consecration of our current church of Saint Nicholas; 30 years since the establishment of the Theophany parish in Mayfield, and 15 years since its closure; 40 years of service as a reader and subdeacon by Vitaly Lupish; and 20 years of service as a reader and subdeacon by Luke Goura.  We plan to mark these anniversaries with a hierarchical service and a festive lunch.  An important priority this year will be the finalisation and implementation of a ‘Master Plan’ for improvements to our church and grounds – our church porches need reconstruction, and we hope to improve our outside toilet facilities and lay better paving.  We will continue to support people visiting our parish with a desire to learn more about Orthodox Christianity.  This year new arrangements for the celebration of Pascha will commence – the midnight service will now alternate between the Gosford and Wallsend parishes from year to year, beginning with Wallsend.

On the evening of Tuesday 23 January the Parish Council met by videoconference.  This was the first meeting of the Parish Council elected in December 2023.  The minutes of the November 2023 meeting were ratified and the parish rector presented his usual report on parish life.  Office-bearers were reappointed to their roles and plans for the year ahead were reviewed and endorsed.  Plans were made to meet with an architectural firm in February 2024 to discuss improvements to our church, hall, and grounds.  The Parish Council will next meet on Tuesday 27 February 2024, again by videoconference.

On Thursday 18 January and Friday 19 January we had services for the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany).  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Thursday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served on Friday morning.  At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and at Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land. Following the blessing of water a brief moleben of thanksgiving was served for the benefits bestowed upon the faithful of Newcastle through the life and the work of the former Theophany parish (est.1994) in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish fifteen years ago, in 2009.  After the dismissal, ‘Eternal Memory’ was sung for the departed parishioners of the Theophany parish, and the parish rector congratulated the faithful on the occasion of the feast.  Some photographs taken on Friday morning can be viewed on the parish Facebook page.

On Saturday 13 January and Sunday 14 January we had services for the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday before Theophany, the day of commemoration of the Circumcision of the Lord, and in honour of Saint Basil the Great (+379 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday evening. At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  At Divine Liturgy we were joined by friends from the Central Coast, Sydney, and the Serbian Orthodox parish in Broadmeadow.  These were our first services for 2024.

In 2024 we hope to have services in the Port Macquarie area on 31 March (the Second Sunday in Great Lent) and 29 September (the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost) and in the Coffs Harbour area on 30 June (the First Sunday after Pentecost) and 29 December (the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers).  Our plans for this year involve acquisition of a number of items: a portable altar table and table of preparation; folding icon stands that are easier to store and move; a ‘pop-up’ iconostasis to give a better sense of church space in the secular halls that we are using for services; and candle stands that use sand and so are easier to clean.  We expect Howard Trott to be baptised in the first half of the year.  We will continue to grow our community and to gain the experience and resources necessary for more regular services.  Please keep us in your prayers!

On Saturday 30 December and Sunday 31 December, the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, our parish rector Archpriest James Carles led services at  Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast in honour of its patron saint.  The December commemoration of Saint Symeon - he is also commemorated in February, May, June and September – is the main feast-day of the saint and the patronal feast-day of the Mission.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening.  This was the first time since its establishment that the Mission had had an evening service.  Early on Sunday morning there was a lesser blessing of water, after which the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served.  Following a moleben to Saint Symeon and the customary singing of ‘Many years’, all present shared a festive meal.  The services and lunch were held at Boambee Memorial Hall, just outside Coffs Harbour.  Concelebrating at the divine services together with Father James was Archpriest Dionysios Halim, the rector of the Holy Dormition parish in Wollongong, NSW.

This year was a peaceful and uneventful one in the life of our parish.  The COVID-19 pandemic having come to an end, we resumed social gatherings in the church hall after Sunday and feast-day services.  Our services were regularly attended by a number of people, both young and old, interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian faith.  We had five baptisms in 2023, two of adult converts to Orthodoxy and three of children.  There was one wedding.  Two of our parishioners were laid to rest: Tamara Adamczyk (+13 January 2023) and Maria Istomyn (+12 June 2023).  We continued to pray for an end to the fratricidal war in Ukraine and from October we offered prayers for peace in the much-suffering Holy Land.  In May our clergy participated in celebrations marking the centenary of the founding of the first Russian Orthodox parish in Australia, that of what is now the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Brisbane.  Together with the Gosford parish we provided an English-Russian 2023 wall calendar commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  We continued to support the Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Mission on the Mid North Coast of the New South Wales.  In December our clergy and five of our parishioners received Diocesan medals in honour of this same anniversary, and another five of our parishioners received parish awards.  All the news from 2023 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Tuesday 19 December, the summer feast-day of Saint Nicholas, and on Sunday 24 December, the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, the parish rector presented Diocesan and parish awards to our deacon and ten parishioners.  Deacon Michal Matys and our parishioners Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish, Subdeacon Luke Goura, Nikolai Goura, Irene Lupish, and Eugenia Millard received medals and certificates commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of our Diocese.  The face of the medal has a portrait of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion (+2022), the longest-serving Ruling Bishop of the Diocese, and the reverse has an inscription explaining the award.  Lucea Szabunia, Dean Crawford, Raisa Zyza, Olga Bogacheva and Paul Goura received parish Certificates of Appreciation.  Further information about awards in the Russian Orthodox Church, in our Diocese, and in our parish, is available here.

On Saturday 23 December and Sunday 24 December we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Forefathers.  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.  In place of a sermon the recent Epistle of the Synod of Bishops to the Clergy and Flock of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia was read aloud in English and in Russian.  After Divine Liturgy there was a presentation of Diocesan and parish awards.  These were our final services for 2023.

On Monday 18 December and Tuesday 19 December we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+342 AD), the heavenly protector of our parish.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil was served on Monday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Tuesday 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. Following Divine Liturgy there was a moleben to Saint Nicholas and a presentation of a number of Diocesan and parish awards, after which those present gathered in the church for a festive meal.

On Sunday 10 December our parish held its 2023 Annual General Meeting.  The 2023 Annual Report was presented and accepted, and Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucea Szabunia and Dean (Nicholas) Crawford were elected to serve on the 2023-24 Parish Council.

On Saturday 9 December and Sunday 10 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the wonderworking Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God.  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.  At the completion of the services on Sunday, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held that afternoon.

Our 2023 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2022-23 Financial Statements, is now available.  It includes information about the governance of our parish and gives a little parish history.  It also summarises the life and activity of the parish in 2022-23 and provides details of some future plans.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 10 December 2023, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

Our Summer 2023-24 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2023-24 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2023-24 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies will be available in church from the weekend of 25-26 November.   Services of note will be for Saint Nicholas on 18-19 December and for the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 18-19 January, a day on which we will have a Great Blessing of Water and commemorate Newcastle's former Theophany parish (1994-2009).

On Sunday 26 November a meeting of the Parish Council was held.  The usual pastoral, administrative and financial reports were heard.  A decision was made to engage an architect to prepare plans for the replacement of the church entrances and for other works on the church grounds, including construction of an accessible toilet and new paving.  It was agreed that the Parish Council would meet again briefly before the Annual General Meeting scheduled for 10 December 2023 to endorse the final 2023 Annual Report.

On Saturday 25 November and Sunday 26 November we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople (+407 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.  Following Divine Liturgy, a memorial litia was served for the ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish (+22 November 1977), Kenneth Cross (+18 November 2018), Alexander Evteev (+8 December 2018), and Eugenia Kallaur (+19 November 2021).  At the completion of the services on Sunday, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held on Sunday 10 December 2023.

On Saturday 11 November and Sunday 12 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Zenobius, bishop of Aegae in Cilicia, and his sister Zenobia (+285 AD).  Matins 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 our small church was full, with visitors joining us from Sydney, the Central Coast, and the Mid North Coast.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land.  Following Divine Liturgy, an announcement was made concerning the Annual General Meeting of the parish to be held on Sunday 10 December 2023.

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 28-29 October our parish rector visited Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast. On Saturday he baptised Sophia, the infant daughter of Evan and Katerina Cotten, a couple who have been central to the life of the Mission since it began in 2019.  Sophia’s godparents were Tatiana Tobin and Gregory Alexandrovsky.  On Sunday 29 October, the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of Martyr Longinus the Centurion (+1st C. AD), the Hours and Divine Liturgy  were served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and peace in the Holy Land, and the newly-baptised Sophia received Holy Communion for the first time.  Following Divine Liturgy there was a general panikhida, Saturday having been Saint Demetrius Saturday, a day of commemoration of the departed.  A photo-report of the weekend can be viewed at the Mission's Facebook page.  God willing, the next services of the Mission will be in Coffs Harbour on Saturday-Sunday 30-31 December, the day of commemoration of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye.

On Saturday 21 October and Sunday 22 October we had services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787 AD) and the Holy Apostle James, son of Alphaeus (+1st C. 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.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the Orthodox Christian veneration of icons.

His Grace Bishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand has directed that prayers be offered in the churches of our Diocese for peace in the Holy Land.  The text of the prayer to be used in Slavonic and English is available here.  The text in Russian script, together with some Russian language notes concerning the history of this prayer, is available here.  In brief, the prayer is customarily read at Divine Liturgy throughout the Orthodox Christian world on Great and Holy Saturday, the day preceding Pascha.  In our parish the prayer will be read at each Divine Liturgy, together with the prayer for peace in Ukraine.

On Saturday 7 October and Sunday 8 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh (+1392 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.  At the end of the Sunday service, a moleben to Saint Sergius was served at which prayers were again offered for peace in Ukraine; for our parishioners and friends, especially those studying; for the rulers of this country; and for the safety and well-being of our city of Newcastle and the wider Hunter Region.

On Saturday 23 September and Sunday 24 September we had services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and in honour of Venerable Theodora of Alexandria (+c.474 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.  At the end of the Sunday service, a collection was taken up to help the Resurrection of Christ Russian Orthodox Church in Auckland, New Zealand, purchase and renovate a new parish centre.

On Saturday 16 September and Sunday 17 September we had services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia, the Wonderworkers of Murom.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. These were extra services, not previously scheduled, as our neighbouring parish of Saint Panteleimon, Gosford, remained closed for the installation of a new iconostasis.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon a brief moleben was served to Saints Peter and Febronia, the heavenly patrons of family life, love and faithfulness, at which the couples amongst our parishioners and friends were commemorated by name.

On Saturday 9 September and Saturday 10 September we had services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of the finding of the relics in 1659 of Venerable Job, the abbot and wonderworker of Pochaev.  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.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the life and work of Saint Job of Pochaev and of his significance in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

On Saturday 2 September and Sunday 3 September we had services for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Dormition, and in honour of Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy (+c.44 AD). These were extra services, not previously scheduled, as our neighbouring parish of Saint Panteleimon, Gosford, remained closed for the installation of a new iconostasis.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. At both services our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and at the Prayer before the Amvon prayers of blessing were read over four icons of Great Feasts in beautiful new kiots (hinged box-frames) made by Michael Sokolsky, and a new portable chalice for taking Holy Communion to the sick. The new icons are of the Meeting of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Ascension of the Lord, and the Exaltation of the Cross. A matching icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God was blessed separately.

On Saturday 26 August and Sunday 27 August we had services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, the Forefeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and in honour of Prophet Micah (+8th Century BC).  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.  Prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and at the Prayer before the Amvon there was a blessing of honey.

Our Spring 2023 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2023 Schedule of Services is available here.

On Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August we had services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Forefeast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, and in honour of Righteous Eudocimus (Evdokim) of Cappadocia (+9th Century AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together. At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine. 

On Sunday 30 July, the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils, Divine Liturgy was served in Boambee, near Coffs Harbour, at the home of Drs Ashish Sinha and Evgenia Biryukova.  Joining regular worshippers from across the Mid North Coast were friends from the Gold Coast (QLD) and Armidale (NSW), with approximately 30 people present.  Afterwards, most stayed for lunch and fellowship.  Following lunch the Mission Committee briefly discussed ideas for a portable iconostasis, a website, and plans for the Mission’s first patronal feast-day on December 30-31, 2023.  God willing, the next service on the Mid North Coast will be Divine Liturgy in Wauchope on Sunday 29 October.

On Saturday 22 July and Sunday 23 July we had services for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves (+1073 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At both services our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  On Sunday morning our church was full, with visitors from Sydney, Armidale and elsewhere joining our regular parishioners.  In his sermon Father James spoke about Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves and of living a life that shows to others the love of Christ.  In this regard, he drew the attention of the faithful to Patriarch Kirill’s Report to the Bishops’ Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church on 19 July 2023, and the emphasis in that report on loving-kindness, concern, gentleness, and compassion in the internal life of the Church.  Afterwards, many of those present gathered in the church hall for fellowship and refreshments.

On Tuesday 11 July and Wednesday 12 July we had services in honour of the Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Wednesday morning.  Prior to the services, our small church was for the first time beautifully vested in the new gold vestments received in March this year.  At All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon, Father James spoke of the different backgrounds of the Apostles Peter and Paul; of their repentance; and of their great labours to spread the Gospel of Christ.

On Saturday 8 July and Sunday 9 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the appearance of the “Tikhvin” Icon of the Mother of God in 1383 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.  Joining us on Sunday were friends from Sydney holidaying in the Hunter Valley, and parishioners of Saint Naum of Ohrid Serbian Orthodox Church in Broadmeadow, their church being closed for building works.

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, our parish has developed and published an explanation of the reasons why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons. It incorporates a list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated that has now been updated to include Sundays and Fridays in 2024 and 2025.  This information, which can be accessed either here or via our Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals page, has been prepared to help our parishioners and friends when planning weddings in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Should anyone have any questions or concerns about this information, please contact us.

On Saturday 24 June and Sunday 25 June we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Onuphrius the Great (+4th Century) and Venerable Peter of Mount Athos (+734 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Matins and Divine Liturgy our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  Early on Sunday morning Father James and a small group of parishioners newly-received into Orthodoxy again gathered in church to read the Prayers of Preparation for Holy Communion.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, and prayers of blessing were read over two new icons for our church, one of Great-Martyr Panteleimon and another of Saint Gregory Palamas.

On Saturday 10 June and Sunday 11 June we had services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints and the Day of Youth of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  Prior to Divine Liturgy, the parish rector and a small group of parishioners newly-received into Orthodoxy gathered in church to read the Prayers of Preparation for Holy Communion.  At the end of Divine Liturgy a brief moleben was served for the children and young people of our parish, our Diocese, and of our ROCOR as a whole, asking God that He “deliver them from every snare of the Enemy, preserve them in Orthodoxy and the Faith, and in all godliness and purity all the days of their life”.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the commemoration of All Saints and of the way in which our Orthodox Christian saints show many different paths to holiness.  He also spoke about the history and significance of ROCOR’s Day of Youth, and of the importance of our children and young people participating appropriately, actively, and confidently in the divine services and in the broader life of the church.

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 27-28 May, our parish clergy,  Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, participated in a Pastoral Conference of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  The Pastoral Conference was convened to coincide with celebrations marking the centenary of the founding of the parish of Saint Nicholas in Brisbane, the first Russian Orthodox parish in Australia.  Solemn divine services were held on Saturday evening and Sunday morning at which three bishops served: Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal and Canada, Bishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand, and Bishop Luke (Murianka) of Syracuse, Vicar of the Eastern American Diocese.  Concelebrating with them at Divine Liturgy on Sunday were forty-nine priests and deacons of our diocese, including our own parish clergy, and representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church.  The Russian Orthodox Men’s Choir of Australia sang at both services.  Updated 13 June 2023: An article with more detail and links to photographs is available here.

Our Winter 2023 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available.  Services of particular note during this period will be All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy on Tuesday-Wednesday 11-12 July in honour of the Holy Preeminent Apostles Peter and Paul.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2023 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are also available in church.

On Sunday 21 May and Monday 22 May we had services commemorating the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Sunday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Monday morning. Divine Liturgy on Monday was preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas.  At All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy our parish clergy, Archpriest James Carles and Deacon Michal Matys, served together.  It being a working day, only a small number of our parishioners and friends were able to be present.  Upon completion of the services on Monday there was an informal festive meal in the church hall.

On Saturday 13 May and Sunday 14 May we had services for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, the Fifth Sunday of Pascha.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. On both days the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, and the newly baptised servants of God James and John received Holy Communion for the first time.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about our Lord’s conversation with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well (John 4:5-42), and of how all that we long for finds its true satisfaction only in Christ.

On Saturday 13 May, the parish rector baptised two adult converts to Orthodoxy, Brock Savage and Jack Summerhill.  In baptism Brock and Jack took the names James and John in honour of the brother-apostles, Saints James and John the sons of Zebedee.  Both men had as their sponsor Paul Goura, and James had as an additional sponsor Natalie Thoroughgood.  Afterwards, parishioners, family members and friends – amongst whom were a number of young men who had recently been received into Orthodoxy in various Newcastle parishes – gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.  We warmly congratulate the newly-baptised servants of God James and John, wishing them good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On the weekend of Saturday-Sunday 29-30 April our parish rector visited Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission on the NSW Mid North Coast. On Sunday 30 April, the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Hours and Divine Liturgy  was served at Wauchope Community Arts Hall.  Fifteen people were present.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon, Father James spoke about the humble and faithful service of the Myrrhbearers as a model for Christian life.

On Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April we had services for Thomas Sunday, the Second Sunday of Pascha.  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 following the Prayer before the Amvon, the Prayer at the breaking of the Artos was read.  In place of a sermon, the Paschal Epistle of Bishop George of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand was read aloud.  After the dismissal, pieces of the Artos were distributed to the faithful.

This year, our parish had a small number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha.  Matins with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels was served in the evening on Thursday 13 April and Vespers  with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served in the afternoon on Friday 14 April.  On Saturday evening we had an early Midnight Office and procession followed by Paschal Matins and the blessing of Easter baskets with cakes, eggs, and other festive foods.  The parish rector was assisted on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon by Deacon Michal Matys, and on Saturday evening by Protodeacon Martin Naef.

On Saturday 8 April and Sunday 9 April we had services for Palm Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Great Lent and the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil, and five loaves and the blessing of palms and pussy-willows was served at on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  Prior to the evening service our church had been decorated beautifully with palm fronds.  On both days the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and at Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

On the evening of Thursday 30 March we had a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Together with the parish rector, thirty-one 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 Saturday 25 March and Sunday 26 March we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 25 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served before Matins on Saturday evening.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta and pasta sauces, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to local charitable organisations for relief of the homeless. At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

At the 2022 Annual General Meeting of our parish, members endorsed a Statement of Commitment to Child Safety and to children’s participation in the life of our parish.  In collaboration with our neighbouring parish of Saint Panteleimon, West Gosford, we have now developed new policies and procedures to give effect to these commitments.  Together with general information about child safety in our parish, we have published our policies and procedures online.  Over the next few months our parish will be fully implementing the new arrangements, facilitating training for key people, and revising the policies and procedures in light of experience.  Questions, comments and feedback are welcome!

On Saturday 11 March and Sunday 12 March we had services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 11 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served before Matins on Saturday evening.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods (tinned vegetables and fruit, long-life milk, pasta and pasta sauces, rice, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to local charitable organisations for relief of the homeless. At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  At the end of Divine Liturgy prayers of blessing were read over new gold sets of altar and church vestments, priest’s vestments, and chalice covers.

On Saturday 25 February and Sunday 26 February we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  The parish rector was assisted at both services by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy, Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness was served. Afterwards, many of our parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall to enjoy pancakes and a short Russian-language play about Maslenitsa performed by some of the parish children.

Our Autumn 2023 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2023 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2023 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2023 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 10-11 February.

On Saturday 11 February and Sunday 12 February we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son and in honour of the Three Hierarchs: Saints Basil the Great (+379 AD), Gregory the Theologian (+389 AD), and John Chrysostom (+407 AD).  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 for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Prodigal Son and the possibility of each one of us returning to our Father’s house with confidence in His love and His willingness to forgive us.  He also spoke about the lives, influence on Orthodoxy, and example of the Three Hierarchs.

On Monday 23 January 2023 the funeral of 97 year-old Tamara Adamczyk was served in our church.  Tamara, who was a member of our parish and, before that, of the Theophany parish in Mayfield, was born in 1925.  She departed this life on 13 January 2023.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Tamara's children Wanda and Stephen, to their spouses, and to Tamara's grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Following the funeral Tamara was laid to rest in Wallsend Cemetery beside her beloved husband Stanislaw (+2017).  May God grant her rest!

On Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January we had services for the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after Theophany, and in honour of Hieromartyr Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (+1569 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water 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.  At the end of the service the parish rector spoke about the work of the former Theophany parish (1994-2009) in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish in 2009, and intoned ‘Eternal Memory’ for the newly-reposed Tamara (Adamczyk) and the other reposed founders, benefactors and parishioners of the Theophany parish.

On Sunday 8 January we had services for the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy were served.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine. In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud the Nativity Epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.  Afterwards, a great many of our parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a festive meal and a visit from Father Christmas.

This year we mourned the loss of ROCOR First Hierarch Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) (+16 May 2022), who as Diocesan Bishop showed great kindness to our parish and did much to help Russian Orthodox unity in Newcastle.  As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, we continued to offer prayers for deliverance from the coronavirus.  From February we laboured under the shadow of armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, offering prayers for peace.  We had just one baptism this year, that of an infant, Vasily Watson.  The funerals of Valentina Abramow (+23 January 2022) and Raisa Shalimov (+1 August 2022), two women with a long association with our parish, were served.  We participated in the Great Lenten Pastoral Conference in March, in services in June marking the fortieth day of Metropolitan Hilarion’s repose, and in the Twentieth Australian-New Zealand Diocesan Assembly in October.  Together with the Gosford parish we provided an English-Russian wall calendar commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the repose of the noted ascetic and writer, Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) of Platina.  We received our new memorial table, new shrouds of Christ and of the Mother of God, and new sets of priests’ vestments in green and blue.  The renovation of our sacristy was completed. Our parish rector made pastoral visits to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in January, May and July, and in November he was appointed rector of the Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye Orthodox Mission there.  All the news from 2022 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Saturday 17 December and Sunday 18 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified (+532 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.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the formative influence of Saint Sabbas on the Typikon of the Orthodox Church.  Following Divine Liturgy there was a moleben to Saint Nicholas the wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, in anticipation of his commemoration on Monday 19 December.  Many years was then sung for two parishioners: our warden Nikolai Goura and Parish Council member Dean (Nicholas) Crawford, both of whom celebrate their names-day on 19 December.  These were the final services in our parish for 2022.

On Saturday 10 December and Sunday 11 December we had services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Monk-Martyr Stephen the New (+767 AD).  Matins 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 prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy the parish rector congratulated Father Michal on the recent first anniversary of his service in our parish and presented him with an embroidered orarion and cuffs, a joint gift from our parish and the Gosford parish.

On Saturday 26 November and Sunday 27 November we had services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Philip (+87 AD).  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 for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), emphasising the relationship between love for God and love for one’s neighbour; the extraordinary call to love one’s neighbour as oneself; and of one’s neighbour as being simply any other person with whom we have contact.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday a litia was served for the ever-memorable founder of our parish, Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), Tuesday 22 November 2022 having been the forty-fifth anniversary of his repose.  After the service many of those present gathered in the church hall for a light meal, this practice having been re-established after a break of over two-and-a-half years.

Our Summer 2022-23 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2022-23 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2022-23 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies will be available in church from the weekend of 26-27 November.   Services of note will be for the second day of the Great Feast of the Nativity Of the Lord (Christmas) on Sunday 8 January, and for the Sunday after the Great Feast of Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 23 January, a day on which we will have a Great Blessing of Water and commemorate Newcastle's former Theophany parish.  Although we will not have services this year for the summer feast of Saint Nicholas on 18-19 December, a moleben to the saint will be served after Divine Liturgy on Sunday 18 December.

On Saturday 12 November and Sunday 13 November we had services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Apostles of the Seventy Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles and Aristobulus (1st C. AD) and Martyr Epimachus of Alexandria (+250 AD).  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, in view of the rising number of cases, for deliverance from the coronavirus.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Christ's miraculous healing of the demon-possessed man (Luke 8:26-39); His miracles as signs of both His divine power and His love for humanity; and the need for a response to both those things.  He spoke about the different forms of response evident in the lives of the saints commemorated, commending in particular Saints Spyridon and Nicodemus, prosphora-bakers of the Kiev Caves (+12th C. AD), for the simplicity and faithfulness of their Christian lives.

On Saturday 22 October and Sunday 23 October we had services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 787 AD) and the Venerable Elders of Optina Hermitage.  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.  Following Divine Liturgy our much-loved parishioner and long-serving (2012-2022) treasurer, Anu Kinnunen, was presented with a parish Certificate of Appreciation and a copy of our ‘Newcastle’ Icon of the Mother of God.  This was Anu’s final service in our parish, as she and her husband are returning to Europe after living in Australia for many years.  After the parish rector thanked Anu for her diligent service and her valued contributed to the social and liturgical life of the parish, ‘Many Years’ was sung for her.

On Saturday 8 October and Sunday 9 October we had services for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (+ Second Century AD).  Matins 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 Michael Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

On Sunday 25 September our parish held its 2022 Annual General Meeting.  The 2022 Annual Report was presented and accepted.  A Statement of Commitment to Child Safety was adopted that will guide our parish as it works to ensure that our children are valued, safe, and involved in parish life.  Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucea Szabunia and Dean (Nicholas) Crawford were elected to serve on the 2022-23 Parish Council, and Subdeacon Luke Goura was chosen to represent the parish at the Twentieth Diocesan Assembly to be held in Strathfield in October 2022.

On Saturday 24 September and Sunday 25 September we had services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and for the Apodosis of the Nativity of the Mother of God.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At these services, our parish for the first time commemorated Metropolitan Nicholas (Olhovsky) in his new capacity as First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and Bishop George in his new capacity as Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following the services on Sunday an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held that afternoon.

Our 2022 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2021-22 Financial Statements, is now available.  It includes information about the governance of our parish and gives a little parish history.  It also summarises the life and activity of the parish in 2021-22 and provides details of some future projects.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 25 September 2022, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

On Saturday 10 September and Sunday 11 September we had services for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in memory of the Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John.  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, for deliverance from the coronavirus, and for the aid of the forthcoming Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. In accordance with the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church on this feast of Saint John the Baptist, a litia for all Orthodox soldiers, sailors and airmen slain in battle was served immediately after Divine Liturgy.  With Bishop George's blessing, prayers were also offered for the repose of the soul of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (+9 September 2022).  Following the services on Sunday an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday 25 September 2022.

On Saturday 27 August and Sunday 28 August we had services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost and the Great Feast of the Dormition 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 Michael Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  As on this day it was 73 years since the first Russian Orthodox services in the Hunter Valley, a moleben of thanksgiving was served at the end of Divine Liturgy.  Following Divine Liturgy an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday 25 September 2022.  Afterwards, our parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a light festive meal.

Our Spring 2022 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2022 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2022 Schedule of Services is available here.

On Saturday 13 August and Sunday 14 August we had services for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord and the Holy Maccabean Martyrs (+166 BC).  On this day the Russian Orthodox Church also commemorates the Baptism of Rus' in 988 AD and the feast of the Most Merciful Saviour and the All-Holy Theotokos, established in 1162 AD to commemorate the simultaneous victory of Byzantine and Russian forces over their enemies.   Matins with the bringing out of the Cross 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 Michael Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday there was a Blessing of Water and, in accordance with the custom of the Russian Orthodox Church, a blessing of honey.  The honey, a gift to our parish and the Gosford parish in memory of the departed servants of God Anna, Olga and Nestor, Michael and Alla, and Evgenia, was afterwards shared amongst those present.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the various historical events and saints commemorated on this day and the way in which they bear witness to the continuing relationship between God and His people.

On Saturday 30 July and Sunday 31 July our parish rector undertook a pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the third and final visit for 2022. On Sunday morning, the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and day of commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the first Six Ecumenical Councils, Divine Liturgy was served in Wirrimbi, near Macksville, at the home of Liubov Sleaford. Following the service those present shared a meal and discussed plans for the future.  We hope to have services on the Mid North Coast again in January, April, July, October and December 2023.

On Saturday 23 July and Sunday 24 July we had services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of Great-Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (+304 AD) and Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, princess of Russia (+969 AD).  Matins 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 Michael Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers of blessing were read over a beautiful new embroidered image of the Mother of God for veneration at services for the Great Feast of the Dormition.

On Saturday 9 July and Sunday 10 July we had services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of Venerable Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople (+c.530 AD).  Matins 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 Michael Matys.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Drawing on the appointed reading from the Apostol, Romans 6:18-23 (§93, Servants of righteousness), the parish rector spoke in his sermon on Sunday about being servants of righteousness rather than servants of sin.

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, our parish has commenced a review of its child safe policy and procedures to give effect to the Child Safe Standards.  The Child Safe Standards are based on the research and consultation conducted by Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.  Now enshrined in law by amendments to the Children’s Guardian Act 2019 (NSW), the Child Safe Standards provide a framework for creating organisations that are inclusive and safe for children.  One of our first steps has been to draft a Statement of Commitment to Child Safety, a copy of which can be viewed here.  We are also working on a new and comprehensive Child Safe Policy; new role descriptions and complaint-handling procedures; and a new Child Safe Code of Conduct.  We will seek comments on all these documents from our parishioners and friends, as well as from the Diocesan and civil authorities, before implementing and formally launching the new policy and procedures later this year.

On Monday 27 June, a meeting of the Parish Council was held.  This was the first meeting of the Parish Council in 2022 and the first face-to-face meeting since September 2019.  The parish rector tabled detailed reports covering the life of the parish and the wider church from October 2021 until June 2022.  Decisions were made concerning requests for assistance, donations and collections, and new acquisitions.  A report was given on the implementation of new financial management software and the new reports were tabled and discussed.  Suggested changes to the scheduling of services, particularly during Great Lent and at Pascha, were noted and endorsed.  It was agreed that our parish Annual General Meeting would be held on Sunday 25 September 2022.  The Parish Council will meet again in July to discuss several policy documents and a draft Annual Report.

On Saturday 25 June and Sunday 26 June we had services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of All Saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia.  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 Michael Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday there was  a memorial litia for the evr-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), Friday 24 June having been the fortieth day of his repose.

On Saturday 11 June and Sunday 12 June we had services for the Great Feast of Pentecost.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening.  Prior to the service our small church had been beautifully decorated with flowers and green branches in honour of the life-giving Holy Spirit.  On Sunday morning, the Hours and Divine Liturgy were immediately followed by Vespers with the reading of the customary "kneeling prayers".  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  At the end of the services on Sunday the faithful were reminded of a Diocesan collection to assist the Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute, the theological and higher education institute of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

Our Winter 2022 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available.  Services of note during this period include those for the Great Feast of Pentecost on 11-12 June; for the beginning of the Dormition Fast and the Procession of the Wood of the Cross on 13-14 August; and for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God on 27-28 August.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2022 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2022 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are also available in church.

On Saturday 21 May and Sunday 22 May we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, and in honour of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This was the patronal feast-day of our church.  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. Divine Liturgy on Sunday was preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas.  At Divine Liturgy the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys and prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following the moleben the parish rector congratulated those present and spoke about the unfailing help that Christians throughout the centuries have found in the prayers of Saint Nicholas.  Many of our parishioners then gathered in our church hall for a festive meal, the first such gathering in two years.

On Saturday 21 May, immediately before All-night Vigil for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha and in honour of Saint Nicholas, our parish rector served a panikhida for the newly-reposed Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and much-loved Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese for over twenty-five years.  Following the service, our rector spoke spoke briefly concerning Vladyka Hilarion’s great humility, kindness and pastoral dedication.

On Saturday 7 May and Sunday 8 May we had services for the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.  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 for deliverance from the coronavirus.  At the end of Divine Liturgy the Artos was cut and distributed.

This year, our parish again had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha.   Divine Liturgy was served in the morning on Great Thursday, 21 April.  On Great Friday, 22 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served in the afternoon.  On Saturday 23 April Midnight Office was served late in the evening, with Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy following in the early hours of 24 April, the Sunday of Pascha.    Easter baskets with cakes, eggs and other festive foods were blessed following Matins.  At the services on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.

On Saturday 9 April and Sunday 10 April we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the commemoration of Saint Mary of Egypt.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus. Following the Prayer before the Amvon on Sunday, prayers of blessing were read over a new Shroud ("плащаница") of Christ, new blue and green sets of priests' vestments donated in memory of the departed servants of God Michael and Alla, and an analogion cover embroidered with an image of the Holy Trinity.  All these items were the work of the Saint Elisabeth Convent in Minks, Belarus.

On Saturday 26 March and Sunday 27 March we had services for the Third Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross. Matins with the bringing out of the Cross was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  As Saturday 26 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served immediately before Matins on Saturday evening.  As an act of kindness in memory of the departed, several people attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.

On Saturday 12 March and Sunday 13 March we had services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Prayers were offered for the restoration of peace between Russia and Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, a brief moleben was served ‘For the Conversion of Those in Error’, at which prayers were offered for those who oppose the truth of the Gospel with heresy and for those who have fallen away from the Holy Orthodox Church through schism.  In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about the restoration of the icons to the churches on the First Sunday of Great Lent in 843 AD, the event leading to the establishment of the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, and about the essential place of icons in the defence of the doctrine of the Incarnation of Christ.  At the end of Divine Liturgy, a collection was taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York.

Early in the evening on Sunday 6 March, Forgiveness Sunday, we had Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness.  During this service the church vestments were changed from gold to black and the festive melodies gave way to the solemn Lenten melodies.  At the end of the service the parish rector spoke briefly about the Gospel injunction to grant forgivenss to others if we are to hope for forgiveness from God (Matthew 6:14-15).  Following this, all present venerated the Gospel, the Cross, and the Holy Icons, and asked forgiveness of one another in accordance with Orthodox custom.

On Saturday 26 February and Sunday 27 February we had services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday was a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served immediately before Matins on Saturday evening.  As an act of kindness in memory of the departed, several people attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods and sanitary items to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for deliverance from the coronavirus.  Following Divine Liturgy, a collection as taken up to benefit Orthodox Action.  Afterwards, the Ladies’ Auxiliary served pancakes in the church hall.

Our Autumn 2022 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2022 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha and our patronal feast of Saint Nicholas.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2022 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2022 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies will be available in church from the weekend of 26-27 February.

On Saturday 12 February and Sunday 13 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Prior to the service on Saturday evening, prayers of blessing were read over our new memorial table, largely the work of the late ever-memorable Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and a panikhida was served for him.  At Matins and Divine Liturgy our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michael Matys.  Also assisting at both services was Subdeacon Irenaeus (Ryan) Strickler, now living in the Hunter Valley and teaching at the University of Newcastle.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector spoke about emulating the humility of the Publican and the virtue of the Pharisee while avoiding the sinfulness of the one and the foolish pride of the other.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, the first anniversary of Protodeacon Vasily’s repose, he was again commemorated at a memorial litia. 

On Thursday 3 February our parish rector served the funeral of Valentina Abramow, née Katonin.  Both the Abramow and Katonin families have a long and important association with our parish.  Valentina, who was born in Europe in 1943, departed this life on 23 January 2022.  She was laid to rest in Wallsend Cemetery, a short distance from her parents Michael and Maria.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Valentina’s husband of nearly 55 years, Eddie; to their children Michael, Natalie and Phillip; to her grandchildren; and to her sister Anna.  Memory eternal!

On Saturday 29 January and Sunday 30 January our parish rector undertook a pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the first such visit since May 2021. On Sunday morning, the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and day of commemoration of Saint Anthony the Great, Divine Liturgy was served in Boambee, near Coffs Harbour, at the home of Drs Ashish Sinha and Evgenia Biryukova.  Joining locals for the service were friends from the Central Coast (NSW) and the Gold Coast (QLD) and enquirers from Armidale (NSW).  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, it being the first service after Theophany, the Great Blessing of Water was served. After lunch the members of the community held a meeting at which they reviewed the activities and achievements of the past three years, discussed future plans, and elected a "mission committee" comprising Katerina Cotten, Tatiana Tobin, Evan Cotten, and Dr Evgenia Biryukova.  The committee will now seek Bishop George’s blessing of its decisions.  God willing, there will be services on the Mid North Coast again in May, July and October 2022.

On Saturday 22 January and Sunday 23 January we had services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost, for the Sunday after Theophany, and in honour of Saint Theophan the Recluse of Vysha Monastery (+1894).   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served at on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy and the Blessing of Water our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michael Matys.  Following the blessing of water a brief moleben of thanksgiving was served for the work of the former (1994-2009) Theophany parish in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish in 2009, and Eternal Memory was sung for the departed founders, parishioners and benefactors of that parish.

On Saturday 8 January and Sunday 9 January we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  In place of a sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector read aloud Metropolitan Hilarion’s Nativity Epistle in both Russian and English.

This year, like 2020, was dominated by the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 and the public health measures implemented to manage it.  Our parish had no public services from Monday 2 August until Saturday 23 October – a period of almost three months! – and various other restrictions were in place for the entire year.  We had five baptisms including Gabriel Golovdovski and Lira Koster.  We laid to rest two long-serving and much loved members of the parish, Anna Morhun and Eugenia Thoroughgood (nee Kallaur).  Prayers were offered on the two-hundredth anniversary of the assassination of Emperor Paul I of Russia.  We acquired new blue and green vestments for the altar table and church, a new seven-branched lampstand for the sanctuary, and a new candle-stand for the church.  Together with the Gosford parish we provided an English-Russian wall calendar commemorating the centenary of the First All-Diaspora Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Our website provided updated information to help with the planning of weddings and instructive material about Sunday commemorations and readings and certain Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church.  The renovation of our sacristy was almost completed and planning for further improvements to the church and grounds commenced.  Our parish rector made pastoral visits to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in January and May.  All the news from 2021 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Saturday 18 December and Sunday 19 December we had services for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (+c.345 AD).  This summer feast-day of Saint Nicholas is the lesser patronal feast-day of our church.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services, our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  Divine Liturgy was preceded by a blessing of water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a procession around the church.  At the end of the moleben the parish rector offered congratulations to our Warden Nikolai Goura and Parish Council member Dean (Nicholas) Crawford, both of whom were celebrating their name-day.

On Saturday 18 December the parish rector baptised the infant Lira, the first child of James and Masha Koster.  Lira, who was baptised in honour of the Martyr Valeria of Caesarea, had as her godparents Victorya Atrahimovich and Craig Beck.  We warmly congratulate James, Masha, Victorya and Craig, and pray that God will grant His newly-baptised servant Valeria good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On Sunday 12 December our parish held its 2021 Annual General Meeting.  The 2021 Annual Report was presented and accepted.  The path of parish life and plans for the future were discussed, following which Nikolai Goura was elected Warden for a sixth consecutive three-year term, and Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucea Szabunia, Anu Kinnunen and Dean (Nicholas) Crawford were elected to serve on the 2021-22 Parish Council.  

On Saturday 11 December and Sunday 12 December we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Paramon and 370 martyrs with him in Bithynia (+250 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services, our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  Following Divine Liturgy an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held that afternoon.

On Friday 19 November we learned with great sadness of the repose, early that morning, of Eugenia (“Zhenya”) Thoroughgood (née Kallaur, b.1938), a much-loved member of our parish.  Born in Belarus, Zhenya came to Australia via Poland, Germany, and Italy, arriving in October 1949.  After living for a time at the Greta Migrant Camp, Zhenya’s family became deeply involved in our parish, with her father Anton helping build our church and later serving as a trustee.  Zhenya, a humble and pious woman who rarely missed a service, for many years sang in the choir and helped with cleaning and the changing of the church vestments.  Her funeral was served on Friday 26 November; she was laid to rest in Sandgate Cemetery on Wednesday 8 December, her burial having been delayed by heavy rain.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Zhenya’s daughters Karen, Tania and Natalie, and to her grandchildren.  May God grant this good and faithful servant of our parish rest with the saints and make her memory to be eternal!

Our 2021 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2020-21 Financial Statements, is now available.  It includes information about the governance of our parish and gives a little parish history.  It also summarises the life and activity of the parish in 2020-21 and provides details of some future projects.  A copy of the report, which will be formally presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 12 December 2021, is available here.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments concerning our Annual Report to contact us.

On Saturday 27 November and Sunday 28 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus of Edessa (+3rd-4th Century AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services, our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read. Following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for the ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish (+22 November 1977); our much-loved parishioner Evgenia Thoroughgood (+19 November 2021); and Protodeacon Anatol Daniluk (+16 November 2021), a long-serving cleric of the Białystok and Gdańsk Diocese of the Polish Orthodox Church and a preceptor of Deacon Michal.  Afterwards, an announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, on Sunday 12 December 2021, and a collection was taken up to benefit the Fund for Assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

Our Summer 2021-22 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2021-22 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2021-22 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages will be available in church from the weekend of 27-28 November.   Services of note will be for the summer feast of Saint Nicholas on 18-19 December; the Sunday after the Great Feast of the Nativity Of the Lord (Christmas) on 8-9 January; the Sunday after the Great Feast of Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) on 22-23 January, a day on which we commemorate Newcastle's former Theophany parish; and the commemoration of the departed on Saturday 26 February.

Updated 28 November: On Saturday 13 November and Sunday 14 November we had services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Unmercenary Healers and Wonderworkers, Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia (+3rd Century AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At both services, our parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys.  Our choir was beautifully augmented on Sunday by a small group of experienced singers from the Sydney parishes visiting the Hunter Valley for the weekend.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a blessing of honey that was afterwards distributed to those present. In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about Saints Cosmas and Damian, saints who were skilled physicians; about unmercenary healers who, recognising their skill as God’s gift, have taken literally Christ’s instruction to “freely give” (Matthew 10:8); about each one of us using our own specific gifts for the glory of God; and about the importance, particularly in our current circumstances, of understanding and accepting that God helps us by means of the medical skill and wisdom that he has given to physicians.  An announcement was made concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, on Sunday 12 December 2021.

On Saturday 23 October and Sunday 24 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  Serving together with the parish rector, Archpriest James Carles, was Deacon Michal Matys, a cleric of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese who has recently moved to the Hunter region.  Many of the faithful took the opportunity to confess and receive Holy Communion.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, prayers of blessing were read over a new seven-branched lampstand for the sanctuary and a new candlestand for the church.  In his sermon Father James spoke about the history of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, the authority of the Seven Ecumenical Councils and other councils of bishops, and the importance of attending to reliable authorities in spiritual matters.  At the dismissal, Father James expressed his joy at the recommencement of services following the long COVID-19-related lockdown and welcomed Father Michal and his family to the parish.

On Thursday 7 October, the Parish Council met by teleconference.  The usual reports on parish life and finances were tabled and discussed.  A decision was made to recommence services in our parish on the weekend of 23-24 October, provided that the 80 per cent vaccination target is reached in New South Wales and vaccination status has no impact on church attendance.  It was further agreed that the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the parish would be convened on Sunday 12 December, and that an architect would be engaged to help the Parish Council develop a Master Plan for ongoing improvements to the parish buildings and grounds.  The Parish Council is due to meet next in November 2021.

On Tuesday 31 August the Parish Council met by teleconference.  The usual reports on parish life and finances were tabled and discussed.  Our parish rector reported that a new seven-branched lampstand had been purchased for the sanctuary and that a new candle-stand had been purchased for placement before our icon of the Mother of God, "All Creation Rejoices in Thee".  An update was given on ongoing renovations and a number of proposed improvements to the parish facilities and grounds; a decision on further work was set aside until the Parish Council can meet in person to discuss the matter.  It was noted that places of worship in regional New South Wales had been closed to the public since the first week of August, and that it remained unclear when public services would again be possible.  The Parish Council will meet again prior to the next public services.

On Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August we had services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils and the finding of the relics of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1903).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As a result of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions in New South Wales, attendance at both services was limited to 32 people.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read and, following the Prayer before the Amvon, a brief moleben to Saint Seraphim was served.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils and of Saint Seraphim of Sarov as defenders of Orthodoxy, both intellectually and in their manner of life.

On Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyrs Hilary and Proclus of Ancyra (+Second Century AD) and Venerable Michael Maleinos (+961 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  As a result of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions in New South Wales, attendance at both services was limited to 32 people.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the lives and witness of the saints commemorated.

On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Unmercenary Healers and Wonderworkers Cyrus and John (+ 412 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.   As a result of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions in New South Wales, attendance at services was limited to 32 people.  In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the commemorations of saints on the first three Sundays after Pentecost and of seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

On Saturday 26 June and Sunday 27 June we had services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints and the Day of Youth of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As a result of COVID-19 restrictions that took effect in New South Wales on Saturday 26 June, attendance at services was limited to 32 people.  At the end of Divine Liturgy a brief moleben was served for the young people of our parish and for all ROCOR youth.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the history of the commemoration of All Saints on the First Sunday after Pentecost and of this day as the ROCOR Day of Youth.

On Saturday 12 June and Sunday 13 June we had services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council and the Afterfeast of Ascension.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, prayers of blessing were read over two new sets of vestments for the altar and icon stands, one green and one blue, ordered by our Ladies' Auxiliary from the sewing workshop of Saint Elisabeth Convent in Minsk, Belarus.  Prayers of blessing were also read over new icons of Martyr Natalia and Saint Nina, Equal-to-the-Apostles, gifts to our parish from the Kuleschow family.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the history and accomplishments of the First Ecumenical Council.

On Saturday 22 May and Sunday 23 May we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Paralytic.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the forty-day celebration of the Resurrection of Christ in the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church and of Christ as a compassionate God able to raise us up who are “paralysed grievously by all manner of sins and unseemly deeds” (from the kontakion for the Sunday of the Paralytic).

On Friday 21 May and Saturday 22 May we had services commemorating the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  This is the patronal feast-day of our church.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Friday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Saturday morning. Divine Liturgy was preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a procession around the church.  Praying in the altar during Divine Liturgy was Priest Theodor Postelnisescu of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Australia and New Zealand, and we were joined in church by friends from the Gosford parish.  Following the services our parish rector spoke about the veneration of Saint Nicholas throughout the Christian world, thanked Father Theodor for his prayers, and congratulated all present on the patronal feast-day of the parish.  A festive BBQ lunch was then held in the church hall and grounds, the first major social gathering in the parish since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Winter 2021 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available in PDF format.  Services of note during this period include those for Saint Seraphim of Sarov on 31 July-1 August, for the beginning of the Domition Fast and the Procession of the Wood of the Cross on 13-14 August, and for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God on 27-28 August.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2021 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2021 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages will be available in church as of the weekend of 22-23 May.

On Saturday 8 May and Sunday 9 May we had services for the Second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy, the Prayer at the breaking of the Artos was read.  In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud Metropolitan Hilarion’s Paschal Epistle in Russian and in English.  After the veneration of the cross, pieces of the Artos were distributed to the faithful.

This year, our parish again had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha.  Matins with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels was served in the evening on Thursday 29 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ at midday on Friday 30 April, Matins with Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ in the evening on Friday 30 April, and Divine Liturgy in the morning on Saturday 1 May.  On Saturday evening we had an early Midnight Office and procession followed by Paschal Matins and the blessing of Easter baskets with cakes, eggs, and other festive foods.

On Saturday 24 April and Sunday 25 April we had services for Palm Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Great Lent and the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil, and five loaves and the blessing of palms and pussy-willows was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Prior to the services our small church had been cleaned and beautifully decorated with palm branches.  On Sunday we were joined by friends from the Gosford parish for our largest service since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  Many of those present received Holy Communion. As 25 April was Anzac Day, the major day of commemoration in Australia of those fallen in war, Divine Liturgy was followed by a memorial litia for all Orthodox Christian soldiers, sailors, airmen and nurses who have fallen in the field of battle, and for all Orthodox Christians who have died in war.  A collection was then taken up to benefit the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jersualem, raising over $500.

On the evening of Tuesday 20 April we had a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Together with the parish rector, thirty 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 Monday 12 April the Parish Council met by teleconference.  The usual reports on parish life and finances were tabled and discussed and an update was given on our renovations and other proposed improvements to the parish facilities and grounds.  The arrangements for managing attendance at the Easter services were considered, together with plans for our patronal feast of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas on 21-22 May.  It was noted that the Ladies' Auxiliary, having received donations for this purpose, would be purchasing new blue and green covers for the altar table and icon stands.  The Parish Council is due to meet again in mid-May 2021.

On Saturday 10 April and Sunday 11 April we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 10 April was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins was preceded by a general panikhida during which prayers were offered for the newly-reposed Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (+9 April 2021), Russian Orthodox clergy victims of the coronavirus, the ever-memorable departed clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese, and our departed founders, benefactors, parishioners and relatives.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Saint John of the Ladder and the significance of his life and work.

On Saturday 27 March and Sunday 28 March we had services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 27 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins was preceded by a general panikhida during which prayers were offered for the ever-memorable Emperor Paul I of Russia (+23 March 1801), Metropolitan Laurus (Shkurla) (+16 March 2008), Russian Orthodox clergy victims of the coronavirus, and our departed founders, benefactors, parishioners and relatives.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Saint Gregory Palamas and his defence of the Orthodox Christian experience of God in prayer.  On Sunday a collection was taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York.

On Saturday 21 March the Mid North Coast Orthodox community learned with sadness of the repose of Donald John (“Don”) Sleaford after a grievous illness.  Don, who was born in the United Kingdom in February 1936, was received into the Orthodox Church in October 2020.  On Friday 12 March, the end of his earthly course drawing near, Don received the sacraments of Anointing with Oil and Holy Communion.  His funeral was served on Friday 26 March in the chapel at the Memorial Gardens in Everingham Lane, Frederickton.   We offer heartfelt condolences to Don’s wife, Liubov, and to his son Paul.  May God grant him rest where there is no more sickness or sorrow, but life everlasting!

On Saturday 13 March and Sunday 14 March we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read and the newly-baptised infant Gabriel Golovodovski received Holy Communion for the first time. In his sermon the parish rector spoke about forgiveness, the Lenten obedience of fasting and the approach to it set out in the Holy Scriptures, and Great Lent as a time to “lay up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).  Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness was served immediately after Divine Liturgy.

The information on this website concerning weddings in the Russian Orthodox Church has been updated to address modesty of attire and the visibility of tattoos and piercings during the wedding ceremony.  The updated information can be viewed here.  Any questions about this information should be directed to the parish rector.

On Saturday 27 February and Sunday 28 February we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about the willingness of our Heavenly Father to accept our repentance even though we, like the Prodigal Son, have been insolently wasteful with all that God has given us.  On Sunday a collection was taken up to benefit a Diocesan charitable organisation, Orthodox Action.

Our Autumn 2021 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2021 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha and our patronal feast of Saint Nicholas.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2021 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2021 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies will be available in church from the weekend of 27-28 February.

On Saturday 13 February and Sunday 14 February we had services for the Thirty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Zaccheus Sunday; the Forefeast of the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple; and in honour of Martyr Tryphon (+250 AD).   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Prayers for deliverance from the coronavirus were offered at Divine Liturgy.  In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector spoke about Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-9) as a model of repentance and on the importance of allowing the possibility of repentance in others, no matter their way of life.

On Saturday 23 January and Sunday 24 January we had services for the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and for the Sunday after Theophany.   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served on Sunday morning.  Following the blessing of water a moleben with prayers of thanksgiving was served for the founders, benefactors and parishioners of the former Theophany church (1994-2009), all of whom joined our parish in 2009.

On Saturday 9 January and Sunday 10 January we had services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost and for the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  In place of a sermon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector read aloud the Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia.

On Tuesday 5 January, our parish rector served the funeral of 97-year-old Anna Morhun, our long serving Head Sister and a tireless worker for our church.  In view of concern about the COVID-19 pandemic, the funeral was a small gathering of close family and friends.  Following the service, the newly reposed Anna was laid to rest in Sandgate Cemetery beside her beloved husband Ivan (+1998).

For us as for everyone, 2020 was dominated by the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 and the public health measures implemented to manage it.  Our parish had no services from Monday 23 March until Thursday 21 May and restrictions on attendance were in place from Saturday 21 March until the end of the year.  We had four baptisms: Thea Yakimov, Timothy Martin, and Sophia and Katie Edwards.  Funerals were served for Nicholas Markatcheff and Olga Osadczuk.  Our long-serving Head Sister, Anna Pavlova Morhun, departed this life.  Litanies and prayers were offered to mark the Centenary of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and together with the Gosford parish we provided an English-Russian wall calendar commemorating this milestone in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church.  Our website provided information to help with the planning of weddings and instructive material about Sunday commemorations and readings, certain Great Feasts, and the system of tones used for singing in the Russian Orthodox Church.  The extension to our sanctuary was effectively completed and work to renovate the sacristy commenced.  Our beautiful new icon case was received and blessed, and we purchased a set of new white vestments for our church.  Our parish rector made pastoral visits to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in August and November.  All the news from 2020 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things!

On Saturday 26 December and Sunday 27 December we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Forefathers, the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh and all the great fathers, mothers and prophets of the Old Testament.   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for the newly-reposed handmaiden of God Anna and for Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovic) of Montenegro and the Littoral, and more than one hundred hierarchs and clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church who have departed this life in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus.  A comprehensive list of the departed clergy is available in Russian here, and a shorter list in English that includes monastics is available here.  These were our final services for 2020.

Updated: On Monday 21 December we learned with deep sadness of the repose, early that morning, of Anna Pavlovna Morhun.  Anna Pavlovna was active in the life of our parish from the time of its foundation in 1952.  She was a member of the Parish Council and active in the Ladies' Auxiliary for most of that period, filling the role of Head Sister for over fifty years.  She continued to be actively involved in church life well into her nineties, cooking, cleaning the church, and changing the vestments.  She received a gramota from Archbishop Sava (Raevsky) in 1964, a medal from then Archbishop Hilarion in 1998 on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the establishment of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese, and in 2017 Bishop George awarded her the prestigious Diocesan Cross.  May God grant this good and faithful servant of our parish rest with the saints, and make her memory to be eternal!  

On Friday 18 December and Saturday 19 December we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia.  All-night vigil was served on Friday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Saturday morning.  Immediately after Divine Liturgy a moleben was served to Saint Nicholas, following which the parish rector congratulated two parish members on their name-day: our warden, Nikolai Goura, and Parish Council member Dean (Nicholas) Crawford.  Many years was then sung for them both.  This commemoration of Saint Nicholas is the "lesser" patronal feast of our church, the main feast-day for us being that of the Translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari, commemorated on 22 May. 

On Saturday 12 December and Sunday 13 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.   Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about Christ's healing of the infirm woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17) and the importance of not weaponising spiritual disciplines against one another, and about the life and Christian example of the Holy Apostle Andrew.  As from 7 December we were allowed 65 people in church, these were the first services since the beginning of March at which attendance was essentially unrestricted.

With the blessing of Bishop George, on Saturday 28 November and Sunday 29 November our parish rector undertook a further pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. On Saturday Evan Cotton was baptised, and on Sunday, the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the commemoration of the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Divine Liturgy was served in Boambee, a suburb of Coffs Harbour, in a temporary chapel at the home of Ashish Sinha and Evgenia Biryukova. At Divine Liturgy the newly-baptised Evan received Holy Communion for the first time, and in place of a sermon the parish rector read aloud the Jubilee Epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. 

Our Summer 2020-21 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2020-21 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2020-21 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are available in church as of Sunday 22 November. UPDATED 4 December 2020:  From Monday 7 December 2020 attendance numbers at religious services in New South Wales are subject to the two square metre rule.  We are permitted 65 people because the total area of our church and choir loft is approximately 130 squares metres. As no more than 50 people generally attend services in our parish, restrictions have effectively been lifted for all but the very largest services.  None of the services in the current schedule are expected to have more than 65 people in attendance.

On Saturday 21 November and Sunday 22 November we had services for the for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius of Ephesus (+3rd-4th C. AD) and Venerable Matrona of Constantinople (+492 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As 22 November was the anniversary of the repose of the founder of our parish, the ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), former parishioners of Father John gathered for a panikhida prior to Matins on Saturday evening.  Serving together with the parish rector at Matins and Divine Liturgy was Protodeacon German Polorotov, a cleric of Saint Ksenia of St Petersburg Russian Orthodox Church in Tweed Heads, NSW.  Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people.   At Divine Liturgy on Sunday Father John was commemorated at the Great Entrance, and in place of a sermon the parish rector read aloud the Jubilee Epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

Our 2020 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2019-20 Financial Statements, is now available. A copy of the report can be accessed in PDF form here.  In view of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, and with Bishop George’s blessing, there will be no parish Annual General Meeting this year.  Instead, the 2020 Annual Report was endorsed by the Parish Council at a meeting on Monday 2 November 2020.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments in relation to our Annual Report to contact us.

On Saturday 7 November and Sunday 8 November we had services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, in honour of Great-Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (+306 AD), and in memory of the great and dreadful earthquake in Constantinople in 740 AD that caused much death and destruction. Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  As this Saturday was Saint Demetrius Saturday, a day of commemoration of the departed, a general panikhida was served before Matins.  At the panikhida, in accordance with the instructions of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, we commemorated their Beatitudes the ever-memorable Metropolitans Anthony and Anastassy; the Metropolitans Philaret, Vitaly and Laurus; our ever-memorable Diocesan hierarchs Archbishops Theodore, Savva, Theodosy, Afanasy, and Paul; all those who for Christ and the Russian Church laboured in divers lands, and the other archpastors, pastors, founders and benefactors of the Russian Diaspora; the elect sons and daughters of the Church of Russia, who faithfully struggled for her unity, good estate and honour in the realms of piety, blessedness, governance, the protection of the persecuted and the veneration of the New Martyrs and Confessors; all our righteous ancestors, for their peaceful repose and blessed memory; and the clergy and monastics of the Russian Orthodox Church who have departed this life as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.  Attendance at the services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about the history of the earthquake in 740 AD, about how the people of Constantinople responded to it with repentance, and how the experience of the Christian people throughout the ages is woven into the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church.

On Saturday 24 October and Sunday 25 October we had services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people.   In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about the Seventh Ecumenical Council, the work of the Holy Fathers who participated in it, and the importance of sacred images to our Orthodox faith and life.

On Saturday 10 October and Sunday 11 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Chariton the Confessor (+c.350 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning. Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people.  In anticipation of the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on Wednesday 14 October, Divine Liturgy was preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water and followed by a moleben to the Mother of God.  The moleben was served before our new icon of the Mother of God, after which prayers of blessing were read over the icon and new white vestments for the Divine Table, the Table of Oblation, and the icon stands.  The parish rector then congratulated Matushka Marie with the approach of her name-day (12 October, Saint Mary of Palestine), thanking her for her work conducting the choir, baking prosphora, and organising attendance in both our parish and the Gosford parish.  Many Years was sung for her, and Head Sister Irene Lupish presented her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  Updated 16 October 2020: Following the service, local historian Alek Schulha, a dear friend of our parish, drew the winning ticket in a fundraising raffle organised by the parish Ladies' Auxiliary that raised over $2000.00.

On Saturday 26 September and Sunday 27 September, the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, we had services for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves and the bringing out of the Cross was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Attendance at the services remained restricted by public health regulations to a total of thirty people.

On Saturday 12 September and Sunday 13 September we had services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia (+1228 AD), Wonderworkers of Murom, and exemplars of love, faithfulness and family life.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served at on Sunday morning. Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people. At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in Time of Epidemic was offered.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon a moleben to Saints Peter and Febronia was served at which all the married couples in our parish were commemorated by name.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the lives of these saints, their example of love and faithfulness, and the help given through their prayers.

With the blessing of Bishop George, on Saturday 29 August and Sunday 30 August our parish rector undertook a further pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. On Sunday morning, the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost and the Afterfeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Divine Liturgy was served in Barraganyatti in a temporary chapel at the home of Evan and Katerina Cotten.  This was the first service on the Mid North Coast for 2020, planned services in March and May having been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Thursday 27 August and Friday 28 August we had services for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Thursday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Friday morning.  As it was 71 years to the day since the first Russian Orthodox services in the Hunter Valley, served in the Anglican Chapel at the Greta Migrant Camp by Archpriest John Lupish, a prayer of thanksgiving was offered at Divine Liturgy.  Placed in our church for veneration at these services was a very old hand-painted copy of the wonderworking Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.  This copy, painted in Russia and later taken to China before coming to Australia, was badly burned many years ago but has since, through the grace of God, wondrously restored. The icon belongs to the Erzikoff family who, in an act of great kindness, permitted us to have it in our parish on this day.

On Saturday 22 August and Sunday 23 August we had services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Archdeacon and Martyr Lawrence (+258 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served at on Sunday morning. Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people. At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in Time of Epidemic was offered.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a blessing of honey that was afterwards distributed to those present.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-25, the appointed reading from the Holy Gospel) and the importance of showing to others the same generous mercy we have received from God.

On 23 August 1949, just four days after his arrival in Australia, Archpriest John Lupish served the funeral of one year-old Irene Solomko. She was then laid to rest in the Greta Cemetery together with a number of other infants who died in an epidemic of measles that swept through the Greta Migrant Camp at that time.   Father John would preside at five more burials at Greta: Wsewolod (Vsevelod) Shipilow (+1949, a boy of 18 months), Larisa Klebakin (+1950), Lydia Elagin (+1956), Alexander Melnik (+1970) and Ivan Elagin (+1977).  Since 2015 a general memorial service has been held in the Greta Cemetery each year on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of that first burial.  This year’s memorial service was held on Saturday 22 August.  Joining our parish rector for the service on a cold and windy morning were Alek Schulha, author of ‘Beneath the Shadows of Mount Molly Morgan: History and Stories of Greta Camp 1939-1960’; Alek’s wife, Lee Schulha; George Solomko, one of the younger brothers of Irene; George’s daughter Lara Sullivan; Volodymyr Udovenko; Anna Katonin; and John Armstrong.  Prayers were offered for the repose of the ever-memorable Archpriest John (+1977), his matushka Maria (+1979), for the child Irene, and all those Orthodox Christians buried in the Greta Cemetery.  May their memory be eternal!

Our Spring 2020 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  Services of note during this period include those for Saints Peter and Fevronia on 12-13 September, for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on 26-27 September, and on the anniversary of the repose of our parish founder, the ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish, on 21-22 November.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2020 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2020 Schedule of Services is available here.  NOTE: As of 1 June 2020, the number of people able to be present at all services in our church is restricted by New South Wales Government public health orders to thirty (30).  In view of this, attendance at Sunday services will be by invitation only.  As attendance at evening services is generally low these services are open to all who wish to attend.  The NSW Department of Health recommendation that face masks be worn in places of religious worship should be noted.

On Saturday 1 August and Sunday 2 August we had services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Prophet Elias (+9th Century BC).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served at on Sunday morning. Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people. At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in Time of Epidemic was offered.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the instructions given by the Apostles Paul and James in the two appointed readings (1 Corinthians 1:10-18 and James 5:10-20): avoiding division in the life of the Church, being patient in suffering, praying in times of trouble, seeking anointing when sick, and confessing one’s sins.

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, our parish has developed and published an explanation of the reasons why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons. It incorporates a list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated that has now been updated to include Sundays and Fridays in 2021 and 2022.  This information, which can be accessed either here or via our Needs page under Weddings, has been prepared to help our parishioners and friends when planning weddings in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Should anyone have any questions about this information, please contact us.

On Saturday 25 July and Sunday 26 July we had services for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served at on Sunday morning. Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people. At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in Time of Epidemic was offered.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the history and significance of the Ecumenical Councils and of the importance of focusing on eternal rather than passing truths.

On Saturday 11 July and Sunday 12 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Preёminent Apostles Peter and Paul.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in Time of Epidemic was offered.  Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people.

On Saturday 27 June and Sunday 28 June we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia (+1461 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in Time of Epidemic was offered and the Archpastoral Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion to the Clergy and Flock of the Dioceses of Eastern American and Australia & New Zealand was read in place of a sermon. Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people.

On Saturday 13 June and Sunday 14 June we had services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of All Saints. Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in Time of Epidemic was offered. Attendance at both services was restricted by public health regulations to thirty people.

Our Winter 2020 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available in PDF format.  Services of note during this period include those for Saints Peter and Paul on 11-12 July and the Dormition of the Mother of God on 27-28 August.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2020 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2020 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages will be available in church as of 13-14 June.  NOTE: As of 1 June 2020, the number of people able to be present at all services in our church is restricted by New South Wales Government public health orders to thirty (30).  In view of this, attendance at Sunday services will be by invitation only.  Those wishing to attend specific weekday Divine Liturgies should express interest in doing so by emailing attendance@stnicholaswallsend.org.au.  As attendance at evening services is generally low these services are open to all who wish to attend.

On Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May we had services for the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Blind Man, and in honour of Saints Methodius and Kirill, teachers of the Slavs.  This Sunday is so named because the appointed reading from the Holy Gospel gives an account of the healing of the man blind from birth (John 9:1-38).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in Time of Epidemic was offered. Once again, attendance was restricted by public health regulations to ten people in addition to essential workers. 

On Thursday 21 May and Thursday 22 May we had services for the feast-day of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia, modern-day Turkey, to Bari in Italy.  These were our first services since 21-22 March, the Third Sunday in Great Lent, and attendance was restricted by public health regulations to ten people in addition to essential workers.  On Thursday evening All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served.  As this feast-day of Saint Nicholas is the patronal feast of our parish, the customary blessing of water was served early on Friday morning.  A significant number of those present received Holy Communion.  A moleben to Saint Nicholas was served immediately after Divine Liturgy, following which the usual prayers were offered for the Patriarch and the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Australian and Russian lands, parish office-bearers, the people present, and for our departed founders and parishioners.

On Wednesday 13 May the Parish Council met by teleconference.  Particular attention was given to the COVID-19 crisis, its impact on all aspects of parish life, and the possibility of recommencing open-door services, albeit with restricted numbers, from 15 May.  After some discussion during which the difficulty of restricting attendance was discussed, it was agreed that services with ten worshippers present, in addition to essential workers, would begin as of 21-22 May, the feast of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas and the patronal feast of our parish.  The Parish Council is due to meet again on Monday 22 June.

On Sunday 26 April, Thomas Sunday, our parish rector served behind closed doors in the Gosford parish.  Thomas Sunday is so named because the appointed reading from the Gospel (John 20:19-31) gives an account of the initial unbelief and subsequent confession of faith of the Apostle Thomas.  At Divine Liturgy all the commemoration books of our parish were read.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon the prayer at the breaking of the Artos was read and the artosi for both our parish and the Gosford parish were cut for distribution.  The pieces of the artos have been frozen and will be distributed when the churches reopen.  Following Divine Liturgy a general pannikhida was served in anticipation of Radonitsa (the "Day of Rejoicing"), a commemoration of the departed that in the Russian Orthodox tradition is customarily observed on the second Tuesday after Pascha.  In accordance with the instructions of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia we commemorated their Beatitudes the ever-memorable Metropolitans Anthony and Anastassy; Metropolitans Philaret, Vitaly and Laurus; our ever-memorable Diocesan hierarchs Archbishops Theodore, Savva, Theodosy, Afanasy, and Paul; the departed clergy of our Diocese; all those who for Christ and the Russian Church laboured in divers lands, and the other archpastors, pastors, founders and benefactors of the Russian Diaspora; for the elect sons and daughters of the Church of Russia, who faithfully struggled for her unity, good estate and honour in the realms of piety, blessedness, governance, the protection of the persecuted and the veneration of the New Martyrs and Confessors; for all our righteous ancestors, and for their peaceful repose and blessed memory.  At this service the names of the departed in all the commemoration books of our parish and the Gosford parish were read.

On 23 April, Bright Thursday, our parish rector served the graveside funeral of 96 year-old Nicholas Markatcheff. Nicholas, who was born in Harbin, China, in May 1923, departed this life on Bright Monday. His funeral was served in Wallsend Cemetery according to the Paschal rite. We offer heartfelt condolences to Nicholas’ son Simon and his family. May God grant him rest!

During the period of the closure of our church in Wallsend, our parish rector has been serving behind closed doors in the Gosford parish.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday 5 April, the Fifth Sunday in Great Lent, and on Saturday 11 April, Lazarus Saturday, our parishioners were commemorated at Divine Liturgy.  Following Divine Liturgy on both days a moleben was served to our heavenly protector, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia, at which all our parishioners were again commemorated. 

On Thursday 26 March the Parish Council met by teleconference.  A report was heard on parish life, with particular attention was given to the COVID-19 crisis and its impact.  Our parish rector said that the church must remain closed for public worship, but that he would be serving Divine Liturgy privately at the Gosford church each Sunday and major feast-day.  He undertook to collect, with the assistance of the parish warden, the commemoration books of all our parishioners to be read at Divine Liturgy, thus ensuring that prayers continued to be offered for all our living and departed relatives, benefactors and friends.  In addition, molebens to Saint Panteleimon and Saint Nicholas would be served following Divine Liturgy on alternating Sundays.  Other matters discussed included the possibility of the parish rector taking Holy Communion to the faithful in their own homes and progress on our church extensions and renovations.  Consideration was also given to the likely adverse financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the parish.  The Parish Council agreed to meet more often during the present crisis.

On Saturday 21 March and Sunday 22 March we had services for the Third Sunday in Great Lent, the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross and the day of commemoration of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (+ c.320 AD).  As Saturday 21 March was a day of commemoration of the departed a general pannikhida was served prior to the Saturday evening service.  In accordance with the instructions of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia we commemorated their Beatitudes the ever-memorable Metropolitans Anthony and Anastassy; the Metropolitans Philaret, Vitaly and Laurus; our ever-memorable Diocesan hierarchs Archbishops Theodore, Savva, Theodosy, Afanasy, and Paul; our parish founder Archpriest John Lupish and his matushka Maria; our church builders Alexander Medwedew, Vitaly Korotkich, and Michael Shalimov, and all who laboured with them; all those who for Christ and the Russian Church laboured in divers lands, and the other archpastors, pastors, founders and benefactors of the Russian Diaspora; for the elect sons and daughters of the Church of Russia, who faithfully struggled for her unity, good estate and honour in the realms of piety, blessedness, governance, the protection of the persecuted and the veneration of the New Martyrs and Confessors; and for all our righteous ancestors, and for their peaceful repose and blessed memory.  Matins with the bringing out of the Cross was served on Saturday evening.  As there was a Public Health Order in place limiting the number of people who could be inside our small church at any one time, Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning was served outside in the church grounds.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read and the newly-baptised infant Timothy Martin received Holy Communion for the first time.  In his sermon our parish rector spoke about the Cross as the emblem of Christ’s victory over sin and death and of its being set forth at the mid-point of Great Lent to encourage us.  He also spoke about the steadfastness in the face of bitter persecution of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste and of their enduring example to us.

On Saturday 21 March the parish rector baptised Timothy Martin, the infant son of Shannon Martin and Olga Bogacheva and a younger brother to Ekaterina and Matthew.  Timothy, whose godparents were Paul Goura and Svetlana Parshakova, was baptised in honour of the Apostle Timothy of the Seventy.  We warmly congratulate Shannon, Olga, Paul, and Svetlana, and wish the newly-baptised servant of God Timothy many years!

On Saturday 7 March and Sunday 8 March we had services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, and in honour of the first (4th Century AD) and second (452 AD) findings of the head of Saint John the Baptist.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer in time of Devastating Epidemic was read, and following the Prayer before the Amvon a brief Service of Supplication for Those in Error was served in accordance with the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the importance of purity not only of faith, but of life.  Following the service a collection was taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York, raising $265.00.

Late in the afternoon on Sunday 1 March we served Vespers for Forgiveness Sunday, the final Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent.  During this service the church vestments were changed from gold to black and the festive melodies gave way to the penitential Lenten melodies.  At the end of the service the parish rector gave a brief sermon on the importance of asking and bestowing forgiveness and of the meaning of the Lenten journey.  Following this, all present asked forgiveness of one another in accordance with Orthodox custom and so began Great Lent.

On Saturday 22 February and Sunday 23 February we had services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement, so named because of the passage from the Holy Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46) appointed to be read at Divine Liturgy on this day.  As Saturday 22 February was a day of commemoration of the departed a general pannikhida was served prior to the Saturday evening service.  In accordance with the instructions of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia we commemorated their Beatitudes the ever-memorable Metropolitans Anthony and Anastassy; the Metropolitans Philaret, Vitaly and Laurus; all those who for Christ and the Russian Church laboured in divers lands, and the other archpastors, pastors, founders and benefactors of the Russian Diaspora; for the elect sons and daughters of the Church of Russia, who faithfully struggled for her unity, good estate and honour in the realms of piety, blessedness, governance, the protection of the persecuted and the veneration of the New Martyrs and Confessors; and for all our righteous ancestors, and for their peaceful repose and blessed memory.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and Orthodox unity.  In his sermon our parish rector spoke about the Last Judgement and the way in which the Holy Scriptures set out for us the way to “gather witnesses” in preparation for it: by showing kindness and mercy to those around us, and by not scandalising or confusing others (1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2).  After the dismissal a collection was taken up to benefit Orthodox Action, a Diocesan charitable organisation that operates under the heavenly protection of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco.  UPDATE: Our collection for Orthodox Action raised $370.00.

Our Autumn 2020 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2020 - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2020 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2020 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies are available in church.

On Saturday 8 February and Sunday 9 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and in honour of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, for Orthodox unity, and for the prosperity of the Russian Orthodox Church.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, the witness of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, and the importance of humility and courage in Christian life.

On 4 February we learned with sadness of the repose on the previous day of Archpriest Michael Konstantinoff, for many years a friend of our parish.  Born in Tientsin, China, in 1939, he arrived in Australia in 1959 and settled in Sydney.  Having married in 1963 he was ordained deacon in 1970 and priest in 1971.  Upon ordination to the priesthood Father Michael was appointed rector of the parish of Archangel Michael, Blacktown, and in 1976 he was appointed rector of parish of Saint George, Carlton, going on to serve the two parishes on a rotation basis for the next thirty years.  In 1977 he served together with Archbishop Theodosy (Putilin) and Father Nicholas Grant at the funeral of our founding rector, Archpriest John Lupish.  Although in 2007 he left the jurisdiction of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia Father Michael retained the friendship and respect of many in our parish, and we offer heartfelt condolences to Matushka Irene and their children.  May God give him rest!

On Saturday 25 January and Sunday 26 January we had services for the Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after Theophany, and in honour of the Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus of Belgrade (+c.315 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church and for relief from fire and drought.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy a moleben of thanksgiving was served for the blessings that we enjoy in this country (26 January being Australia Day) and for the work of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Theophany (1994-2009).  At the end of the service "Eternal Memory" was intoned for the departed founders, benefactors and parishioners of the Theophany parish.

On Friday 17 January and Saturday 18 January we had services for the Eve of Theophany, the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Matins was served on Friday evening, and on Saturday morning Divine Liturgy was followed by Vespers and the Great Blessing of Water.  At Vespers, many of those present assisted with the thirteen appointed readings from the Old Testament.

On Saturday 11 January and Sunday 12 January we had services for the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ, and in honour of the Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, David the King, and Saint James, Brother of the Lord. Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning. At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for deliverance from fire and smoke, and for rain. In place of a sermon on Sunday the parish rector read aloud the Nativity Epistle of His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad.

2019, the year in which we celebrated 70 years of Russian Orthodoxy in the Hunter Valley, was an eventful year in parish life. Happily, some significant improvements were made to our small church: the floor was polished for the first time in over fifty years, new carpets and furniture were purchased, and the long-planned extension to the sanctuary was completed to lock-up stage. We had six baptisms: Anastasia Crawford, Jason Greig, Ella James, Georgie Gooda, Alice Vigovska and Maximus Regan. Five of our older parishioners departed this life: Peter Schulha, Vitaly Korotkich, Rufina Tomalcheva, Nina Diamante and Galina Evteeva. Great Feasts celebrated during the year include the Nativity of Christ (Christmas), the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany), and the Dormition of the Mother of God. In January we were honoured to receive the revered Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, and in May Bishop George visited and the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia sang at Divine Liturgy.  In September our Russian-language playgroup Teremok celebrated 10 years of activity.  Our parish rector made pastoral visits to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in June, September and December.  All the news from 2019 can be read here.  Glory be to God for all things! 

On 30 December our parish rector served the funeral of Galina Evteeva. Galina, who was born in Russia in July 1946, departed this life on 24 December, just over twelve months after the untimely repose of her only son, Alexander. On the evening before her repose she received Anointing with Oil and the Prayer at the Departure of the Soul was read. We offer heartfelt condolences to Galina’s daughter-in-law Elena and to her grandchildren Sophia and David. Memory eternal!

With the blessing of Bishop George, on Saturday 28 December and Sunday 29 December our parish rector undertook a further pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the area between Forster-Tuncurry and Woolgoolga. On Sunday morning, the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, Divine Liturgy was served in Barraganyatti in the home of Evan and Katerina Cotten.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy Father James spoke about the faithfulness of the Holy Forefathers despite all around them worshipping false gods, the Parable of the Banquet (Luke 14:16-24, the appointed Gospel reading), and the principles of Christian life that the Apostle Paul sets out in his Letter to the Colossians (3:4-11, the appointed Epistle reading).  Future visits to the Mid North Coast are planned for March, May, August and November 2020. In March, God willing, Divine Litugy will be served in Coffs Harbour. Those interested in this outreach initiative may contact the Mid North Coast Orthodox community by email.

On Saturday 21 December and Sunday 22 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Conception by Saint Anna of the Mother of God. At the request of some of our parishioners of Macedonian Orthodox tradition, Great Vespers with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil, and five loaves was served on Saturday evening.  Divine Liturgy was served as usual on Sunday morning. At the Prayer before the Amvon the prayer of blessing was read over a number of new subdeacons' vestments. It being the Sunday after the commemoration of Saint Nicholas on 19 December, a moleben to Saint Nicholas was served following Divine Liturgy. At Divine Liturgy and during the moleben prayers were offered for rain and for deliverance from fire. After the moleben the parish rector congratulated our warden, Nikolai Goura, on his recent name-day, and presented the newly-blessed vestments to Subdeacon Luke Goura, it being the fifteenth anniversary of his tonsure as a reader and the tenth anniversary of his ordination as subdeacon. A set of new white vestments was also presented to Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish in recognition of his long service.

On Sunday 8 December the parish rector baptised Maximus Regan, the infant son of Matt and Katy Regan and a younger brother to Oliver.  Maximus, whose godparents were Natasha Goura and Andrew Regan, was baptised in honour of Saint Maximus the Confessor.  We warmly congratulate Matt, Katy, Natasha and Andrew, and wish the newly-baptised servant of God Maximus many years!

On Saturday 7 December and Sunday 8 December we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, the Leave-taking of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and in honour of Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Rome (+101 AD). Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  During Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, and for Orthodox unity, and for rain. As Sunday 8 December was the first anniversary of the untimely repose of our parishioner Alexander Evteev, a pannikhida was served before the evening service on Saturday and a memorial litia was served following Divine Liturgy on Sunday. Following the litia his family and friends gathered in our church hall for a commemorative meal.

On Saturday 23 November and Sunday 24 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyrs Menas of Egypt (+304 AD), Victor at Damascus (Second Century AD), and Vincent of Spain (+304 AD), together with Venerable Theodore the Studite (+826 AD). Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning. As Friday 22 November was the anniversary of the repose of the founder of our parish, the ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), a panikhida was served before Matins on Saturday evening and a litia was served after Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning. During Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, and for Orthodox unity, and for rain. In his sermon the parish rector spoke about Venerable Theodore the Studite, a lesser-known saint who was nevertheless of immense significance in the history of the Orthodox veneration of icons, monasticism and liturgics. At the dismissal a collection was taken up to benefit the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia,with $140.00 raised.

Our Summer 2019-2020 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2019-2020 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2019-2020 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 23 November.

From the evening of Thursday 14 November until the afternoon of Sunday 17 November, our parish rector Archpriest James Carles, together with delegate Paul Pereboeff, participated in the work of the Nineteenth Diocesan Assembly of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the associated divine services.  The Assembly was held on the grounds of Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield, NSW.  On Friday and Saturday the Assembly heard reports and considered proposals concerning the life and administration of the Diocese and its various parishes, missions, monasteries and organisations.  Consideration was also given to Diocesan observance of two significant anniversaries in 2020: the two hundredth anniversary of the first Russian Orthodox services in Australia, and the centenary of the foundation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  On Saturday a Diocesan Council was elected to assist His Grace Bishop George of Canberra administer the Diocese over the coming three years.  On Sunday morning the gathering of clergy and delegates from across Australia and New Zealand culminated in Divine Liturgy at which His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada presided together with Bishop George.  During the Divine Liturgy a number of clergymen received awards for their service to the Holy Orthodox Church.  Amongst those receiving awards were two clergymen who have served in our parish, Abbot Benjamin (Forbes) and Archpriest Daniel Metlenko, both of whom received the right to wear the jewelled pectoral cross.  Photographs of the service are available here.  Update on 22 January 2020: A copy of the final resolution of the Nineteenth Diocesan Assembly is available in Russian here and in English here.

On Saturday 9 November and Sunday 10 November we had services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Job of Pochaev (+1651 AD). Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  After the Prayer before the Amvon a moleben was served before a copy of the “Unburnt Bush” Icon of the Mother of God for the deliverance of the New South Wales Mid North Coast and other place from cruel fires.  In His sermon the parish rector spoke about the significance of Saint Job of Pochaev and the Pochaev Monastery in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and people.

On Saturday 26 October and Sunday 27 October we had services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, convened in Nicaea in 787 AD. Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning. In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the view of the Holy Fathers that images of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Mother, the saints, and scenes from sacred history would lead the faithful to more fervently contemplate holy things. He noted the particular importance of this in our own times when unprofitable images are so prevalent.

On Saturday 26 October our parish rector served the funeral of Christine Georgiou.  Christine, who was born in Greece in September 1933, departed this life on 17 October in Gloucester, NSW, after having received Holy Communion and Anointing with Oil.  She was afterwards laid to rest on the family property in Dewitt, NSW, near Barrington Tops.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Christine’s daughter Nitsa, and to her many friends.  Memory eternal!

On Thursday 17 October our parish rector served the funeral of Nina Diamante (nee Kowalczuk).  The responses were sung by Readers Nektary Kotlaroff and Eustratius Papageorgiou of the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia.  Nina, who was born in Minsk, Belarus, in 1936, departed this life on 10 October at 83 years of age.  She was afterwards laid to rest in a crypt at Sandgate Cemetery alongside her beloved husband Silvio.  We offer heartfelt condolences to Nina's children Maria, Anna, Peter and Paul and their families, and to her sister Maria and wider family.  May God grant His newly-departed handmaiden rest with the saints and life everlasting!

On Sunday 13 October our parish held its 2019 Annual General Meeting.  The 2019 Annual Report was presented and accepted.  Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucea Szabunia, Anu Kinnunen, Dean Crawford and Paul Pereboeff were elected to serve on the 2019-20 Parish Council.  Subdeacon Luke Goura and Elise Goura were elected Child Safety Contact Persons, and Paul Pereboeff were chosen as the parish delegate to the Nineteenth Diocesan Assembly.

On Saturday 12 October and Sunday 13 October we had services for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Gregory, enlightener of Greater Armenia (+c.335).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  In anticipation of the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, the patronal feast of the first Orthodox church in the Hunter Valley, Divine Liturgy on Sunday was preceded by a blessing of water and followed by a moleben to the Mother of God with a procession around the church.  At the end of the moleben Many Years was sung for Matushka Marie, who had celebrated her name-day on the previous day.  Following the service the 2019 Annual General Meeting of our parish was convened.

Our 2019 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2018-19 Financial Statements, is now available.  The 2019 Annual Report will be presented to our parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) this coming Sunday, 13 October 2019.  A copy of the report is available in PDF form here.  Copies will be emailed to parish members this week .  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments in relation to our Annual Report to contact us.

With the blessing of Bishop George, on Saturday 28 September and Sunday 29 September our parish rector undertook a further pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the area between Forster-Tuncurry and Woolgoolga.  On Saturday morning a home was blessed in Wirrimbi, just north of Macksville, and on Sunday morning, the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday after the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Divine Liturgy was served in Barraganyatti in the home of Evan and Katerina Cotten.  At the end of Divine Liturgy there was a blessing of water, after which an icon of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye, the work of a member of the community, was blessed.  Later in the day beehives belonging to the Cotten family were blessed.  God willing, Father James will visit the area again at the end of December 2019, performing a baptism and serving Divine Liturgy in Coffs Harbour.  It is hoped that these visits will lead to the formal establishment of a mission under the heavenly protection of Saint Symeon, a revered saint of Siberia and the Russian Far East.  Those interested in this initiative may contact the Mid North Coast Orthodox community by email. 

On Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September we had services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, for the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and in honour of the Holy Righteous Ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Holy Virgin Mary.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about Saints Joachim and Anna as examples of faithfulness to one another and to God’s will.  Following Divine Liturgy an announcement was made concerning the forthcoming parish Annual General Meeting.

On Saturday 14 September 2019 our Russian-language playgroup “Teremok” celebrated its tenth anniversary.  On a beautiful spring morning, playgroup families and friends gathered under the oak tree in our church yard to watch the children give a performance that included the Russian folktale “Repka” ("The Giant Turnip").  Afterwards there was morning tea with a large birthday cake for all to share.  Irene Lupish and Alla O’Regan gives speeches of congratulations and encouragement and the children enjoyed the visit of a petting zoo. We warmly congratulate playgroup coordinator Anastasia Harwood and all her helpers on this important anniversary.

On Tuesday 10 September our parish rector served the funeral of Rufina Tomacheva (nee Balahnina).  The responses were sung by Reader Nekatry Kotlaroff, the conductor of the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia.  Rufina, who was born in Kurgan, Russia, in 1936, departed this life on 4 September at 83 years of age.  She was afterwards laid to rest in Wallsend Cemetery with many other of our parishioners.  We offer hearfelt condolences to Rufina's daughter Irina and her family.  May God grant His newly-departed handmaiden rest with the saints and life everlasting!

On Saturday 7 September and Sunday 8 September we had services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (1395 AD) and the Martyrs Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia (+305-311 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, church unity, and the prosperity of the Russian Orthodox Church.  Following Divine Liturgy the parish rector announced that the 2019 Annual General Meeting of the parish would be held on Sunday 13 October 2019.

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, our parish has developed and published an explanation of the reasons why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons. It incorporates a list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated that has now been updated to include Sundays and Fridays in 2020.  This information, which can be accessed either here or via our ‘Needs’ page under ‘Weddings’, has been prepared to help our parishioners and friends when planning weddings in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Should anyone have any questions about this information, please contact us.

On Tuesday 27 August and Wednesday 28 August we had services for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Wednesday morning.  On this day in 1949 - 70 years ago this year - that the first known Orthodox Christian services in the Hunter Valley were served by Archpriest John Lupish (+1977) in the Anglican chapel at Greta Migrant Camp.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Wednesday prayers of thanksgiving were offered on the occasion of this significant anniversary. During the service prayers were also offered for peace in Ukraine and for Orthodox Christian unity.

On Sunday 25 August the parish rector baptised 15 year-old Alice Vigovska, the daughter of Gennady Khalin and Olena Vigovska.  Alice, who was given the name Elena in baptism in honour of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena, had as her godparents Nataliya Kravchenko and Victor Kravchenko.  We warmly congratulate Alice and her godparents, and pray that God will grant His newly-baptised handmaiden good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On Saturday 24 August and Sunday 25 August we had services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and in honour of Martyrs Photius and Anicetus (+305-306 AD).  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday there was a blessing of honey, the jars of which were then distributed amongst the faithful.

On 23 August 1949, just four days after his arrival in Australia, Archpriest John Lupish served the funeral of one year-old Irene Solomko. She was then laid to rest in the Greta Cemetery together with a number of other infants who died in an epidemic of measles that swept through the Greta Migrant Camp at that time.   Father John went on to preside at five more burials at Greta: Wsewolod (Vsevelod) Shipilow (+1949, a boy of 18 months), Larisa Klebakin (+1950), Lydia Elagin (+1956), Alexander Melnik (+1970) and Ivan Elagin (+1977).  In June 2015 our parish rector resolved that a general memorial service would be held in the Greta Cemetery each year on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of that first burial.  This year’s memorial service was held on Saturday 24 August.  Joining Father James for the service was Alex Schulha, the son of Peter and Nadezhda Schulha, one of the first couples married in Greta by Father John.  Prayers were offered for the repose of the ever-memorable Archpriest John (+1977), his matushka Maria (+1979), for Peter (+2019) and Nadezhda Schulha (+2006), and all those Orthodox Christians buried in the Greta Cemetery, amongst whom are a great many Ukrainian Orthodox.  May their memory be eternal!

Our Spring 2019 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2019 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2019 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are available in church as of Saturady 24 August 2019.  Regrettably, this year we will be unable to have services for the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on 13-14 October and on the anniversary of the repose of Archpriest John Lupish (+1977) on 21-22 November.  In view of this, the lesser blessing of water and a moleben to the Mother of God will be served on Sunday 13 October and a pannikhida for Father John will be served at 5.00pm on Saturday 23 November.

On Saturday 10 August and Sunday 11 August we had services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor (3rd-4th C.).  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the integrity and the heroic endurance of Martyr Callinicus and the importance of these things in bearing witness to the Christian faith, both in ancient times and in the present day.

On Saturday 27 July and Sunday 28 July we had services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the first six Ecumenical Councils and Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, enlightener of the Russian people (+AD 1015).  Serving together with the parish rector on Saturday evening was Protodeacon German Polorotov, a cleric of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Community and Saint Xenia church in Tweed Heads, NSW.  On the following morning a blessing of water was served at 8.00am in commemoration of the baptism of Rus’.  Joining Fathers James and German and presiding at Divine Liturgy was Archpriest Quentin de Castelbajac, rector of the parish of Saint John the Russian in Lyon, France.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a brief moleben to Saint Vladimir, and at the dismissal the faithful were sprinkled with the holy water.

On Saturday 13 July and Sunday 14 July we had services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Unmercenary Healers Cosmas and Damian of Rome (+284 AD).  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about the way in which Saints Cosmas and Damian, gifted physicians, had radically applied the injunction of Christ: “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).  Noting that the kindness and selfless generosity of these two brother-saints had drawn many to the Gospel, he emphasised the importance of the pursuit of holiness in the Christian life as a means of revealing the truth to those around us.

On Saturday 13 July the parish rector, Archpriest James Carles, baptised Georgie Gooda, the infant daughter of Jared Gooda and Katia Chernyshova.  Georgie, who was given the name Ksenia in baptism in honour of Blessed Ksenia of Saint Petersburg, had as her godparents her maternal grandmother Natalia Markuardt and Father James.  We warmly congratulate Jared and Katia, and pray that God will grant His newly-baptised handmaiden good health, every blessing from above, and many years!

On Saturday 6 July the Saint Naum of Ohrid Serbian Orthodox parish in Broadmeadow celebrated its patronal feast-day (or “slava”).  Saint Naum, one of the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs, is commemorated on 3 July.  His Grace Siluan, Ruling Bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand, presided at Divine Liturgy, concelebrating with the rector of that parish, Presbyter Dalibor Pavlovic; our rector Archpriest James Carles; Presbyter Branko Bosancic, rector of Saint John the Baptist Serbian Orthodox parish in Wollongong, NSW); and Deacon Milosh Raketich.  Praying in church was Protopresbyter-Stavrophore Miodrag Peric, the Serbian Orthodox Dean of New South Wales, and many visitors from Sydney and Wollongong.  At the end of Divine Liturgy there was a threefold procession around the church with readings from the Holy Gospel and the blessing of the slavksi kolach – a special rounded loaf of bread - and of koliva.  Many gathered in the parish hall afterwards for a festive meal and a programme of spiritual and cultural items.

On Saturday 29 June and Sunday 30 June we had services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of All Saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and the unity of the Orthodox Church and the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the establishment in 1918 of the commemoration of All Saints of Russia, the icon of the feast painted by the ever-memorable Archimandrite Kyprian (Pyzhov) of Jordanville (+2001), and the importance of creating an environment in which holiness can flourish.

On Tuesday 18 June we learned with great sadness of the repose that morning of another of our oldest parishioners, church builder and long-serving chorister and Parish Council member Vitaly Korotkich (b.1925).  Our parish rector served the funeral in our church on Tuesday 25 June.  Vitaly was afterwards laid to rest at Wallsend Cemetery alongside his beloved wife Lydia (+1996).  Eternal memory!

On Saturday 22 June and Sunday 23 June we had services for the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints.  As it was the Day of Youth of the Russian Church Abroad, special prayers were offered for the children and young people of our parish and Diocese.  Following the dismissal, a memorial litia was served for the newly-reposed Vitaly Korotkich.

With the blessing of Bishop George, on Friday 21 June and Saturday 22 June our parish rector undertook a pastoral visit to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the area between Forster-Tuncurry and Woolgoolga.  A home was blessed in Port Macquarie on Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning, the day of the Leavetaking of Pentecost, Divine Liturgy was served in the home of Evan and Katerina Cotten in Barraganyatti, a village mid-way between Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour.  Approximately 20 people gathered for Divine Liturgy, after which an eight year-old child, Aarya, the daughter of Ashish Sinha and Evgenia Biryukova, was baptised.  In baptism Aarya was given the name Anastasia.  At a festive meal afterwards those present enthusiastically discussed the possibility of further services and the establishment of a mission under the heavenly protection of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye.  God willing, Father James will visit the area again at the end of September 2019, once again blessing homes and serving Divine Liturgy.  Those interested in this initiative may contact the Mid North Coast Orthodox community by email.

On Tuesday 18 June we learned with great sadness of the repose that morning of another of our oldest parishioners, church builder and long-serving chorister and Parish Council member Vitaly Korotkich.  Our parish rector will serve the funeral in our church at 10.00am on Tuesday 25 June 2019.  Vitaly will afterwards be laid to rest at Wallsend Cemetery alongside his beloved wife Lydia.  Eternal memory!

On Friday 31 May we learned with great sadness of the repose on the previous day of one of our oldest parishioners, Peter Schulha of Metford (b.1926).  With Bishop George's blessing, our parish rector served the funeral at Saint Peter's Anglican Church, East Maitland on Tuesday 11 June.  Peter was afterwards laid to rest at East Maitland Cemetery alongside his beloved wife Nadia (+March 2006), his father George, and other family members.  Eternal memory!

On Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June we had services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha and in honour of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, convened in Nicaea (modern-day Iznik, Turkey) in 325 AD.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about the history and significance of the Council and of the importance of faithfulness, like that of the Fathers, to Apostolic teaching, Holy Scripture, and the tradition of the Orthodox Church.  Following the dismissal a litia was served for the repose of the soul of our newly-reposed parishioner, Peter Schulha.

On Saturday 8 June the parish rector baptised Ella James, the four year-old daughter of Meeyeon (Salome) D’Arcy and Darren James.  Ella, who was baptised in honour of the New-Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, had as her godparents Meejung Hughes, Parichat James, Mark Evans and Warren James.  We warmly congratulate Meeyeon, Darren, and Ella’s godparents, and pray that God will grant health and many years to His newly-baptised handmaiden Ella.

On Friday 31 May we learned with great sadness of the repose on the previous day of one of our oldest parishioners, Peter Schulha of Metford.  With Bishop George's blessing, our parish rector will serve the funeral at Saint Peter's Anglican Church, East Maitland, at 10.00am on Tuesday 11 June 2019.  Peter will afterwards be laid to rest at East Maitland Cemetery alongside his beloved wife Nadia (+March 2006) and other family members.  Eternal memory!

On Saturday 25 May and Sunday 26 May we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.  This Sunday is so named because the appointed reading from the Holy Gospel is the account of the conversation of Christ with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's Well (John 4:5-42).  As our parish had celebrated its patronal feast of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas on Wednesday 22 May, His Grace Bishop George of Canberra visited us on Sunday and presided at Divine Liturgy.  Adding to the festivity of the occasion, the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia sang at Divine Liturgy in place of our parish choir and following the service there was a moleben – or service of intercession - to Saint Nicholas, a procession around the church, and a festive lunch in the church hall for our parishioners and guests.  Joining us for the moleben were Priest Dalibor Pavlovic and parishioners from the Serbian Orthodox parish of Saint Naum of Ohrid in Broadmeadow.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy Bishop George spoke about the need to choose between truth and falsehood.  Speaking in the hall during lunch, our parish rector welcomed Bishop George, Father Dalibor and his parishioners, and Reader Nektary Kotlaroff and the choir.  Noting that the faithful were encouraged to see young people in the diaspora holding fast to the faith and traditions of the Orthodox Church, he congratulated the members of the choir on their efforts and achievements to date.  He then wished them all the best for their trip to the United States in late 2019.

Our Winter 2019 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available in PDF format.  Services of note during this period include the commemoration of All Saints of Russia on Saturday-Sunday 29-30 June, the commemoration of Saint Vladimir on Saturday-Sunday 27-28 July, the annual memorial service at Greta Cemetery on Saturday 24 August, and services for the Dormition of the Mother of God on Tuesday-Wednesday 27-28 August.  The services for the Dormition will also mark 70 years of Russian Orthodoxy in the Hunter Valley.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2019 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2019 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are now available in church.

On Tuesday 21 May and Wednesday 22 May we had services for the feast of Mid-Pentecost and in honour of the patronal feast of our parish, the commemoration of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, Italy, in 1087 AD.  Mid-Pentecost is the twenty-fifth day of Pascha, half-way to the Great Feast of Pentecost on the fiftieth day. On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates Christ's teaching in the temple "in the midst of the Judaic feast" (John 7:14-30) and customarily blesses water as a sign of the grace of the Holy Spirit and with reference to the "living water" promised by our Lord Jesus Christ to all that believe in Him (John 7:37-38).  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Wednesday morning following a Lesser Blessing of Water.  Our small week-day congregation was augmented with visitors from the Serbian and Macedonian communities in Newcastle, this commemoration of Saint Nicholas being greatly loved amongst the Slavic peoples.

On Saturday 11 May and Sunday 12 May we had services for the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.  This Sunday is so named because the appointed reading from the Holy Gospel at Divine Liturgy (Mark 15:43-16:8) gives an account of the service to our Lord Jesus Christ of the Myrrh-Bearing Women and with them Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.  Amongst the Myrrh-Bearing Women the Orthodox Church includes Mary Magdalene; Mary, the wife of Cleopas; Joanna; Salome, mother of the sons of Zebedee; Susanna; Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus; and Mary, Mother of the Apostle James.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon the prayer at the breaking of the Artos was then read.  In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud the Paschal Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion.  As it was Mothers’ Day, the parish rector congratulated the mothers of the parish and, after wishing them all help from God in their maternal duties, intoned “Many Years” for them.  Flowers were them presented to Matushka Marie on behalf of the parish and pieces of the blessed Artos were given to the faithful as they venerated the Cross.

On Monday 6 May and Tuesday 7 May we had services for the second Tuesday of Pascha, “Radonitsa” - the day of rejoicing.  In the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, this is the first day after Pascha on which services for the departed are customarily offered.  Matins was served on Monday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Tuesday morning.  Immediately following Divine Liturgy a general panikhida was served in church, at which all of the departed clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese were mentioned by name, together with our departed parishioners, family members and friends.  Prayers were also offered for those who perished in the aircraft fire in Moscow on 5 May 2019.  Graveside litias were then served in Wallsend, Sandgate and East Maitland cemeteries.

This year, our parish again had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha.  In the evening on Thursday 25 April, Great and Holy Thursday, Matins with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels was served.  On Friday 26 April, Great and Holy Friday, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served at 3.00pm.  On Saturday 27 April, Great and Holy Saturday, Midnight Office was served late in the evening, with Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy following in the early hours of Sunday 28 April, the Sunday of Pascha.  Easter baskets containing eggs, cakes and other festive foods were blessed following Matins.  Following Divine Liturgy, a small group of the faithful gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.

On Friday 19 April and Saturday 20 April we had services for the sixth Saturday of Great Lent, Lazarus Saturday.  On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates the resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany from the dead after four days in the grave.  Many parishioners received Holy Communion at Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning.  At the end of the service palms and pussy-willow branches were blessed in anticipation of Palm Sunday and a collection was taken up to assist the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

On the evening of Tuesday 16 April our parish rector presided at a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Serving together with him was Priest Dalibor Pavlovic of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Nahum of Ohrid in Broadmeadow.  Together with the clergy, approximately 35 faithful from both parishes gathered in our church 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 parish rector baptised Jason Greig, the infant son of Chris Greig and Maria Olyunina.  He was baptised in honour of the Apostle Jason of the Seventy.  Jason had as his godparents Alexander and Virinea Sukhikh.  We warmly congratulate Chris, Maria, Alexander and Virinea and wish the newly-baptised Jason many years!

On Saturday 13 April and Sunday 14 April we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent and in honour of Saint Mary of Egypt (c.421 AD).  After a period of three weeks without services, our small church looked beautiful with the floor newly sanded and polished for the first time since it was laid in the 1960s.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the life of Saint Mary of Egypt and of her as a model of repentance.  

On Saturday 23 March and Sunday 24 March we had services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent and in honour of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica (+AD 1359).  As Saturday 23 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, the service on Saturday evening was preceded by a general panikhida at which many departed clergymen of our Diocese, parishioners, relatives and friends were commemorated by name.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the life and teaching of Saint Gregory Palamas and about the approachability and mercy of God.  Following Divine Liturgy a collection was taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY.

On Saturday 9 March and Sunday 10 March we had services for the Sunday of Forgiveness and Cheesefare Sunday.  After the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday, the prayer of blessing was read over two beautiful new server's vestments, one red and one black.  At the end of Divine Liturgy the newly-blessed vestments - the work of the Convent of Saint Elisabeth in Minsk, Belarus - were presented to Subdeacon Luke Goura as a gift from the parish in antcipation of the fifteenth anniversary of his tonsure as a reader in May 2004.  Vespers was then served, during which the church vestments were changed from gold to black and the ordinary melodies gave way to the solemn melodies of Great Lent.  In accordance with Orthodox practice, at the end of Vespers all present asked forgiveness of one another.  At Bishop George’s request, a collection was taken up to benefit Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute, the theological and higher education institute of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

Our Autumn 2019 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2019 - is now available.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha, Radonitsa and our patronal feast of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2019 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2019 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies are available in church.

On Saturday 23 February the parish rector baptised Anastasia Crawford, the infant daughter of Stephen and Deborah Crawford and a younger sister to Florence. Anastasia had as her godparents Nathalie Crawford and Duncan Crawford.  We warmly congratulate Stephen, Deborah, Nathalie and Duncan and wish the the newly-baptised Anastasia many years!

On Saturday 9 February and Sunday 10 February we had services for the Thirty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  As this Sunday was the final Sunday before the beginning of the period of preparation for Great Lent, the first appointed reading from the Holy Gospel (Luke 19:1-10) at Divine Liturgy concerned Zaccheus, the tax collector from Jericho who changed his way of life after encountering Christ and receiving Him into his home.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about Zaccheus as a model of repentance and the New Martyrs and Confessors as models of faithfulness to Christ in the face of persecution.  Following Divine Liturgy announcements were made concerning the forthcoming collection to assist Orthodox Action and the rescheduled parish Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday 24 February 2019.

On Saturday 26 January and Sunday 27 January we had services for the Thirty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the Leavetaking of the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Matins on Saturday evening was served by Father Dionysios Halim and Protodeacon German Polorotoff, a cleric of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Community in Tweed Heads, NSW.  On Sunday morning our parish rector Archpriest James Carles presided at Divine Liturgy for the first time since November 2018, concelebrating together with Fathers Dionysios and German.  At the Prayer before the Amvon a brief moleben of thanksgiving was served in recognition of the work of the former Theophany parish of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) (1994-2009), and following the dismissal prayers were offered for the living and departed founders, benefactors and parishioners of that church.  At the conclusion of the service our parish rector thanked Father Dionysios for his work in the parish and his personal support over the previous two months, presenting him with a copy of the parish icon of the Mother of God, “Protectress of Newcastle”.  A festive meal was then held in to church hall in honour of the parish rector’s fiftieth birthday.

On Friday 25 January our small parish had the great honour of receiving the revered Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, one of the great treasures of the Russian Orthodox Church and the “Directress” of the Russian Diaspora.  A small group of the Russian and Serbian Orthodox faithful of Newcastle gathered early in the evening for a moleben to the Mother of God with the reading of the Akathist in Slavonic and English.  Following the service the faithful venerated the icon and were anointed with oil from the map that burns before it in the cathedral dedicated to it in New York.

On Friday 18 January and Saturday 19 January we had services for the Great Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ - Theophany. All-night vigil - Great Compline and Matins - withe the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Friday evening and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water was served on Saturday morning.  The services were led by Father Dionysios Halim, with our parish rector concelebrating at Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Water.

On Saturday 12 January and Sunday 13 January we had services for the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ and in honour of Saints Joseph the Betrothed, David the King and James the Brother of the Lord, kinsmen of the Lord customarily remembered on this Sunday. Our parish rector served at Divine Liturgy for the first time since November 2018, concelebrating with Father Dionysios Halim.

On Sunday 6 January and Monday 7 January we had services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ. The services were led by Father Dionysios Halim, with our parish rector joining him during the evening service for the customary blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves and the singing of the festal magnification. Our small church was beautifully adorned with a Christmas tree and green branches. On Monday the faithful from across the Hunter Valley and from Sydney, the Central Coast and the Mid North Coast gathered for Divine Liturgy. In place of a sermon, our parish rector read aloud the Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion in Russian and English. Many remained afterwards for a festive meal in the church hall and a visit from Father Christmas.

On Saturday 22 December and Sunday 23 December we had services for the Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphus of Alexandria (+c.313 AD) and Saint Ioasaph, bishop of Belgorod (+1754 AD). Priest Dionysios Halim presided at these services, the last in our parish for 2018. Our small church was full on Sunday morning. In his sermon at Divine Liturgy Father Dionysios spoke about the appointed reading from the Holy Gospel, Luke 17:12-19, the account of the ten lepers that were healed by our Lord Jesus Christ and of whom only one, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks to God.

On Sunday 9 December we learned with great sorrow of the sudden repose late on the previous day of our parishioner, 46 year-old Alexander Evteev.  Alexander’s funeral was served on Friday 21 December by the Dean of New South Wales, Mitred Archpriest Nikita Chemodakov.  At the funeral our small church was filled to overflowing as over 100 family members, friends and colleagues from the University of Newcastle gathered to pray for his repose and bid him farewell.  We offer Alexander’s wife Elena and their children, 9 year-old Sophia and 5 year-old David, our heartfelt condolences.  May God grant his newly-departed servant Alexander rest with the saints and life everlasting, and may He console his bereaved young family!  For those wishing to assist the family, information is available here.

On Saturday 8 December and Sunday 9 December we had services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk (+1731 AD). Set forth for veneration by the faithful during these services was a beautiful old icon of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk brought to Australia from China over fifty years ago and later given to the Gosford parish. As our parish rector was recovering following surgery Priest Dionysios Halim presided at these services.

Our Summer 2018-19 Schedule of Services is now available.  Copies in PDF format are available in English here and in Russian here.  Printed copies will be available in church from the weekend of 8-9 December.  Major services during Summer 2018-19 will be for the Great Feasts of the Nativity of Christ (Christmas) on 6-7 January and the Baptism of Christ (Theophany) on 18-19 January.  As our parish rector is recovering from surgery following a serious ankle injury there will be fewer services during December.  We apologise for any inconvenience.

On Sunday 18 November we learned with great sadness of the repose of Kenneth (“Ken”) Cross (b. 7 September 1935), a parishioner and a long-standing friend of our parish and of the former Theophany parish of the Moscow Patriarchate in Mayfield.  A loving and devoted husband, Ken actively supported his wife Mary in her involvement in church life before himself being received into the Holy Orthodox Church by Chrismation in August 2015.  His funeral was served in our church on Monday 26 November by the Dean of New South Wales, Mitred Archpriest Nikita Chemodakov.  We offer Ken’s wife Mary and their son David our heartfelt condolences.  May God grant his newly-departed servant Kenneth rest with the saints and life everlasting!

On Sunday 25 November we had Divine Liturgy for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria (+612 AD), and venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai (+5th Century AD).  As our parish rector was recovering following surgery there was no service on Saturday evening and Priest Dionysios Halim presided at Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  Following the service a collection was taken up to benefit the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

Our 2018 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2017-18 Financial Statements, is now available.  The 2018 Annual Report was prepared for presentation to the parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for 25 November 2018 but since postponed.  A copy of the report is available in PDF form here. We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments to contact us.  The parish AGM will be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity.

On Saturday 10 November and on Sunday 11 November we had services for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Nun-Martyr Anastasia the Roman (+ Third C. AD) and of Saint Abramius the Recluse (+360 AD) and Blessed Maria, his niece, of Mesopotamia (+397 AD).  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday, prayers were again offered for Orthodox Church unity, for relief from drought in Australia, and for peace in Ukraine.  As Sunday was Remembrance Day and the one-hundredth anniversary of the end of the Great War (1914-18), a general memorial service for all Orthodox Christian soldiers, sailors and airmen slain in battle was served following Divine Liturgy.  Announcements were then made concerning the coming parish Annual General Meeting and a collection to benefit the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

On Saturday 27 October and Sunday 28 October we had services for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica (+889 AD) and Monk-Martyr Lucian, priest of Antioch (+312 AD).  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday, prayers were offered for Orthodox Church unity, for relief from drought in Australia, and for peace in Ukraine.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about these special prayers being offered at each Divine Liturgy, the reasons for them, and the importance of prayer at home for these things.  Following Divine Liturgy announcements were made concerning the coming parish Annual General Meeting and a collection to benefit refugees in south-eastern Ukraine displaced as a result of ongoing social and political turmoil in that country.

On Saturday 20 October the parish rector baptised Hunter Lev Buxton, the infant son of Michael Buxton and Anastasia Khristosova.  Hunter, who was baptised in honour of the Hieromartyr Lev Ershov (+1918), had as his godparents Oleg Khristosov and Erin Buxton.  We warmly congratulate Michael and Anastasia on the baptism of their son and wish the newly-illumined servant of God Lev many years!

On Saturday 13 October and Sunday 14 October we had services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and for the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God.  Revered throughout the Russian Orthodox Church, this feast is of particular important to the faithful in Newcastle – it was the patronal feast of the first Orthodox church in the Hunter Valley, established in the Greta Migrant Camp in 1949.  Although that small Holy Protection church closed together with the camp in 1960, our parish continues to observe its patronal feast-day.  On Saturday evening, All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served. On Sunday morning the lesser blessing of water was served, followed by Divine Liturgy, a moleben to the Mother of God, and a procession around the church.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the Orthodox veneration of the Mother of God.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were especially offered for peace in Ukraine.  Following the services on Sunday a collection was taken up to assist the Synodal Liturgical Music Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

On Saturday 22 September and Sunday 23 September we had services for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Cross, and the day of commemoration of the Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora and Nymphodora (+310 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening, and on Sunday morning His Grace Bishop George of Canberra presided at Divine Liturgy.  Following Divine Liturgy Mrs Anna Morhun was presented with a parish Certificate of Appreciation to mark her retirement from the Parish Council after over 60 years of service.  Many of those present later gathered in the church hall for a festive lunch.

On Saturday 8 September and Sunday 9 September we had services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of Venerable Poemen the Great (+450 AD), a wise spiritual guide and one of the greatest of the Egyptian Desert Fathers.  At Divine Liturgy, prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for rain.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about monasticism in the Egyptian desert and the teachings of Saint Poemen.  Noting that it was the name-day of Patriarch Pimen (Izvekov) (+1990), Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia from 1970 until 1990, the rector also spoke about the difficult conditions of church life in Russia during the Soviet years and of the immense changes in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church since Patriarch Pimen’s repose.

On Monday 27 August and Tuesday 28 August we had services for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Monday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Tuesday morning.  The feast of the Dormition has a special significance for our parish as it was on this day in 1949 - 69 years ago this year - that the first known Orthodox Christian services in the Hunter Valley were served by Archpriest John Lupish (+1977) in the Anglican chapel at Greta Migrant Camp.  Despite it being a working day, Divine Litugry on Tuesday was well-attended, with friends from Gosford joining our parishioners.  Prayers were again offered for rain, and after the service many of those present gathered in the hall for light refreshments.

Our Spring 2018 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2018 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2018 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are available in church.  Services of note during Spring are Bishop George's visit on Sunday 23 September, services for the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on Saturday-Sunday 13-14 October, a memorial service for Orthodox soldiers fallen in war on Sunday 11 November, and services on the anniversary of the repose of Archpriest John Lupish (+1977) on Wednesday-Thursday 21-22 November.

On Saturday 25 August an Sunday 26 August we had services for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost and for the Leave-taking of the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday prayers were offered for relief from drought in accordance with Bishop George’s directive.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time were the newly-baptised children Larissa and Nicholas Korlevic.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a blessing of honey, a gift to the parish, that was then distributed amongst the faithful.  After the dismissal a memorial litia was served for the ever-memorable Alexander Medwedew (+2005), one of our church builders and a long-serving warden (starosta), it being the anniversary of his repose.

On 19 August 1949, just four days after his arrival in Australia, Archpriest John Lupish served the funeral of one year-old Irene Solomko. She was then laid to rest in the Greta Cemetery together with a number of other infants who died in an epidemic of measles that swept through the Greta Migrant Camp at that time.   Father John went on to preside at five more burials at Greta: Wsewolod (Vsevelod) Shipilow (+1949, a boy of 18 months), Larisa Klebakin (+1950), Lydia Elagin (+1956), Alexander Melnik (+1970) and Ivan Elagin (+1977).  In June 2015 our parish rector resolved that a general memorial service would be held in the Greta Cemetery each year on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of that first burial.  This year’s memorial service was held on Saturday 25 August.  Although in previous years our rector was joined by Archpriest Michael Solomko, Irene Solomko's younger brother and the President of the Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand, Father Michael was travelling abroad this year and so unable to be present.  As usual, prayers were offered for the repose of the ever-memorable Archpriest John (+1977), his matushka Maria (+1979), and all those Orthodox Christians buried in the Greta Cemetery, amongst whom are a great many Ukrainian Orthodox.  May their memory be eternal!

On Sunday 19 August, the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the parish rector baptised two year-old Lorelei and five month-old Nello, the children of Andrew and Olga Korlevic. In baptism Lorelei was given the name Larissa in honour of the Martyr Larissa, and Nello was given the name Nicholas in honour of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia. Larissa’s godparents were Anastasia Harwood, Mark McGee and Rachel McGee and Nicholas’s godparents were Anastasia Harwood, Angello Korlevic and Olivia Korlevic.  We warmly congratulate Andrew and Olga and the godparents of their children, praying that God will grant His newly-baptised servants Larissa and Nicholas many years!

On Saturday 11 August and Sunday 12 August we had services for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Apostles of the Seventy Silas, Silvanus, Crescens, Epenetus and Andronicus (+1st C.).  In accordance with Bishop George’s directive, prayers were offered at Divine Liturgy for relief from drought.

On Saturday 21 July and Sunday 22 July we had services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Hieromartyr Pancratius, bishop of Taormina in Sicily (+1st C.), an eyewitness in his childhood of our Lord’s ministry and a disciple of the Apostle Peter.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday we had visitors from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.  In place of a sermon our parish rector read aloud in Russian and in English the Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, on the 100th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Righteous Royal Passion-Bearers.  Following Divine Liturgy the parish children played games in the church yard before toasting marshmallows over a campfire.

On Saturday 7 July and Sunday 8 July we had services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia, Wonderworkers of Murom, the heavenly patrons of love, faithfulness and family life.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday there was a moleben to Saints Peter and Febronia at which all the married couples in our parish were commemorated by name and those present were sprinkled with holy water.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the life of Saints Peter and Febronia and the help that they give to those who are married by their example and by their prayers.

On Saturday 7 July, the feast-day of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, the Saint Naum of Ohrid Serbian Orthodox parish in Broadmeadow celebrated both its patronal feast-day (or “slava”) – Saint Naum is commemorated on 3 July – and the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the parish.  His Grace Siluan, Ruling Bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand, presided at Divine Liturgy, concelebrating with the rector of that parish, Priest Dalibor Pavlovic, with our rector Archpriest James Carles, and with Deacon Petar Mrakic.  Following the reading from the Holy Gospel Vladyka Siluan gave an edifying sermon on the significance of Saint John the Baptist.  At the end of Divine Liturgy there was a threefold procession around the church with readings from the Holy Gospel and the blessing of kolachi - special rounded loaves of bread - and of koliva.  Many gathered in the parish hall afterwards for a festive meal and a programme of spiritual and cultural items.  Father Dalibor gave an interesting lecture on the history of the parish, noting the assistance that the parish had received from the ever-memorable Archpriest John Lupish and other priests of the Russian Orthodox Church over the years.  We warmly congratulate Father Dalibor and the Serbian Orthodox people of Newcastle on this jubilee and wish them every blessing from the Lord.

On Saturday 23 June and Sunday 24 June we had services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the 222 New Martyrs of China slain during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer for Ukraine was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the background to the Boxer Rebellion, the fruits of Russian Orthodox missionary activity amongst the people of China, the bravery of the New Martyrs of China when faced with bitter torments from their countrymen, the history of their veneration, and their enduring witness to Christ.

On Saturday 9 June and Sunday 10 June we had services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the day of commemoration of All Saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia.  Following the Litany of Fervent Supplication at Divine Liturgy the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the history of the feast of All Saints of Russia, the beautiful icon painted in its honour by the ever-memorable Archimandrite Kyprian (Pyzhov) (+2001) of Jordanville, and the various paths to holiness amongst the saints.

On Sunday 10 June our parish published an educational leaflet, 'What is prosphora?'.  This leaflet, prepared in collaboration with our neighbouring parish of Saint Panteleimon, Gosford, explains the symbolism and use of prosphora, the small loaves of bread offered during Divine Liturgy.  The leaflet also explains the commemoration of the names of the living and the departed at Divine Liturgy.  Printed copies are available in church.

On Saturday 26 May and Sunday 27 May we had services for the Great Feast of Pentecost, the commemoration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.  All-night vigil with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy followed immediately by Vespers and the customary "kneeling prayers" was served on Sunday morning.  Prior to the services our small church was beautifully decorated with green branches in honour of the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life.  On Sunday we were joined by many friends from the Gosford parish and our rector concelebrated with Father Theodor Postelnisescu, rector of the Romanian Orthodox Community of the Apostle Andrew. 

Our Winter 2018 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2018 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2018 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies in both languages are available in church.

On Monday 21 May and Tuesday 22 May we services had for the feast-day of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia, modern-day Turkey, to Bari in Italy.  On Monday evening All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served.  As this feast-day of Saint Nicholas is the patronal feast of our parish, the customary blessing of water was served early on Tuesday morning.  Although only a small number of parishioners were able to be present that day, we were joined by friends from the Gosford parish and from Saint Naum of Ohrid Serbian Orthodox Church in Broadmeadow, NSW.  At Divine Liturgy our rector concelebrated with Father Dalibor Pavlovic, rector of the Broadmeadow parish.  A moleben to Saint Nicholas was served immediately after Divine Liturgy, following which the usual prayers were offered for the Patriarch and the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Australian and Russian lands, parish office-bearers, the people present, and for our departed founders and parishioners.  Congratulating the people with the feast-day, the parish rector spoke about the universal veneration of Saint Nicholas and of the reason for this, the unfailing help that Christians have received through his prayers over many centuries.  Following the service many of those present gathered in the church hall for a simple feast-day lunch.

On Saturday 12 May and Sunday 13 May we had services for the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Blind Man.  On this day the Holy Orthodox Church remembers the healing of the man born blind (John 9:1-38).  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about this miracle and about Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Bishop of the Caucasas and the Black Sea (+1867 AD), a revered hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church commemorated on this day.  As it was Mother's Day, at the end of the service the Ladies' Auxiliary presented Matushka Marie Carles with flowers on behalf of the parish.  The rector congratulated her and all the mothers present, following which "Many years" was sung.

On the afternoon of Sunday 29 April the parish rector presided at the marriage of Philip Richards and Salome (MeeYeon) D'Arcy.  Many family members and friends gathered in our small church for the occasion, and afterwards a reception was held in the parish hall.  We warmly congratulate Philip and MeeYeon and wish them many years of happiness together.

On Monday 23 April there was a meeting of the Parish Council.  The usual pastoral, administrative, and financial reports were then presented and progress on parish governance, decorative and building projects was reviewed.  At the meeting the long-serving head of our parish Ladies' Auxiliary, Anna Morhun, advised the Parish Council of her intention to retire from her position, effective immediately.  In announcing her retirement she spoke warmly of all that had been accomplished in parish life, but stated that her age and increasing infirmity prevented her from continuing.  Mrs Morhun, who turned 95 early in April, has been active in our parish since it was established in 1952, filling the role of Head Sister for over 50 years.  In 2017 she received the prestigious Diocesan Cross in recognition of her service.  Her retirement will be formally acknowledged with a moleben of thanksgiving during May 2018.

On Saturday 21 April and Sunday 22 April we had services for the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers.  On this day the Holy Orthodox Church remembers those righteous women and men who were present at Christ's burial and later came to His Tomb bearing myrrh and sweet spices: Mary Magdalen; Mary, the wife of Cleopas; Joanna; Salome, mother of the sons of Zebedee; Susanna; Martha and Mary, the sisters of Saint Lazarus; Mary, mother of the Apostle James; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea; and Nicodemus.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time was the newly-baptised Salome D'Arcy.  Following the dismissal the parish rector congratulated Salome on the occasion - also her first name-day - and many years was sung for her.

On Saturday 21 April the parish rector baptised 34 year-old MeeYeon D’Arcy.  MeeYeon was given the name Salome in baptism in honour of Righteous Salome the Myrrhbearer, mother of the sons of Zebedee, Apostles James and John.  Her godmother was the long-serving head of our parish Ladies' Auxiliary, Anna Morhun.  We warmly congratulate the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Salome and wish her many years!

On Monday 16 April and Tuesday 17 April we had services for the second Tuesday of Pascha, “Radonitsa” - the day of rejoicing.  In the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, this is the first day after Pascha on which services for the departed are customarily offered.  Matins was served on Monday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Tuesday morning.  Immediately following Divine Liturgy a general panikhida was served in church, at which a great many of the departed were mentioned by name.  Amongst those commemorated were the ever-memorable Archbishop Sava (Raevsky)(+1976), the anniversary of whose repose it was, and the ever-memorable Monk Joseph (in the world, Reader Isaac Lambertsen)(+2017).  Archbishop Sava was the second Ruling Bishop of our Diocese and the hierarch who, in 1966, consecrated our church.  Monk Joseph was a graduate of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY, who translated the entire Menaion, Octoechos and Pentecostarion from Church Slavonic into English.  Eternal memory!  Graveside litias were then served in Wallsend, Sandgate and East Maitland cemeteries.

On Friday 13 April and Saturday 14 April we had services for the Saturday after Pascha, Bright Saturday.  Paschal Matins was served on Friday evening and the Paschal Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Saturday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the choir sang under the direction of Elena Gan.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy the prayer at the breaking of the Artos was read.  In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud the Paschal Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion in Russian and in English.  At the dismissal, pieces of the blessed Artos were given to the faithful.

This year, our parish had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha.  Matins with the singing of the exapostilarion “Thy Bridal chamber” ("Чертог твой") was served in the evening on Wednesday 4 April. On Thursday 5 April, Great and Holy Thursday, Divine Liturgy was served in the morning and Matins with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels was served in the evening.  On Friday 6 April, Great and Holy Friday, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served at 3.00pm.  On Saturday 7 April, Great and Holy Saturday, Midnight Office was served late in the evening, with Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy following in the early hours of Sunday 8 April, the Sunday of Pascha.   Concelebrating with the parish rector at Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy was Priest Theodor Postelnisescu, the rector of the Romanian Orthodox Community of the Apostle Andrew.  Easter baskets containing eggs, cakes and other festive foods were blessed following Matins.  Following Divine Liturgy, the clergy and a small group of the faithful gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.

On Friday 30 March and Saturday 31 March we had services for the sixth Saturday of Great Lent, Lazarus Saturday.  On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates the resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany from the dead after four days in the grave.  Many parishioners confessed their sins in preparation to receive Holy Communion on Saturday.  At the end of the service pussy-willow branches were blessed in anticipation of Palm Sunday and a collection was taken up to assist the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.  A memorial litia was also served for the men, women and children who perished in the fire in Kemerovo, Russia, on 25 March 2018.

On the evening of Tuesday 27 March our parish rector presided at a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Serving together with him was Priest Dalibor Pavlovic of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Nahum of Ohrid in Broadmeadow.  Approximately 25 faithful from both parishes gathered in our church to pray and receive anointing with oil for the healing of soul and body.  For Orthodox Christians this service, otherwise served only for individuals in circumstances of great need, is a customary part of Great Lent. 

On Saturday 24 March and Sunday 25 March we had services for the Fifth Sunday in Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Mary of Egypt (+AD 421).  Joining us for Divine Liturgy on Sunday was Father Theodore Postelnisescu, the rector of Newcastle’s Romanian Orthodox Community of the Holy Apostle Andrew.   In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke about the life of Saint Mary of Egypt and of her enduring example of repentance.

On Saturday 10 March and Sunday 11 March we had services for the Third Sunday in Great Lent, the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross.  As Saturday 10 March was a day of commemoration of the departed there was a general pannikhida prior to the service on Saturday evening , at which were commemorated the departed hierarchs and clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese, together with our departed parishioners, family members and friends.  In accordance with Orthodox custom an image of the Holy Cross, beautifully decorated with flowers, was set forth for veneration at the end of the Saturday evening service.

On Saturday 24 February and Sunday 25 February we had services for the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the First Sunday of Great Lent.  In accordance with the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer before the Amvon was followed by a brief Service of Supplication for Those in Error.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the history of the commemoration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy and of the importance of each individual Orthodox Christian striving to preserve the Truth.  Following the service a collection was taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY.

Our Autumn 2018 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2018 - is now available in PDF format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha, our patronal feast of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, and the Great Feast of Pentecost.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2018 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2018 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies are available in church.

Late in the afternoon on Sunday 18 February we served Vespers for Forgiveness Sunday, the final Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent.  During this service the church vestments were changed from gold to black and the ordinary melodies gave way to the solemn melodies of Great Lent.  At the end of the service the parish rector gave a brief sermon on the importance of asking and bestowing forgiveness, after which all present asked forgiveness of one another in accordance with Orthodox custom on this day.

On Saturday 10 February and Sunday 11 February we had services for the Sunday of the Last Judgment and in honour of All Saints of Ekaterinburg.  As Saturday 10 February was a day of commemoration of the departed a general panikhida was served immediately prior to the Saturday evening service.  At the end of the panikhida koliva was blessed and shared amongst those present.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read and - following the Prayer before the Amvon - a moleben to All Saints of Ekaterinburg was served.  In his sermon the rector spoke first about compassionate service to one's fellow man being accounted as service to Christ Himself, and then about the example of the saints of Ekaterinburg both new and old. At the dismissal a collection was taken up to assist the work of Orthodox Action in Sydney and Melbourne.

On Monday 29 January we learned with sorrow of the repose of Vasily (“Bill”) Bukovec, a long-term parishioner and one of the builders of our church.  Mr Bukovec – who reached 100 years of age in 2016 – had been in declining health for some time.  He received Holy Communion and Anointing with Oil in the days prior to his repose.  He is survived by his daughters Olga, Nina and Elizabeth and by his grandsons Allan, Jamie, Justin, Billy and Christian and their families, to whom we offer heartfelt condolences.  His funeral service was held in our church on Monday 5 February 2018, after which he was laid to rest beside his beloved wife Anna in Sandgate Cemetery.  May his memory be eternal!

On the afternoon of Friday 2 February the parish rector presided at the marriage of Anthony Kloczko and Yuliya Kuznetsova.  Our small church was full to overflowing with family and friends.  The family of the groom has had a long connection with our parish.  We warmly congratulate Anthony and Yuliya and wish them many years of happiness together.

On Sunday 28 January, the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the parish rector baptised the infant Leo, the son of Tony and Iryna Marshall and a younger brother to Sofia.  Leo was baptised in honour of the Holy Martyr Leo and had as his sponsors Igor Masalitin and Natalia Khyzniak.  We warmly congratulate Tony, Iryna, Igor and Natalia and wish the newly-illumined servant of God Leo many years!

On Saturday 27 January and Sunday 28 January we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the first Sunday of preparation for Great Lent.  As it was our first Sunday service after Theophany the founders, benefactors and parishioners of the former Theophany parish in Mayfield, both living and departed, were commemorated in prayer at the end of Divine Liturgy. At lunch in the church hall our parish rector received congratulations and was presented with a cake on the occasion of his birthday.

On Wednesday 17 January and Thursday 18 January we had services for the Eve of Theophany, the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Matins was served on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday morning Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great was served together with the Great Blessing of Water.  At Vespers, many of those present assisted with the thirteen appointed readings from the Old Testament.

On Saturday 13 January and Sunday 14 January we had services for the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord and in honour of Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (+379 AD).  On Sunday His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, presided at Divine Liturgy.  We were also joined by Protodeacon Martin Naef from the Gosford parish.  As it was 1 January 2018 on the Julian Calendar a brief moleben for the beginning of the New Year was served at the end of Divine Liturgy.  Following the dismissal, Vladyka Hilarion gave an edifying sermon in Russian and English in which he reflected on the various commemorations of the day.  A festive lunch was then held in the church hall in Vladyka’s honour.  During a word of welcome over lunch the parish rector noted Vladyka's recent particpation, together with the other hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, in the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church commemorating the centenary of the election and enthronement of Saint Tkhon the Confessor as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and thanked him for his wise leadership as First Hierarch.

On Monday 8 January, we had a service for the Second Day of the Nativity of Christ.  Joining our parish rector was Father Dalibor Pavlovic, the rector of Saint Naum of Ohrid Serbian Orthodox Church in Broadmeadow, NSW.   Divine Liturgy was served in Church Slavonic, Serbian and English.  In place of a sermon, our parish rector read aloud the Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York in Russian and in English.  Following the service all gathered in the church hall for a festive meal and a visit from Father Christmas.

On Sunday 24 December, the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, the parish rector baptised the infant Eva, the infant daughter of Vitalii Athipov and Elena Arhipova and a younger sister to Matvei and Zahar.  Eva was baptised in honour of the Holy Foremother Eve and had as her sponsors Reader George Karmadonoff and Lubov Pekhovkina.  We warmly congratulate Vitalii, Elena, George and Lubov and wish the newly-illumined handmaiden of God Eva many years!

On Saturday 23 December and Sunday 24 December we had services for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Forefathers, the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh.  On Sunday morning our small church was fuller than usual, friends from the Gosford parish and from Sydney having joined us for Divine Liturgy.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the faith and faithfulness of the Holy Forefathers, of putting off the old man and putting on the new (Colossians 3:4-11), and of constantly accepting by one's way of life the invitation to the Great Banquet (Luke:14-16-24).

On Monday 18 December and Tuesday 19 December, the lesser patronal feast of our church, we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia.  All-night vigil with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil was served on Monday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Tuesday morning.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon a brief moleben to Saint Nicholas was served at which our parishioners and their families, together with others who have asked for our prayers, were commemorated by name.  After the dismissal, the rector congratulated parish Warden Nikolai Goura and Parish Council member Nicholas (Dean) Crawford, both of whom were celebrating their name-day.  He thanked them both for their work for the parish and wishing them every blessing from God.  Many years was then sung for them both, after which those present enjoyed a festive meal in the church hall.

On Saturday 9 December and Sunday 10 December we had services for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, the "Directress" of the Russian Diaspora.  At Matins on Saturday evening the faithful were anointed with oil from the lamp that burns before the original Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God in the Synodal Cathedral in New York, and prior to Divine Liturgy on Sunday an akathist was read in Slavonic and English before a copy of the icon.  As Sunday was the six-month anniversary of the repose of our parishioner Vadim ("Jim") Zdanowicz a memorial litia was served after Divine Liturgy.  Later in the day our parish rector visited the Russian and other Orthodox Kids' Camp being held in Toukley on the New South Wales Central Coast, there serving the customary moleben before the beginning of a good work.

Our December 2017 parish newsletter was published on 10 December 2017.  It includes parish news for August-December, information about the month ahead, and the Epistle of the Holy Council of Bishops to the Clergy, Monks and Nuns and All Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church in both Russian and English.  To read it click here.  Copies are available in church and will be distributed together with the Summer 2017-18 Schedule of Services by post and email during the week beginning 11 December 2017.

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, our parish has developed and published an explanation of the legal and church requirements for marriage in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  This information has now been comprehensively revised and updated to reflect the adoption by the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church of the document ‘On the Canonical Aspects of Church Marriage’ (‘О канонических аспектах церковного брака’) on 2 December 2017 and the commencement of amendments to the Australian Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) on 9 December 2017.  It includes an explanation of why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons, and provides a helpful list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated that has now been updated to include Sundays and Fridays in 2019.  The information can be accessed here.  Should anyone have any questions about this information, please contact us.

On Sunday 3 December and Monday 4 December we had services for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Sunday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Monday morning.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector explained the history and significance of the feast and spoke of the importance of each Orthodox Christian being filled and formed by the life of the Church in order to worthily receive Christ.

On Saturday 25 November and Sunday 26 November we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople (+407 AD).  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the immense influence of Saint John on the life of the Holy Orthodox Church and about his personal example to each Orthodox Christian: ascetic struggle, a love for the Holy Scriptures, care for the poor, a willingness to stand up to the elites of this world, and an unshakeable commitment to the purity of the Orthodox faith.  Following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for the ever-memorable servants of God Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesenky), third First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (+21 November 1985); Archpriest John Lupish, the founder of our parish (+22 November 1977); and the Russian heroes of the White Movement who, fleeing the Bolshevik yoke, arrived in Gallipoli on 22 November 1920.  A collection was then taken up to aid the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outisde Russia, raising $190.00.

Our Summer 2017-18 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2017-18 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2016-17 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages will be available in church from the evening of Saturday 25 November.

On Tuesday 21 November and Wednesday 22 November we had services in prayerful remembrance of the fortieth anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable founder of our parish, Archpriest John Lupish.  A Great Pannikhida or “parastas” was served on Tuesday evening.  On Wednesday morning, the anniversary of Father John’s repose in 1977, Divine Liturgy for the departed was served.  Following a memorial litia and the blessing of koliva at the end of Divine Liturgy, our rector spoke briefly about Father John’s simple and steadfast service over twenty-five years in the parish and of the importance of remembering our leaders, those who have spoken the word of God to us (Hebrews 13:7).  Gathered in church were family members including Father John’s two sons Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish and John Lupish and his youngest grand-daughter Elizabeth; former parishioners of Father John’s; and a small number of our current parishioners.  Over lunch in the church hall Father John’s sons spoke movingly about his courage, his humility, his kindness, and his willingness to endure difficulty for the sake of others.  After lunch a graveside pannikhida was served at Sandgate Cemetery.  May Father John’s memory be eternal!

On Saturday 11 November and Sunday 12 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Hieromartyr Zenobius, bishop of Aegae in Cilicia, and his sister Martyr Zenobia (+285 AD).  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday, parish rector Archpriest James Carles explained that the persecuting judge had offered Zenobius two choices: “Life and death – life if you bow down before the gods, and death if you do not”.  Zenobius’ reply, he said, had been that “Life without Christ is not life, but death; and death for Christ’s sake is not death, but life”, and so the courageous brother and sister had been tortured and put to death.  Referring to the current debate in Australia around religious freedom Father James commended to the faithful the example of the martyrs and confessors, noting that a lack of religious freedom in earlier times had not prevented them from confessing Christ.  Following the service parish Warden Nikolai Goura and Head Sister Anna Morhun congratulated Father James on his recent name-day – the day of commemoration of the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, on 5 November – presenting him with a gift on behalf of the parish and wishing him continued good health.

Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday 22 October Bishop George of Canberra presented awards to five of our parishoners.  Nikolai Goura and Eugenia Millard were presented with parish Certificates of Appreciation and Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish, Irene Lupish and Anna Morhun were presented with the prestigious Diocesan Cross.  Nikolai Goura received his award for his significant contribution over many years to the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in Newcastle and his twelve years of faithful service as the Warden of our parish, and Eugenia Millard was recognised for her work in our parish and in the Russian Orthodox Church of the Theophany in Mayfield, NSW.  It was particularly noted on Eugenia's certificate that she has been exemplary in her devotion to both parishes; her fundraising; her care for the beauty and cleanliness of the church; and her faithful service as a reader and chorister.  The Diocesan Crosses - the first awarded in our parish - were bestowed on the recipients in recognition of their distinguished service to the parish and the wider Russian Orthodox Church for over fifty years.  We warmly congratulate Nikolai, Eugenia, Subdeacon Vitaly, Irene and Anna, and wish them every blessing in this life and in the age to come.

On Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October we had services for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle James, son of Alphaeus (+1st Century AD) and the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.  To the great joy of our parish, Bishop George of Canberra presided at Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  At the end of Divine Liturgy special prayers were again offered, in the context of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, for God's mercy and forgiveness, for the defeat of all impiety, and for the strengthening of lawful and blessed marriage.  In his sermon Bishop George spoke about the raising of the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-16), the power of prayer to change  the course of our lives, and of the particular need for prayer given the contemporary attacks in Australia and throughout the Western world on Christian culture and tradition.  Following the service a number of parish and Diocesan awards were presented, after which all gathered in the church hall for a festive lunch.  Joining us for lunch was Father Dalibor Pavlovic, the rector of Saint Naum of Ohrid Serbian Orthodox Church in Broadmeadow, a number of his parishioners, guests from Sydney, and visitors from abroad.  During the meal the parish rector welcomed Bishop George, thanking him for his pastoral attention and for his words of instruction and encouragement.  He also welcomed the visitors and congratulated the recipients of the awards, praising their example of service to the parish.

On Friday 13 October and Saturday 14 October we had services for the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God. This feast-day is of particular importance to our parish, the first Russian Orthodox church in the Hunter Valley – the small barracks chapel at the Greta Migrant Camp – having been dedicated in honour of it in 1949.  Because of this we have come to observe it as a second patronal feast-day, with All-night vigil served on the eve and the Lesser Blessing of Water, Divine Liturgy and a moleben to the Mother of God served on the day of the feast itself.  Following the moleben the parish rector, congratulating the faithful on the feast, spoke briefly about the origin of the commemoration and of the many examples of the protection of nations, cities and individuals through the prayers of the Mother of God.  Set in the middle of the church for veneration was the parish icon of the Mother of God, "Protectress of Newcastle".

On Sunday 8 October our parish held its 2017 Annual General Meeting.  The 2017 Annual Report was presented and accepted and a draft 2017-18 budget was considered.  Nikolai Goura was elected Warden for a further three-year term.   Anna Morhun, Irene Lupish, Anu Kinnunen, Lucea Szabunia, Olga Bogacheva and Dean Crawford were again elected to the Parish Council, and Matushka Marie Carles and Olga Bogacheva were reappointed to the role of Child Safety Contact Persons.

On Saturday 7 October and Sunday 8 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of one of the most beloved of Russian saints, Venerable Sergius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh (+1392).  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector referred to the words of Saint Sergius: “If you want to serve God, prepare your heart not for food, not for drink, not for rest, not for ease, but for suffering, so that you may endure all temptations, trouble and sorrow.  Prepare for severities, fasts, spiritual struggles and many afflictions, for “by many afflictions is it appointed to us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Acts 14:22)”.  At the end of the Sunday service special prayers were again offered for God's mercy and forgiveness, for the defeat of all impiety, and for the strengthening of lawful and blessed marriage, and the final announcement concerning the parish Annual General Meeting was made.

On Saturday 23 September and Sunday 24 September we had services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and in honour of Venerable Theodora of Alexandria (+c.480 AD).  As it was also the day of commemoration of Saints Sergius and Herman of Valaam, Venerable Euphrosynus the Cook of Alexandria (+9th Century), and Venerable Silouan of Mount Athos (+1938 AD), icons of these saints – including one of saints Sergius and Herman blessed on their relics – were placed in the middle of the church for veneration.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time was the newly-baptised infant Ella Martinov.  After the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday special prayers were again offered, in the context of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, for God's mercy and forgiveness, for the defeat of all impiety, and for the strengthening of lawful and blessed marriage.  At the end of the Sunday service the parish rector welcomed Ms Sonia Hornery MP, State Member of Parliament for Wallsend, presenting her with a Certificate of Appreciation acknowledging her support for the parish and the wider Russian-speaking community.  Remarking on her ten years of parliamentary service, he wished for her God’s help in her work, strength, wisdom, and consolation in difficult times.  Ms Hornery was also given flowers by the parish children and a copy of the parish icon of the Mother of God, “Protectress of Newcastle”.  She afterwards joined parishioners in the hall for refreshments and a presentation of Russian-language songs and poems by students from our playgroup and Russian school.

On Saturday 23 September the parish rector baptised Ella Martinov, the infant daughter of Andrew and Holly Martinov.  Ella was baptised in honour of Saint Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles. Her godparents were Julianne Strelkoff and Kane Hermann.  We warmly congratulate Andrew, Holly, Julianne and Kane, and wish the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Ella many years!

On Saturday 16 September the parish rector baptised Zivah Moorhead, the infant daughter of Alexander Limareff and Tahlia Moorhead.  Zivah was baptised in honour of Martyr Zevina. Her godparents were Brenden Moorhead, Maria Limareff and Maureen Moorhead.  We warmly congratulate Alexander, Tahlia, Brenden, Maria, and Maureen, and wish the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Zivah many years!

On Saturday 9 September and Sunday 10 September we had services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Job, the abbot and wonderworker of Pochaev (+1651 AD).  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the life and missionary work of Saint Job and of his particular influence on the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  In a moleben at the end of the service special prayers were offered for God's mercy and forgiveness, for the defeat of all impiety, and for the strengthening of lawful and blessed marriage.  A collection was taken up to assist the Synodal Liturgical Music Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and it was announced that the parish Annual General Meeting would be held on Sunday 8 October 2017.

On Saturday 9 September the parish rector baptised Sara Corbett, the youngest daughter of Brett and Vera Corbett and a sister to Mia and Ava.  Sara was baptised in honour of Righteous Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Her godparents were Anthony Kloczko and Jeanne Clarke.  We warmly congratulate Brett, Vera, Anthony and Jeanne, and wish the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Sara many years!

Our 2017 parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.00pm on Sunday 8 October 2017.  A formal Notice concerning the AGM - including the agenda and important information for parish members - is available here.

Withe blessing of His Grace, Bishop George of Canberra, we will offer special prayers after the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday 9 September and every Sunday from 12 September until 5 November, the term of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.  These prayers will be for God's mercy and forgiveness, for the defeat of all impiety, and for the strengthening of lawful and blessed marriage.  The prayers of Saints Peter and Febronia of Murom, heavenly protectors of love, faithfulness, and honourable marriage, will be particularly invoked.  May God help us!

On Saturday 26 August and Sunday 27 August we had services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, the Forefeast of the Dormition, and in honour of the Prophet Micah.  In anticipation of the Great Feast of the Dormition and in accordance with a resolution of the Holy Synod, on this day our parish observed the centenary of the 1917-18 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Council, a momentous event in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church that culminated in the restoration of the Patriarchate and the enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin), opened in the Dormition Cathedral on the day of the feast in 1917.  A moleben to the canonised participants in the Council was served following the Prayer before the Amvon and an Epistle of Patriarch Kyrill on the occasion of the centenary of the Council was read aloud in Russian in place of a sermon.  A link to the English-language text of the Epistle is available here. Following the service a memorial litia was served for the other participants in the Council.

Our August 2017 parish newsletter was published on 26 August 2017.  It includes parish news for July-August, information about the month ahead, an important 'Pastoral Epistle concerning Marriage', and more.  To read it click here. Copies are available in church and will be distributed by post during the week beginning 28 August 2017.

Our Spring 2017 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2017 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2017 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are available in church.

On Friday 18 August and Saturday 19 August we had services for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.  Prior to the service on Friday a reliquary containing portions of the relics of twenty-four New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia was brought to our church, remaining with us throughout the evening and on the following day.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was then served.  On Saturday morning Divine Liturgy was served, after which there was the customary blessing of apples, grapes and other fruit.  A moleben was then served to the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, prior to which the parish rector spoke about the life and witness of three of them in particular – Saint Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev (+1918); Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow (+1925); and Saint Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol (+1961).

On Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August we had services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Righteous Eudocimus (Evdokim) of Cappadocia (9^th C. AD).  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the life of Saint Evdokim, his veneration in the Russian Orthodox Church as an intercessor for families, and the need for his prayers at a time when many forces threaten family life.  It being the anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable Archbishop Theodosy (Putilin) (+1980), Ruling Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese from 1970-80, a memorial litia was served for him following Divine Liturgy.

Just four days after his arrival in Australia on 19 August 1949, Archpriest John Lupish served the funeral of one year-old Irene Solomko. She was then laid to rest in the Greta Cemetery together with a number of other infants who died in an epidemic of measles that swept through the Greta Migrant Camp at that time.   Father John went on to preside at five more burials at Greta: Wsewolod (Vsevelod) Shipilow (+1949, a boy of 18 months), Larisa Klebakin (+1950), Lydia Elagin (+1956), Alexander Melnik (+1970) and Ivan Elagin (+1977).  In June 2015 our parish rector resolved that a memorial service would be held in the cemetery there each year on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of that first burial.  This year’s memorial service was held on Saturday 12 August.  As in 2015 and 2016, our rector was joined by Archpriest Michael Solomko, Irene Solomko's younger brother and the President of the Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand.  At the service prayers were offered for the repose of the ever-memorable Archpriest John (+1977), his matushka Maria (+1979), and all those Orthodox Christians buried in the Greta Cemetery, amongst whom are a great many Ukrainian Orthodox, and kutiya was blessed.  In 2018, God willing, the memorial service will be held on Saturday 18 August.

Our June 2017 parish newsletter was published on 23 July 2017.  It includes parish news for June-July, information about the month ahead, details of the forthcoming Russian Orthodox Sacred Music Conference, and more.  To read it click here. Copies are available in church and will be distributed by post during the week beginning 24 July 2017.

On Saturday 22 July and Sunday 23 July we had services for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves (+1073 AD), the founder of Russian monasticism.  At Divine Liturgy the customary Prayer for Ukraine was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the life and monastic struggle of Venerable Anthony, the continuing importance of the monastic life, and the opportunities to practice humility and obedience when living in the world.  It being a sunny winter day, the parish children played soccer together in the churchyard following the service.

On Saturday 8 July and Sunday 9 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, one of the great spiritual treasures of the Russian Orthodox Church.  Traditionally understood to be the work of the Apostle Luke, the icon was kept in Constantinople for many centuries before coming to Russia in the 1300s.  Taken to the United States in 1949, it was triumphantly returned to the Tikhvin Monastery in Russia’s north in 2004.  After serving a brief moleben before a copy of the icon at the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday, the parish rector spoke about its history and the experience of Christian people receiving answer to prayers offered before it.  At the end of the service prayers of blessing were read over new incense received from the Saint Elizabeth Skete in Mohawk, New York.

An article about Orthodox Christianity entitled 'Feasts and fasts: the Eastern Orthodox Church', appeared in the July 2017 edition of Aurora, the magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.  Written by our parish rector at the invitation of Aurora's editor, the article briefly summarises the history, beliefs and spiritual life of the Orthodox Church.  The article can be read here.

On Wednesday 28 June we learned with sadness of the repose that day of one of the oldest members of our parish, Peter Latunin (b.1920).  Peter's wife Antonina (+2008) was the daughter of Mitred Archpriest Mychajlo Mursa (+1966), a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.  His funeral was held in our church on the afternoon of Friday 30 June, following which he was laid to rest beside his wife in Sandgate Cemetery.  Speaking at the funeral, our parish rector noted that Peter was one of a remarkable generation of men and women who, having endured revolution, famine and war, made a new life in Australia whilst preserving their Orthodox Christian faith.  We offer our sincere condolences to Peter's daughters Larissa and Anna and their families, and ask our parishioners and friends to remember the newly-reposed servant of God Peter in their prayers. May God grant him rest!

Our June 2017 parish newsletter - the first in nearly five years - was published on 25 June 2017.  It includes parish news, the recent Epistle of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, news about Diocesan youth activities, and more.  To read it click here.  Copies are available in church and will be distributed by post during the week beginning 26 June 2017.

On Saturday 24 June and Sunday 25 June we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Onuphrius the Great (+4th C. AD) and Venerable Peter of Mount Athos (+734 AD).  As many of our parish founders came from Belarus, in addition to the icon of Saints Onuphrius and Peter and the other saints commemorated on this date, the parish icon of All Saints of Belorussia was placed in the centre of the church for veneration.  Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday Matushka Marie helped the parish children to make candles for home use by recycling the stumps from our church candles.

On Saturday 10 June we learned with sadness of the repose of our parishioner Vadim (“Jim”) Zdanowicz. Jim arrived in Australia at the age of 10 in 1949 and had a long involvement in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in New South Wales - his father, Gennady Ivanovich Zdanowicz, was a key figure in the early life of the Diocese who served as Warden of both Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Strathfield, and the Church of All Saints of Russia, Croydon. Jim prepared himself carefully for the end of his life, receiving Holy Communion for the last time just a few hours before his repose. Our parish rector presided at Jim’s funeral at the Croydon church on Thursday 15 June and at his burial afterwards alongside his parents, Gennady Ivanowich and Anna Dmitrievna, in the Russian Orthodox section of Rookwood Necropolis. Jim is survived by his wife Eleanor and his children George and Kathy, to him we offer heartfelt condolences. May his memory be eternal!

On Saturday 10 June and Sunday 11 June we had services for the Sunday of All Saints, the First Sunday after Pentecost. Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday a collection was taken up to assist the construction of a memorial church in Sremski-Karlovci, Serbia, raising $359.00.

On Tuesday 30 May 2017 we learned with sadness of the repose that day of 88 year-old Alma Kaiko, a long-term friend and supporter of our parish.  Alma's husband of 57 years was Wlodzimierz (Walter) Kaiko (d. 2007), one of our church builders and for many years our senior altar-server, and together with him Alma did much for the benefit of Saint Nicholas'.  Lutheran by faith, Alma's funeral was held at the LifeWay Lutheran Church in Broadmeadow on Wednesday 7 June with our parish rector Archpriest James Carles, Subdeacon Vitaly Lupish and his family, and Head Sister Anna Morhun in attendance.  Alma was afterwards laid to rest beside her husband in Sandgate Cemetery.  We offer condolences to Wlodzimierz's and Alma's children Leo, Ralph, Elizabeth and Alexander and their families, and pray that God will give rest to his departed servant.

As of 7 June 2017, our postal address will be PO Box 545 Wallsend NSW 2287.  We ask our parishioners and friends to amend their records accordingly.

On Saturday 27 May and Sunday 28 May we had services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Afterfeast of the Ascension, and in honour of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke about the history, purpose and enduring significance of the Council.  Addressing the congregation after the dismissal, he spoke further about the visit of the relics of Saint Nicholas to Russia and of the participation of Metropolitan Hilarion and other bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in the consecration of the new church dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ and to the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia at Moscow's Sretensky Monastery.

On Sunday 21 May and Monday 22 May we services had for the feast-day of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia, modern-day Turkey, to Bari in Italy.  On Sunday evening All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served.  As this feast-day of Saint Nicholas is the patronal feast of our parish, the customary lesser blessing of water was served early on Monday morning.  It being a working day, only a small number of parishioners and friends were present.  Divine Liturgy followed, and then a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a cross procession and the sprinkling of the Holy Water.  Following the moleben the usual prayers were offered for the Patriarch and the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Australian and Russian lands, parish office-bearers and all present, and for our departed founders and parishioners.  Congratulating the people with the feast-day, the parish rector spoke about Saint Nicholas and the help that Christians have received through his prayers over many centuries.  He also noted the particular joy with which this feast-day had been prepared for in Russia this year, a portion of Saint Nicholas’ relics being due to arrive in Moscow from Bari.  Following the service many of those present gathered in the church hall for a convivial feast-day lunch.

Our Winter 2017 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August  - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2017 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2017 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages are now available in church.  

On Saturday 13 May and Sunday 15 May we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman (John 4:5-42).  In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector spoke about Christ’s mercy to the Samaritan Woman and about her response.  Following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for Mitred Archpriests Michael Li and Michael Klebansky, long-serving priests of our Diocese who both departed this life on 12 May 2016.   It being Mothers’ Day, our Head Sister Anna Morhun then presented Matushka Marie with flowers, after which “Many Years” was sung for all the mothers of our parish.

On Monday 1 May 2017 there was a meeting of the Parish Council.  The usual pastoral, administrative, and financial reports were then presented and progress on parish governance, decorative and building projects was reviewed.  The Parish Council is scheduled to meet next on 19 June 2017.

On Monday 24 April and Tuesday 25 April we had services for the second Tuesday of Pascha and in honour of Venerable Basil the Confessor, bishop of Parium, modern-day Kemer in Turkey.  Saint Basil (+8th C. AD) was a steadfast defender of the veneration of icons.  From ancient times the second Tuesday of Pascha been one on which prayers for the departed resume after Holy Week and Bright Week.  Following Divine Liturgy on Tuesday morning a general memorial service was served in church.  As in Australia it was Anzac Day, prayers were offered for the souls of all Orthodox soldiers who had fallen in battle.  The parish rector and the faithful then proceeded to Wallsend and Sandgate Cemeteries for services by the graves of their departed relatives and friends.

On Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April we had services for the Second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday.  At All-night vigil and at Divine Liturgy the choir again sang under the direction of Matushka Marie Carles.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy, the parish rector read the Prayer at the Cutting of the Artos, pieces of which were later distributed amongst the faithful.  In place of a sermon, the Paschal Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion was read aloud in Russian and in English. 

This year, our parish had a number of traditional services for Holy Week and Pascha.  Matins with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels was served in the evening on Thursday 13 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ at midday on Friday 14 April, Matins with Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ in the evening on Friday 14 April, and Divine Liturgy in the morning on Saturday 15 April.  On Saturday evening we had an early Midnight Office and procession followed by Paschal Matins and the blessing of Easter eggs and cakes.  During Bright Week, Divine Liturgy with a Paschal procession was served in the morning on Monday 17 April.

On Saturday 8 April and Sunday 9 April we had services for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Palm Sunday.  On Saturday evening All-night vigil with the litia, the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine, oil, and the blessing of palms and pussy willows was served.   On Sunday morning there was a great many people in church, the majority of whom received Holy Communion.   After the dismissal a memorial litia was served for the newly-reposed Archdeacon Eugene Burbelo, with the parish rector speaking briefly about Father Eugene’s long and distinguished service to the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia.  The customary collection for the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem was then taken up.

On Saturday 25 March and Sunday 26 March we had services for the Fourth Sunday in Great Lent, the Sunday of Saint John of the Ladder.  As Saturday 25 March was a day of commemoration of the departed there was a general pannikhida prior to the service on Saturday evening.  This year being the centenary of the Russian Revolution, prayers were  again especially offered for "the repose of the departed servants of God who innocently died, endured suffering and torture, were exiled and imprisoned and tasted bitter death" during the harsh years of Soviet persecution.  Also commemorated was the ever-memorable Emperor Paul I of Russia (+1801), it having been the anniversary of his assasination on Thursday 23 March.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday many of the faithful received Holy Communion.  In Lena Gan’s absence the choir sang under the direction of Matushka Marie Carles.  Following the service on Sunday the parish rector and the warden, Nikolai Goura, visited the Serbian Orthodox parish of Saint Naum of Okhrid in Broadmeadow on the occasion of the first pastoral visit to Newcastle of His Grace Bishop Siluan, Ruling Bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand.

On Saturday 11 March and Sunday 12 March we had services for the Second Sunday in Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Gregory Palamas.  As Saturday 11 March was a day of commemoration of the departed there was a general pannikhida prior to the service on Saturday evening.  This year being the centenary of the Russian Revolution, prayers were  especially offered at this memorial service for "the repose of the departed servants of God who innocently died, endured suffering and torture, were exiled and imprisoned and tasted bitter death" during the harsh years of Soviet persecution.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Epistle of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia on the 100th Anniversary of the Tragic Revolution in Russia and Beginning of the Godless Persecutions was read in place of a sermon.  Following the service a collection was taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York, raising $280.00.

On Saturday 11 March the parish rector baptised Sofia Jardine, the infant daughter of Scott and Liudmila Jardine and a baby sister to Alexander.  Sofia, who was baptised in honour of the Martyr Sofia, had as her godparents Diane Jardine, William Lynch and Natalia Khyzhniak.  We warmly congratulate Scott, Liudmila, Diane, William and Natalia, and wish the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Sofia many years!

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, our parish has developed and published an explanation of the reasons why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons. It incorporates a list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated that has now been updated to include Sundays and Fridays in 2018.  This information, which can be accessed either here or via our ‘Needs’ page under ‘Weddings’, has been prepared to help our parishioners and friends when planning weddings in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Should anyone have any questions about this information, please contact us.

On Saturday 25 February and Sunday 26 February we had services for Forgiveness Sunday, the final Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent.  As is the practice in many parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia, Vespers with rite of asking forgiveness was served immediately following Divine Liturgy.  A collection was taken up to benefit Orthodox Action, raising $240.00.  After the rite of asking forgiveness on Sunday many people gathered in the parish hall to enjoy pancakes prepared by the Ladies' Auxiliary.

On Friday 24 February, the Friday of Cheesfare Week (“Maslenitsa”), a pancake evening was held in our parish hall in Wallsend.  This event was organised by the parish Ladies’ Auxiliary together with members of the Russian-speaking community of Newcastle and the wider Hunter region.  73 adults and 9 children were present.  The ladies prepared 500 pancakes and served them with a variety of toppings, both savoury and sweet.  Traditional appetisers (“zakuski”) preceded the pancakes, and dessert included pancakes with cottage cheese, “Mishka” cake, and fruit with tea.  The hall was beautifully decorated with Russian items.  The evening was enjoyed by all, and nearly $2,000 was raised to help the work of the Ladies’ Auxiliary.  We offer thanks to those who worked so hard to make the evening a success: Elena Ferguson, Irina Lupish, Raisa Zyza, Lucy Szabunia, Dean Crawford, Olga Martin, Oksana Grim, Anna Shvetz, Magdalina Savonov, Anu Kinnunen, Lydia Vasilik, Lena Gan, Anna Kalamoutsis, Klavdia Dalheeva, Tatiana Parish, Julia Dzhalilova, Julia and Sasha Petevskih, and Julia Dulah.

Our Autumn 2017 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2017 - is now available in PDF format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha, in addition to Radonitsa and our parish feast of Saint Nicholas on 22 May.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2017 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2017 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies are available in church.  

On Saturday 11 February and Sunday 12 February we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son and in honour of the Three Hierarchs: Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom.  In view of the extreme temperatures expected - Wallsend was expected to reach 47 degrees celcius on Saturday! - a decision was made beforehand to have the shorter service of Vespers on Saturday evening.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday three new icons for our church were blessed: All Saints of Ekaterinburg, All Saints of Ufa, and Saint Joseph the All-Comely.  A memorial litia was then served in anticipation of the anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable Archpriest Nicholas Grant - active in the life of the Diocese as a layman and clergyman for 45 years - and Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) - former Bishop of Stuttgart and Ruling Bishop of our Diocese from 1980 until 1992 - close friends who reposed on 14 February and 15 February 1995 respectively.  Both Vladyka Pavel and Father Nicholas were great friends of our parish.  May their memory be eternal!

On Saturday 11 February the parish rector baptised sisters Syanna (3 years old) and Sofia (3 months), the daughters of Scott Unwin and Bogdana Cankova-Unwin and sisters to Gabrielle. Their godparents were Vyara Caneva and Timothy Moss. In baptism Syanna was given the name Alexandra in honour of the Martyr Alexandra the Empress, and Sofia was baptised in honour of the Martyr Sofia. Congratulations to Scott, Bogdana, Vyara and Timothy. May God grant His newly-baptised handmaidens Alexandra and Sofia many years!

On Thurday 26 January, the Australia Day public holiday, our parish had the great honour of receving a visit from the miraculous myrrh-streaming icon of the Mother of God, "Softener of Evil Hearts".  Having visited the Gosford parish earlier in the day, the icon arrived in Wallsend soon after 2.00pm.  Gathered in church to welcome the icon were many of our parishioners, together with members of the Serbian and Romanian Orthodox communities in Newcastle.  A moleben with an akathist was served before the icon, with the sections of the akathist to the Mother of God read alternately in Slavonic and English and all those present commemorated by name.  The parish rector thanked the custodian of the icon, Sergei Fomin, for bringing it to Australia from Moscow, and spoke of the importance in these times of spiritual, social and military conflict of softness of heart.  The faithful then venerated the icon and were anointed with the holy oil.  Although the visit of the icon was brief, the service before it was uplifting for all those present.  Glory be to God!  For those wishing to learn more about the icon, information is available in English here and in Russian here.  The icon's schedule for the remainder of its time in Australia is available here.  The final service will be an akathist at 7.00pm on Tuesday 7 February 2017 at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral, Strathfield, at which Bishop George and the clergy of the Greater Sydney region will concelebrate.

On Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January we had services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost and the day of commemoration of Hieromartyr Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (+1569).  It being also the Sunday after Theophany, following the Prayer before the Amvon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday a brief moleben was served for the founders, parishioners and benefactors of the former Theophany church, a parish of the Moscow Patriarchate that functioned in Mayfield, Newcastle, from 1994-2009.  After the Dismissal the parish rector spoke of the good work done by the Theophany parish during the fifteen years of its existence - of the prayers offered and the good works accomplished there - and congratulated all those former parishioners present.  He then served a memorial litia for the departed members of that community.

On Tuesday 17 January and Wednesday 18 January we had services for the Eve of Theophany, the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Matins was served on Tuesday evening, and on Wednesday morning - a day on which the temperature in Newcastle exceeded 40 degrees celcius! - Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great was served together with the Great Blessing of Water.  At Vespers, many of those present assisted with the thirteen appointed readings from the Old Testament.  As is common at this time of year, were joined for the service on Wednesday by friends from Sydney holidaying in the region.

On Saturday 8 January, the Second Day of the Nativity of Christ, we had Divine Liturgy for the Synaxis of the Most-Holy Mother of God and in honour of Saints Joseph the Betrothed, David the King and James the Brother of the Lord, kinsmen of the Lord customarily remembered on the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  Our choir sung under the direction of Elena Gan.  In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud in Russian and in English the Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia.  Many stayed afterwards to share in a festive meal and to enjoy a visit from Father Christmas.

On Sunday 18 December and Monday 19 December, the lesser patronal feast of our church, we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia.  All-night vigil with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil was served on Sunday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Monday morning.  Our small church was full for Divine Liturgy, with many of those present receiving Holy Communion.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon a brief moleben to Saint Nicholas was served for those present.  After the dismissal, our rector Archpriest James Carles congratulated parish Warden Nikolai Goura and Parish Council member Nicholas (Dean) Crawford, both of whom were celebrating their name-day.  He remarked on the importance of men taking an active role in church life before thanking them both for their work for the parish and wishing them every blessing from God.  He then thanked choir director Nataliya Rahim for her service to the church and her contribution to the community, noting that she had conducted the choir for the last time before moving interstate.  On behalf of the parish he presented her with a copy of the parish’s treasured “Newcastle” Icon of the Mother of God.  Many years was sung for Nikolai, Nicholas and Nataliya.

On Saturday 10 December and Sunday 11 December we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Monk-Martyr Stephen the New of Mount St. Auxentius (+767 AD) and Martyr Irenarchus and his companions (+303).  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy the parish rector spoke of the principles for Christian living set out in the appointed readings from the Apostol, Ephesians 4:1-6 and 2 Timothy 1:8-18.

On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Philip.  Receiving Holy Communion for the frist time at Divine Liturgy on Sunday was the newly-baptised Anastasia Partington.  Following Divine Liturgy, a pannikhida was served for the ever-memorable founder of our parish, Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), it having been the anniversary of his repose on Tuesday 22 November.  As the faithful venerated the Cross a collection was taken up for the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia, raising $220.00.  Later, many gathered in the parish hall for a BBQ lunch, it being the final Sunday service before the beginning of the Nativity Fast.

Our Summer 2016-17 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2016-17 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2016-17 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages are available in church.

On Saturday 26 November the parish rector baptised Anastasia Partington, the infant daughter of Bruce Partington and Samantha Bullen. Anastasia, who was baptised in honour of the Royal Martyr Anastasia of Russia, had as her sponsors Larissa Lupish and Nikolai Goura.  A great many friends and family members were present for Anastasia’s baptism, gathering afterwards in the parish hall for a celebratory lunch.  We offer warm congratulations to Bruce, Samantha, Larissa and Nikolai, and wish the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Anastasia many years!

On Monday 21 November there was a meeting of the Parish Council.  As 22 November is the anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable founder of our parish, Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), a memorial litia was served immediately prior to the meeting.  The usual pastoral, administrative, and financial reports were then presented, progress on various church projects was reviewed, and plans for 2017 were discussed. Father James gave a report on the work of the Eighteenth Diocesan Assembly in which he and parish delegate Irene Lupish had recently participated.  The Parish Council is scheduled to meet next in January 2017.

From Wednesday 16 November until Saturday 19 November 2016, representatives of our parish participated in the work of the Eighteenth Diocesan Assembly of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia and in commemorative events marking the twentieth anniversary of Metropolitan Hilarion's appointment as Ruling Bishop.  At Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Thursday 17 November our rector Father James Carles was raised to the rank of archpriest "for his zealous labours on behalf of the Holy Church".  Attending the festive banquet held in Metropolitan Hilarion's honour that evening were Father James, parish delegate Irene Lupish, and parishioners Elena Gan, Dean Crawford and Lucea Szabunia.  Following the official programme they presented Vladyka Hilarion with a gift from the parish, a beautifully framed copy of the parish's treasured "Newcastle" Icon of the Protection of the Mother of God.

On Saturday 12 November and Sunday 13 November we had services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostles of the Seventy Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles and Aristobuls (1st Century AD) and of Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium in Alexandria (+250 AD).  On this day, the Russian Orthodox Church also commemorates Saints Spyridon and Nicodemus, the prosphora-bakers of the Kiev Caves (+12th Century AD).  In his sermon the parish rector noted how these saints had served God in different ways and at different times, encouraging the faithful to serve the Lord faithfully according to their own circumstances and abilities.

On Saturday 22 October and Sunday 23 October we had services for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the Venerable Elders of Optina.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector, noting the Apostle Paul's exhortation to "remember those who have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God" (Hebrews 13:7), spoke of the work and the enduring significance of the two quite different groups of Holy Fathers commemorated by the Russian Orthodox Church on this day. He encouraged the faithful to not be "carried about with divers and strange doctrines" (13:9), but to follow the faith and life of these saints.

On Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October we had services for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.  Presiding at Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning was Bishop George of Canberra, visiting our parish for the first time since August 2014.  Joining us on the occasion of Bishop George’s visit were Deacon Martin Naef, Subdeacon Nicholas Martinov, and Jordanville seminarian Reader Michael Martinov.  At the end of Divine Liturgy Bishop George gave an edifying sermon about the life of the Holy Apostle John.  Following the dismissal, parish awards and flowers were presented to three women for their contribution to parish life: Olga Rusak, Eugenia Kallaur, and Natalia Rahim.  The clergy and faithful afterwards gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.  Over lunch, Father James welcomed Bishop George to the parish, noting that it was his first visit as Diocesan Administrator.  On behalf of the parish he thanked Vladyka for his attention and wished him all the best in his archpastoral labours in the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.

On Sunday 25 September our parish held its 2016 Annual General Meeting (AGM).  The 2016 Annual Report was presented and accepted, a Parish Council for 2016-17 was elected, a delegate to the Eighteenth Diocesan Assembly was chosen, and our two Child Safety Contact Persons were reappointed.  Those elected to the Parish Council were Anna Morhun, Irene Lupish, Lucea Szabunia, Olga Bogacheva, Anu Kinnunen and Dean Crawford.  Irene Lupish will represent the parish at the Diocesan Assembly and Matushka Marie Carles and Olga Bogacheva were reappointed to the role of Child Safety Contact Persons.  Our Warden Nikolai Goura, elected for a three-year term in 2014, remains in this position.

On Saturday 24 September and Sunday 25 September we had services for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and for the Leavetaking of the Nativity of he Mother of God.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer for Ukraine was read, and following the service a collection was taken up to help the Holy Dormition Lavra in Svyatogorsk, Eastern Ukraine, assist the many refugees who have taken shelter there.  In his sermon the rector spoke about the appointed reading from the Holy Gospel, the Parable of the Wedding Feast, and the importance of weaving a fitting garment for the banquet by our manner of life.  A small icon of Saint Symeon of Verkhoturye, the translation of whose relics is also commemorated on this day, was placed in church for veneration together with the icon of the feast.  As Sunday was the tenth anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov), third First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, he was commemorated at the Great Entrance and in a memorial litia following Divine Liturgy.

Our 2016 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2015-16 Financial Statements, is now available.  The 2016 Annual Report will be presented to our parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 25 September 2015.  A copy of the report is available in PDF form here. We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments to contact us.

On Saturday 10 September and Sunday 11 September we had services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John.  Following Divine Liturgy "Many Years" was sung for our choir director Nataliya Rahim, it having been her name-day on the preceding Thursday.  In accordance with the custom of the Russian Orthodox Church a memorial service was served after Divine Liturgy for all Orthodox soldiers, sailors and airmen killed on the field of battle.  Announcements were then made by the rector concerning the forthcoming parish Annual General Meeting and a collection on Sunday 25 September to benefit the Holy Dormition Lavra in Svyatogorsk, Eastern Ukraine.

On Saturday 27 August and Sunday 28 August we had services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost and the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and on Sunday morning Divine Liturgy was served.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time on Sunday was the newly-baptised infant Joseph Harwood.  The feast of the Dormition has a special significance for our parish as it was on this day in 1949 that the first Orthodox Christian services in the Hunter Valley were served by Archpriest John Lupish (+1977) in the chapel at Greta Migrant Camp.  Following Divine Liturgy the rector made the first announcement concerning the forthcoming 2016 parish Annual General Meeting.

Our Spring 2016 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2016 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2016 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages are available in church.

On Saturday 27 August our parish rector baptised Joseph Harwood, the infant son of Peter and Anastasia Harwood and a younger brother to Isaac and Elizabeth.  Joseph, who was baptised in honour of Righteous Joseph the All-Comely, had as his sponsors Raisa Zyza and Jonathan van Wyk.  We warmly congratulate Peter, Anastasia, Raisa and Jonathan, and wish the newly-baptised Joseph many years!

On Saturday 13 August and Sunday 14 August we had services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and for the feast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord and the Holy Maccabean Martyrs (+166 BC).  Prior to the evening service on Saturday a number of young children from the parish participated in a discussion of confession before sharing in the reading of the prayers and making their individual confessions.  Matins with the bringing out of the Cross was then served and on Sunday morning, the first day of the Dormition Fast, Divine Liturgy was served.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer for Ukraine was read following the Litany of Fervent Intercession.  The Lesser Blessing of Water was served following the Prayer before the Amvon, it being the custom of the Russian Orthodox Church to bless the waters on this day in commemoration of the Baptism of Rus’ in 988 AD.  It is also the custom on this day to bless new honey, and as in previous years a quantity of organic Wollombi Valley Honey was blessed and given to those present.  The rector took the opportunity to bless a new icon of the Holy Hierarchs of Moscow, a gift to our parish from the Rowan family.  After the dismissal, a memorial litia was served for the ever-memorable Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) (1863-1936), first First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia, it having been the eightieth anniversary of his repose on Wednesday 10 August.

On Saturday 23 July and Sunday 24 July we had services for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Great-Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (+303 AD) and Saint Olga, Princess of Russia and Equal-to-the-Apostles (+c.963 AD).  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about the way in which these two female saints bore witness to the truth of Orthodox Christianity: Saint Euphemia by her refusal to sacrifice to idols, her acceptance of martyrdom and her miracle at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 BC; and Saint Olga by turning away from the paganism of her people and sowing the seeds of the Baptism of Rus'.

On Saturday 9 July and Sunday 10 July we had services for the Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Sant Sampson the Hospitable (+350 AD).  As many of our parish founders came from Belarus, in addition to the icon of Saint Sampson and the other saints commemorated on this date, the parish icon of All Saints of Belorussia was placed in the centre of the church for veneration.  In addition to speaking about the appointed readings from the Apostol (Romans 5:1-10 and Galatians 5:22-6:2), in his sermon the rector spoke about Saint Sampson's unmercenary care for the sick and the fact that this day was the anniversary of the victory, in 1709, of the Russian Empire over the Swedes at the Battle of Poltava.  Concerning this victory, the rector noted that it ultimately served for the strengthening of the Orthodox Church, both in Russia and elsewhere.

On Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 June we had services for the First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of All Saints, the memory of whom is customarily celebrated on this day.  Since 2008, this day has also been the Day of Orthodox Youth of the Russian Church Abroad.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read and in place of a sermon the parish rector read aloud the Epistle of Metroplitan Hilarion on the Day of Orthodox Youth.  At the end of Divine Liturgy a brief moleben was served at which all the children and young people of our parish were mentioned by name, and at which prayers were offered in particular for four year-old Elisabeth Harwood, a child of the parish recently diagnosed with leukaemia.

On Saturday 11 June and Sunday 12 June we had services for the Seveth Sunday of Pascha and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, the memory of whom is customarily celebrated on this day.  In his sermon at Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector spoke of the convening of the the First Ecumenical Council in May-June of 325 AD, of the work accomplished there to overcome falsehood, and of the importance in every age of steadfast defence of the Orthodox Faith.

On Wednesday 8 June and Thursday 9 June we had services for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Wednesday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Thursday morning.  As it was on this Great Feast in 2007 that the Act of Canonical Communion between the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate was signed, the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Church was read.  The parish rector gave a brief sermon on the meaning of this feast, noting its new significance in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On Saturday 4 June the parish rector baptised Oliver Timothy Regan, the infant son and first child of Matt and Katy Regan.  Oliver, whose godparents were Natasha Goura and Ben Regan, was baptised in honour of the Holy Apostle Timothy of the Seventy.  We warmly congratulate Matt, Katy, Natasha and Ben, and wish the newly-baptised servant of God many years!

Our Winter 2016 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August  - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2016 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2016 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages are now available in church.  

On Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 May we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Pascha and in honour of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas, the patronal feast of our parish.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening.  On Sunday morning our festive Divine Liturgy was preceded by the lesser of blessing of water.  A great many parishioners were present together with friends from the Central Coast and Sydney’s north.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time was the newly-baptised Nicholas East.  In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about the righteous life of Saint Nicholas and of his steadfast defence of Orthodoxy, the movement of his relics from Myra in Lycia (modern-day Turkey) to Bari in Italy, and the help that Christians have received over the centuries through his prayers.  Following Divine Liturgy a moleben to Saint Nicholas was served.  On what was a pleasant and sunny winter morning, there was a cross-procession around the church in which the faithful, including the children, carried icons.  After the customary singing of “Many Years” for the hierarchs and the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church, many gathered in the parish hall for a festive lunch.

On Saturday 7 May and Sunday 8 May we had services for the Second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon the parish rector read the Prayer at the Cutting of the Artos.  In place of a sermon, the Paschal Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion was read aloud.  Immediately after the service a general panikhida was served in anticipation of Radonitsa, the day of commemoration of the departed appointed for the Second Tuesday of Pascha.  At the panikhida the newly-reposed Maria (Goura) and Joanne (Shalimov) were commemorated, together with a great many departed parishioners, family members and friends.  The parish rector later accompanied the faithful to Wallsend and Sandgate Cemeteries, serving graveside litias there. Edited 15 August 2022 to remove personal information.

On Sunday 8 May, Thomas Sunday, the parish rector baptised Lily Way, the three year-old daughter of Jeremy Way and Victoria Kravchenko.  Lily, who was baptised in honour of Martyr Livia of Syria, had as her sponsors at baptism Elena Gubaeva and David Wells.  We warmly congratulate Jeremy, Victoria, Elena, and David, and wish the newly-baptised Livia many years!

On Saturday 8 May our parish rector and a small group of parishioners participated in one-hundredth birthday celebrations for Vasily (“Bill”) Bukovec, one of the builders of our church.  At the festive lunch in Toukley on the NSW Central Coast, Father James presented Mr Bukovec with a parish gramota in recognition of the occasion and of his long association with and contribution to our parish.  Mr Bukovec was also given a beautiful framed copy of our treasured icon of the Mother of God, “Protectress of Newcastle”.  We wish Mr Bukovec good health and strength for years to come!

During Holy Week we had a number of beautiful services.  Matins with the reading of the Twelve Gospels was served on the evening of Thursday 28 April and Matins with the Lamentations before the Tomb of Christ was served on the evening of Friday 29 April.  At 12.00pm on Friday 29 April, Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served.  On the morning of Saturday 30 April Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil was served.  At this service a great many people received Holy Communion before the Tomb of Christ.

On Saturday 23 April and Sunday 24 April we had services for Palm Sunday, the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  The church was beautifully decorated with palm branches.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening, with palms and pussy-willows also blessed following the reading of the Gospel.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning our church was full with worshippers from the Hunter Valley, the Central Coast, and elsewhere, many of whom received Holy Communion.

At 5.00pm on Saturday 23 April, Lazarus Saturday, our parish had a special confession service for children.  Prior to the service the parish rector spoke to the children about the history and meaning of the Holy Mystery of Repentance and of the importance of making a good confession.  He then answered some questions before the children, about six of whom were present, confessed in turn.  As each children made his or her confession the others read some of the Prayers before Holy Communion.

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, our parish has developed and published a list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated in 2016, together with an explanation of the reasons why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons.  A list of Sundays and Fridays in 2017 on which weddings can be celebrated has now been added.  This information, which can be accessed either here or via our ‘Needs’ page under ‘Weddings’, has been prepared to help our parishioners and friends when planning weddings in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Should anyone have any questions about this information, please contact us.

On Saturday 9 April and Sunday 10 April we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint John of the Ladder.  As Saturday was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins on Saturday evening was preceded by a general memorial service.  On Sunday at Divine Liturgy we were joined by friends from Gosford and Canberra.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke about The Ladder of Divine Ascent, a spiritual work revered throughout the Orthodox Church, and of the importance of approaching the spiritual life as if climbing a ladder: positioning ourselves on level ground, having companions to steady us and help us, and not ascending so rapidly as to risk falling.

On Saturday 9 April the family and friends of Joanne Shalimov gathered in our church for her funeral, many having travelled from as far away as the Queensland Gold Coast and the south and west of NSW.  Joanne, who was born in 1972 and departed this life on 31 March 2016 aged 43, was a granddaughter of Michael Shalimov, one of the builders of our small church.  After the funeral service her body was laid to rest in Wallsend Cemetery a short distance from the graves of her grandparents, Michael and Nina.  Joanne is survived by her parents Nick and Raisa and her brother Dean and his family, to whom we offer condolences.  May God give rest to his newly-departed handmaiden!

On Wednesday 6 April and Thursday 7 April we had services for the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil – Great Compline, Matins and the First Hour – with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Wednesday evening and the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours, Typika and Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom were served on Thursday morning.  Following the service those present gathered in the church hall for a festive lunch.  This feast-day is customarily celebrated with great joy, it being a day on which the strict fast of Great Lent is relaxed.

On Saturday 26 March we learned with sadness of the repose of our parishioner Maria Ivanovna Goura (b. 22 February 1927 in Poland).  Her funeral was served in our church on Thursday 31 March, after which she was laid to rest beside her husband, Nikolai Emilianovich, at Sandgate Cemetery.  Maria had a long and significant association with our parish. She is survived by a son and two daughters - Nikolai (our parish starosta), Anna and Katy - and by ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, many of whom gathered on the eve of her funeral to pray for her repose and, in keeping with Orthodox tradition, to read the Psalter over her casket.  We offer condolences to Maria's family, and pray that God will grant her rest!

On the morning of Monday 28 March the parish rector presided at a General Service of Anointing with Oil.  Approximately 20 of our parishioners, both young and old, gathered to pray and receive anointing with oil for the healing of soul and body.  Some information about the Sacrament of Anointing with Oil provided to our parishioners and friends before the service is available here.

On Saturday 26 March and Sunday 27 March we had services for the Second Sunday of Great Lent, the day of commemoration of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica and Defender of Orthodoxy.  As Saturday was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins on Saturday evening was preceded by a general memorial service.  On Sunday Matushka Marie spoke to the children about the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (commemorated on Tuesday 22 March) who were rewarded with heavenly crowns for their willingness to endure suffering for Christ's sake.  Following the dismissal at Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for two newly-reposed parishioners, Vera Blanch and Maria Goura.  A collection was then taken up to benefit the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, New York, raising $235.75.

On Saturday 12 March and Sunday 13 March we had services for Forgiveness Sunday, the Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent.  A number of friends of the parish, visiting from Sydney, were present on Sunday for Divine Liturgy.  As is the practice in many parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia, Vespers with rite of asking forgiveness was served immediately following Divine Liturgy.  After the services on Sunday many people gathered in the parish hall to enjoy pancakes prepared by the Ladies' Auxiliary.

On Sunday 28 February the parish rector presided at the marriage of Alexander Lupish and Kelly Hailstone in the presence of a great many family members and friends.  Assisting at the service was Deacon Martin Naef of the parish of Saint Panteleimon in Gosford.  Our choir - under the direction of Nataliya Rahim - sang beautifully.  Following the service, all gathered in the church yard for drinks and light refreshments.  This service was especially significant for our small church as the groom is the grandson of Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), the ever-memorable founder of our parish, and was an altar-server here as a child and young man.  We warmly congratulate Alex and Kelly, and wish them many years of happiness together.

On Saturday 27 February and Sunday 28 February we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday we were again joined by Deacon Martin Naef of the parish of Saint Panteleimon in Gosford.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time that day was the newly-baptised infant Samuel.  Praying in church during Divine Liturgy were visitors from Port Macquarie and Sydney.

Our Autumn 2016 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2016 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2016 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages are now available in church.  

On Saturday 13 February and Sunday 14 February we had services for the Thirty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Martyr Tryphon.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday we were joined by Deacon Martin Naef of the parish of Saint Panteleimon in Gosford.  It being the last Sunday before the beginning of the period of preparation for Great Lent, the appointed reading was the account of Zaccheus the repentant tax-collector (Luke 19:1-10).  Following the Prayer before the Amvon the parish rector blessed a beautiful new set of embroidered green velvet covers for the sacred vessels, a gift to our parish from the Novo-Tikhvinsky Convent in Yekaterinburg, Russia.  At the end of the service a collection was taken up for Orthodox Action, a charitable organization that operates under the auspices of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia. $299.50 was collected.  Before lunch a memorial litia was served for our parishioner the ever-memorable Anastasia Szabunia, it being the first anniversary of her repose on 18 February.

On Monday 25 January there was a meeting of the Parish Council.  Attending the meeting was the co-ordinator of our parish playgroup, Anastasia Harwood, who gave the Parish Council an overview of the playgroup's activities and of her plans for 2016.  The usual administrative, pastoral and financial reports were then presented, and progress on various church projects was reviewed. The Parish Council is scheduled to meet next on Monday 21 March.

On Saturday 23 January and Sunday 24 January we had services for the Sunday after Theophany and in honour of Saint Theodosius the Great, the founder of coenobitic (“common-life”) monasticism.  At Divine Liturgy the Prayer for Ukraine were read.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon a brief moleben was served for the founders, benefactors and parishioners of the Theophany parish in Mayfield, Newcastle, a parish of the Moscow Patriarchate that existed from 1994 until 2009.

On Saturday 23 January the parish rector baptised Charli Davies, the infant daughter and first child of Peter and Kate Davies.  In baptism Charli was given the name Margaret in honour of the Great-Martyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch. Her sponsors were Michael Davies, Tamara Goura, Patrice Farmer and Matthew MacDonald. We warmly congratulate Peter and Kate and the godparents, and wish the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Margaret many years!

On Sunday 17 January and Monday 18 January we had services for the Eve of Theophany.  Matins was served on Sunday evening, and on Monday morning Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great was served together with the Great Blessing of Water.  At Vespers, many of those present assisted with the thirteen appointed readings from the Old Testament.  Following the service on Monday a graveside panikhida was served at Sandgate Cemetery for Natalia Tarasenko, it being the fortieth day of her repose.  Eternal memory!

On Saturday 9 January and Sunday 10 January we had services for the Sunday after the Nativity, the day of commemoration of the Holy Kinsmen of Christ: Joseph the Betrothed, David the King, and James, Brother of the Lord.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the choir sang under the direction of Elena Gan.  In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud the Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion in Russian and in English.

On Wednesday 6 January, the Eve of the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ, we had All-night vigil (Great Compline and Matins) with the blessing of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil.  Sadly, many of our parishioners were unable to attend because of heavy rain and flooding across the Hunter Valley and on the Central Coast.  An improvement in the weather overnight, however, saw a great many people gather on the morning of Thursday 7 January, the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  A large choir sang beautifully under the direction of Nataliya Rahim and approximately 40 people received the Holy Mysteries.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon, a brief moleben of thanksgiving was served to commemorate the deliverance of the Russian Church and Empire from the invasion of the French and twelve other nations on this day in 1812.  At the end of the service, the parish rector presented Matushka Marie Carles with a hand-painted icon of her heavenly protector, Saint Mary of Palestine, a gift from our parish and from the Gosford parish and her family in recognition of her faithful service to both parishes.  Afterwards a great many people gathered in the church hall for a festive lunch and a visit from Father Christmas.  A wonderful day in the life of our small parish!

On Friday 18 December and Saturday 19 December we had services in honour of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, the heavenly protector of our parish.  Although our parish has as its patronal feast the May commemoration of Saint Nicholas, the December commemoration is always solemnly observed.  All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Friday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Saturday morning.  At the end of Divine Liturgy a brief moleben to Saint Nicholas was served.  The parish rector then congratulated the Starosta, Nikolai N. Goura, on his name-day, and many years was intoned for him.

On Thursday 10 December we learned with sadness of the repose that day of our parishioner, Natalia Ivanovna Tarasenko (b. 15 March 1918 in Kuldja, China).  Her funeral was served in our church on Tuesday 15 December, after which she was laid to rest beside her late husband, Ivan Trofimovich, at Sandgate Cemetery.  Natalia had a long association with our parish and with the Russian Orthodox Church of the Theophany (Moscow Patriarchate) in Mayfield.  She is survived by three daughters and two sons – Raisa, Nickolay, Tatiana, Peter, and Nadejda – and by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to whom we offer our condolences.  May God grant rest to His newly-departed handmaiden!

On Saturday 12 December and Sunday 13 December we had services for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.  Joining us were friends from Sydney and the Central Coast.  It being the Nativity Fast, a number of people took the opportunity to confess and receive Holy Communion.  Following the dismissal at Divine Liturgy a collection was taken up to assist the Indonesian Mission.  This collection, taken up in all parishes of our Diocese at Bishop George's request, raised $195.00.

On Tuesday 1 December our playgroup "Teremok" had its final gathering for 2015.  All the children were given presents.  Three children were attending for the last time as they will be starting school in 2016: Vika Origan, Matthew Martin and Liam Parish.  We wish them all the best in their future studies!  "Teremok" will resume classes in the second week of February.  In 2016 there will be gatherings on two days each week, Tuesdays and Fridays.  Until then!

Our Summer 2015-16 Schedule of Services - covering December, January and February - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Summer 2015-16 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Summer 2015-16 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages will be available in church from the evening of 3 December 2015.

On Monday 23 November the 2015-16 Parish Council met for the first time.  Joining returning members Anna Morhun, Irene Lupish, Olga Bogacheva, Lucy Szabunia and Anu Kinnunen was newly-elected member Dean Turnbull.  Unfortunately the Warden, Nikolai Goura, was absent because of illness.  The usual administrative, pastoral and financial reports were presented and progress on various church projects - the extension of the altar, the replacement of the choir stairs, and the painting of a new icon - was reviewed. Office-bearers were then appointed, with Anna Morhun accepting the role of Head Sister, Anu Kinnunen accepting the role of Treasurer, Lucy Szabunia accepting the role of minutes secretary, Irene Lupish accepting the role of membership and records secretary.  In addition, Mrs Lupish and Ms Szabunia agreed to act as parish Privacy Officers.  The Parish Council will next meet on Monday 25 January 2016.

On Saturday 21 November and Sunday 22 November we had services for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius of Ephesus (+3rd-4th C. AD) and the Venerable Matrona of Constantinople (+492 AD).  In his sermon on Sunday the rector spoke about the approaching Nativity Fast and the importance of being faithful to the Lord in small ways such as fasting so to be ready to be faithful to Him in bigger ways. Following Divine Liturgy a pannikhida was served for the ever-memorable founder of our parish, Archpriest John Lupish (+1977), the anniversary of whose repose it was.  As the faithful came to the Cross a collection for the Fund for Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia was taken up.  This collection, customarily taken up in all parishes of our Diocese each year during November, raised $350.00.

On Saturday 7 November and Sunday 8 November we had services for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica and the deliverance of Constantinople through his prayers from a great earthqauke in 740 AD.  The parish rector presided at both services, having returned to Australia on 29 October following his trip to Russia accompanying the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time at divine Liturgy on this day was the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Ivy Mae (Eve) Stankovski.

On Saturday 31 October the parish rector baptised Ivy Mae Stankovski, the infant daughter of Lupco and Nina Stankovski and a sister to big brothers Darcy and Archer.  In baptism Ivy Mae was given the name Eve in honour of our Holy Foremother Eve. Her sponsors were Jacqueline and Photi Mandicos and Brett and Vera Corbett. We warmly congratulate Lupco and Nina and the godparents, and wish the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Eve many years!

On Sunday 25 October we had services for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. In the absence of the rector who was in the United States following three weeks in Russia as part of a delegation accompanying the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, Archpriest Ljubomir Dvojakovski presided at Divine Liturgy. 

On Sunday 11 October we had services for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Chariton the Confessor.  In the absence of the rector who was visiting the Yekaterinburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church as part of a delegation accompanying the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, Priest Theodor Postelnisescu, rector of the Romanian Orthodox parish of Apostle Andrew, presided at Divine Liturgy.  Father Theodor served in English and Romanian, and the choir, singing under the able direction of Elena Gan, responded in Slavonic and English.  At the end of the service Father Theodor gave an encouraging sermon in English on the theme of the appointed reading for the Holy Gospel (Luke 5:1-11) and presented all present with icon-cards of the Mother of God.

On Sunday 27 September our parish held its 2015 Annual General Meeting (AGM).  The 2015 Annual Report was presented and accepted, a Parish Council for 2015-16 was elected, and two new Child Safety Contact Persons were appointed.  Those elected to the Parish Council were Anna Morhun, Irene Lupish, Lucea Szabunia, Olga Bogacheva, Anu Kinnunen and Dean Crawford, and Matushka Marie Carles and Olga Bogacheva were appointed to be Child Safety Contact Persons.  We now await Bishop George’s ratification of the decisions of the Parish Council.

On Saturday 26 September and Sunday 27 September we had services for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves and the bringing out of the Cross was served on Saturday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  Elena Gan directed the choir.  After the dismissal and the veneration of the Cross, the parish rector made the third and final announcement concerning the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the parish.

On Sunday 20 September and Monday 21 September we had services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Sunday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Monday morning.  On Monday morning we were joined by friends from the Gosford parish, and a small choir sang under the direction of Elena Gan.

Our 2015 Annual Report, including the independently audited 2014-15 Financial Statements, is now available.  The 2015 Annual Report will be presented to our parish Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday 27 September 2015.  A copy of the report is available in PDF form here.  Printed copies will be posted to parish members prior to the meeting so as to allow adequate time for careful perusal.  We encourage our parishioners and friends with questions or comments to contact us.

On Monday 14 September the 2014-15 Parish Council met for the final time.  In addition to the usual business, the Parish Council reviewed and endorsed the draft 2015 Annual Report; discussed arrangements for the rector’s absence during October 2015; finalised plans for the parish Annual General Meeting on Sunday 27 September; and considered the status of the parish iconography project and the church extension.  God willing, the 2015-16 Parish Council will meet for the first time in November 2015.

On Saturday 12 September and Sunday 13 September we had services for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Placing of the Venerable Sash of the Mother of God in Constantinople in 395-408.  A greater than usual number of people were in church on Sunday, including our friends from the Gosford parish.  As this day was also the commemoration of the translation of the relics of Saints Peter and Febronia of Murom, heavenly patrons of family, love and faithfulness, a moleben with special petitions and a prayer to the saints was served at the end of Divine Liturgy.  During the moleben, all married and engaged couples in the parish were commemorated by name.  Following Divine Liturgy, the rector made the second announcement concerning the parish Annual General Meeting to be held on Sunday 27 September 2015.  He then congratulated Anastasia Harwood and her helpers on the sixth anniversary of the establishment of the Russian-language playgroup “Teremok”, wishing them continued success in their important work. Parishioners, playgroup participants and friends later gathered in the church yard for a small concert to mark the anniversary, and to share in the birthday cake.

Our Spring 2015 Schedule of Services - covering September, October and November - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Spring 2015 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Spring 2015 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages have been available in church from Saturday 22 August.

From Monday 28 September until Thursday 29 October 2015, our parish rector will be travelling abroad as part of a delegation of clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia accompanying a visit of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God to the Yekaterinburg and Ufa Dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church.  Other participants in the delegation include His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, Vicar of the Eastern American Diocese; Archpriest Stefan Pavlenko (a cleric of the Western American Diocese and Rector of the parish of All Russian Saints in Burlingame, California); Archpriest Vladimir Boikov (a cleric of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese and Dean of New Zealand); and Protodeacon Alexander Kichakov (a cleric of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America and senior deacon of the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in Chicago, Illinois).  The delegation will meet in San Francisco and venerate the incorrupt relics of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco before travelling to Russia.  The official visit will begin in Yekaterinburg on Thursday 1 October and end in Ufa on Thursday 22 October.  Following this, Father James will return to the United States and visit places of significance in the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia.

On Thursday 27 August and Friday 28 August we had services for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Thursday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Friday morning.  A number of friends from the Gosford parish joined us on the day of the feast.  As it was sixty-six years to the day since the first Russian Orthodox services in the Hunter Valley, prayers of thanksgiving were offered at Divine Liturgy during the Litany of Fervent Supplication.  Following the dismissal, the parish rector announced that the parish Annual General Meeting would be held on Sunday 27 September 2015.

On Saturday 22 August and Sunday 23 August we had services for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and in honour of the Martyr and Archdeacon Lawrence of Rome.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time at Divine Liturgy on Sunday was Kenneth Cross, received into the Orthodox Church on the previous day.

On Saturday 22 August 2015, with the blessing of Bishop George, the parish rector received Ken Cross into the Holy Orthodox Church by Chrismation. Ken, a long-standing friend of our parish and of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Theophany (Moscow Patriarchate) in Mayfield, has as his patron saint in Orthodoxy Saint Kenneth of Aghaboe. Also present was Ken's wife, Mary Cross, with whom he is now united in the Orthodox faith. May God grant his newly-enlightened servant Kenneth many years!

With the blessing of Bishop George of Canberra, on Saturday 22 August a memorial service was held at the cemetery in Greta, NSW, a village significant in the history of immigration in Australia.  It was at Greta that a Migrant Camp was established after World War 2, and it was here that many Orthodox Christians from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other places found a first home in this country.  Just four days after his arrival in Australia on 19 August 1949, Archpriest John Lupish served the funeral of one year-old Irene Solomko. She was later laid to rest in the Greta Cemetery together with a number of other infants who died in an epidemic of measles that swept through the camp at that time.   Father John went on to preside at five more burials at Greta: Wssewolod (Vsevelod) Shipilow (+1949, a boy of 18 months), Larisa Klebakin (+1950), Lydia Elagin (+1956), Alexander Melnik (+1970) and Ivan Elagin (+1977).  Following a visit to Greta by our rector in June this year, it was resolved that a memorial service would be held in the cemetery there each year on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of that first burial.  Concelebrating were our parish rector and Archpriest Michael Solomko, Irene Solomko's younger brother and a priest of the Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand.  At the service prayers were offered for the repose of the ever-memorable Archpriest John (+1977), his matushka Maria (+1979), and all those Orthodox Christians buried in the Greta Cemetery, amongst whom are a great many Ukrainian Orthodox, and kutiya was blessed.  In 2016, God willing, the memorial service will be held on Saturday 20 August.

On Friday 21 August family, friends and parishioners gathered in our church for the funeral of Michael Katonin, one of the builders of our church.  Michael, born on 12 September 1918, departed this life on 15 August 2015.  After the funeral service, his body was laid to rest beside that of wife, Maria (+2005), in Wallsend Cemetery.  May God give rest to his newly-departed servant!

On Thursday 13 August and Friday 14 August we had services for the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord and in honour of the Holy Maccabean Martyrs (+166 BC). Matins with the bringing out of the Cross was served on Thursday evening and on Friday, the first day of the Dormition Fast, Divine Liturgy was served.  The Lesser Blessing of Water followed, it being the custom of the Russian Orthodox Church to bless the waters on this day in commemoration of the Baptism of Rus’ in 988 AD.  It is also the custom on this day to bless new honey, and as in previous years a quantity of organic Wollombi honey – a gift from friends of our parish – was blessed and given to those present.

On Saturday 1 August and Sunday 2 August we had services for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Glorious Prophet Elijah (+ 9th Century BC).  Following the Prayer before the Amvon the prayers of blessing were read over a new icon of the Holy Equal-to-the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, enlightener of the Russian people, a gift to our parish from Anna Rowan and her family.  In his sermon the rector spoke of the example of Prophet Elijah's faithful service to God at a time when everyone seemed to have turned from the true faith.  Speaking separately to the parish children, Matushka Marie described the times in which Prophet Elijah lived and explained his battle against the wicked Queen Jezebel and the priests of the pagan god, Baal.  

On Saturday 25 July and Sunday 26 July we had services for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils.  In anticipation of the commemoration of the Holy Equal-to-the Apostles, Great Prince Vladimir, enlightener of the Russian people, on Tuesday 28 July, the parish rector read aloud the Epistle of His Holiness, Patriarch Kyrill regarding the 1000th anniversary of repose of Holy Great Prince Vladimir.  Following the service we received a gift  from Anna Rowan, a friend of our parish, and her family: an icon of Saint Vladimir.  God willing, this icon will be formally blessed on Sunday 2 August.

On Saturday 11 July and Sunday 12 July we had services for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of the Holy, Glorious and Al-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul.  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening, and Divine Liturgy was served on Sunday morning.  The beautiful icon of Saints Peter and Paul placed in the centre of church for veneration was a new one acquired by our parish especially for this year’s celebration of the feast.

On Thursday 2 July a small group of family, friends and parishioners gathered in our church for the funeral of Raisa Wielowski (nee Kallaur).  Raisa, born in Belarus on 1 March 1928, departed this life on 27 June 2015.  After the funeral service, her body was laid to rest beside that of her husband, Henryk (+1997), in Whitebridge Cemetery.  May God give rest to his newly-departed handmaiden!

In conjunction with Saint Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church, Gosford, our parish has developed and published a list of Sundays and Fridays on which weddings can be celebrated in 2015 and 2016, together with an explanation of the reasons why weddings cannot be celebrated on certain days and dates and during certain seasons. This information, which can be accessed either here or via our ‘Needs’ page under ‘Weddings’, has been prepared to help our parishioners and friends when planning weddings in parishes of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Should anyone have any questions about this information, please contact us.

On Saturday 27 June and Sunday 28 June we had services for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and in honour of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and wonderworker (+1461 AD). It being the Apostles’ Fast, a greater number of people than usual were in church on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, with many taking the opportunity to confess and receive the Holy Mysteries. On Saturday evening we learned with sadness of the repose of Regina (Raisa) Wielowski, a long-term member of our parish and the eldest daughter of one of our church builders and trustees, the ever-memorable Anton Kallaur (+1990). May God give her rest! During the sermon on Sunday, Matushka Marie spoke separately to the children about the Sacrament of Confession and – in her capacity as parish Child Safety Contact Person – about the importance of safe and friendly play.

On Sunday 14 June the parish rector baptised Sofia Marshall, the infant daughter of Tony and Iryna Marshall.  Sofia’s patron saint is the Martyr Sofia and her godparents are Natalia Khyzhniak and Igor Masalitin, her maternal uncle. We warmly congratulate Tony, Iryna, Natalia and Igor, and wish the newly-baptised handmaiden of God Sofia many years!

On Saturday 13 June and Sunday 14 June we had services for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday of the commemoration of All Saints who have shone forth in the Russian Land.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday our choir sang under the direction of Elena Gan.  In his sermon, the parish rector spoke about the standard set in the Gospel readings (Matthew 10:32-33,37-38,18:27-30; Matthew 4:18-23; and Matthew 6:22-33) on the first three Sundays after Pentecost – that we prioritise our relationship with God over all other relationships, that we leave all worldly cares behind and follow Him, and that we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness – and the way in which this standard was reflected in the lives of all the saints of the Russian Land.  During the sermon, Matushka Marie spoke separately to the parish children about the ministry of the deacon in the life of the Orthodox Church, explaining the deacon’s prayers during the service, his vestments and the history of his role.

On Sunday 7 June the parish rector presided at the blessing of the marriage of Scott Jardine and Liudmila Kuznetcov in the presence of their family and close friends.  Our choir - under the direction of Elena Gan - sang the service in English.  Following the dismissal, Scott and Liudmila were presented with a set of wedding icons, a gift from our parish on the occasion.  We warmly congratulate them, and wish them many more years of happiness together.

Our Winter 2015 Schedule of Services - covering June, July and August - is now available in PDF format.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2015 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2015 Schedule of Services is available here.  Both can also be accessed on our Services page, and printed copies in both languages will be available in church from Saturday 13 June.

Our parish celebrates its patronal feast on 22 May, the day of the commemoration of the translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia (modern-day Turkey) to Bari in Italy. In view of the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord falling this year on 21 May, we transferred our festive services to the following weekend, Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May. Unfortunately Bishop George was unable to be with us, it also being the patronal feast of Saints Kyrill and Methodius Mission in Tweed Heads. All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening, the service for Saint Nicholas being combined with that of the Sunday and of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. The Lesser Blessing of Water was served on Sunday morning, followed by Divine Liturgy and a moleben to Saint Nicholas. In his sermon the parish rector spoke of Saint Nicholas’ renown as a man of prayer and an intercessor for all. Noting that Saint Nicholas was one of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, he also spoke of the saint’s zeal for the defence of Orthodoxy and his stand against Arianism. During the moleben there was a procession of the cross around the church in the bright autumn sunshine, with the parish children participating by carrying icons. Afterwards, approximately fifty parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.

On Wednesday 20 May and Thursday 21 May we had services for the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. All-night vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Wednesday evening. At Divine Liturgy on Thursday morning the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Orthodox Church was read, it being on the Great Feast of the Ascension in 2007 that the Act of Canonical Communion between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarchate was signed. In addition, the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexis II (Ridiger) and Metropolitan Laurus (Skurla), chief signatories of the Act, were commemorated at the Great Entrance. Present with us for Divine Liturgy were a number of friends from the Gosford parish.

On Saturday 9 May and Sunday 10 May we had services for the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.  Receiving Holy Communion for the first time was the newly-baptised servant of God Alexander Jardine.  Following the dismissal, a memorial litia was served for the ever-memorable Archbishop Theodore (Rafalsky) (+1955), first Russian Orthodox Bishop of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand, the sixtieth anniversary of whose repose and burial it was during the preceding week.  Before these prayers were offered, the parish rector gave a brief account of Vladyka Theodore's life and his work in laying the foundations of the Australia-New Zealand Diocese, noting that our parish, established in 1952, was one that Vladyka Theodore himself had visited, and that a number of our old parishioners still remembered him.

On the afternoon of Saturday 2 May a moleben and akathist to the Mother of God was served before the parish’s treasured icon of the Mother of God “Protectress of Newcastle”.  This icon was painted for our parish in 2009 to mark the sixtieth anniversary of both the first Orthodox services in the Hunter Valley – on the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God on 28 August – and the establishment of the first Orthodox church in the region – the church of the Protection of the Mother of God at Greta Migrant Camp – and shows the care of the Mother of God for the Orthodox faithful here over the decades since.  It is hoped that this service will, from June 2015 onwards, become a regular feature of parish life.

On Saturday 2 May the parish rector baptised Alexander Jardine, the infant son of Scott Jardine and Liudmila Kuznetcov.  Alexander, who was baptised in honour of Saint Alexander Nevsky, had as his godparents Robert Dzurovski and Natalia Khyzhniak.  We warmly congratulate Scott, Liudmila, Robert and Natalia, and wish the newly-baptised servant of God Alexander many years!

On Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April we had services for the Third Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-bearers.  In his sermon the parish rector spoke of the faithful and courageous service of the Myrrh-bearing Women and of Saint Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who, overcoming their fear and doubt, became witnesses to the Resurrection renowned throughout the world and models of Christian service.

On Monday 20 April and Tuesday 21 April we had services scheduled for Radonitsa, the day of commemoration of the departed that is customarily observed on the second Tuesday of Pascha.  Matins was served on Monday evening as scheduled but later that evening wind and rain struck the New South Wales coast with great intensity, the effects being felt with particular severity in Newcastle, the Hunter Valley, and on the Central Coast.  As only four parishioners were able to make it to church on Tuesday morning Divine Liturgy and the usual cemetery visits were cancelled and a general panikhida was served at church.  Thanks be to God, our church building was undamaged by the storm.  However, many of our parishioners were without power for a number of days, and some had their homes damaged by water and by falling trees.

On Friday 17 April and Saturday 18 April we had services for Bright Saturday, the first Saturday of Pascha.  Paschal Matins was served on Friday evening and on Saturday morning Paschal Divine Liturgy was served.  Following the Prayer before the Amvon there was a procession around the church with the banners and icons, the singing of the Paschal irmosi, and the reading of the Gospel.  At the end of the procession the Prayer at the cutting of the Artos was read and the blessed bread was distributed to the faithful.  In place of a sermon, the parish rector read aloud the 2015 Paschal Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion.

From the evening of Great and Holy Wednesday until the Sunday of Pascha there were six services in our parish: Matins of Great and Holy Thursday, Vespers of Great and Holy Thursday with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, Vespers of Great and Holy Friday with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ, Midnight Office late in the evening of Great and Holy Saturday, Paschal Matins, and Paschal Divine Liturgy.  The Paschal services were particularly well-attended, and our choir sang lightly and beautifully under the direction of choir-mistress Nataliya Rahim.  At Paschal Divine Liturgy the Apostol was read in Slavonic, English and Finnish, and the special prayer for peace in the Holy Land was read after the Augmented Litany.  Following Divine Liturgy a number of the faithful gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.

On Monday 6 April and Tuesday 7 April we had services for the Great Feast of the Annuciation of the Mother of God.  On Monday evening All-night Vigil - Great Compline, Matins and the First Hour - was served with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves. At Great Compline, the psalms and prayers were read in Slavonic, English and Finnish.  On Tuesday morning the Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours, Typica, Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom were served. It being a working day, a small number of people were present, including friends from the Gosford parish and the Serbian Orthodox community in Newcastle.  Almost everyone present received the Holy Mysteries.

On Friday 3 April and Saturday 4 April we had services commemorating the resurrection of the Righteous Lazarus, the friend of our Lord.  Matins was served on Friday evening and Divine Liturgy was served on Saturday morning.  A great many people confessed and prepared for Holy Communion, such that almost everyone present on Saturday morning received the Holy Mysteries.  The first to approach the chalice was the newly-illumined Cecilia, received into the Holy Orthodox Church on the preceding day.  In anticipation of the commemoration on Sunday 5 April of the Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Palm Sunday, palms and pussy-willows were blessed following the Prayer before the Amvon.  At the dismissal a collection was taken up to benefit the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, raising $250.00.

On Friday 3 April, with the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion, Kelly Hailstone was received into the Holy Orthodox Church according to the Office of Receiving Converts from the Roman-Latin Confession and by Chrismation. In Orthodoxy Kelly was given the name Cecilia in honour of the Martyr Cecilia of Rome, a saint with whom she has had a connection since childhood. Her sponsor was Larissa Lupish. Also present was Kelly’s fiancé, Alexander Lupish, with whom she is now united in the Orthodox faith. May God grant his newly-enlightened handmaiden Cecilia many years!

On Saturday 21 March and Sunday 22 March we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent and in honour of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (+c.320AD).  In addition to an icon of the Forty Martyrs, one of Saint John of the Ladder (+606AD), the renowned Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai, was placed in the centre of church for veneration, the Fourth Sunday in Great Lent being customarily a commemoration of Saint John.  Many people prepared for and received Holy Communion.  In the hall afterwards many years was sung for Vitaly Korotkich, a parishioner who celebrated his ninetieth birthday during the week preceding the service.  Mr Korotkich, a steadfast member of our parish from the earliest days, has served on the Parish Council and the Auditing Committee and as a singer in our choir.  He is also the sole remaining member of the Building Committee that oversaw the construction of our church in the early 1960s.