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{{orthodoxyinnewzealand}}
The Very Reverend Fr . '''Ilyan Eades''' is was the Priest [[priest]] for St Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church, Dunedin, New Zealand. He is was an [[archpriest]], serving in the [[Deanery of New Zealand (Antiochian)|Deanery of New Zealand]] in the [[Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand]].
==Biography==
[[Image:Fr-Ilyan.jpg|left|thumb|200px|V. Rev. Fr Ilyan Eades]]Alan Reginald Eades was born on [[November 18]], 1946, to the family of an Anglican priest, Rev Reginald and Mrs Joan Eades. While training as nurses at Tauranga Hospital, Alan and his future wife, Mary Joycelyn Coate (b. [[October 14 Oct ]], 1950) met, and were married on [[August 30]], 1970. In 1973, Angelina was born (now married with three children), soon followed by Nicholas (~1976). On [[November 23]], 1977, Alan's father reposed.
On [[March 26 March ]], 1978, Alan and family were received into the Orthodox Church by Fr . [[Jack Witbrock]] in Auckland, and attended Orthodox services at either the Antiochian or Greek Orthodox churches, depending on when services were scheduled.
During 1984, Alan accepted the call to the priesthood, and commenced supervised study and preparation. He was [[ordination|ordained ]] by [[Bishop]] [[Gibran (Ramlawey) of Australia and New Zealand|Gibran]]—to the [[deacon|diaconate]] on [[September 26 September ]], 1987, and as priest on [[priestSeptember 27]] on the 27th. Bp . Gibran gave him the name Ilyan, after St [[Ilian of Homs]], Syria. Later, he changed his official name to Ilyan. Fr . Ilyan moved with his family from Te Awamutu, Waikato, to be the [[rector ]] at St Ignatius, Auckland.
During his tenure, the community began a charitable trust to legally administer the financial affairs of St Ignatius, and then secured a tenure of lease on the [[parish ]] hall of St Christopher. This was a former Anglican Sunday School hall that Rev Reginald Eades had started in 1953, but now became the Orthodox Church of St [[Ignatius of Antioch]] in 1988, and was purchased outright in 1990. To support himself, Fr Ilyan worked part-time at Mercy Hospital, while [[Presvytera|Kh]] Mary worked at the local Anglican Geriatric Hospital.
Fr Ilyan's initial [[congregation ]] was of some converts, and some New Zealand-born Lebanese and occasional Greeks and Serbs. Relations with the [[Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Zealand]] became most amicable after difficulties in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, Auckland, caused Metropolitan [[Dionysios (Psiahas) of Proussa|Dionysios]] to approach Bp . Gibran to find some accommodation for Fr . Michael Balafas at St Ignatius when he wanted to serve. Some more Greek Orthodox then began attending St Ignatius services. Met Metr. Dionysios made reciprocal arrangements with Bp . Gibran for Fr . Ilyan to attend Holy Trinity Church to conduct [[matrimony|weddings]], [[funeral]]s and [[baptism]]s when needed.
==External links==
*[http://www.orthodoxotago.org.nz St Michael's Orthodox Church], Dunedin.
*[http://www.stmichaelsorthodoxchurchdunedin.org/ St Michael's Orthodox Church Parish News].
*[http://www.antiochian.org.nz Deanery of New Zealand].
[[Category:Orthodoxy in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Priests]]