The Holy Sacraments

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.
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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