Orthodoxy in Australia

From the first Divine Liturgy celebrated at Kirribilli Point (Sydney) in 1820 and its first parishes in the late 1890s, right to the present day, Orthodoxy in Australia has a short history that is extremely undocumented and, therefore, largely unseen.

This article seeks to be a clearinghouse of information and links regarding the history and state of Orthodox Christianity in Australia.

History

• Timeline of Orthodoxy in Australia
• Statistics of Orthodoxy in Australia
• History of Antiochian Orthodoxy in Australasia

Canonical Jurisdictions

With Local Bishop

• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
• Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand
• Diocese of Australia and New Zealand - Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
• Serbian Orthodox Church - Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand
• Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Australia and New Zealand.

Without Local Bishop

• Moscow Patriarchate in Australia; with parishes in Sydney and Melbourne.
• Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia. There is one parish in Sydney, one in Melbourne and one in Adelaide.
• Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand (under Constantinople), with 10 parishes and missions in Melbourne, Geelong, Newborough, Sydney, Schofields, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth (in addition to one in Auckland, New Zealand).

With an irregular status

Note: All of the below entities are not in communion with any of the mainstream Orthodox Churches. Entities are, where possible, sorted by size.

• Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand: As part of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
• Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece - Parishes in Australia (Kallinikos): The current locum tenens of this entity is Bp Ambrose of Methone, who administers eight parishes (including parishes of the 'Free Serbian Orthodox Church'). This number includes is a 'metochion' mission under Metr. Photios of Demetrias.
• Autocephalic Greek Orthodox Church of America and Australia: Formed out of a schism between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA). The parishes affiliated with the 'Greek Orthodox Communities of South Australia' (GOCSA) are in this church.
• Russian True Orthodox Church - Diocese of Australia: Four parishes in Australia, headed by Archbishop Tikhon.
• Russian Orthodox Church Abroad - Provisional Supreme Church Authority - Two parishes and one monastic community, headed by Metropolitan Agafangel.
• Macedonian True Orthodox Diocese for Australia & New Zealand: Two parishes are in this group, which is affiliated with the True Orthodox Church in America (headed by Nicholas (Iuhoş)).
• Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (the Diaspora District of the Russian Orthodox Church) - Diocese of Australia (ROCA - Diaspora District): includes two parishes under Archbishop Andronik.
• Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Abroad in Australia: part of the UAOC-Abroad (Lavrentios Synod), and with two bishops in Australia. [1]

Previously in Australia

• Orthodox Church in America - Parishes in Australia.
• Polish Orthodox Church in Australia.
• Church of Jerusalem.

People

Current Hierarchs

• His Eminence Makarios, Archbishop of Australia (Greek Orthodox).President of the Holy Eparchial Synod.
  • His Grace Christophoros of Kerasountos, Chancellor & auxiliary bishop to Archbishop Makarios in Sydney.
  • His Grace Elpidios of Perth, auxiliary Regional bishop to Archbishop Makarios for Western Australia.
  • His Grace Silouan of Adelaide, auxiliary Regional bishop to Archbishop Makarios for South Australia and Northern Territory.
  • His Grace Kyriakos of Melbourne, auxiliary Regional bishop-Diocese of Melbourne to Archbishop Makarios in Queensland
  • His Grace Evmenios of Hora, auxiliary Regional bishop-Diocese of Northcote to Archbishop Makarios in the second District of Melbourne.
  • His Grace Bartholomew of Brisbane, auxiliary Regional bishop to Archbishop Makarios in Queensland.
  • His Grace Athinagoras of Canberra, auxiliary Regional bishop to Archbishop Makarios in Canberra & ACT.
  • His Grace Iakovos of Miletoupolis, auxiliary bishop to Archbishop Makarios in Sydney.
  • His Grace Christodoulos of Magnesia, auxiliary bishop to Archbishop Makarios in Sydney. Proistamenos of the Kogarah Parish. Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod.
  • His Eminence Ezekiel (Kefalas) of Dervis, metropolitan.
  • His Eminence Seraphim (Ginis) of Sebasteia, metropolitan.
• His Eminence Basilios, Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines (Antiochian Orthodox).
• His Grace [[George (Schaefer) of Australia, Bishop of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand. ROCOR.
• His Grace Siluan, Bishop of Australia and New Zealand (Serbian Orthodox).
• His Grace Mihail, Bishop of Australia and New Zealand (Romanian Orthodox)

Other major figures

• Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of San Francisco, formerly bishop of Melbourne in the 1950s-1960s.
• Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal, former Bishop of Brisbane and first Australian-born bishop.
• His Eminence Paul, Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines (Antiochian Orthodox).
• Bishop Nektarios (Kellis) of Madagascar, former priest at the Holy Monastery of St Nektarios, Adelaide; then missionary to Madagascar, and first bishop thereof.
• Bishop John (Bērziņš) of Caracas, second Australian-born bishop.
• Archimandrite Antonious (Mobayed), exarch of the Church of Antioch to the Church of Russia, then first parish priest and exarch in Melbourne, Australia.
• Archimandrite Nabil (Kachab), Vicar-General of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand since 2003.
• Archimandrite Stephanos (Pantanassiotis), former Vicar-General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, founding abbot of the Holy Monastery of Pantanassa.
• Archimandrite Themistocles (Adamopoulo), former lecturer at St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College, then vice-dean of the Orthodox Patriarchal School in Kenya and now head of the Diocese of Sierra Leone.
• V. Rev. Fr Michael Shehadie, second exarch of the Church of Antioch in Sydney.
• V. Rev. Protopresbyter Mitko Machevski, parish priest of St Nicholas Orthodox Church, Bankstown.
• V. Rev. Fr Nicholas Shehadie, first exarch in Australia of the Church of Antioch.
• V. Rev. Fr Dimitri Tsakas, Vicar-General of the Fourth Archdiocesan District of Queensland and New Guinea (2000-2019), Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
• Igumen Dimitry (Obuhoff), founding superior of St John the Baptist Skete.
• Igumen Joachim (Ross), superior of St. John the Baptist Skete.
• Monk Guri (Demidov), hermit-monk at St. John the Baptist Skete.
• Other Clergy in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand, including three exarchs (Frs Malatius Hussney, Anthony Woolf and Nicolas Mansour), Fr Stephen Godley (co-author of The Eastern Orthodox in Australia, Fr Nicholas Manovitch (first priest in New Zealand, served in Queensland) and two other parish priests (Frs John Shehadie and Malatius (Essam) Hussney).

(Only major figures with articles are listed)

Organizations and Institutions

Pan-Jurisdictional

• Eastern Hierarchs
• Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Churches in Australia

Lists

• Monasteries in Australia
• Parishes in Australasia celebrating the Western Rite
• Complete list of bishops in Australasia, past and present (includes auxiliary bishops).

External links

• Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand (Official Website)
• Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia (Official Website)
• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia (Official Website)

• Fifth Archdiocesan District of Western Australia

• Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Australia and New Zealand (Official Website)
• Russian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (Official Website)
• Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand (Official Website)
• Orthodox Church in Ukraine in Australia (Official Website)
• List and map of all Orthodox Parishes in Australia
• The Russian Orthodox Presence in Australia: The History of a Church told from recently opened archives and previously unpublished sources, by Fr. Michael Protopopov (PDF)
• Greek Orthodoxy in Australia, by Anastasios M. Tamis (PDF)