The Service of the Vespers of Love in the Holy Diocese of Perth

On the great Feast of the Resurrection, Sunday the 20th of April 2025, the Holy Diocese of Perth celebrated the Paschal Vespers of Love. With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, His Grace Bishop Elpidios of Perth presided over the combined Vespers service held in the evening at the Church of Sts Constantine and Helene, Northbridge, WA.
During the service, as is the ecclesiastical typikon and tradition of the Church, the gospel account of the Resurrection according to St John was read out in 10 different languages. These languages were Greek – which was read by His Grace Bishop Elpidios of Perth, English, Bulgarian, Romanian, Japanese, Italian, Arabic, French, Afrikaans and for the first time in Perth the gospel was also read out in Ngaanyatjarra – an Indigenous Australian Language from the Central Desert Region of WA. His Grace blessed and thanked all the readers, expressing His great joy in hearing the gospel read in an Indigenous Australian language.

At the conclusion of the service, His Grace wished everyone a blessed Feast of the Resurrection, instructing the faithful to great one another for 40 days only with the Paschal proclamation – “Christ is Risen – Truly He is Risen”. His Grace conveyed the Paschal blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and distributed to all the faithful homemade traditional tsourekia.