Holy Diocese of Chora: Sunday of Pentecost at the Church of Our Lady “Axion Estin”, Northcote

The great feast of Pentecost was celebrated with particular splendour and reverence on Sunday, 8 June 2025, at the Holy Archdiocesan Church of Our Lady “Axion Estin” in Northcote.

His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Chora, officiated at the Matins and presided over the feast day Divine Liturgy, conveying the paternal wishes and blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, to the clergy and the congregation.

After the Divine Liturgy, the Vespers of the Holy Spirit (Vespers of the Kneeling Prayers) was celebrated, with the active participation of the faithful.

In his brief message, His Grace referred to Pentecost as the manifestation of the Church to the world, not as a human institution, but as a living body that springs from the unity of the Apostles and the presence of the Holy Spirit. As then, so today, the Spirit is not given in isolation, but is experienced within the common life of the Church, where there is unity, faith and obedience.

His Grace called on everyone to remain steadfast within the Church, not as spectators, but as living members. “Not ‘above’ the Church, nor on the sidelines, but within it,” he pointed out, “for there Grace bears fruit and the soul is strengthened.”