Words from the Pulpit   Prior to his retirement, he served as a Greek Orthodox parish priest for many decades in Australia. Every year his strong voice would deliver powerful commemorative services on behalf of those who had fallen for their faith and their homeland, whether it was for our Greek National Day, or for 28th October, or in memory of other significant events in Greece’s troubled history. Father’s voice was melodic and strong, and deeply emotional. His words affected all his parishioners, young and old. For the younger members, the events that were being commemorated were distant and story-like, [...]

A migrant woman reminiscing on her past   There are no names in this story, because, even though this is a specific case, it is also a shared history of many nameless migrant women who put up with very difficult circumstances in their married lives… She spoke simply about her adult life and there was no sense of regret, nor was there any anger in her tone. Now she is a widow and has three caring children and their spouses, as well as seven grandchildren who love her dearly. She recounts her tale to me: ‘All I wanted prior to [...]

A Cretan Freedom Fighter’s Son Remembers   In 1975, the Ecumenical Patriarchate elected Metropolitan Stylianos Charkianakis to become the new primate of the Orthodox Church in Australia. He was then Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Thessalonica, as well as exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate over northern Greece mediating on behalf of the monastic community of Mt Athos with the local Greek governing bodies. This new calling to such a faraway place seemed to him totally out of his expertise. He did not even know where Australia was on the map! Now after four decades, our Archbishop [...]

Fishers of Men   As we approach the Feast of the Apostles, we are reminded of the work the first pioneers of our Faith completed to establish the Church. These men chosen by Jesus were commanded to preach the coming of the Kingdom of God. They had authority to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons (Matt 10:8). By definition, an apostle (Greek ἀπόστολος) is one who is called by God and sent on a holy mission. This work was not in any way limited to the acts of the 12 main disciples, or even [...]

Kosmas, an ageing migrant, remembers his war time experience   Instead of a Prologue From the earth to the fire All your journeys Your dreams green Your sorrow yearning So that in your hands may blossom the debris And that you may accept the curse as a blessing. (Archbishop Stylianos) In modern times, success stories have often dominated the Greek migrant narrative. The above poem by our Archbishop Stylianos adds a new dimension by using the Orthodox synthesis of opposites; Christ’s cross (a symbol of denigration) becomes the symbol of life and hope. The narratives we will reveal in this [...]