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History of Antiochian Orthodoxy in Australasia

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Diocese
In 1982, Fr Elias Khoury was ordained to the priesthood, and assigned to St Nicholas, Punchbowl. In 1985, he was elevated to Archpriest. In 1994, Fr Elias Khoury began working with the Department of Community Services and administered a new program, Ortho-Care, designed to help those requiring financial and spiritual assistance.
A new parish was established in Mays Hill in 1985 and named St Mary's, for the Nativity of the [[Theotokos|Mother of God]]. The first priest was Fr [[John Shehadie|Hanna Shehadie]], and the community worshipped in Granville. In 1987, St Mary's - now led by Fr [[Stephen Godley]] - moved to Merrylands. The site for St Mary's, Mays Hill, was purchased in January 1991, with Fr Emile Assaf being transferred from St Nicholas, Melbourne, to pastor the new church with Fr Aziz Abwi. The first services were held in the church hall of St Mary's in 1994, with the first services in the church being on Good Friday, 1999.
1987 was a landmark year, with the Antiochian Orthodox Church of St George, Redfern, Sydney, being elevated to the Cathedral of the Diocese.
In 1989, Bp Gibran appointed the first committee of a new parish in Brisbane, which was registered in 1990. In 1993, Fr John Abdel-Karim became the first parish priest of the Church of St Paul, Woolloongabba, Brisbane.
In the mid-1990s, changing beliefs and practises in the Anglican Communion, culminating in the ordination of women to the priesthood, caused a number of clergy to leave the Anglican Communion and join the Orthodox Church. Many of these moved to the Antiochian Orthodox Church, creating St Barnabas Parish, Gold Coast; St Anthony the Great Parish, Perth; [[St. Anna's Convent (Preston, Victoria)|St Anna's Monastery]], Melbourne; and a parish in Canberra (which later moved to [[Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR)|ROCOR]]), along with other clergy, including Rev. Fr Geoff Harvey, who were assigned to pre-existing churches.
Bishop Gibran reposed on 16 January 1999. Fr Elias Khoury was named as the temporary administrator of the diocese.
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