In the Orthodox tradition it is customary during Great Lent to have a General Service of Anointing with Oil – the sacrament of Holy Unction – for the healing of soul and body.  In this service there are seven readings from the Apostol, seven readings from the Holy Gospel, seven prayers, and the faithful are - if there are sufficient clergy present - anointed seven times with the oil that is blessed and sanctified during the service.  The practice of anointing with oil for spiritual and physical healing is referred to by the Apostle James: "Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15).  This year our parish will have this service at 6.00pm on Sunday 21 April.  Note: This is a sacrament in which only baptised Orthodox Christians may fully participate.

On Friday 26 April and Saturday 27 April we will have services for the Sixth Saturday of Great Lent, Lazarus Saturday.  On this day the Orthodox Church commemorates the raising of Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave (John 11:1-45).  Matins will be served at 7.00pm on Friday and the Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Saturday.

Across the weekend of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday our parish will take up a collection to benefit the Russian Eccelesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.  This collection is customarily taken up on Palm Sunday each year in all the parishes, monasteries and missions of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Many places of immense spiritual and historical significance in the Holy Land have been entrusted to our Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, and we have many monastics there who care for these holy places, undertake good works, and pray for the whole world.  Those who wish to make a donation online direct to the Mission may do so via Paypal through the Mission's website.

On Saturday 27 April and Sunday 28 April we will have services for the Sixth Sunday in Great Lent, Palm Sunday. All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves and the blessing of pussy willows and palms will be served at 6.00pm on Saturday.  The Hours and Divine Liturgy will be served at 9.00am on Sunday.

On Saturday 13 April and Sunday 14 April we had services for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of Saint John of the Ladder.   Matins was served on Saturday evening and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. As Saturday 9 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins was preceded by a general panikhida.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought tinned foods (baked beans, spaghetti, soup) and instant noodles to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine. In his sermon on Sunday the parish rector made particular reference to Saint John's advice in The Ladder of Divine Ascent to laymen: "Do all the good you can; do not speak evil of anyone; do not steal from anyone; do not lie to anyone; do not be arrogant towards anyone; do not be absent from divine services; be compassionate to the needy; do not offend anyone; do not wreck another man's domestic happiness, and be content with what your own wives can give you.  If you can behave in this way, you will not be far from the Kingdom of Heaven" (Step 1:21).

On Saturday 23 March and Sunday 24 March we had services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  In accordance with the practice of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia,  'The Order for a Hymn of Supplication for the Conversion of those in Error' was served at the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday.

On the first four evenings of the First Week of Great Lent (March 18-21), Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete was served.  The odes of the Great Canon were read by the parish rector alternatively in Church Slavonic and English.  During Great Compline many of those present participated in the reading and singing in both languages.

Early in the evening on Sunday 17 March, the Sunday of Forgiveness, we had Vespers with the rite of asking forgiveness.  During this service the church vestments were changed from gold to black and the festive melodies gave way to the solemn Lenten melodies.  Following this, all present venerated the holy icons and asked forgiveness of one another in accordance with Orthodox custom.

On Saturday 16 March 2024 the parish rector appointed Elena Douriaguina, Matushka Marie Carles, and Alexey Douriaguine to be the new Child Safety Contact Persons for our parish.  By virtue of their appointment, the Child Safety Contact Persons also become members of the parish Pastoral Council.  The Pastoral Council, which is comprised of the rector and other parish clergy, the Child Safety Contact Persons, and other persons with knowledge or experience relevant to child participation and safety, supports child-related work in our parish.  More information concerning child safety in our parish is available here.

On Saturday 9 March and Sunday 10 March we had services for the Sunday of the Last Judgement, the third preparatory Sunday for Great Lent.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the  Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning. As Saturday 9 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins was preceded by a general panikhida.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods (pasta, rice, pasta sauces, cooking oils, and pantry items) to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  At Divine Liturgy on Sunday the parish rector was assisted by Protodeacon Martin Naef and Deacon Michal Matys, and prayers were offered for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine.  Following Divine Liturgy our Ladies' Auxiliary served pancakes.

Metropolitan Nicholas writes: “Great Lent is approaching – a time set aside for delving into ourselves, for examining our lives, for repentance and correction. Great Lent is not only a time to refrain from certain types of food; it is a time for asceticism of the mind and senses, when we abstain from impure thoughts, separate ourselves from our habitual sins, entertainments, and harmful routines, when we fast, as St. John Chrysostom says, "with the mouth, the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies."  His letter can be read in full in English here and in Russian here.

The Fund for Assistance (FFA) to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia has issued a Great Lent 2024 Appeal to the Faithful of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.  The appeal has been made with support for needy clergy particularly in mind, and an undertaking that any donations made will be matched up until a target of US$10,000 is reached.  Donations can be made via the FFA website here.  Questions about the appeal can be asked here.

This year Bright Monday, the second day of Pascha, will fall on 6 May, the day of commemoration of the Holy Great-Martyr and Trophy-Bearer George.  The clergy of the Greater Sydney region have been asked to not schedule services in their own parishes on this day, but rather to celebrate Divine Liturgy together with Bishop George on the occasion of his name-day.  Divine Liturgy will be served at Saints Peter and Paul Diocesan Cathedral in Strathfield on Monday morning – the time and any other relevant information will be shared as soon as it is known.  The faithful who wish to do so may also attend this service.

With Bishop George's blessing, from late May 2024 the English-language Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church, a parish of our Diocese in Brisbane, will be offering an online course of religious instruction in Orthodox theology and practice.  This course consists of 17 sessions, each comprising an online video (which can be watched at each participant's convenience), a revision task, and an interactive Q&A session via Zoom on Sunday evenings.  The course is suitable for inquirers, catechumens (i.e. those preparing for baptism), and those who are already Orthodox Christians.  The first Zoom session will be held on Sunday 26 May, with the course scheduled to finish in October 2024.  For more information please visit: HolyAnnunciation.net/Catechism.  To enrol, please visit: https://forms.gle/ce5DDCFxRitzuoAz6.

From 25 June to 1 July 2024 the Fourteenth All-Diaspora Orthodox Youth Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) will be held in Stuttgart, Germany.  The All-Diaspora Youth Conferences, which began in Montreal, Canada, in 1972, bring together ROCOR youth from around the world.  Over the years, many important friendships have been formed at these conferences.  The theme of the 2024 Conference is “Preserving our Orthodox Identity and Heritage in the Diaspora”.  It will be held at a retreat in the mountains near Stuttgart and lectures will be in Russian, English, and German.  The conference program will also include excursions, sports, cultural activities, and a youth ball.  Youth (aged 18-24) of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese who wish to attend should email youth.rocor.anz@gmail.com for further information.