The Holy Sacraments
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The Holy Sacraments by Georgios Psaltakis Our Orthodox Church accepts that there are seven holy sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Holy Communion, Ordination, Marriage, and Holy Unction. Participation in each of these sacraments - except for those which are optional such as marriage or ordination - is essential for us to be living members of the Church. Indeed, the holy sacraments are “sources of divine Grace that flow from Christ our Saviour. They are special services of our Church and are based on the unshakable and firm foundation of Holy Scripture”. For many of us, however, our knowledge and understanding of the holy sacraments remains shallow. We know of them, we can briefly describe them, we participate in them, and yet, we do not properly appreciate or understand their significance in our life and in the Holy Church tradition. Against that context, Georgios Psaltakis’ book, The Holy Sacraments (174 pages), is an invaluable guide and resource for all Orthodox Christians. Originally published in Greek in 2021, it was translated into English by the
Holy Monastery of Panagia Pantanassa. The Holy Sacraments is theologically deep, with appropriate references to Holy Scripture, Church Fathers and other theologians, and yet written in a highly accessible and easy-to-read manner. The book is structured systematically, focusing on each sacrament individually. In turn, each holy sacrament is considered through the lenses of what the holy sacrament is, how it was established (including through scriptural references), its importance, and what its fruits are. In this way, the reader receives a clear understanding of the role that each holy sacrament plays in our life in the Church. The Holy Sacraments is, however, more than just educational. Fundamentally, it aims to elevate us in our spiritual life and appreciate the gifts of God that have been given to us. For example, in concluding the section on Baptism, the text provides: The gate of our Church has opened for each one of us through Baptism and we can now go through this and enter the gate of Paradise. Our soul has been grafted onto the tree of holiness. It is up to us to cultivate it with are and for this holiness to be developed so that we can eat the sweet fruit from this tree both on earth and in heaven. Let us glorify God for His gift and never forget all that we promised during our Baptism. If we were infants then, let us keep the promises in mind now that we have grown up. And let us live accordingly, so that we may always have the grace and blessing of God. This, and many other examples, demonstrate the richness of the text and its applicability to our modern lives. The Holy Sacraments is highly recommended. ORTHODOX MISSION BOOKSTORE orthodoxbookstore.org.au 217 Bexley Rd, Kingsgrove, Sydney NSW (02) 9787 9779 | Monday – Saturday 10am–2pm
St Paisios the Athonite declared
as Patron Saint of Australia
Saint Paisios the Athonite (1924-1994), a great and much-loved Saint of our Church who visited Australia in 1977,
has been declared Patron Saint of this continent by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios. The Archbishop made
the declaration during his opening address of the 12th Clergy-Laity Congress of the Holy Archdiocese on
the 25th September. In the words of His Eminence:
“Because today is a historic day, I want it to be remembered by all and to be engraved in golden letters in
the history books of our Holy Archdiocese. Therefore, I ask you to bring to your mind one of our Saints, Saint
Paisios the Athonite, who visited Australia together with the former Abbot of the Monastery of Iviron, Father
Vasilios. In fact, a miracle of healing a cancer patient performed by
Saint Paisios while he was here in Australia is also recorded.
So today, I proclaim Saint Paisios the Athonite, Patron Saint,
guardian and protector of Australia and our Archdiocese. On
Wednesday we will sing his Apolytikion for the first time, which
will be chanted from here on in at every Divine Liturgy, after
the Apolytikion of the Church. The Apolytikion of the Saint will
be chanted unto the ages of ages here in the fifth continent”.
St Paisios expressed his great bond and love for the Orthodox
Christians of Australia, saying, amongst others: “In Australia I found
holy souls who are struggling, because they have many
temptations and have much patience”, and “The Greeks
of Australia have approached God more than other
expatriates closer to the Motherland, because they were
isolated, very far from relatives, without help from anyone,
and this distance helped them draw closer to God”.
He also characteristically used to say: “If you want
to tune in to God so He listens to you when you pray,
turn the knob to humility, for on this frequency God
always operates, and humbly ask for his mercy”. May the
intercessions of St Paisios protect our nation, and help us
tune the frequency of our lives closer to God, the source of
our salvation.
New Apolytikion of Saint Paisios the Athonite, Protector of Australia
O Protector of Australia, vigilant guardian and
resplendant pillar of Mount Athos, we the faithful
let us praise the holy Paisios, and beseeching his
intercessions before God, crying out with one voice,
deliver us o father, from all the arrows of the
vengeful one.
NEWS & EVENTS | 15
News & Events Sunday School Camp With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, 82 primary school children and 23 camp leaders from across various parishes in NSW participated in this year’s Sunday School Camp, organised by the Vision Valley, Arcadia, located 2 hours north of Sydney by coach. The children had the pleasure of engaging in prepared activities which included archery, canoeing, mountain bike riding and even a high ropes course. They were also active in other activities such as indoor games, Christian songs and hymns. The camp, whose theme was ‘I belong to God’ (Gen. 50:19), offered several spiritual benefits to all involved. Participants were split into 6 different groups, each group dedicated to celebrating the life of a Holy Martyr Saint, namely St Catherine, St Eustathios, St Kyriake, St Sebastian, St Thekla and St Xenophon. Each group showcased the life of their Saint by performing a play and chanting his/her Apolytikion. The highlight of the camp occurred on the final day when the children chanted and participated in the Divine Liturgy, officiated by Geronda Eusebios of Pantanassa Monastery. The children also partook in the Holy Communion, listened to a spiritually edifying talk given by Geronda Eusebios, and received his blessing.
Key Dates OCTOBER 6 18 Friday Wednesday Thomas the Luke the Apostle Evangelist 26 28 Thursday Saturday Demetrios the PROTECTION Great Martyr OF THE THEOTOKOS NOVEMBER 8 10 Wednesday Friday SYNAXIS St Arsenios the OF THE Cappadocian ARCHANGELS 13 15 Monday Thursday John Fast Begins Chrysostom Thomas the New of Constantinople 21 26 Tuesday Sunday ENTRANCE Stylianos of OF THE Paphlagonia THEOTOKOS St Nikon Metanoeite 01 - Sts Kosmas and Damianos 09 - St Nektarios of Pentapolis 14 - Philip the Apostle & St Gregory Palamas 16 - Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist 25 - St Catherine the Great 30 - Andrew the First-Called «ΛΥΧΝΟΣ» is a bimonthly publication of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. (02) 9787 9779 editor@lychnos.org lychnos.org @orthodoxjourneyaustralia @orthodoxjourney_australia 16 | NEWS & EVENTS