Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand

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Serbian Orthodox Church - Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand
Jurisdiction Church of Serbia
Diocese type Dioceses
Founded 1974
Current bishop Bp Irinej (Dobrijević)
See(s) Australia and New Zealand
Headquarters Sydney, NSW
Territory Australia, New Zealand
Liturgical language(s) Serbian, Slavonic, English
Musical tradition Serbian Chant
Calendar Julian
Population estimate 42,405

(Census 2001)

Official website Dioceses of Aust. & NZ

The Serbian Orthodox Church - Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand is the local metropolitanate for Serbian Orthodox parishes in Australia and New Zealand. It is headquartered in Sydney, NSW, and is headed by Irinej (Dobrijević) of Australia and New Zealand since October 21, 2006.

Prior to June 2011, the Metropolitanate was composed of two parallel dioceses: the Patriarchal Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, headquartered in Sydney, NSW; and the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, New Gracanica Metropolitanate, headquartered in Canberra, ACT.

History

Prior to 1992, the Serbian Orthodox in Australia and New Zealand were in two seperate dioceses: the separatist (until 1992) Free Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, administered firstly by a metropolitan who resided at New Gracanica Monastery, Illinois, USA, and then by a local bishop who resided at St. Sava's Monastery (New Kalenic), Canberra, ACT, and the larger Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, which was within the Church of Serbia and presided over by a bishop resident at St. Sava's Monastery, Elaine, Victoria.

In 1992, an acceptance by the Church of Serbia of the separatist group on the condition of altering their 'Free' name to 'New Gracanica Metropolitanate' meant that there were now two directly overlapping dioceses in Australia and New Zealand, which were administered by two bishops, one each in Elaine and Canberra. In 2000, Bishop Nicanor became the first sole bishop in Australia and New Zealand, being appointed reigning bishop of the New Gracanica Diocese and also administrator of the patriarchal diocese. In 2003 his successor, Bishop Milutin was appointed bishop of the New Gracanica diocese and administrator of the patriarchal diocese.

In 2006, on Bp Milutin's transfer to the newly-formed diocese of Valjevo, the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church elected Hieromonk Irinej Dobrijevic as Bishop of Australia and New Zealand[1]. On 15 July, Archimandrite Irinej was consecrated at St Mark's Cathedral, Belgrade, and he was enthroned in Australia at St Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Elanora Heights, Sydney, on October 21, 2006[2]. In contrast to previous bishops, he was appointed the bishop of the patriarchal diocese and administrator of the New Gracanica diocese.

2009-10 was bittersweet, in that a small number of parishes leaving the New Gracanica diocese to join schismatic groups, while the two dioceses decided to unite into a Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand, a decision joyfully received in November 2010 by the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church.[3]. The constitution of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand was approved at the May 2011 meeting of the Holy Synod [4], and the dioceses became the 'Serbian Orthodox Church - Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand' soon after.

Organization

The Serbian Orthodox Church - Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand is a single metropolitanate across the geographical territory of Australia and New Zealand. Currently there are 41 parishes in Australia and New Zealand, with two monasteries and one skete.

The Patriarchal Serbian Orthodox Diocese was a founding member of SCCOCA, and the Metropolitanate represented in the Episcopal Assembly of All Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Oceania by Bp Irenej.

This article forms part of the series
Orthodoxy in
Australasia
Australasia.gif
History
Orthodoxy in Australia Timeline
Orthodoxy in New Zealand Timeline
Antiochian Orthodox
Gk Orthodox Archd. of ANZ
Jurisdictions
GOA Aus - Abp Makarios
Antiochian - Metr. Basilios
ROCOR - Bp George
Serbian - Bp Siluan
Romanian - Bp Michael
GOM NZ - Met Myron

Bishopless Jurisdictions

Pan-Orthodox Synaxes
Episcopal Assembly of Oceania
SCCOCA
Institutions
Antiochian Orthodox
Greek Orthodox (Aus)
Notable Monasteries
Complete List
St Anna
Holy Cross
Gorgoepikoos
O.L. of Kazan
Presentation
Proph. Elias
St John Mtn
Pantanassa
St Sava (Elaine)
Transfiguration
Archangels, NZ
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Monasteries

Parishes

nb. Only parishes with articles listed

The Episcopacy

Diocesan Bishop

Former Patriarchal Hierarchs of Australia and New Zealand

  • Bishop Lavrentije (Trifunovic) of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, 196?-1974
  • Bishop Nikolai (Mrdja) of Australia and New Zealand, 1974-19??
  • Bishop Vasilije (Vadic) of Australia and New Zealand, 198?-1986.
  • Bishop Longin (Krco) of Australia and New Zealand, 1986-1992
  • Bishop Luka (Kovacevic) of Australia and New Zealand, 1993-1999.

Former Free (1963-1992) and New Gracanica (1992-2000) Hierarchs of Australia and New Zealand

Considered schismatic by the Church of Serbia until reconciliation in 1992.

Former Hierarchs of the New Gracanica and for the Patriarchal Dioceses

Between 1999 and 2006, the bishop of the New Gracanica diocese administered the Patriarchal diocese

External links