Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania

Last updated May 24, 2019

The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines is an archdiocese of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, with headquarters in Sydney, Australia. Its current primate is Basilios (Kodseie), Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. The Archdiocese has approximately 37,500 members.

The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church, is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Headed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, it considers itself the successor to the Christian community founded in Antioch by the Apostles Peter and Paul.

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Port Jackson and extends about 70 km (43.5 mi) on its periphery towards the Blue Mountains to the west, Hawkesbury to the north, the Royal National Park to the south and Macarthur to the south-west. Sydney is made up of 658 suburbs, 40 local government areas and 15 contiguous regions. Residents of the city are known as "Sydneysiders". As of June 2017, Sydney's estimated metropolitan population was 5,230,330 and is home to approximately 65% of the state's population.

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Damascus is the capital of the Syrian Arab Republic; it is also the country's largest city, following the decline in population of Aleppo due to the battle for the city. It is colloquially known in Syria as aš-Šām (الشام) and titled the "City of Jasmine". In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major cultural center of the Levant and the Arab world. The city has an estimated population of 1,711,000 as of 2009.

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Syrian Arabs, Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Circassians, Mandeans and Turkemens. Religious groups include Sunnis, Christians, Alawites, Druze, Isma'ilis, Mandeans, Shiites, Salafis, Yazidis, and Jews. Sunnis make up the largest religious group in Syria.

History

The first lay members of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Australia are thought to have come to Sydney about 1870, but the first Antiochian Orthodox priest, Nicholas Shehadie, was appointed in 1913 as Patriarcal Exarch.^[1] A second parish was formed in Melbourne in 1937. The archdiocese was formed in 1970 with Bishop Gibran Rimlawi as head. A second Sydney church was opened in Punchbowl in 1974. There are now four churches in Sydney, a small center in Wollongong, two churches in Melbourne, and groups in Adelaide and Brisbane. There are three communities in New Zealand.

The term exarch comes from the Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος, exarchos, and designates holders of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical.

Exarch Nicholas Shehadie and his two sons, both priests. Provides a partial history of the Archdiocese between 1913-1987.
View the complete history of the Archdiocesan website.

Organization

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese is a single archdiocese which covers several countries. The Archbishop resides in Australia, there is a Deanery for New Zealand, and presences in other countries of the Pacific Ocean region. There are 25 parishes and missions across Australia, 8 parishes and missions in the Deanery of New Zealand, and approximately 37,500 members.

A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or more curates, and who operates from a parish church. Historically, a parish often covered the same geographical area as a manor. Its association with the parish church remains paramount.

The Archdiocese has one female monastery of Saint Anna in Preston, Victoria, Australia. The archdiocese also founded the multi-jurisdictional Melbourne Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies.

Preston is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from the Melbourne central business district. Its local government area is the City of Darebin. At the 2016 Census, Preston had a population of 32,851.

The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, was a founding member of Eastern Hierarchs, where all eastern rite jurisdictions, except the largest, are represented. The Antiochian Archdiocese believes this organisation is a friendly effective organisation, working for the Love of God spreading throughout the whole Mystery of His Church.

Primates in Australia and New Zealand

Bishop Gibran (Ramlawey) of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania, 1969-1999.
Metropolitan Archbishop Paul (Saliba) of Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and All Oceania, 1999–2017.
Metropolitan Archbishop Basilios (Kodseie), since 2017

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References

↑ Father Nicholas Shehadie Archived 2014-03-22 at the Wayback Machine . Provides a partial history of the Archdiocese between 1913-1987.

External links

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[1] Father Nicholas Shehadie Archived 2014-03-22 at the Wayback Machine . Provides a partial history of the Archdiocese between 1913-1987.