The Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos was celebrated at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Sydney over two days. The celebrations were presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia who was joined by Hierarchs and a multitude of clergy of the local Church.
On Tuesday, March 24, the eve of the feast, His Eminence led the Great Feast Day Vespers, joined by His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Sevasteia, His Grace Bishop Athinagoras of Canberra, and Their Graces Assistant Bishops Iakovos of Miletoupolis, Christodoulos of Magnesia, and Christophoros of Kerasounta.
During the service, the Archbishop announced the appointment of Fr Panteleimon Toumbelekis, Parish Priest of the Church of Saint Gerasimos in Leichhardt, as the responsible priest for pastoral ministry within the New South Wales Police Force. His Eminence read the relevant prayer and offered words of encouragement to Fr Panteleimon for his new ministry.
A delegation of officers of the NSW Police Force was in attendance and was led by Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald, Commander of the Inner West Police Area Command. Reverend Fr Murray Woolnough, Anglican priest and Senior Chaplain in the NSW Police also attended the service.
On Wednesday, March 25, the day of the feast, a Festal Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held under Archbishop Makarios, with the same Hierarchs participating. During the service, his official message for the Feast of the Annunciation and the Greek National Regeneration was read aloud.
The congregation included visiting Greek Members of Parliament who had travelled to Australia to take part in events commemorating the anniversary of the Greek Revolution. The delegation was led by Maximos Charakopoulos and included Filippos Fortomas, Stavros Michailidis, and Konstantinos Barkas. They were accompanied by Georgios Parisis from the Hellenic Parliament’s Directorate of International Affairs, while Athanasios Lambrou from the Greek Consulate General in Sydney was also present.
Archbishop Makarios warmly welcomed the delegation, expressing appreciation for their visit and highlighting the importance of maintaining strong ties between the Greek diaspora and Greece.
Before the conclusion of the service, a memorial was held for the late Archbishop Stylianos of Australia, marking seven years since his passing on the same feast day.
