With the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland last Sunday, the Sunday before to Christmas.

Bishop Bartholomew was assisted by Father Timothy Evangelinidis who serves the congregation on the Sunshine Coast.

His Grace conveyed the love and blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and spoke about the importance of spiritually preparing ourselves for the great feast of the Nativity of Our Lord.

The Bishop thanked Father Timothy for his service in our Holy Archdiocese, moreover His Grace thanked the Anglican Church of Brisbane and its Archbishop, the Right Reverend Jeremy Grieves for allowing the Orthodox Community the use of their church building. Furthermore the Bishop thanked the Parish Council President and all the volunteers for their efforts towards the Greek Orthodox community.

In conclusion, His Grace stated that the goal for the future is for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia to acquire its own church building, with more frequent services in the area.

It must be noted that this was the first Hierarchical Divine Liturgy since the establishment of the church community on the Sunshine Coast.