Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania
Encyclopedia
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 Paul (Saliba), Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. The Archdiocese has approximately 37,500 members.
The archdiocese and the parishes are under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch, based in Damascus
, Syria
.
es and missions across Australia, 8 parishes and missions in the Deanery of New Zealand, and approximately 37,500 members.
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.
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.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Its current primate
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
is Paul (Saliba), Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. The Archdiocese has approximately 37,500 members.
The archdiocese and the parishes are under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch, based in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
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 not appointed until 1913. A second parish was formed in Melbourne in 1937. The archdiocese was formed in 1970 with Bishop Gibram 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.- ExarchExarchIn the Byzantine Empire, an exarch was governor with extended authority of a province at some remove from the capital Constantinople. The prevailing situation frequently involved him in military operations....
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 parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es and missions across Australia, 8 parishes and missions in the Deanery of New Zealand, and approximately 37,500 members.
The Archdiocese has one female monastery of Saint Anna in Preston, Victoria
Preston, Victoria
Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Preston had a population of 27,892.-Settlement:...
, Australia. The archdiocese also founded the multi-jurisdictional Melbourne Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies.
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.
Current Episcopacy
- Metropolitan Archbishop Paul (Saliba) of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
- Dean of New Zealand is ArchpriestArchpriestAn archpriest is a priest with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.In the 16th and 17th centuries, during...
Jack Witbrock, of Canterbury, NZCanterbury, New ZealandThe New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
. - Vicar-General and Dean of the Cathedral is Right Reverend ArchimandriteArchimandriteThe title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
Nabil Kachab, of Sydney, New South Wales. - Dean of Clergy for the Archdiocese is Archpriest George Nasr, of Melbourne, Victoria.
- Dean of New Zealand is Archpriest
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-present.
See also
- Antiochian Orthodox Christian Mission in the PhilippinesAntiochian Orthodox Christian Mission in the PhilippinesThe Antiochian Orthodox Christian Mission in the Philippines is a jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Church governed by the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania...
- History of Eastern Christianity in AsiaHistory of Eastern Christianity in AsiaJudging from the New Testament account of the rise and expansion of the early church, during the first few centuries of Christianity, the most extensive dissemination of the gospel was not in the West but in the East...
- Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast AsiaOrthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast AsiaOrthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia is the only church of Eastern Christianity in Hong Kong. It was set up in November 1996 by the decision of the Holy Great Synod of Constantinople...
- Exarchate of the PhilippinesExarchate of the PhilippinesThe Exarchate of the Philippines is a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople governed by the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia . , there are some 560 members of this jurisdiction in the country, around 40 of those being expatriates...
- Philippine Orthodox ChurchPhilippine Orthodox ChurchThe Philippine Orthodox Church refers to the officially established Eastern Orthodox presence in the Philippines as a whole. Currently, there are two canonical Orthodox jurisdictions:...