Germany defeated Greece on the third day of the ATP Cup, winning two out of three matches and ending Greece’s chances of moving to the final eight.
Stefanos Tsitsipas won his singles match in a convincing (6-1, 6-4) victory against Germany’s Alexander Zverev. The Greek finished the game with a serve rating of 299 while the German international, who is ranked seventh in the ATP Rankings, finished with a serve rating of 188. Tsitsipas and Zverev were both champions of the two most recent editions of the Nitto ATP Finals.
The singles victory brought pressure relief for the Greeks as they were already one point down against Germany following Michail Pervolarakis (6-4, 6-1) loss to Jan-Lennard Struff. The Greek youngsters lack of experience was shown in their duel as Struff delivered a high rate of successful returns throughout the whole match.
The round victory was then determined by the doubles match, in which Tsitsipas partnered with Pervolarakis against Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies. Greece secured the first set 6-3, however repeated mistakes by Pervolarakis saw Germany draw the match 1-1 with a 6-3 victory.
The tie-breaker saw Greece and Germany fight to a gruelling finish in what is to be the most exciting tie-breaker of the competition. However Greece did not receive the desired outcome they had hoped, losing 17-15.
With Greece suffering their second ATP Cup defeat, they will not be continuing into the Final Eight and have instead secured a place for home country Australia.
Greece will still face Australia on January 7, with Michail Pervolarakis facing Greek Australian player Nick Kyrgios in the singles round one, followed by Tsitsipas facing off against Australian youngster Alex De Minaur.
The Theophania, or “Epiphany”, is celebrated on January 6 every year and commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ through a day of celebration and festivities. The Theophania, meaning “Christ shining through”, is one of the most meaningful celebrations for the Greek Orthodox Church, ranked third behind only Easter and Pentecost.
In Australia, various activities and food celebrations are on display during the Theophania, including food stalls selling souvlaki, loukoumades and baklava. Thousands will flock to numerous locations across Australia, with some of the main ones being the Epiphany day (Theofania) celebration in Frankston, Melbourne, and the Epiphany Greek Festival in Yarra Bay, Sydney.
The main event is comprised of the throwing of the cross, by which a holy cross is thrown into any water basin, varying from seas to rivers, lakes, and even fountains. After a priest throws the cross, men plunge into the water to grab hold of it and try to outrace each other. Whoever succeeds in reaching the cross first and bringing it out is believed to be blessed with good luck. The festival marks the 12th day of Christmas celebration and is considered one of the most important religious festivals.
There is often a cloud of uncertainty that surrounds the lives of Greek Orthodox priests, and a lot of confusion surrounding certain “rules” of how they can and can’t live their lives.
On the 29th of December 2019, 29-year-old engineer, husband and parent, Father Terry Gerovasilis, was ordained as a Priest at St Stylianos Church in Gymea, by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios.
Father Terry was born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, and was immersed in Greek Orthodoxy from a young age.
His connection to clerical life did not fade as he grew, and his commitment to his faith did not limit him from accomplishing any of his personal goals either.
Father Terry graduated with a Bachelor of Materials Engineering at the University of Wollongong and has been working for BlueScope (Australia’s largest steel manufacturer) for 10 years now.
In 2013, he also began studying at St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College and is completing his Bachelor of Theology.
Father Terry has been married to Stamatia Gerovasilis, the daughter of Father Constantine Varipatis, parish priest at St Stylianos in Gymea, for 5 years. The young couple have two sons, George, 4, and Dean, 2.
A job opportunity with his company took him to Perth in 2018, where he and his family uprooted and integrated into Perth’s Greek Orthodox Community. It was with the “guidance of some amazing priests here in Perth”, that inspired Father Terry to take the plunge and pursue his lifelong passion of becoming a priest.
But what exactly does this mean for a young family finding their feet in a modern Australian context? And how does becoming a priest effect ones every day life? Father Terry Gerovasilis speaks exclusively to The Greek Herald.
Father Terry being ordained by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios at St Stylianos Church, Gymea.
What led you to the decision to becoming a priest?
My maternal Grandfather is a priest (Fr Nicolaos Bozikis from Sydney) so I was exposed to clerical life and the church from a very young age.
Then in 2019, while living here in Perth, I was approached by the local priests about being ordained and serving as a cleric here in Perth. We had a meeting with His Eminence Archbishop Makarios here in Perth where we expressed our intention to join the clergy. He gave us his blessing and said that he would return to Perth of October 12th to ordain me as a deacon.
Can you give us a bit of a run down on the process?
There are three levels of Priesthood in the Orthodox Church: Deacon,
Presbyter (Priest) and Bishop. A Deacon (being the first level of Priesthood)
cannot give a blessing or perform services or sacraments on his own. He always
must serve with a Priest or Bishop. He is effectively a helper during the
services (deacon in Greek means a server).
A Deacon can then be further ordained to the Priesthood. The Bishops are ordained from amongst the monastic Priests (that is the unmarried Priests). A Deacon and Priest can be married or unmarried in the Orthodox Church.
To be ordained as a Deacon, you have to have made the decision about
whether you want to be married or unmarried. You must be baptised Orthodox and
have a good standing in the Orthodox Church and community. You should ideally
have some formal education or training in the theological and ecclesiastical
field. This should include formal tertiary education and more informal training
and knowledge of the order and conduct of Orthodox services. You should then
approach your local Priest and Bishop and express your desire to serve in
clerical mionistry.
Ultimately then, it is up to the Archbishop of the Church here in
Australia as to whether you are suitable or eligible to be ordained into clergy.
Personally, I think it is important that you bring into your ministry
the collective experiences of your life. We are all humans and we all sin and
we all make mistakes. With faith and guidance from your Spiritual Father or
Mother, all the experiences of your life can be transformed into wisdom and
good lessons you can pass on to others.
How does it affect your life now? Are there things you won’t be allowed to do?
For the near future, I will continue to work my normal Monday to Friday job as a Materials Engineer. This is obviously a great struggle for myself and my family but with God’s grace we can keep all things in balance.
When I am not at work during normal Monday to Friday office hours, I
will effectively operate a clergyman attached to a parish. I assist in Divine
Liturgies and sacraments on the weekends as well as assisting with other
dimensions of parish life. I will now also proceed to wear the clerical robe
whenever I am not at work.
So yes there are some major changes – much less free time and more
duties and responsibilities.
But I am so passionate about the church, the spiritual life and the ecclesiastical life that it all feels very natural and enriching. I hope and pray that our family can bring joy to those around us in the Church.
“WE ARE ALL HUMANS AND WE ALL SIN AND WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES.”
Do you feel that a lot of young people, particularly third-generation Greek Australians that are entering adulthood now, are straying from religion?
No – I don’t think people are straying from religion. Religion is a very
broad term which simply pertains to the set of values and beliefs that govern
your life, and the means by which you explain the world around you.
Secularism – or the so called absence of religion – is still a religion in
itself. It uses science to explain the world and logical reason to govern your
actions.
In this sense, the challenge for Christianity, it not to bring people back to religion, but rather to explain to people the way by which Christian beliefs should govern our actions and how Christianity explains the world around us.
This is not a problem of religion or church – but rather a pastoral
problem: how do we as Christians bring the joy and Grace of Jesus Christ into
the lives of those around us?
In this sense, the most important thing Christians must do is not
evangelise, but simply follow the example of St Paul and practise a ministry of
love. We should demonstrate to people by the mode and manner of life what
Christianity is.
How do you feel about the church adapting to more modern/progressive thinking in order to respond to the progression of society?
This is obviously a very complicated question that could be answered in
so many ways. To simplify it, I might reiterate the sentiments of His Eminence
Archbishop Makarios when he said, of his ministry here in Australia, that he
has come here to SERVE the people of Australia. Not to RULE or BE served.
In this spirit, I would simply say that the best way the Church aims to
adapt to a progressive society is to humbly maintain its role as servant.
Servant to those most in need.
What do you see your role as a young priest to be? What impact would you like to make on young Greek Australians?
Again we follow here the example of Christ, reiterated by Archbishop
Makarios – to serve. In Greek, Deacon means a servant.
Of course I could charge into a progressive university any day of the
week and engage the students there in high-level philosophical and theoretical
arguments about the nature of the universe, God and faith. But would I really
leave any of those students with a sense of joy, Grace or love…probably not.
Rather, if I run a food drive at my local church for the homeless or go to the nursing home to minister to the old people, or perhaps even attend a prison to speak with a young Greek inmate – would this not be more effective in spreading the love and word of God?
How do you think the church can respond to getting young Greek Australians more involved in church?
I certainly think that young Greek Australians (and young Orthodox
Christians in general) want more English in the services and more English
ministry.
People like myself – Greek Australians with theological training –
simply must endeavour to translate the Orthodox Hellenic ecclesial and
theological spirit into something meaningful, relatable and understandable for
the current generation.
We don’t need to re-invent the wheel (as the saying goes). We just need to find a way to make the message (the Good News of Jesus Christ) meaningful and alive in the lives of young Australians.
Father Terry and his son.
Are you finding there are any disparities between raising your own family in Australian culture, whilst still trying to maintain traditional Greek Orthodox customs?
Certainly. An example – Sunday has simply lost its special sense of
ecclesial celebration in modern Australian culture. Sunday has simply become
the last day of the week. Another weekend day off. A day of sleep in, rest and
breakfast down at the beach.
In Greek, Sunday means the day of the Lord! It is a day of great joy as
we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
How do we instil in young Orthodox Australians the appreciation of Sunday Liturgy? I’m not sure I have the answer right now but I hope I might find it on the journey of my ministry.
What’s your favourite thing about being Greek?
Honestly – the language. By his divine providence, God used the beauty
of the Greek language and the Hellenic philosophical framework to convey to
humans an understanding of his mystical nature. The Old Testament (that is the
Jewish holy texts) has been preserved and conveyed to the world via the Greek
Septuagint translation. Furthermore, all the early Church Fathers used the
Greek language (including St Paul) to convey in a meaningful way to the world
the theological vision of God as revealed by Jesus Christ.
We now have the immensely exciting and daunting task of making that
Greek language meaningful and accessible to English speaking people in a way
that makes the message and meaning, transformative.
HMAS Choules, with almost 1000 people and 115 pets on board, docked at Hastings at 4.30pm, with the first bus load of people arriving at the Somerville relief centre about 5.30pm.
Friends and family embraced, as reality kicked in that the five-day ordeal had ended for most of them. About 800 people arrived at the centre, while 200 evacuees went straight to Melbourne.
The mood was buoyant but calm, and one woman carried a sign “inaction costs more”.
Nineteen-year-old Jackie Stefanopoulous, who was on board HMAS Choules, had been holidaying in Mallacoota with her boyfriend and his family, when “all of a sudden we heard about the incoming bushfires”.
“I was petrified, a lot of people were petrified,” Ms Stefanopoulous said.
“The sense of uncertainty [was frightening], like not knowing whether we will be OK, understanding that there were bushfires surrounding us only a couple of metres. I feared for my life, it was really scary.”
The Mt Waverley woman said she was running out of food and clean water, and that she had only slept for about 10 hours in total over four days.
She praised HMAS Choules crew, who she said had been “awesome”.
Greek authorities have strengthened security measures in American and Israeli-related places in the country, following the dramatic escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran.
This comes after the killing of Iranian major-general Qasem Soleimani by the American army in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday.
Greek police decided to augment its presence and security measures around the American and Israeli embassies in Athens.
Surveillance and police presence have become more intense around these compounds as well as in other places that could potentially be targets of retaliatory attacks by demonstrators or Iran-affiliated individuals.
US Aircrafts Arrive in Souda, Crete
Meanwhile, according to Greek daily ”Kathimerini,” a total of six American military planes reached the American military base of Souda on the Greek island of Crete on Thursday.
This move is believed to be related to the latest developments, and these planes could also be used in evacuation operations that could possibly take place in Iraq in the coming days.
The US State Department has already urged American citizens who currently live in Iraq to leave the country immediately since it is afraid of attacks against American targets.
Greek Response to Latest Developments
At the same time, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Friday expressing concern over the latest developments in the Middle East.
“Greece is following developments in Iraq with a particular concern and puts forth the need to remain calm and sensible,” the foreign ministry’s statement reads.
Referring to Iraq, it added that “The country’s and the wider region’s stability remains a priority, as does the prevention of further escalation. This is the only way the Iraqi people can return to a normal daily life, free of violence and terrorism.”
The first baby to be born in 2020 on Greece’s island of Lesvos was a boy from a family of Iraqi refugees.
The boy was born in the early hours of January 1 and weighs 2.8 kilograms.
According to local daily ”Ta Nea tis Lesvou” a total of ten babies were born on the island between the early hours of January 1, 2020, and the evening of January 2.
Eight of them were babies of refugee and migrant families and two of local residents of Lesvos.
The situation in Lesvos’ hospital is alarming since it has been dealing with a much larger number of incidents than what its staff is used to, due to the huge number of refugees and migrants who currently live on the island.
Doctors of the hospital’s maternity ward revealed that they even had to borrow beds from other departments of the hospital to cope with their needs for the first days of 2020.
“We are well prepared, well organised and well resourced, but we are also realistic: These fire conditions are unprecedented, and the challenge is formidable. If fierce conditions prevail, today could be a dark day for our country,” the Prime Minister started off his announcement.
Following today’s meeting of the National Security Committee, the Morrison Government is:
Pushing a Call-Out of Australian Defence Force Reserve Brigades for the first time in the country’s history, together with specialist personnel,
Deploying HMAS Adelaide to support the efforts of HMAS Choules and MV Sycamore, as well as additional Chinook helicopters, C-17 Globemasters, C-130 Hercules and C-27 Spartans, and
Leasing a fleet of extra waterbombing planes for the states and territories to deploy
Australian Defence Force and Navy involvement
According to the Prime Minister, the ADF have been involved at an operational level to support logistics, evacuations, catering, accomodation and clearing.
Meanwhile the Air Force are helping to transport firefights.
Defence bases are being used as refuelling and staging sites.
The HMAS Albatross are assisting with water and fire retardant reloading.
This upsurge of up to 3000 ADF Reserve forces across Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania will push Defence resources into fire-affected areas as early as tomorrow.
The Navy’s largest amphibious ship, has been readied to join HMAS Choules and MV Sycamore in supporting evacuation of citizens from fire affected areas along our coast line.
HMAS Adelaide will sail from Sydney this afternoon, and will be located offshore from the fire affected areas tomorrow afternoon.
The Government considers this a major step-up in ADF involvement and assistance, which demonstrates their “absolute commitment to supporting states to fight the fires, and to immediately swing into disaster recovery operations as soon as the fire-front has passed”.
The government has also committed $20 million to lease four extra planes to fulfil that extra waterbombing requests.
Recovery Plan
The statement shared the government has processed 20,600 claims for assistance and committed almost $25 million in Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment and Disaster Recovery Allowance.
They have also extended Centrelink’s phone hours.
Morrison to cancel upcoming trips
The Prime Minister also announced he has postponed his state visit to India and his official visit to Japan to stay close to the disaster and recovery operations underway in Australia.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios addresses the Greek community, calling upon all who will listen that the Greek Orthodox Church will have a donation tray for the bushfires on Sunday January 5th and will publish all donations in 40 days.
“My dear friends,
With great sadness and heartache, we find ourselves in the midst of a fire crisis, which has unfolded in front of our eyes in recent days, here in our blessed Australia. We share the grief of the families and friends who lost their loved ones, including volunteer firefighters, who lost their lives while heroically battling hellfire. Beyond the precious human lives lost, the destruction of thousands of hectares of land, fruit trees, precious vineyards, local businesses, innocent wildlife and thousands of homes, the fires have created serious living problems for many of our fellow humans.
The Holy Archdiocese of Australia hurts deeply with the pain and suffering of all those affected. However, we know well that gentle and sensitive words are not enough. Many of our compatriots need real material help at this time, having lost everything from the disasters caused by fires around the country. So, it’s time for the words to become action. It is time to turn Christian teaching into practical and organised love and charity for our neighbour.
For this reason, on Sunday, January 5th, a collection tray will be circulated in all Greek Orthodox parishes of Australia. All money collected from this fundraiser will reach the people who need it.
At the same time we call on everyone who wants and can – Greeks and non-Greeks, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, Christians and non-Christians, faithful and non-believers, young and old, even young children and students of all levels of our nation’s schools – we invite all of you to deposit your donations.
We must help our suffering sisters and brothers. All donations over $2 will be tax-exempt. Within forty days the Archdiocese will publish the names of the donors, the amounts each has deposited, and how the money was distributed. Please warmly offer as generously as you can.
I also paternally urge our people not to lose hope in God. God’s love will undoubtedly be dominant over this tragedy and the suffering we face. I ask that we pray. Let us kneel and fervently beg our philanthropist Lord to release the rain from the skies to put out these most devastating fires that have shaken our beautiful Australia. With Christ at the centre, let us unite our hearts and souls so that our silent cries reach the throne of God.
Finally, I convey to all, the deep concern and blessings of our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who despite his many obligations, focuses his heart’s love and fatherly care, here in far-off Australia, and is constantly monitoring the critical situation that is afflicting our country.
My dear friends, I’m sure you will respond, not to the voice of your Archbishop, but to the pain of our fellow human beings. Open your heart and your embrace.
Thank you in advance for your immediate response and I hope that no one ever experiences the inferno of fire, neither in this life, nor in the next.
With paternal wishes and in the Lord’s love
Your Archbishop,
+ Makarios of Australia”
DONATION DETAILS
Greek Orthodox Fire Appeal
Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
BSB:082-057
ACCOUNT:616958567
Or donate via the various websites of our Archdiocese,
parishes and charities.
New Yorkers and tourists have been impressed with the progress in rebuilding Lower Manhattan in the 18 years since the September 11th attacks.
In the middle of that progress, some rebuilding has stalled. This site near the 911 Memorial Plaza is the future home of the new St. Nicholas Orthodox Greek Church and National Shrine.
The original church was destroyed on 9/11. The plan to rebuild it came to a halt two years ago because of financial problems.
“Your eminence. What a pleasure.”
Governor Cuomo now says the project will resume. He made that promise after meeting Thursday with the new head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church before it was destroyed in the Twin Tower attacks.
The Archbishop says the new church will be completed by September 11th 2021, 20 years after 911, when the original church was destroyed in the collapse of the World Trade Centre’s South tower.
The Archdiocese suspended the rebuilding in December 2017 amid questions about some of spending on the project. An independent investigation found no fraud and nothing improper.
On Thursday, the governor also announced that a new non-profit organisation with a 13-member board will oversee the remaining work.
“I think it will be a beautiful church, it will be open probably 24 hours a day,” said John Catsimatidis, of The Friends of St. Nicholas.
The church which is currently still under construction.
Grocery Store owner John Catsimatidis is on the panel. He’s been a part of the rebuilding project from the start. He says the archdiocese has spent $38 million so far, all of it from private donations. But he says new donations dried up when donors lost confidence in the project.
“Probably $18 million, $19 million went to professional fees, architects lawyers, accountants, crazy,” said Catsimatidis.
Catsimatidis says $30 million is needed to finish the work, and that with new leadership at the archdiocese restoring confidence in the project, raising the remaining money should not be a problem.
Construction is to resume this month. When it opens, the new church will be a place for all faiths to worship in an area that is considered by many to be hallowed ground.
“Not only are people going to pray but people are going to look at it and say it better never happen again,” said Catsimatidis.
Australia’s ATP Cup campaign got off to the perfect start in Brisbane yesterday, with Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur winning both their singles matches against Germany.
Kyrgios faced Jan-Lennard Struff in the late afternoon, convincingly winning in straight sets, his serve proving to be a powerful weapon as he managed 20 aces.
Nick Kyrgios defeated Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 6-4 7-6.
The win will see him give $4,000 to the bushfire appeal, as he has pledged to give $200 per ace for the summer.
But when he was asked about it in his post-match interview, the 24-year-old Australian shed a tear.
“I don’t really care about the praise too much,” Kyrgios said.
“We [tennis players] got the ability and the platform to do something, my home town is Canberra and we’ve got the most toxic air in the world at the moment, that’s pretty sad.
“It’s tough, sorry,” Kyrgios said as he broke down.
“It’s all going to all the families, firefighters, animals, everyone who is losing homes, losing families — it’s a real thing. It’s bigger than tennis.”
