An outpouring of love and remembrance has followed the recent passing of Archimandrite Father Nektarios Zorbalas, whose extraordinary life of spiritual leadership and selfless service touched generations of faithful in Sydney and beyond.
Born Zacharias Zorbalas on the Greek island of Kos in 1935, Father Nektarios followed his lifelong calling to the priesthood after migrating to Australia in the mid-1960s. He was ordained in 1971 and began his ministry in the remote town of Innisfail, Queensland.
By 1988, he had found his spiritual home at the Parish of Saints Constantine and Helen in Newtown, Sydney where his name would become synonymous with acts of mercy, kindness and hope.
Over the decades, Father Nektarios became best known for founding the parish soup kitchen – a grassroots initiative that has fed and uplifted thousands across Sydney’s inner west, regardless of faith, background or circumstance.
Upon learning of his death, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided over a Trisagion memorial service and expressed his heartfelt condolences to Father Nektarios’ family.
“A blessed cleric has left us today, who with his presence adorned our local Church and with his multidimensional work, spiritual and social, further highlighted Christian values in the wider society of our multicultural Australia,” the Archbishop said.
“The late Father Nektarios was a model of modesty, morality and selfless service to his fellow human being… His life was a humble, but God-pleasing ministry, which left behind blessed fruits. His legacy will continue to guide and inspire us.”
Tributes have also flooded social media, where Greek Australians have remembered the beloved priest as a living saint, a father figure, and a vessel of divine love.
“The world today lost a true man of God; a spiritual shepherd, a tireless philanthropist and a deeply cherished pillar of the Greek Orthodox community in Sydney,” one commenter wrote.
“I thank our Heavenly Father for gifting us with such a holy man and a powerful example of Christian love in action.
“I have no doubt that one day, you will be recognised as a modern Saint. For to us, and to so many, you already were.”
Another echoed the sentiment with both grief and reverence: “What a glorious day in Heaven. May Father Nektarios’ memory be Eternal. He was truly one of the greatest gifts to not only the Greek Orthodox community, but to everyone whom he so lovingly helped or inspired.”
As Sydney mourns, Father Nektarios’ legacy endures – not only in the parish he helped build, or the soup kitchen he founded, but in every heart he touched with kindness, compassion and unwavering faith.
A Trisagion service for Father Nektarios will be held on Sunday, 27 July 2025 at 6pm at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of our Lady in Redfern, followed by an all-night vigil during which he will lie in state for mourners to pay their respects.
His funeral will be held on Monday, July 28, at the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Redfern, Sydney. A Divine Liturgy will begin at 7am, followed by the Funeral Service at 10.30am, presided over by Archbishop Makarios.
