Holy Diocese of Chora: The Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross at the Church of Saint Nektarios, Fawkner

The Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross, the Third Sunday of Holy and Great Lent was celebrated with due ecclesiastical reverence at the Church of Saint Nektarios, in Fawkner, Melbourne, in the Holy Diocese of Chora.

His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Chora officiated at the Matins Service and presided over the Divine Liturgy, and conveyed to the congregation the paternal blessings and love of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.

His Grace delivered a sermon focusing on the Holy Cross. He referred to its decoration with basil and flowers, which symbolise that through pain and struggle, the human soul blossoms and bears fruit. “We are not created to remain seeds buried in the soil of trials,” he emphasised, “but to blossom — to become colourful and fragrant, like the basil and flowers that adorn the Cross.”

Arriving in the middle of Great Lent, the Holy Cross is presented as a sign of strength and patience, Bishop Evmenios pointed out, reminding us that, despite the difficulties, the Resurrection awaits us, as long as we walk with faith and hope.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the customary Litany of the Holy Cross took place, while the faithful reverently approached to venerate it.