The June 2026 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), is now available in our parishes. This is the second issue for 2026.  Content includes articles in English and Russian on the reception into our Diocese of the Protection of the Holy Virgin parish in South Yarra, Melbourne; the centenary of ROCOR’s German Diocese; the late ever-memorable Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia (+2026); newcomers to Orthodoxy; episcopal directives; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

Our Winter 2026 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 Saturday-Sunday 11-12 July for the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.  A copy of the English-language Winter 2026 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Winter 2026 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies will available in church as of the weekend of 13-14 June.

On Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May we had services for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  On this day we also observed the Afterfeast of the Ascension and commemorated  Saints Cyril (+869 AD) and Methodius (+885 AD), enlighteners of the Slavs.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  Following Divine Liturgy there was a moleben to Saint Nicholas with a procession around the church and the customary singing of ‘Many Years’ to the ecclesiastical and civil authorities and ‘Eternal Memory’ to our departed founders and parishioners.  After the services many gathered in the church hall for a festive lunch in honour of the patronal feast of our parish, celebrated on Friday 22 May.

On Thursday 21 May and Friday 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 Thursday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Friday morning.  The Hours were preceded by the Lesser Blessing of Water.  Joining our parish rector for the services was Archpriest Dionisy Halim, the rector of Our Lady’s Dormition Church in Wollongong, NSW.  At the end of Divine Liturgy on Friday Father James thanked Father Dionisy for his prayers and presented him with a copy of our ‘Newcastle’ Icon of the Protection of the Mother of God.

On Saturday 9 May and Sunday 10 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.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  On Sunday we were joined by visitors from Sydney and by a number of people attending an Orthodox Christian service for the first time.

On Saturday 18 April and Sunday 19 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 on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  At the end of Divine Liturgy the Prayer at the breaking of the Artos was read and pieces of the Artos were distributed to the faithful.

The March 2026 issue of “Word of the Church” (“Церковное Слово”), the official journal of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is now available in our parishes. This is the first issue for 2026.  Content includes articles in English and Russian on the blessing of land for a new church in Tweed Heads; an article about the Diocesan Youth conference (“Syezd”) held in Adelaide in December 2025; a report on an event in November 2025 commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the text of a paper given there; episcopal directives; and more.  Copies are $5.00.

This year, our parish again 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 9 April and Vespers with the bringing out of the Shroud of Christ was served in the afternoon on Friday 10 April.  On Saturday 11 May Midnight Office was served late in the evening, with Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy following in the early hours of 12 May, the Sunday of Pascha.  Easter baskets with cakes, eggs and other festive foods were blessed following Matins.  A great many people then remained for Divine Liturgy, after which there was a small celebration in the church hall.

On Saturday 21 March and Sunday 22 March we had services for the Fourth Sunday in Great Lent.  This year, the customary commemoration of Saint John of the Ladder was set aside for that of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (+c.320AD), revered models of faithfulness to Christ.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy our small church was full and many received Holy Communion.  The customary prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  As Saturday 21 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins on Saturday evening was preceded by a general panikhida to which some parishioners brought non-perishable foods and new personal care products to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless as an act of kindness in memory of their departed.

On Saturday 7 March and Sunday 8 March we had services for the Second Sunday in Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the customary prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  As Saturday 7 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins on Saturday evening was preceded by a general panikhida to which many brought non-perishable foods and new personal care products to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless as an act of kindness in memory of their departed.

Our Autumn 2026 Schedule of Services - covering March, April and May 2026 - is now available in digital format.  It includes services for Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha, and our patronal feast-day of Saint Nicholas. A copy of the English-language Autumn 2026 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2026 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 21-22 February.

On Saturday 21 February and Sunday 22 February our scheduled services for the Sunday of Forgiveness were disrupted, our parish rector having fallen suddenly ill.  An akathist was read in place of Matins on Saturday evening, and after the reading of the Hours on Sunday morning, the Typika was served in place of Divine Liturgy.  The services on Sunday were led by Reader James Savage.  At the end of the Typika those present venerated the holy icons and asked forgiveness of one another in accordance with Orthodox custom.  Later, many gathered in the church hall for pancakes (“blini”) prepared by the Ladies’ Auxiliary.

On Tuesday 10 March and Wednesday 11 March 2026 the clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese will gather in Brisbane for their customary Great Lenten Pastoral Conference.  On Tuesday the clergy will meet at Saint Nicholas Cathedral for the Rule of Preparation for Holy Communion at 5.00pm and Lenten Matins and confession at 6.00pm.  On Wednesday from 8.00am the Lenten Hours, the Typika and the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts will be served at the Cathedral with Archbishop George presiding and Diocesan clergy concelebrating.  Those of the faithful who have the opportunity to do so are welcome to attend the services on Wednesday morning and may – if properly prepared – receive Holy Communion.  Following Divine Liturgy the clergy will meet in the cathedral hall for lunch, to hear two lectures and to discuss pastoral, liturgical and administrative matters.

On Saturday 7 February and Sunday 8 February we had services for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son and in honour of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the customary prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  

On Saturday 24 January and Sunday 25 January we had services for the Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday after Theophany, and in honour of Virgin-Martyr Tatiana of Rome (+ 226 AD).  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water were served on Sunday morning.  Following the blessing of water a brief moleben of thanksgiving was served for the work of the former Theophany parish (est.1994) in Mayfield, Newcastle, the remaining members of which joined our parish seventeen years ago, in 2009.  Eternal memory was later sung for the departed founders, benefactors and parishioners of that community.

On Saturday 10 January and Sunday 11 January we had services for the Thirty-First Sunday after Pentecost, which this year was also the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy prayers were offered for the unity of the Orthodox Church, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  Following the services on Sunday a group of our parishioners and friends gathered in the church hall for a festive meal and a visit from Father Christmas. 

"Once again we hear the message of the angelic host, God’s messengers to mankind, as they announce the glad tidings of the Birth of Christ our Saviour, Emmanuel, Who has become incarnate in order to free mankind from the bondage of sin... Let us hearken to their angelic message, and let us make every effort to worship and glorify God every day of our lives. In this way we will bear witness to the presence of Christ in our hearts, Who was incarnate for our salvation."   Archbishop George’s Epistle is available in full in English here and in Russian here.

"For every Christian, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is beloved and joyful. Throughout the world on this day, people remember the Star of Bethlehem and the manger, the shepherds and angels, the Mother of God and Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, while the Orthodox celebrate, confessing the cornerstone of faith—the Incarnation of Christ, the manifestation of God in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Out of His greatest love, the Lord descended to be born of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, uniting fallen humanity with God through Himself. "The Word became flesh so that we might be renewed and divinized in Him," says St. Athanasius the Great."  Metropolitan Nicholas’s Epistle is available in full in English here and in Russian here.

In 2026 our major focus will be commencing work on improvements to the church and grounds, beginning with our outside toilet facilities.  Although we have the funds to complete the first stage, we will also be working on raising funds to make the entire project possible.  We plan to repaint the interior of our church and reorganise the icons.  In April we will have a midnight Paschal service for the first time since 2024, and later that month, God willing, we will celebrate the marriage of a young couple active in parish life.  During the course of the year, we will begin planning celebrations in 2027 to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the foundation of our parish in 1952.  In the second half of the year we hope to welcome Archbishop George on a pastoral visit and look forward to the tonsure at that time of another new reader for service in our parish.