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==History==
:''Full article: [[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 Surry HillsHoly Trinity, Sydney, and Holy Annunciation, Melbourne; however, 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 services were effectively closed off from the Arab Orthodox, aside from the sacraments.
In 1969, the Church of Antioch sent Archimandrite Gibran (Ramlawey) to Australia as Patriarchal Exarch to find the best way to solve problems caused by two priests having to serve every Antiochian Orthodox in Australia. On his recommendations, the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand was created, and Archimandrite Gibran was elected as [[Patriarchal Vicar]]. Two parishes were created very soon after his arrival - St Nicholas, Punchbowl, NSW was created as a result of Bp [[Gibran (Ramlawey) of Australia and New Zealand|Gibran]]'s directive, and St George, Thornbury, Vic. was created as a result of tensions caused by differing waves of immigrants.
The late 1980s saw some growth in parishes. In 1985, a parish was created in Mays Hill, NSW; 1989 saw the first parish committee for a church in Brisbane, Qld. The mid-1990s saw the first instance of growth in the Antiochian Orthodox diocese by group conversion as a result of the Anglican Church of Australia's decision to ordain females, which overnight gave the Diocese four parishes, a monastery and five priests, mostly parish priests who were assigned to pastor the flock that they had guided into Orthodoxy.
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.
{{orthodoxyinaustralasia}}
