Australian and New Zealand Diocese (ROCOR)

2nd Sunday after Pentecost – All Saints of Russia

Homily From “The One Thing Needful,” Sermons of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko)

Brothers and sisters, today the Holy Church opens before us our native heaven  —  all the Saints who shone in Russia. They shine as bright stars before us. And the first among them is St. Vladimir. He was a gifted military leader, statesman, a man of penetrating mind and strong will. The political situation among the Russian Slavs required just such a man. Many Slavic tribes were living at that time on the shores of the Dnieper River, and all of them had already been influenced by the Christian message  —  the dawn of a new life was approaching. Only our forefathers remained pagans. But by that time they too had lost faith in the pagan gods and actually had no religion at all. And the thirst for the One, True, Almighty God more and more strongly took possession of their souls. Vladimir himself was experiencing the same thing: his great soul was tired of the lie and, as a bird from its cage, was straining towards Truth, towards Light.

The same was required in the political situation as well; enlightenment and culture were in Christianity. Paganism was dying out and Christianity was becoming the new, all-powerful movement in contemporary culture and life. The acceptance of Christianity became a necessity, something which could not be put off if the Russian nation wanted to keep in step with other nations. (more…)

2nd Sunday after Pentecost – All Saints of Russia

Troparion, tone 8: As a beautiful fruit of the sowing of Thy salvation, the land of Russia offers to Thee, O Lord, all the Saints that have shone in it. By their prayers keep the Church and our land in deep peace, through the Mother of God, O Most Merciful One.

Kontakion, tone 3: Today the choir of the Saints who pleased God in our land stands before us in Church and invisibly prays for us to God. With them the Angels glorify Him, and all the Saints of the Church of Christ keep festival with them; and they all pray together for us to the eternal God. (more…)

On Sunday 1/14 June, the Feast of All the Saints, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion served Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the old monastery Church of All Saints, Kentlyn. The church is part of the original building of Our Lady of Kazan Monastery at Kentlyn. The congregation at All Saints worships in English and is served by Hieromonk Joachim, superior of the neighbouring St John the Baptist Skete.

Serving with His Eminence on Sunday were Hieromonk Joachim, Archpriest Vladimir Boikov (visiting from Auckland, New Zealand), Father Seraphim Slade, Protodeacon Christopher Henderson, Deacon Constantine Tzortzis and Deacon Adrian Augustus. During the Small Entrance His Eminence ordained Deacon Father Constantine to the rank of Protodeacon in recognition of his long service to the Skete congregation worshipping at All Saints. (more…)

This year, the parish of Saint Nicholas in Wallsend, an outer suburb of Newcastle, NSW, celebrated its patronal feast on Sunday May 24, the Sunday after the feast.

Two important occurrences made this year’s feast-day particularly memorable.  The first was the visit of our beloved First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia, Metropolitan Hilarion.  The second was the formal observance of the unification of a parish of the Moscow Patriarchate in Newcastle, the Theophany parish in Mayfield, with our parish in Wallsend. (more…)

The 2009 R.O.C.O.R. Directory is now available in Australia at a cost price of $20.00 per book. (more…)

1st Sunday after Pentecost – Sunday of All Saints

Homily From “The One Thing Needful,” Sermons of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko)

Brothers and sisters! Last week the Holy Church placed flowers in our hands, as if saying to us: See how soulless nature is obedient to its Creator. Starting with the days of Christmas, the earth has been turning toward the sun, which began to bestow upon the earth its life-giving warmth. And nature does not prove itself ungrateful toward its Creator. In answer to His caress, she has produced this glorious beauty, these flowers, and further on, will produce fruits. And what about us? In answer to the spiritual warmth of God’s Grace, so abundantly poured out on us, do we bring to our Creator spiritual beauty, flowers, fruits of virtues? After all, He became Man for our sake, died for us, rose for us, ascended into Heaven in order to send down to us His Holy Spirit. And what about us? Is not this beauty of nature around us a reproach to our conscience? Let us answer honestly. Yes, it is. But more than this, we want to justify our negligence, our ingratitude. The commandments of Christ are wonderful, we say; and if people would begin to fulfill them, then the whole earth would be transformed into a wonderful divine garden. But is this possible for weak human strength? And here this Sunday, the Sunday of All the Saints, answers this question loudly so that the whole world hears: Yes, it is possible. (more…)

1st Sunday after Pentecost – Sunday of All Saints

Troparion, tone 4: In all the world, O Christ our God, Thy Church is adorned with the blood of Thy martyrs as with purple and fine linen. Through them she cries to Thee: Send down Thy compassion to Thy people, grant peace to Thy community, and to our souls the great mercy.

Kontakion, tone 8: The universe offers to Thee, O Lord, as the Planter of Creation, the God-bearing martyrs as the first-fruits of nature. By their prayers, O Most Merciful One, through the Mother of God keep Thy Church, Thy estate, in deep peace. (more…)

By decree of The Council of Bishops,
Sunday of All Saints has been designated the
Day of Youth
of The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

To celebrate this day, Metropolitan Hilarion
invites all Russian Orthodox Youth to a luncheon hosted by
St Peter and Paul Cathedral in Strathfield
at the Church hall on
Sunday 14 June 2009 at 12 pm.

There will be a BBQ lunch

Fee: no cost

Socialising
Meet new friends
Catch up with old friends
Last day for meat before lent begins (more…)

(more…)

Holy Trinity Sunday – Pentecost

Homily From “The One Thing Needful,” Sermons of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko)

Brothers and sisters! See how the Holy Church teaches our conscience. The flowers today represent our conscience. Because when all of nature was still dead, when the time of our yearly cycle was approaching, the Holy Church revealed to us a great mystery: the mystery of our redemption. She then opened before us the cave of Bethlehem and the Lord Who had just been born. And we were told through the reading from the Epistle to the Galatians that this cave is our entrance in to a new yearly cycle, that at the manger of Christ our soul is renewed, and that in this renewal of spirit we receive the spirit of adoption (sonship), which unites us into the one family of Christ (Gal. 4:4-7).

And these are not just words. The Holy Church convinces us of this, comparing our spiritual life with what goes on in nature: the death of nature in winter, its revival in the beauty of spring and summer, and the yielding of fruit in fall. It is the same with the soul of a human being. After the sluggishness of spiritual slumber, a person receives the spirit of adoption in order to unite in one family and to receive what the Lord gives in His plan of salvation  —  His Body and Blood, the Mystery of the Tree of Life, which Adam lost in Paradise. (more…)