Northcote: Palm Sunday Celebrations at Panagia Soumela, VIC
Palm Sunday was celebrated with Ecclesiastical splendor in the Archdiocesan District of Northcote.
His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta officiated at Orthros and presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Panagia Soumela in East Keilor.
After two years of strict measures due to the pandemic, the faithful filled the Temple this year and participated strongly in this great feast of Orthodoxy.
His Grace according to the tradition of the Ecumenical Patriarchate blessed the Palm Crosses near the end of Matins and distributed them to the faithful at the end of the Divine Liturgy.
In his sermon, His Grace, referred to all those people that received and accepted Christ with joy and thanksgiving and only a few days later would lead Him to prison and to His death.
His Grace then reflected on these people and likened them to how people may be today. “Today we have friends, we love people, we sit at the table eat and drink with them and at a sudden moment we can change our minds about them and totally turn against them! This occurs only because we allow ourselves to be influenced by external factors so much that we seize to have our own opinions but share opinions of others.
Closing his Sermon, His Grace said , “We can not fully taste the joy of the Resurrection and call ourselves Christians when we allow ourselves to change so easily towards people. When we expel people, we expel Christ, we imprison Christ, we crucify Christ.”
At the end of the Divine Liturgy,His Grace thanked the Parish for their love and hospitality, conveyed the wishes and love of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and announced to all the program of His Eminence’s pastoral visit to Victoria on Good Friday.
His Grace also announced to the congregation the recent blessing received by the Parish Priest of the Church, Father Konstantinos Apostollelis, to be a confessor.
After the Divine Liturgy, the parish organized a festive Meal which proceeds were dedicated to the relief program of the District of Northcote, which supports more than 500 people every week.
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