Holy Diocese of Adelaide: Blessing for Byzantine Music School and Saint Nectarios Youth
With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, His Grace Bishop Silouan of Adelaide conducted the official blessing service (Agiasmo) for the Byzantine Music School of Australia’s Adelaide campus on the evening of 6th of February 2025. The service was held at the Holy Monastery of St Nectarios Croydon Park, the home of the School’s Adelaide campus, on the evening of Thursday, 6th of February. Normally held on a Tuesday, the School rearranged its schedule for this week to coincide with the St Nectarios Youth group, so that the blessing services for the two could be combined.
His Grace conveyed to all the blessings and love of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios and on his behalf addressed the chanting students, teachers, and youth with a brief homily highlighting our need to prioritise worship in our lives. He made particular reference to Sunday sport as being an intrusion into Sunday worship and exhorted our people to steer clear of this temptation.
The service was followed by a light refreshments prepared by the ubiquitous Central Philoptochos.
After the service His Grace held a brief meeting with those youth who had attended the 2025 boys and girls Omatha camps run by the Greek Orthodox Christian Society in Sydney so that they should share their experiences. In all, 20 young people made the trip to Sydney in January this year to participate and came back spiritually enriched, ready to share their new-found spiritual energy with their friends and family.
After the meeting, the St Nectarios Youth gave two beautiful choral performances, showing tremendous improvement since they first started. The head of the Byzantine School of Music, Mr Nicholas Biris, was suitably impressed with the performers such that he invited those who had not done so already to also consider joining the Byzantine School of Music.
May the teachers and students of both the Byzantine Music School of Australia and the St Nectarios Youth Group all have a blessed and inspired 2025 as they pursue their relationship with God through the gifts of Christian fellowship and chant.
