Holy Diocese of Perth: First Bridegroom Service

On Palm Sunday evening, the 13th of April 2025, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, His Grace Bishop Elpidios of Perth Presided over the first Bridegroom service held at the Church of Sts Constantine and Helene in Northbridge. 

In his sermon, His Grace emphasised:

In tonight’s hymns, the Church draws our attention to the Righteous Joseph, who serves as a foreshadowing—a prefiguration—of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we read in the Old Testament, Joseph, during a time of great famine, became a provider of wheat. He opened the storehouses of Egypt and fed the hungry, saving many from death. In this way, he prefigures Christ, who would come to bestow upon us many goods and blessings.

But Christ did not come only to satisfy physical hunger. He was not merely a giver of wheat or a provider of earthly sustenance. Beyond bread, beyond the manna He rained down upon the Israelites in the desert, beyond all the material blessings He pours out upon the world, Christ offered something infinitely greater. He offered Himself for the salvation of the entire human race. In doing so, He gave not just nourishment for the body, but life for the soul by conquering death.

At the conclusion of the service, His Grace Bishop Elpidios wished everyone a blessed and salvific remaining Holy Week and Pascha.