In 2018, during the seasons of winter and spring, St George Monastery was moved and honoured by the immense love and generosity of the faithful of NSW, as demonstrated by a series of fundraising initiatives undertaken by numerous parishes.
On Sunday 26 August, the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Catherine held an afternoon tea at its ‘Old Church’ in Mascot in support of the Monastery. The raffle and auctions of the tea were very successful, with the parish raising over $25,000. The Very Reverend Abbot of St George Monastery, Father Kyriakos, wholeheartedly thanked everyone who contributed to the event, as did the parish priest, the Revered Father Athanasios Giatsios. Father Kyriakos took the opportunity to note that St Paisios of Mount Athos had foreseen that Australia would become a home of saints owing to the love and generosity displayed by the faithful towards the Church and its monastic houses.
On Sunday 2 September, the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Euphemia, Bankstown – led by the Reverend Fathers Panagiotis Protopsaltis and Peter Mavrommatis – raised more than $32,000 at a luncheon for the restoration of the Monastery. Father Kyriakos spoke at this event about the fervent prayers of monks for those who contribute to such holy places, emphasising that even those whose efforts have been anonymous are lovingly remembered by God.
On Saturday 3 November – the feast day of the Translation of the Relics of the Trophy Bearer – the Greek Orthodox Parish of St George, Rose Bay, graciously held a men’s only barbeque for the Monastery’s restoration works, collecting $30,000. Around this time, the Ladies Auxiliary and the College of the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Spyridon, Kingsford, generously raised $15,000.
Finally, on Sunday 4 November, over six hundred and fifty of the faithful, in addition to approximately one hundred enthusiastic volunteers, gathered at the hall of the Greek Orthodox Church of St John, Parramatta, for a wonderful fundraising dinner. The event was held in the presence of His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Apollonias (now His Eminence, Metropolitan of Sebastia) who, representing the late Archbishop Stylianos of thrice-blessed memory, warmly acknowledged the moving altruism of the numerous donors, especially those who provided the food and beverages at no cost. On this occasion, the Ladies Auxiliaries of All Saints, Belmore, and of the Resurrection of Christ, Kogarah, very kindly contributed a further $15,000.
The funds raised by these God-inspired initiatives was close to $300,000, demonstrating the deep affection of the people of NSW for the Holy Monastery of St George.
Father Kyriakos sincerely thanks in Christ the individual organising committees of the events, in addition to all the clergy and laity who contributed to them, whatever their capacity.
To read more about the blessed fundraising efforts of the faithful, click here for an article from VEMA Newspaper (Nov 2018).
(Please note that the donation details in the article are no longer current. For the latest details, click here).
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