Archbishop Makarios of Australia visited the Church of the Dormition of Our Lady, on Saturday morning August 12 in the city of Bendigo, Victoria.
This was the first time an Archbishop of Australia visited the small historic Greek Orthodox church in Bendigo, a historical monument dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
For many decades, the church was a refuge of comfort and hope for Greek immigrants who were new to the city of Bendigo, many of which arrived from the island of Lemnos.
Each year during the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, the church welcomes pilgrims from around Australia.
This year, Archbishop Makarios visited to officiate at the Greek Orthodox Church of Bendigo, as the first Archbishop of Australia in history.
Archbishop Makarios said in his address the great honour it was for him to visit and officiate at the Church. In reflection of history, Archbishop Makarios commemorated the Greek community who settled in Bendigo, dating back to the late 19th century.
Archbishop Makarios expressed the importance of remembering those who laboured and struggled as migrants as they worked to make the city their new home.
“This is why I decided to come here today,” Archbishop Makarios said, “for all those who worked and toiled here, whom we do not wish to be forgotten to history.”
