Archbishop Makarios of Australia’s New Year’s Exhortation: “Let us set spiritual goals”
On New Year’s Day, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia visited the “Greek” suburb of Marrickville in Sydney and exchanged greetings with the pious members of the Parish of Saint Nicholas. His Eminence, accompanied by the Parish Priest of the dynamic Greek Orthodox Parish, Fr. Michael Tsolakis, and by Fr. Socrates Dokos, from the Parish – Community of the Resurrection of Christ in Kogarah, celebrated the feast of the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ and the memory of Saint Basil the Great. Afterwards, His Eminence conducted a Doxology Service for the beginning of the new year 2025, then blessed and cut the Parish’s Vasilopita and, finally, he sang with great emotion, together with the large congregation, the traditional New Year’s carols.
During his brief address, Archbishop Makarios wished everyone abundant blessings from God in their lives and families, and at the same time, strength to face the possible difficulties and trials that the new year holds. His Eminence also urged them paternally, along with their worldly goals and plans, to set spiritual goals and broaden their spiritual perspectives. “For the new year, we all make plans,” he observed, “and we do them well.” “But we must also set spiritual goals,” he pointed out, “because worldly and human plans can easily be overturned. Let us set, therefore, spiritual goals, not necessarily large and difficult ones. But we can set small spiritual goals, such as never again lying or never again criticising our neighbour. Set such goals, so that you can progress spiritually, along with the other areas.”
Present at the Divine Liturgy and the cutting of the Vasilopita were, among others, the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Mr. Ioannis Mallikourtis, and the Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a Criminologist from Greece, Mr. Athanasios Kehagioglou.
The Consul General, who also received a piece of the Vasilopita as a representative of the Greek State, delivered a brief greeting at the request of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia. After wishing everyone “A happy cutting off” («Καλή Αποκοπή») – the New Year’s greeting exchanged in his hometown of Kefalonia, a wish for release from the burdens and sorrows, but also the passions and sins of the previous year – Mr. Mallikourtis then conveyed the wishes of the Greek Government to the local Greek Community, with the warm exhortation: “Always keep the flag of Greece flying high, as you already do.”
