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territory=Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines|
language=Arabic, English, Filipino (others as needed)|
music=[[Byzantine Chant|Byzantine]], ''et al''|
calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]] (normatively)|
population=43,500 to 123,000|
website=[http://www.antiochianarchantiochian.org.au Antiochian Archdiocese]
}}
The '''Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines''', with headquarters in Sydney, is an [[archdiocese]] of the [[Church of Antioch]]. Since 2017, the Archdiocese has been led by Metropolitan [[Basilios (Kodseie)]].
==History==
:''Expanded in: [[History of Antiochian Orthodoxy in Australasia]]''
The first wave of Syrian (now Lebanese) immigration was in the 1880-1890s, where work was found in hawking and peddling goods in the country areas of the eastern states of Australia. The first places of worship were in Sydney and Melbourne, with a Greek -speaking priest who also spoke Arabic and, sometimes, Russian. The Antiochian Orthodox faithful took part in the construction of both Holy Trinity, Sydney, and Holy Annunciation, Melbourne.
Due to the problems concerning the election of an Arab Patriarch of Antioch in 1899 and the decision of the [[Church of Constantinople]] to appropriate jurisdiction of parishes in the diaspora to the [[Church of Greece]] with the sole use of Ecclesiastical Greek, these churches were effectively closed off from the Arab Orthodox, aside from the sacraments. However, these faithful would not be denied Orthodoxy in their language and culture, and founded three Antiochian Orthodox churches in Australasia: St George, Sydney (founded by Fr [[Nicholas Shehadie]], exarch); St Nicholas, Melbourne (founded by Archim. [[Antonious (Mobayed)|Antonious]]); and St Michael, Dunedin (founded by Hmk [[Nicholas (Manovitch)|Nicholas]]. These churches, founded in the 1920s and 1930s, continued to be the only Antiochian Orthodox parishes in Australasia through the period of the Exarchate.
In 1999, Bp Gibran reposed. The Holy Synod of Antioch, having raised Australia and New Zealand to an Archdiocese, consecrated Archim. Paul (Saliba), the Antiochian Orthodox parish priest of St. George Church in Washington DC, as the Metropolitan Archbishop of the new Archdiocese. His tenure has seen a rapid growth of parishes, clergy and the use of English in the Divine Liturgy of Antiochian Orthodox parishes.
From ten parishes at his enthronement in late 1999, the total at the end of eight years of Met. Abp Paul's tenure, at the close of 2007, stands at approximately 34 parishes or missions and 1 monastery, including three English-language parishes in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast, served by 42 clergymen, including two university universities [[chaplain]]s in Melbourne and the first Orthodox military chaplain in Australia.
In 2008, a "historic moment in the history of...the Archdiocese" occurred, with the Archdiocese accepting two denominations in the Philippines, including over 30 religious leaders and 32 churches with ~6000 adherents, forming two vicariates a large number of converts in the Philippines (based in Davao and Manila, one for each former denomination). This event was especially marked by a change in the name of the Archdiocese to include 'Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines', with Met. Abp Paul as primate [http://www.antiochianarch.org.au/NewsItem.aspx?i=38]. Soon after, the Davao Vicariate would leave the Antiochian Archdiocese for [[ROCOR]] (as [[Western Rite]] parishes) before leaving the Church altogether.
In July 2017, Metr. Metropolitan Paul reposed. Archimandrite Basilios (Kodseie) was appointed as Patriarchal Vicar[http://www.antiochianarch.org.au/NewsItem.aspx?i=776] before being elected Metropolitan of the Archdiocese on 4 October[http://antiochian.org/axios-axios-holy-synod-antioch-elects-two-new-metropolitans], being subsequently consecrated and enthroned.
{{orthodoxyinaustralasia}}
