Memory of the New Martyr Saint Matthew of Crete (Gerakari) celebrated at the Church of the Presentation of Our Lord, Coburg
On Sunday, 20 August 2023, at the Church of the Presentation of Our Lord, in Coburg, Melbourne, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in memory of the Holy New Martyr Matthew of Gerakari, Crete, by Father Efstathios Papadopoulos and Father Leonidas Ioannou. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, an Artoklasia (Blessing of the Five Loaves) was performed, and this was followed by the procession of the holy Icon of the Saint.
The faithful came to the church reverently to venerate the icon of Saint Matthew and to receive his blessing, in the presence of the young men dressed in the Traditional Cretan Vraka, Christos Stavrinidis and Emmanuel Adamakis.
The President of the Intercommunities Council of Victoria, Mr. Tony Tsourdalakis, was also present among the congregation.
On the eve of the feast day, the Vespers Service was held, during which Fr. Leonidas Ioannou delivered a homily in English, referring at length to the life of the honoured Saint.
It is recalled that the New Martyr Matthew was killed by the Ottomans around 1700 AD, at the age of about 30, in the city of Rethymnon where he lived.
The icon of the Saint was brought to Melbourne in 2018, with the blessings of the then Metropolitan of Rethymno and Avlopotamos and current Archbishop of Crete, His Eminence Archbishop Evgenios, by Christos and Olga Tzanidakis, from the Tzanidakis Folklore Society.
The icon has been permanently installed in the Parish of the Presentation of Our Lord in Coburg, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
