Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia is the Australian

Greek Orthodox
archdiocese of the Greek Orthodox Church, part of the wider
communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The archdiocese is a Archdiocese of Australia
jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. As
of 2023, there were over 130 parishes and eight monasteries in the
seven diocesan districts of the archdiocese in Australia.[2][3]

Archbishop of Australia
Archbishop Stylianos was the primate of the Greek Orthodox
Church of Australia. He was appointed to the position in 1975.
The archbishop was a theologian of international standing. He was
the co-chairman of the official dialogue between the Roman
Catholic and Orthodox churches. He won an award for poetry and Official seal
wrote 16 collections. He died in 2019.[4]
Location
On 9 May 2019, his successor, Bishop Makarios, was elected by Country Australia
the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as Archbishop of
Headquarters Cathedral of The
Australia.[5][6] Archbishop Makarios was enthroned in front of
Annunciation of
thousands of faithful on 29 June 2019 at the Cathedral of the
Annunciation of the Theotokos. Our Lady,
Redfern, Sydney

History Statistics
Population
The first churches founded by Greek Orthodox in Australia were - Total 400,000 approx
Holy Trinity in Surry Hills, Sydney (1898), and Annunciation of (2021 Census)[1]
the Theotokos in East Melbourne (1900). The first priest to serve Parishes 121
the religious needs of the Greek Orthodox population in Sydney
and Melbourne was Archimandrite Dorotheos Bakaliaros. In Information
March 1924, the "Metropolis of Australia and New Zealand" was Denomination Eastern Orthodox
established under the Ecumenical Patriarchate to cover the Church
expanding Greek population, which by 1927 numbered over
Cathedral Cathedral of The
10,000 and had established churches in Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane, Perth and Port Pirie in South Australia. The first Annunciation of
metropolitan of the new province of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Our Lady (1970-
was Christoforos Knitis of Serres. In 1929, Metropolitan present)
Christoforos returned to his homeland, Samos. He died on 7 Greek Orthodox
August 1959. Cathedral of Saint
Sophia (1927-
In 1931, Timotheos Evangelinidis was elected as the second
1970)
Metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand. He arrived in
Australia on 28 January 1932 and presided over the church in Patron saint Saint Paisios of
Australia and New Zealand until 1947 when he was elected Mount Athos
Metropolitan of Rhodes. On 22 April of that year, Theophylactos Language Greek, English,
Papathanasopoulos was elected as the third metropolitan. On 2
August 1958, Metropolitan Theophylactos was killed in a car Ukrainian
accident. In February 1959 the assistant bishop of the Archdiocese Parent church Ecumenical
of America, Bishop Ezekiel Tsoukalas of Nazianzos, was elected
Patriarchate of
Metropolitan of Australia. He arrived in Sydney on 27 April 1959.
Constantinople
On 1 September 1959, the Metropolis of Australia and New Metropolitan Makarios
Zealand was elevated to an archdiocese and Metropolitan Ezekiel Archbishop Griniezakis
to an archbishop. Archbishop Ezekiel's episcopacy coincided with
Auxiliary
a period of great expansion in the numbers of Greek Orthodox in Metropolitan
Australia through immigration, and many of the parishes that the Bishops
Ezekiel of
church has today were formed under his guidance. In August Dervis
1974, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
elevated Archbishop Ezekiel to the titular see of Metropolitan of Metropolitan
Pisidia.[7] He died in Athens in July 1987. On 3 February 1975, Seraphim of
the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate unanimously Sevastias
elected the Metropolitan of Miletoupolis, Stylianos Harkianakis, a Bishop Pavlos
lecturer at the University of Thessaloniki, as the new Archbishop of
of Australia. Archbishop Stylianos arrived in Sydney on 15 April Christianopolis
1975 and was officially enthroned on Lazarus Saturday, 26 April
Bishop Iakovos
1975.[8]
of Miletoupolis
Bishop
Primates Emilianos of
Metropolitan Christoforos of Australia and New Zealand Meloa
(1924-1929) Bishop Elpidios
Metropolitan Timotheos of Australia and New Zealand of Cyneae
(1931-1947)
Bishop Silouan
Metropolitan Theophylactos of Australia and New
of Sinope
Zealand (1947-1958)
Metropolitan Ezekiel of Australia and New Zealand Bishop
(1959), Archbishop Ezekiel of Australia and New Kyriakos of
Zealand (1959-1970), Archbishop Ezekiel of Australia Sozopolis
(1970-1974) Bishop
Archbishop Stylianos of Australia (1975-2019)[9] Christodoulos
Archbishop Makarios of Australia (2019–present) of Magnesia
Bishop
Current hierarchs Evmenios of
Kerasounta
The following clergy are members of the archdiocese's current Bishop
hierarchy.[10][11] Bartholomew
of Charioupolis
Judicial Vicar Very Reverend
Father
Christophoros
Krikelis
Website
[1] (https://greekorthodox.org.au/)
 Greek Orthodox Hierarchs in Australia
Hierarch Position(s) Years Notes

Archbishop
2019–
Makarios of Archbishop of Australia
present
Australia

Titled Bishop of Dervis until his retirement

Metropolitan Ezekiel Retired in 2021, based in 1977–
in 2021, formerly Vicar of Melbourne,
of Dervis Melbourne present
Adelaide and Perth
Metropolitan Titled Bishop of Apollonias until his
Retired in 2019, based in 1991–
Seraphim of retirement in 2019, formerly Vicar of
Sydney present
Sebasteia Sydney and Chancellor of the Archdiocese

Joined schismatic Autocephalous Greek

Orthodox Church of America and Australia
1984–
in 1994 and was defrocked by the
Bishop Pavlos of 1994
Retired, based in Adelaide Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1994. Pavlos
Christianopolis 2019–
sought repentance and was re-recognised
present
by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on June
19, 2019

Head of Pastoral and Spiritual First Australian born Greek Orthodox

Bishop Iakovos of 2011–
needs of St Basils Aged Care Bishop, Formerly Vicar of Brisbane and
Miletoupolis present
Homes, based in Sydney Assistant Vicar of Melbourne
Bishop Emilianos of 2019– Formerly Vicar of Sydney and Chancellor of
Vicar of Brisbane
Meloa present the Archdiocese

Bishop Elpidios of 2020–

Vicar of Perth
Cyneae present

Bishop Silouanos of 2020–

Vicar of Adelaide
Sinope present
Bishop Kyriakos of 2021–
Vicar of Melbourne
Sozopolis present

Head of Synaxis of Australian

Bishops and Proistamenos
Bishop
Parish of The Resurrection of 2021–
Christodoulos of
our Lord, our Lady of Myrtles, present
Magnesia
St. Elessa, Kogarah, New
South Wales

Bishop Evmenios of Vicar of Northcote region, 2021–

Kerasounta Victoria present
Bishop
Vicar of Canberra and 2021–
Bartholomew of
Tasmania present
Charioupolis

Archdiocesan Districts and Heads

District of Sydney
Bishop Panteleimon of Theoupoleos (1971–1972)
Unknown (1973–1990)
Bishop Seraphim of Apollonias (1991–2019)
Bishop Emilianos of Meloa (2019–2021)
Since November of 2021, the Archbishop of Australia has assumed
responsibilities of the Archdiocesan district of Sydney

Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis (2021–present)

(assistant)
Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia (2021–present)
(assistant)

District of Melbourne
Bishop Dionysios of Nazianzus (1965–1970)
Unknown (1971)
Bishop Aristarchos of Zinoupolis (1972)
Bishop Panteleimon of Theoupoleos (1972–1975)
Bishop Aristarchos of Zinoupolis (1976–1981)
Bishop Panteleimon of Theoupoleos (1979–1984)
Bishop Ezekiel of Dervis (1984–2021) Archbishop Makarios at the opening
of the Greek Orthodox Archepiscopal
Bishop Joseph of Arianzos (2001–2003) (assistant) Church of Holy Wisdom (St. Sophia)
Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis (2011–2019) in the Archdiocesan District of
(assistant) Adelaide, November 2022.
Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis (2021–present)

District of Adelaide
Bishop Panteleimon of Theoupoleos (1975–1979)
Bishop Ezekiel of Dervis (1980–1984)
Bishop Paul of Christianoupolis (1984–1989)
Bishop Joseph of Arianzos (1990–2000)
Bishop Seraphim of Christianoupolis (2001–2002)
Bishop Nikandros of Dorylaion (2002–2019)
Bishop Silouanos of Sinope (2020–present) Bishop Nikandros of Dorylaion,
assistant Bishop to Archbishop
Stylianos between 2001 and 2019,
District of Perth conducting the Epiphany service in
Adelaide, 2008.
Bishop Aristarchos of Zinoupolis (1972–1975)
Unknown (1975-1976)
Bishop Ezekiel of Dervis (1977–1980)
Unknown (1981–2001)
Bishop Nikandros of Dorylaion (2001–2002)

From June 2002 until January 2020, Perth and Western Australia was under the jurisdiction of the Adelaide
Archdiocesan district
 Bishop Elpidios of Cyneae (2020–present)

District of Brisbane
V. Rev. Fr Gregory Sakellariou (1961–2000)
V. Rev. Fr Dimitri Tsakas (2000–2019)
Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis (2019–2021)
Bishop Emilianos of Meloa (2021–present)

District of Northcote, Victoria

Until its formation in 2019, this region was a part of the Melbourne Archdiocesan district

Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta (head of this district as a priest 2019-2020, as a bishop

2021-present)

District of Canberra and Tasmania

Until its formation in 2020, the Canberra region was under the jurisdiction of the Sydney district and the
Tasmanian region was a part of the Melbourne district

Bishop Bartholomew of Charioupolis (head of this district as a priest 2020, as a bishop

2021-present)

St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College

St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College is an Eastern Orthodox Christian seminary located in
Redfern, Sydney, New South Wales. The college was established in 1986 by Archbishop Stylianos, who
had proposed the establishment of a theological college during the fourth clergy and laity congress in 1981.
There was a need for a theological college that would be primarily dedicated to theological study in co-
operation with other theological colleges. It would be hoped that a centre of theological reflection and
ecumenical dialogue would be created, offering the Orthodox worldview and perspective with scriptural
commentaries, the writings of the Greek Fathers, the Orthodox liturgy, iconography and spirituality.

Greek Orthodox monasteries in Australia

Holy Monastery of St George (New South Wales)
Holy Monastery of Panagia Pantanassa (New South Wales)
Holy Monastery of the Holy Cross (New South Wales)
Holy Monastery of Panagia Gorgoepikouos (Victoria)
Holy Monastery of Axion Estin (Victoria)
Holy Monastery of Panagia Kamariani (Victoria)
Holy Monastery of St Nektarios (South Australia)
 Holy Monastery of St John (Western Australia)

See also
Australia portal

Christianity portal

Archbishop of America
Greek Australian
Greek Orthodox Churches in NSW
 Greek Orthodox Churches in South Australia and the Northern Territory

References
1. https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-
profiles/2021/AUS/download/GCP_AUS.xlsx
2. "Churches – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia" (https://greekorthodox.org.au/ch
urches/). Retrieved 2021-10-26.
3. "Monasteries – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia" (https://greekorthodox.org.au/
monasteries/). Retrieved 2021-10-26.
4. Articles by Archbishop Stylianos (http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/?page_id=3678)
5. "Metropolitan Makarios of Christoupolis Elected as the New Archbishop of Australia" (https://
greekcitytimes.com/2019/05/10/metropolitan-makarios-of-christoupolis-elected-as-the-new-a
rchbishop-of-australia/).
6. "Biography – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia" (https://greekorthodox.org.au/bi
ography/). Retrieved 2021-10-26.
7. Tamis, Anastasios (2005). The Greeks in Australia (https://archive.org/details/greeksaustralia
00tami). Cambridge University Press. p. 94 (https://archive.org/details/greeksaustralia00tam
i/page/n105). ISBN 978-0-521-54743-7.
8. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia — History (http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/?page
_id=3670) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170917150939/http://www.greekorthodo
x.org.au/?page_id=3670) 2017-09-17 at the Wayback Machine. greekorthodox.org.au.
Retrieved on 7 April 2016.
9. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand. OrthodoxWiki. Retrieved on
2013-08-21.
10. Official archdiocesan website (http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/?page_id=368).
11. https://evangelismos.com.au/encyclical-of-his-eminence-archbishop-makarios-of-australia/
Evangelismos.com.au website.

Bibliography
Kiminas, Demetrius (2009). The Ecumenical Patriarchate: A History of Its Metropolitanates
with Annotated Hierarch Catalogs (https://books.google.com/books?id=QLWqXrW2X-8C).
Wildside Press LLC. ISBN 9781434458766.

External links
Official website (http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/)

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