Melbourne Holy Cross Mission GOC moving

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Barbara
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Melbourne Holy Cross Mission GOC moving

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I came across a photo of Archimandrite Lazarus [ Moore ] and followed that link. Took me to a Holy Cross Mission originally in the Melbourne, Australia suburbs. It was founded in 1976 under the direction of Fr Lazarus, best known in the Orthodox world as the author of the biography of St Seraphim of Sarov.

To my surprise, this English-speaking mission describes itself as semi-monastic under the direction of Metropolitan Photios of Demetrias of the GOC, described as an Athonite from Esphigenou.

Good, they went to the Old Calendar ! The tone of the website was sounding modernistic [ 'inclusive' ] -- until I got to that section. Perhaps this was because the founder, Fr Lazarus

Image
Fr Lazarus (Moore) who lived with the young married pair for a number of years, founding a mission which grew into Holy Cross

"was adamant that the universal faith and all its services must be presented in the language and cultural setting of the nation it finds itself in." -- http://australianorthodox.church/fr-lazarus/

Personally, I vastly prefer only Church Slavonic, so I am not particularly sympathetic to that aim. But I can see how English services would open the door to many Australians and travelers from other countries passing through Melbourne.

"As of 1 August 2016, we have moved from Melbourne CBD. Pending a new and permanent home, we are meeting in a temporary location, at Croxton Uniting Church hall, in Thornbury."

Right now, services are more limited but normally, "As in all monastic communities, the Church comes together and worships God in an Orthodox manner, through the day and throughout the week. The services are conducted by missioners." -- http://australianorthodox.church/servicesclergy/


On October 30, 2016, the ROCA-Agafangel consecrated a new Bishop for Melbourne, Abbot John [ Smelic ]. Perhaps he will be overseeing this Mission in the future ? It seems Metropolitan Photios of Marathon [ I don't quite understand why he is sometimes called "of Marathon" and sometimes "of Demetrias" ?! ] makes periodic visits to Australia.

However, Bishop John, a former Rocor clergyman who left due to the 2007 union with the Moscow Patriarchate, resides in Melbourne, so this seems a good arrangement.

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Barbara
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Re: Melbourne Holy Cross Mission GOC moving

Post by Barbara »

Archimandrite Alexei of the St Edward Brotherhood in England wrote of his stop at Holy Cross Mission on an all-Australia trip in 2007 before that union :

"I was posted on to Melbourne, where on arrival I was taken to see the Holy Cross Mission. We arrived as they were chanting Vespers, and Hieromonk Cyril, the priest, later invited us in for coffee and a chat. The mission is right off Parliament Square and in a former Anglican Convent. In fact, as they have subsequently found out, this was the place where the first Orthodox Liturgy in Australia was celebrated. The chapel is kept open all day and enquirers have someone there to speak with them and tell them about the Faith." -- http://www.rocor.org.au/?p=50

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