Falling asleep of Fr. Nikolaos Papaioannou of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia
With deep emotion, the Holy Archdiocese of Australia announces the falling asleep in the Lord of the Rev Fr. Nikolaos Papaioannou, who passed away peacefully on Friday, February 18, 2022, at the age of 94.
The Blessed Priest, builder of St. Andrew’s Church in Forest Hill / Nunawadding, Melbourne, has served the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia for many decades.
Born in 1927 in Deryneia, Cyprus, with the blessings of his father, Fr. Ioannis, and his mother, Presvytera Eftychia, he immigrated to Australia at the age of 24. He settled in Melbourne where he met Dimitra Argyrou, whom he married in 1957 and together they had two children, Ioannis and Chrysanthos.
Following in the footsteps of his father, he entered the ministry of the Priesthood, ordained a Deacon and an Priest under the auspicious Archbishop of Australia, Ezekiel. During the first years he served with devotion in many Victorian churches (Sunshine, Frankston, Morwell, Richmond and Altona), depending on the needs of the Church and always having at his side his Presvytera, Demeter, and their two children.
During the 1970s he was appointed Priest of the Church of the Holy Cross, in the suburb of Box Hill in Melbourne, where for more than 15 years he worked tirelessly with his parishioners for the prosperity and development of the Parish. During this period, he was awarded the Order (Offikion) of the Oekonomos by the Blessed Bishop of Zenoupolis, Aristarchos, while the official consecration of the Holy Church was performed by the Late Archbishop of Australia, His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos.
Later, he undertook the great challenge of founding a Parish, dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle, the First Called, in the Forest Hill / Burwood area. This was followed by many years of hard work by Fr. Nikolaos, with the strong support of the faithful of the area, which bore fruit with the reconstruction of a beautiful Holy Church and the development of a dynamic Parish on Forest Hill. In this parish, He served for 17 years, fighting with dedication for its continuous development and progress, for the good of the Church and its parishioners.
On behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, the Trisagio and the Funeral Service that will be performed at the Church of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple Church, in North Balwyn, Melbourne, will be presided over by His Grace Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis.
The program of the Funeral Services is as follows:
- Trisagio: Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.
- Funeral Service: Friday, March 4, 2022, at 10.30 a.m.
The Funeral Service will be preceded, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.,by the serving of the Orthros and the Divine Liturgy. After the Burial Service in the Cemetery, coffee will be offered in the Church hall, at 1 p.m.
