His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia led the official Vasilopita cutting ceremony at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Sydney on Thursday, January 2.
Addressing a packed congregation, the Archbishop encouraged Greek Orthodox Christians to begin each day in 2025 by making the sign of the cross before reaching for their mobile phones.
“Let our day begin with the sign of the cross. Simply, humbly, humanly and ecclesiastically,” he urged, describing it as a transformative and blessed habit.
The ceremony included numerous greetings for other distinguished guests, the traditional cutting of the Vasilopita, and heartfelt wishes for the New Year.
Archbishop Makarios dedicated specific pieces of the Vasilopita to various entities, with special focus on the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He recalled the recent visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Australia, describing it as a deeply spiritual moment for the Greek Orthodox community in Australia.
The Vasilopita coin was discovered by Father Dimitrios Kokkinos, Parish Priest of the Church of Saint Ioannis in Parramatta, Sydney.
The ceremony was attended by notable dignitaries, including His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Sevasteia; Their Graces, Bishops Iakovos of Miletoupolis and Christodoulos of Magnesia; Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia (GOAA), Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Christophoros Krikelis; the Greek Consul General in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis; and Greek criminologist Athanasios Kehagioglou.
