Dear Brothers in Christ, family of the Lord’s Exarchal Metropolis, and people of God united in the mystical body of his presence – the Church,   Blessed are those who fall asleep in the Lord and awaken in the glory of his Communion of Saints!   The health of the Patriarch PHILARET  (Denysenko) of Kyiv (Consecrated bishop in Moscow 1962AD Elected and installed Patriarch: 1995AD in Kyiv – serving the Church of Ukraine) rapidly declined due to exacerbation of chronic (respirator

When the Apostles lead Jesus through a crowed who had gathered at yet another supernatural sight, they took him to a man whose son suffered violent attacks from possessive fallen powers; the boy’s father then threw himself down at his feet crying: “Lord, have mercy on us for my son suffers grievously from that which has been diagnosed as epilepsy. The strange and yet mysterious observation is that although these symptoms may reflect that which has been diagnosed but he or an

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Mark (Mk 8:34–9:1). “Calling the crowd together with his disciples, he said to them: ‘If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man g

My dear people, today we celebrate the Sunday dedicated to the Triumph of Orthodoxy. This feast is a celebration of the end of the iconoclast heresy. This heresy rocked the Church and caused many divisions within Church structures and families. It involved the destruction of icons and religious images. However, the iconoclasts were proven wrong, because we can depict God in the Person of Christ because of the Incarnation. This feast is more than this: it signifies that Christ

Saturday 21st February 2026ad Good Shepherd Chapel, Abbotsford As the faithful arrived, Metropolitan Raffaele serenaded the congregation from the organ, singing as he played. The altar, the church, and the clergy were vested in deep red — a colour of repentance, sacrifice, and divine love — setting the tone for the final Sunday before Great Lent. The liturgy began with “The Lord is My Shepherd” as the clergy entered and prepared to serve. The Common Prayer united our voices,

DON'T GIVE THINGS UP - TAKE THINGS ON! When fasting, do not be like the numerous hypocrites who lull in seasonal surroundings; sad faces, camouflaging themselves with the appearance of austerity for they definitely will be subject to the judgement of righteousness that awaits them. Rather, when you sincerely fast, do not appear to be doing so; anointing your head with oil and washing your face so that you may go about your daily business as usual. Remember that the Father who

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Luke (Lk 2:22–40). When the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought the Child up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of the Lord: Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now there

Saturday 14th February 2026 ad at 7pm Good Shepherd Chapel, Abbotsford The evening began quietly, with Metropolitan Raffaele at the organ, filling the chapel with gentle music as parishioners arrived and searched for parking. His singing accompanied the clergy as they entered, setting a peaceful and prayerful tone for the feast. Father Mark led the congregation in the Common Prayer, and Metropolitan Raffaele sang the Kyrie and Gloria while Father Mark incensed the altar and t

Homily on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee 2 Timothy 3: 10-15; Luke 18: 10-14.   We live in a time where there are many doom-sayers who point to this or that which shows that bad things are going to happen. Whilst there can be times where less-than-perfect things do happen, we have the rock of Christ onto which to anchor  our faith and hope (cf. Matthew 7:24–25). Christ does not say that we will never have adversity, but rather He says that to trust in Him will hel

Outcasts - shame to fame! Whilst Jesus passed through the presbyteral town of Jericho, he saw an envied rich man who was the leading tax official hoisting himself up on a sycamore tree out of sight so that he could get a glimpse of the Lord.  Lk 19: 1-4 – [abbreviated]. This week being the last in ordinary time before we enter into the TRIODION which are the three preparatory weeks before Great Lent, we are presented with the story of Matthew the Apostle known formally as Zac

Saturday 17th January 2026 @ 7pm Good Shepherd Chapel, Abbotsford Victoria As the faithful arrived, Father Mark’s organ playing filled the chapel with a gentle, prayerful warmth. At the centre of the church stood three fonts of water, gathered from the mountains, waiting quietly to be sanctified. Before the liturgy began, the community joyfully welcomed Patrick, our newest altar server, marking the beginning of a night rich in blessing and renewal. The Entrance Hymn opened th

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Mark (Mk 1:1–8). “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.’ ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’ John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgivenes

Tuesday 6th January 2026 a.d. Good Shepherd Chapel, Abbotsford Victoria The sound of bells carried throughout Abbotsford as the faithful gathered, welcomed into the chapel by the gentle swell of the organ. The high altar glowed in the soft light of twelve candles, where the Nativity scene shimmered with quiet splendour. Wreaths and delicate white decorations framed the sanctuary, touched with hints of crimson, while lights of white and gold reflected the joy, purity, and prom

The Sunday Before Holy Nativity Hebrews 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40; Matthew 1: 1-25. This week we celebrate the feast of the Holy Nativity . This feast, whilst heavily commercialised in the West, is the feast which represents our salvation. Christ came and took on our nature so that we might live; not just live day to day, but have life in Him which never dies. Without the Incarnation, we would not have the opportunity to become full members of His Holy Body, the Church. This seas

Another year over: losses and gains! This last Sunday of the Nativity Fast (Holy Advent) presents us with the genealogy – family tree of the Lord in preparation to receive him in the manger of our hearts. (Mat 1: 1-25) We may be familiar with my ancestry.com and even more with the next step of that process – tracing ones roots in antiquity. Tis a rather tempting offer to unearth ones origins and discover the connection with the famous and non, the good, the bad, and the ugly

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Luke (Lk 17:12-19): “As Jesus entered a village, ten lepers met him. Keeping their distance, they raised their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, Jesus said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, seeing that he was healed, returned, glorifying God with a loud voice; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. He

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jewish Community in this time of great loss! Australia is a Land blessed by God, and we must be thankful and proud as a nation that we are free to express our cultural and religious heritages with great freedom! There is no place in Australia for rogue sentimentalities which harbour the objective of the Anicent Rebelion which seeks to destroy what God loves most - us his creation! It is unfortunate that most people struggle with the comma

Homily on the 26 th  Sunday of Pentecost Luke 13-10-17; Ephesians 5: 8-19. Homily – Feast of the Presentation of the All-Holy Theotokos at the Temple This week the Church celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the All-Holy Theotokos at the Temple. This feast is a profound prefiguration   of Mary’s unique and essential role in the salvation of mankind. Without the Theotokos’ “yes” to the All-Holy Trinity, (the Incarnation as it happened in time),   would not have taken pl

Saturday 6th December 2025AD at 7pm The Good Shepherd Chapel - Abbotsford, Victoria The chapel was adorned in gentle shades of blue, the colour of the Holy Theotokos, as the congregation gathered to honour her feast. Metropolitan Raffaele played quietly at the organ while Father Mark and Father Matthew greeted the faithful, and the atmosphere settled into a peaceful stillness before the liturgy began. While we waited, the Metropolitan offered a soft Alleluia, filling the chap

The Lord used another parable concerning that which is to be considered as priority stating: “The land of a wealthy farmer brought forth abundant harvests. Therefore, the time came to consider the storage of crops for they had multiplied and the barns were insufficient in space. Hence, the wealthy farmer reasoned within himself saying: “I need to demolish the present barns and build larger ones in order to cater for the over abundant produce!” (Lk 12:16-18) There is a great