Northcote: Feast Day of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Yarraville
On Wednesday, 6 December 2023, the memory of Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the wonderworker, was celebrated with due ecclesiastical splendour in the Archdiocesan District of Northcote, Victoria. The centre of the feast day celebrations was the Church of Saint Nicholas in the suburb of Yarraville, Melbourne, where the celebratory services were presided over by His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta, Archiepiscopal Vicar of Northcote, representing His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
His Grace Bishop Evmenios officiated at the Feast Day Great Vespers on the eve of the feast and presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on the main day of the feast.
Present for the Divine Liturgy were, among others, His Excellency Mr. Georges Papacostas, Ambassador of Greece in Canberra, who is currently conducting a visit throughout Victoria, as well as the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Mr. Emmanuel Kakavelakis.
His Grace Bishop Evmenios welcomed the Ambassador of Greece to the renowned “Greek City” of Melbourne, on behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, and thanked him for his presence at the feast day celebrations.
During his sermon, His Grace referred to the life of Saint Nicholas and especially to the gift of miracles with which he was gifted. Bishop Evmenios pointed out that he performed miracles because he had love and prayed to God with love for his fellow human being. That is why he had boldness before God and He heard his prayers. A person has boldness before God only when he has divine love for everything and everyone, he emphasised in closing.
Also, His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta conveyed to all the faithful, the wishes and blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia for the feast day of the Patron of their Parish, as well as for the Holy Twelve Days of Christmas which will soon be celebrated by the Holy Orthodox Church.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, a procession of the Icon and the Holy Relics of Saint Nicholas took place around the celebrating Church.
