Patronal Feast Day of Archbishop Makarios of Australia – Many blessed years, Your Eminence!

19th January – A joyful day for the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and its Christian plenitude! The Orthodox Church in general honours the memory of Saint Makarios, a great saint and ascetic of the desert, while in particular the local Church of the fifth continent celebrates with His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, his venerable Patronal Feast Day.

The name days of each Shepherd, according to Orthodox ecclesiology and tradition, are anything but a personal feast day. The Bishop is the visible head of each local Church, the continuer of the holy Apostolic Tradition and the guarantor of the unity of the Christ-loving people. As the Saint whose name the Bishop bears constitutes a model for his spiritual life and ministry, the celebration of the memory of the patron Saint is a matter for the entire plenitude. At the same time, it is an opportunity to confirm the indissoluble unity of the Body of the Church, but also an opportunity for spiritual strengthening of the Bishop, through the prayers of his flock and through the expression of his love, gratitude and devotion.

Within this spirit, we join our voices and prayers today with those of Their Graces the Bishops, the holy Clergy and the pious People of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, to express, on the one hand, our love and deep gratitude to His Eminence our Archbishop Makarios, for his tireless and sacrificial ministry in the vineyard of the Lord here on the fifth continent, and to seek, on the other hand, the intercessions of Saint Makarios the Great, for the physical and spiritual strengthening of our Chief Shepherd, for the unhindered continuation of his God-loving and fruitful Pastoral Ministry.

Many years to you, Your Eminence, with health and abundant blessings from the good and great God!

From the “Vema” editorial team