Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines

Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania
Jurisdiction	Antioch
Diocese type	Archdiocese
Founded	1969
Current bishop	Metr. Abp. Paul
See(s)	Sydney
Headquarters	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Territory	Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania
Liturgical language(s)	Arabic, Belarus, Bulgarian, English, Filipino, French, German, Greek (church), Greek (modern), Macedonian, Moldovan, Persian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slavonic (Church), Ukrainian
Musical tradition	Bulgarian, Byzantine, Russian & Znamenny Chant; Russian & Western Choral
Calendar	Revised Julian and Julian Calendar (depending on parish)
Population estimate	7,525 (Defective Federal Census 2001); 37,490 (2005 internal Archdiocesan census of active congregants)
Official website	Antiochian Archdiocese

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania, with headquarters in Sydney, is an archdiocese of the Church of Antioch. Its current primate is His Eminence Paul (Saliba), Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania.

History

Similar to most other jurisdictions in Australia, and other parts of the 'diaspora', a detailed early history of the Archdiocese is better told in terms of cities, which later formed into the diocese, rather than the other way around.

The first wave of Lebanese, then called Syrian, 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 place of worship was usually in the capital cities of Sydney and Melbourne, with a Greek speaking priest who also spoke Arabic and sometimes Russian too.

Sydney

The Antiochian Orthodox faithful took part in the construction of a community church dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Surry Hills with the Greek and Russian Orthodox faithful. A priest was later provided by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. Due to various difficulties regarding the 1898 deposition of the Greek speaking Patriarch of Antioch and the 1899 election of an Arabic speaking Patriarch of Antioch, the Syrian community then took to meeting in individual homes, only going to the church in Surry Hills for necessities.

In 1913, Father Nicholas Shehadie was sent to Australia as Exarch to determine the extent of the problem and to find possible solutions. While this was intended to be temporary, World War I intervened preventing Father Nicholas from returning to Lebanon where his family resided. Hence, his stay became permanent. He realised the need for a church for the Antiochian Orthodox, and determined to build it. Divine Liturgy was held in parishioners' homes until that time.

The State Government leased a block of land to the Church on the corner of Walker and Redfern Streets Redfern. The first Antiochian Orthodox church was built there and placed under the patronage of Saint George.

In 1934, Exarch Nicholas Shehadie, suffering from chronic asthma, reposed in his early 70s. Then his second son, Michael, became a priest. During the time of his presbyterate at the Church of Saint George, the government lease expired. Fr Michael worked with the government to find a new site and, in 1950, they were granted land at the corner of Walker and Cooper Sts, Redfern, where the church - now cathedral - stands today. However, Fr Michael never saw it built. In 1951, aged 56, he reposed.

Melbourne

By the early twentieth century, a significant number of Lebanese had settled in Melbourne. These families kept in contact with each other, working as hawkers, shopkeepers, or wholesalers, during the week, and using the weekend for social activities including meeting in the Exhibition Gardens on Sundays. The first Orthodox church in Melbourne, Holy Annunciation, was established in East Melbourne as a result of the joint effort by Greek-speaking, Arabic-speaking, and Russian speaking Orthodox. The services were in both Greek and Arabic, The altar servers were of Greek and Lebanese/Syrian descent, some of the icons were donated by Lebanese/Syrians, and the first warden was Lebanese.

By the 1920s, however, Holy Annunciation became a predominately Greek speaking church with a priest who could not speak Arabic. Lebanese/Syrians were only attending special services at Holy Annunciation such as weddings, baptisms and funerals. While some chose to send their children to Anglican or Protestant Sunday schools, neither the now-Greek Orthodox parish nor various protestant groups could meet the needs of the Antiochian Orthodox. It was obviously necessary to found an Antiochian Orthodox parish.

In 1929, James Batrouney visited Lebanon/Syria, met Archimandrite Antonious (Mobayed), and on his return to Melbourne, Archim. Antonious was recommended as a suitable priest (being well-educated and speaking Arabic, Russian and Greek) for the church in Melbourne. Patriarch Arsanios of Antioch commissioned Archim. Antonious as the first priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Victoria. He arrived on 12 Nov 1931, bringing and donating everything essential for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Some of these items can still be found at Saint Nicholas Church today.

The first services were held in Saint George Anglican Mission, the beginning of a long and amicable relationship between Anglicans and Orthodox in Victoria. In March 1932 the community purchased a church, where Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church stands today, using four £125 donations from John Batrouney, Joseph & Walter Davis, and Alex Malouly. The iconostasis, based on the iconostasis of the Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Tokyo, was completed by Palm Sunday, 1932, when the first service was held in the Church. At the first council meeting of May 1932, it was decided to name the church after St Nicholas. The church was consecrated on 1 October 1933 by Metropolitan Timotheos, the head of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Australia and New Zealand. The consecration, attended by Rev. F.E. Maynard (Anglican) and the Greek and French consuls, was chanted in Arabic, English, Greek, and Slavonic.

Saint Nicholas included both Arabic members and Russian members, the latter group also contributing to bringing Archim. Antonious to Australia, converting the church into an Orthodox church, writing icons, and organising a choir which would chant the Liturgy in Slavonic on every fourth Sunday. When the Russians established their first church in Melbourne in the early 1950s, the committee of Saint Nicholas donated a Slavonic Bible in memory of Archim. Antonious, and as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the Syrian/Lebanese and the Russians.

With Arabic and Slavonic choirs, a youth society, Syrian/Lebanese youth that knew the service in Arabic, and a priest willing to travel to Sydney, Adelaide and New Zealand to raise funds for the fledgling church, St Nicholas had been built into a strong, pan-Orthodox church. However, after a short illness, Archim. Antonious reposed on November 9, 1943. He was buried by Metropolitan Timotheos, assisted by Archimandrite Theophylactos and Fr Michael Shehadie.

The Second World War precluded any replacement priest from either America or Antioch until after World War 2. In 1948, Exarch George Haydar arrived, and was ideally suited to minister to migrants from Lebanon. A rectory was built in 1953. Exarch George reposed in 1962, and his funeral was conducted by Bishop Anthony, assisted by clergy from many jurisdictions.

In 1963, Fr Gabraeel Fadel arrived to serve at St Nicholas, and the parish entered a period of consolidation. Fr Gabraeel left in 1967, to be replaced by Fr Malatius Hussney, who was ordained in 1968. Fr Malatius worked for the second wave of Lebanese immigrants to be actively involved in the running of St Nicholas.

New Zealand

• The Antiochian Orthodox Church in Dunedin

Diocese

Following in the footsteps of his father and elder brother, John Shehadie became a priest. Fr John served at St George church for a short time, after which he founded Saint Nicholas Church, Punchbowl, following one of the first directives of Bishop Gibran. Fr John served here until his 1987 retirement.

In Melbourne, the desire of Fr Malatius Hussney to actively involve new arrivals to Australia led to a split, with the older members of St Nicholas feeling unwanted. As a result, St George was founded in Thornbury, Melbourne. Fr Malatius worked very hard for his parish, including going to Lebanon and Cyprus to help refugees of the Civil War to obtain visa's to come to Australia. After Fr Malatius left to serve parishes in the United States, Fr Emile Assaf was assigned to St Nicholas from 1977 to 1990. Fr Emile continued to serve newly arrived migrants, and also renovated and redecorated St Nicholas - rendering external walls, erecting a fence, replacing the floor, purchasing new pews, painting the walls with icons and, towards the end of his tenure, renovating the rectory.

• The History section of the Archdiocesan website.
• History of St Paul's Antiochian Orthodox Church. A history of the Archdiocese in the city of Brisbane.

Recent History

• Recent news of the Archdiocese can be found here.

Organisation

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese is a single archdiocese spanning a number of countries. The Archbishop resides in Australia, there is a Deanery for New Zealand, and presences in other countries of the region. There are 25 parishes and missions across Australia, 8 parishes and missions in the Deanery of New Zealand, and approximately 37,500 congregants in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania. The Archdiocese also has one female monastery of St Anna in Victoria, and founded the multi-jurisdictional Melbourne Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies.

The Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Australasia (as it was then called) was a founding member of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Churches in Australia. The Antiochian Archdiocese says that SCCOCA, after being moribund for quite a number of years, finally became defunct in the year 2000.

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania, was a founding member of Eastern Hierarchs. The Antiochian Archdiocese believes this is a friendly, effective organisation, working for the love of God spreading throughout the whole mystery of His Church.

The Episcopacy

Current Episcopacy

• Metropolitan Archbishop Paul (Saliba) of Australia, New Zealand and All Oceania.
  • Dean of New Zealand is Archpriest Jack Witbrock.
  • Vicar-General and Dean of the Cathedral is Right Reverend Archimandrite Nabil (Kachab)
  • Dean of Clergy for the Archdiocese is Archpriest George Nasr.

Primates in Australia and New Zealand

• Bishop Gibran (Ramlawey), Bishop of Australia and New Zealand, 1969-1999.
• Metropolitan Archbishop Paul (Saliba) of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania, 1999-present.

See Also

• Antiochian parishes in Australasia

External

• Official website of the Archdiocese
• Official website of the New Zealand Deanery
• Official website of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch