Wollongong, Australia, November 13, 2020
Photo: Facebook
A schismatic Greek Orthodox parish in New South Wales has rejoined the canonical Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
By an overwhelming majority of 85%, the members of the Church of St. Nektarios in Wollongong voted on Sunday, November 8, to come out of isolation, reports Neos Kosmos.
The parish was established in 1964, but later went into schism. It was associated for a time with the “Holy Orthodox Metropolis of Australia & Oceania,” which was formed by churches that fell into disagreement with the Greek Archdiocese of Australia.
The church has also been served in the past by a Fr. Savas Pizanias, who was ordained by the schismatic “Metropolitan” Christopher of New England of the Former Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, a jurisdiction that was in communion with Philaret Denisenko’s “Kiev Patriarchate.”
A representative of the parish informed OrthoChristian that most recently, the parish was independent. While the majority of the community desired to rejoin the Archdiocese, there is a vocal minority. A few days before the vote, the parish warned on its Facebook page of people “who are releasing misinformation and undertaking scare tactics to make people stay away or not vote on Sunday.”
Commenting on the parish’s decision, Archbishop Makarios of Australia said: “We are not here to judge or condemn the mistakes of the past, but we are here to correct them and not to repeat them. We must all move forward together, loved and united. The embrace of the Archdiocese is and always will be open to all who desire it.”
Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, recalls that when the community expressed its willingness to rejoin the Archdiocese and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Abp. Makarios went to visit them and discuss the issue.
“By the grace of God and the intercession of St. Nektarios, this dialogue culminated in the decision of November 8, taken by the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Community of St. Nektarios, with an overwhelming majority in favor of the Archdiocese,” Bp. Emilianos explained.
The church will soon receive a permanent priest and work is underway to fully integrate it both spiritually and organizationally into the Archdiocese.
“The fact that the Community of St. Nektarios has become part of the recognized Orthodox Church of Australia is an act that shows the greatness and responsibility of its members. The members freely decided to live, from now on, the truth of Orthodoxy and to acquire proper and true priests. After all, this is a responsibility that we all have towards the next generations and especially the young children,” Bp Emilianos commented.
