June 29th, 2019 | Parish of Sts. Peter & Paul, Doonside, NSW
It is with the same spirit of fellowship, as expressed by the Holy and Glorious Apostles, that all the clergy of NSW gathered to celebrate the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, at the parish dedicated to their honour.
In the presence of, and led by, His Eminence, Metropolitan Basilios, the faithful parishioners and all those who travelled in prayer gathered for the Great Vespers of the Synaxis of the Apostles, to the recently consecrated church. Although a cold evening, those who were in attendance were warmed by the voices of the angelic choir, led by the Very Reverend Father Aziz Abwi, the parish priest himself:
“With what beauty of hymns shall we praise blessed Peter and Paul, the Apostles?
Those wings of the knowledge of God Most High,
that flew throughout all the farthest parts and truly were lifted up to Heaven;
those hands of the holy Gospel of the grace of God;
those feet of the sacred preaching of eternal truth;
those mighty rivers of wisdom and the Cross’s branches
whereby all demonic conceit has been overthrown by Christ,
who grants great mercy to the world.”
Along with the service of Artoklasia and the procession of their icon, His Eminence spoke about the lives of Sts. Peter and Paul, and about the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which filled them and blazed a burning path throughout the world.
As the very patrons of our archdiocese itself, we ask for their intercessions, and that we are illumined by their example and lessons. May we be imitators of them!
