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Dear Parishioners, Please save the date: 12.00pm, Sunday 20 July 2025. I would like to invite you to a celebration of ‘Family, Love, and Faithfulness Day’. This is an Orthodox celebration founded in honour of the righteous prince St Peter of Murom and his wife, St Fevronia, patrons of marriage and family. The program will include a short presentation about the meaning of the event, followed by a concert of folkloric songs and dances with traditional musical instruments by the 'Zabava' ensemble, and other items of celebration, ending with a round dance by all willing and able, led by the choreographer and teacher Luba Baksheev. In recent decades we have not had many such events. It promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. With free entry- you can't go wrong. See you there! Fr Nicholas Karipoff  An Important Notice Concerning Children and Young People from the Holy Protection Cathedral Brunswick27/6/2025 The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (Australian Diocese) has since 2013 had in place Policies and Protocols for the care, protection and safe ministry regarding Children and Young People. We are greatly indebted to the wisdom and Godly insight of our late Metropolitan Hilarion of thrice blessed memory in bringing about their introduction. ROCOR in fact was the first Orthodox Jurisdiction in Australia that adopted and put in place such policies and protocols. They are constantly under review to ensure that the highest standards are observed both from the standpoint of our obligations under Australian Law and also with regard to the Holy Tradition of the Church and its Canons. The Holy Protection Cathedral Parish, the Clergy, Parish Council and Laity wish all people to know and understand that we have a ZERO tolerance approach towards any and all abuse or mistreatment of anyone, let alone children and minors. We take seriously our Lord’s injunction “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.” (Luke 17:2). We fully implement and observe all the requirements of the Holy Archdiocese in these matters together with our obligations under civil law. The Clergy are acutely aware of their obligations both as Ministers of Christ and the Holy Church and also as leaders in a secular way of an organisation that has particular and direct legal obligations. If they fail to do so then there are severe penalties which will be imposed upon them. We recognise that we live in a fallen and imperfect world, where despite the sincerest intentions and the best efforts of any organisation, wrongs and hardships can still arise. When such situations occur, our response is to turn to God in prayer, asking for His guidance and strength to seek healing, restoration, and reconciliation. We pray for those who have been affected. For many such events lead to sinful anger, threats and sometimes wrongdoing. Yet we are reminded by the blessed Apostle St Paul “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,” (Ephesians 4:26). In other words, it is right to be angry at the sinful actions of others but we need and must deal with both our response to anger promptly lest it cause us to fall into sin. This is part of our Orthodox Struggle to attain mind and heart of Christ in our lives. It is no easy task, however if you find the struggle too great then seek assistance from a spiritual father, from prayer and study of the Holy Scriptures. On Palm Sunday, 2025, the rector Archpriest Nicholas continued with granting 75th Anniversary awards for long service to the parish. Congratulations to Ludmilla Rudakov, Inna Smith, Michael Chernih, Damian Ford, Dmitri Souprounovich, Nektarios Kourbetis, Nicholas Matveev and Sergei Verezub, who received the awards for their many decades of service to the church. This event which takes place on the feast of the Myrrh-bearing Women, two Sundays after Pascha, is a thank you to our Sisterhood and key volunteers. The dinner was a wonderful social night that was exceptionally catered for by Nicholas Wirubov and his team – Nicholas Kocyan, Al Rudakov, Cameron Graeme, Mark Souprounovich, Johnny Moore, John Slayo, Terence Polorotoff, Ewan Benson, Tiimothy Itahi, Nicholas Matveev, Fr Genna Baksheev, Fr Peter Sheko, Ian smith, Michael Chernih, Peter Ivlenkov and William Younan. Thanks to Nadia Chernih, Nada Jirkowsky and also some anonymous donors (!) for the wonderful desserts. Special mention to Fr Alex, recovering from a shoulder operation, who cleared the tables with the use of one hand!
Credit: Gold Leaf Creative’ film 🎥 group; A. Rudakov
The proceedings of the Pastoral Conference began, appropriately, with the Pre-Communion Prayers — a foreshadowing and preparation for the next day. Following this was the service of Great Compline, featuring two choirs — one singing in Slavonic, formed by various clergy, while the other sang in English, formed predominantly by members of the Cathedral’s choir. All services were in the presence of our Archpastor, Archbishop George. As part of the organisation of the conference, a nearby hotel was reserved for travelling clergy, with a bus transporting clergy to and from the Cathedral for services and other proceedings. Wednesday proceedings commenced with the Entrance of Abp George, followed by the Lenten Hours and Typica — read alternately in Slavonic and English. Emphasising the connection between bishop and his flock, Abp George was vested in the nave of the cathedral, while the priests were invited to vest in its hall before re-entering and taking their places as the assistants of the Bishop. It was in this context that John was led forward and, with prayers and clerical tonsure, was made a Reader for Holy Ascension Church in Melbourne. Axios! Immediately after this, the Presanctified Divine Liturgy began, and it was celebrated according to the established order. The true unity of the Church was shown in the unity around the chalice, with communicants including all clergy and many of the laity present at the Liturgy. As is customary, clerical awards were given at the Small Entrance. For each awardee, the clergy and choir sang a resounding ‘Axios!’ — a declaration for the present, and a prayer for future service. These awardees included: — Fr Nicholas Dalinkiewicz, of Holy Protection Cathedral in Melbourne, awarded the Mitre; — Fr Kyril (Gavras), of Holy Ascension Church in Melbourne, awarded the Palitsa; — Fr Sergey Zavyalov, of Holy Resurrection Church in Auckland, elevated to Archpriest and awarded the Palitsa; — Fr Andrew Smith, of Holy Annunciation Church in Brisbane, awarded the Gold Cross; — Fr Pavel Baksheev, of Holy Dormition Church in Dandenong, awarded the Purple Skoufia; — Fr John Sullivan, of St Mary’s Mission in Dardanup, awarded the Nabedrennik. The sermon was delivered by Abp George. With the occasion of Great Lent, he spoke on the need for all Orthodox Christians to again turn our lives to repentance; further, he spoke on the need for pastors to lead their flock to repentance — through their own study and personal experience, and then through teaching the flock entrusted to them, by word and example. A photo of all clergy was taken as a token to remember the occasion, and a memorial litia was served, before clergy adjourned to the Cathedral’s hall for a luncheon fully catered by the Sisterhood of the Cathedral. Following this luncheon, the clergy were invited to the educational components of the Pastoral Conference. The first component was led by Fr Michael Protopopov. A beneficial precursor to a policy on education for our diocese, he explained, was for the clergy of the diocese to consider the purpose, personnel and desired outcomes for education on the Orthodox faith — including for teenagers, for adults, for converts, within parish schools, and in the family home. This groupwork activity was very stimulating for all participating clergy, who had the opportunity to consider the purpose of education in the life of their parish and the lives of their parishioners. Following a short break, Fr Nicholas Karipoff delivered a talk, entitled 'The Image of the Pastor: the Bible, Vitae, and Pastoral Theology'. He weaved the work of various writers together to present resources for the development of an Orthodox pastor, including Metr. Anthony (Khrapovitsky), Archim. Kyprian (Kern), Abp John (Shakovskoy), and the foundational work for pastoral theology by St Gregory the Dialogist. The discussion following this talk included numerous requests for Fr Nicholas to share his talk more broadly, and especially the list of works cited; and, the affirmation that the wine in the chalice at the Presanctified Liturgy was, after the submersion of the intincted Body, considered to likewise be the Blood. Other clergy were able to speak on events of diocesan importance, including: — Fr Stephen David advised that St John of Kronstadt Academy was organising the first Orthodox Education Conference, to be held on 26 July 2025 at St Nicholas Cathedral Hall, in Brisbane; — Fr Peter Hill advised that the Sts Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute had record enrolment in 2025, and that further inquiries were welcome; — Fr Paul Tokareff announced that the 2025 Syezd Youth Conference was to be held in Adelaide — the first time it had been in that city in many years; — Fr Yaroslav Belikow further announced that the 2025 Teen Retreat was to be held in Geelong; — Fr Nicholas Karipoff advised that the Parish History for the 75 years of Holy Protection Cathedral, ‘Pokrov Chronicle’, was available for sale; — Fr Joachim successfully moved that a letter of support be sent from our Diocese to Metropolitan Basilios of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, expressing our support in the difficulties experienced by the faithful in Syria; — Fr Michael Protopopov announced that the upcoming Triennial Diocesan Assembly would take place on 25-27 October 2025. The massive work of the organisers of the Pastoral Conference was acknowledged by the clergy, and all were most thankful to the clergy, sisterhood, and organisers from Holy Protection Cathedral for a successful Pastoral Conference. In the past, these had typically been held in Sydney; however, the move to hold these on a rotational basis was favourably received, and all welcomed Brisbane as the next host. Expressing an especial gratitude to the Sisterhood, whose mammoth work ensured the optimal functioning of clergy throughout the Conference, Fr Paul Tokareff led the assembled clergy in praying ‘Many Years’ for the Sisterhood of Holy Protection Cathedral. Having taken place in a peaceful and rejuvenating atmosphere, the Pastoral Conference closed with prayer, and clergy departed to their parishes with the blessing of their archpastor.  Fr Nicholas Dalinikiewicz (pictured on the left) recently celebrated the 41st anniversary of his ordination on the Feast of the Three Hierarchs, February 12. We give a heartfelt “Many Years” to Fr Nicholas, Matushka Liz, their children and grandchildren. The day was especially poignant as it was also the nameday of Fr Nicholas’ recently reposed son, John (Vunya), who is greatly missed in our parish. It is worth noting that our rector, Fr Nicholas Karipoff, will be celebrating his 44 years as a priest on Annunciation this year, April 7, and Fr Peter will celebrate his 40th anniversary on November 30 this year. Collectively, that is a marathon number of clergy years from our senior priests! As part of the continuing celebrations of our 75th anniversary, more awards were given following the liturgy at Christmas. Congratulations to Sisterhood members for their tireless years of service: Valentina Brjozovksy, Tania Fomin, Valentina Ohotin and Zina Scamangas. Also awarded were: Theodor Stirkul, Fedor Tobolov, and Vasily Tobolov who laboured selflessly building the new cathedral.
 The recent Sisterhood AGM, held on Sunday November 24, was a significant occasion with head Sister, Lubov Nikolaevna Cowall, deciding to step down. Luba has taken on this challenging role for nearly two decades, with her crowning effort being the 75th anniversary celebrations for our parish this year. In his recent article for the Diocese, the rector, Fr Nicholas Karipoff, noted the achievements of the Sisterhood under Luba’s leadership. A great deal has been done in various projects by the Sisterhood for the parish, charitable work for monasteries and help for the needy. The task of leading the Sisterhood is enormous; it requires a huge time commitment and diverse skill set and is physically and logistically challenging. Luba has taken on this challenge tirelessly and has acquired a vast reservoir of knowledge in many aspects of parish life. Luba is now looking forward to some extensive travel in the coming months and enjoying some more leisurely socialising! We extend a warm thankyou to Luba for having devoted so much of her time and energy to Sisterhood and church life.
A note of thanks too, to the outgoing Sisterhood secretary, Olga Bursian, who has taken on the role for several years. Olga has been tireless in her assistance to the Head Sister during this time, and her contribution has been much appreciated. Congratulations to the newly elected Sisterhood committee: Head Sister – Valentina Brjozovsky Deputy Head – Elena Sosnik Treasurer – Marta Bialocerkowski (continuing in the role from previous years) Secretary – m Nicole Baksheev The Sisterhood are an integral part of keeping our parish running smoothly and often their work is done in the background rather than being on show. Our parish is fortunate to have such a group of resilient and capable workers. God willing, our Sisterhood will grow from strength to strength in the future!
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