Postal Address:
PO Box 226 West Ryde NSW 1685

Regular Services:
Saturday:
Great Vespers 6.00pm

Sunday:
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
Church School (during school terms) and Fellowship 11:30am

A New Year Prayer

Master, Lord our God, the Fountain of life and immortality, the Creator of all things both visible and invisible, who governs the seasons and the years and guides all things with Your wise providence; we thank You for alll the blessings You have poured out upon us during the past year of our lives, and we beg You, all-bountiful Lord, bless this coming year with your goodnes, direct our civil authorities in the path of goodness, bestow Your heavenly blessing upon all Your people: health, salvation, and growth in virture. Deliver Your Holy Church, this city, from every assault of the devil, and grant us peace and tranquility. Remember Your Holy Church, strengthen and establish it, enlarge it and give it peace, preserving it forever unharmed by the gates of hell and invincible against the assaults of visible and invisible enemies. Deliver us throughout the coming year, and all the days of our life, from famine, earthquakes, flood, epidemics, hail, fire, the sword, the invasion of enemies, and from civil war, from sudden and unprovided death, from sickness, calamity and distress, from faithlessness and hard-heartedness, and from grievous temptation; and grant that we may always offer thanks to You: the Father who is Unoriginate, together with Your Only-begotten Son, and Your Most Holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit: God glorified in three perons; may we joyfully praise Your all-Holy Name. Amen


Upcoming services and events:

Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

Matins and Divine Liturgy, followed by the blessing of the waters
Time: 7.00pm
Place: Saints Michael and Gabriel Church, West Ryde (1A Station Street, West Ryde)

House Blessings for 2012

It is the tradition of the Orthodox Church that following Theophany (January 6) every year, houses are blessed with the newly sanctified water of Theophany. By sanctifying our homes, we extend the grace of God to our individual dwellings.

House Blessings will be conducted from 6 January by Fr Michal Zghaib. If you would like Fr Michal to visit your home and conduct a house blessing please contact him directly on 0403 847 690 or speak to him after Divine Liturgy to arranage a suitable time.


Services Schedule for the New Year:

Sunday 8th January 2012:

BRETHREN, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (in saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Additional Readings:
John 20:11-18
Matthew 4:12-17

Gospel Reading

The Reading is from Matthew 4:12-17

At that time, Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth He went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Additional Readings:
John 20:11-18
St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 4:7-13