Changes

In September 1999, the Holy Synod of Antioch decided to elevate the diocese of Australia and New Zealand to archdiocese with its own ruling metropolitan archbishop. Archimandrite Paul, parish priest in Washington DC, was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand]]. He arrived in Australia and took possession of his archdiocese on 29 November 20061999. In December, he visited Newcastle and then Brisbane, and prompted the decision to build the church of St Paul in Woolloongabba, Brisbane.

In December 1999, Met Abp Paul visited Newcastle and then Brisbane. He prompted the decision to build the church of St Paul in Woolloongabba, Brisbane. In January 2000, Fr John Vesic, (a non-Arabic-speaking priest who does not speak Arabic), was appointed parish priest of St Mary's Church, Mays Hill.  In June 2000of the same year, Fr Nicholas Gan of (in Newcastle ) was released to join the Moscow Patriarchate. The Holy Synod of Moscow accepted him on 19 July 2000, along with the Parish of the Theophany at Mayfield West, Newcastle, which had been under the care of Bp Gibran on behalf of Moscow.

In 2004, at the instigation of Met Abp Paul, the parish of St Nicholas Bankstown, bought the land that the church is on from the NSW government. The property is held in trust for the parish by the Antiochian Orthodox Church Property Trust.

In August 2005, Archpriest Fr [[Nicolas Mansour]] retired from full-time pastoral work, ending 42 years of service at the Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral of St George. Archim. [[Nabil (Kachab)]], formerly of St Nicholas, Punchbowl, replaced him as Dean of the Cathedral and parish priest of Redfern.

In December 2006 Father Fr John Vesic was released to the [[Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand]] to assist the Church of his mother-tongue. At the same time, Father ; Fr Luke Bell was appointed parish priest of Saints Michael and Gabriel Parish , West Ryde. Father Luke was born in England and grew up in Perth Western Australia.