Weekly meetings, on Saturday nights, proved to be of enormous value, in improving our spiritual state and Church knowledge. They also served as occasions for bonding together and establishing friendships among ourselves. Some of these friendships remain vibrant even now, among the surviving older members. It is amazing that no one really asked for a change of the day of the weekly meetings, which continue to date on Saturday nights.

Bible study, discussion of relevant topics concerning the Christian person, social and national issues, invited speakers, as well as prayer meetings, feed the members' spirit and soul with knowledge as well as piety and zeal for Christian life and works.

(continued on page 6)

Volume 26, Issue 5 AUGUST 2011 – SEPTEMBER 2011

«Λύχνος τοῖς ποσί μου ὁ νόμος σου καὶ φῶς ταῖς τρίβοις μου»

Ψαλμ 118, 105

ΛΥΧΝΟΣ A GREEK ORTHODOX PERIODICAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

“I only have one candle. It is better to light it where people are in darkness, than where there is ample light”

(G. Mavromatis)

T he Greek Orthodox Christian Society (from now on "The Society"), was started in 1955 by a small group of young men, mainly University students, with the encouragement and blessings of the then Metropolitan of the Church, Bishop Theophylactos, of blessed memory. The Society had two main aims:

1. To cultivate among its members a deep Orthodox spiritual life, and

2. To prepare them for missionary work among the members of our Church, and the society at large

Spiritual Life

The cultivation of a spiritual life among the members was most important. No one can succeed in missionary work, unless he presents himself as a sincere Christian, with an adequate Orthodox religious knowledge, and appropriate manner of behaviour. This proved to be quite real, as people were at first hesitant when approached to buy the religious books which we had started importing from the Motherland, or send their children to either of the two Sunday Schools, operating at the time.

Elementary Orthodox Theology - The Devil is side-lined and neutralised... 2 Blessing of the New Building… 4,5 From the Saints of our Church - St Silouan.... 2 GOCS 55 years - Continued from page 1.. 6,7

Αγιασμός Νέου Κτιρίου - Ομιλία Σεβασμιωτάτου... 3 News and Views - Consecration of New Building, Visit to Adelaide, etc.. 8

Inside

The Greek Orthodox Christian Society

55 Years serving Christ through His Church

Members of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society, circa 1956. Front row: third from right and third from left respectively, are the founding members Dr Michael Anthony and Mr Phidias Kyriakides. Second row: second from left is Mr Stamatis Papanastasiou, now Fr Stephanos Pantanassiotis of Pantanassa Monastery.

Page 2 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

S t Silouan the Athonite (born Simeon Ivanovich Antonov in 1866) was of pious Russian Orthodox parents who came from the village of Sovsk in Russia's Tambov region. At the age of twenty-seven, after a period of military service, he left his native Russia and came to Mt. Athos where he became a monk at the Monastery of St Panteleimon and was given the name ‘Silouan’. As a true monk, he gave himself fully to God with all his soul. One day, in a brief moment, he received the gift of unceasing prayer from the Theotokos, as was also granted to see Christ in the Chapel of the Prophet Elijah near the flour mill. But this first grace was taken away and the Saint was constrained by anguish and great grief, and with God’s permission for fifteen years he was given over to many temptations. He offered up prayers and supplications with tears to Christ and was taught by God through a voice from above that gave him this commandment which defined his later teachings: ‘Keep thy mind in hell, and despair not’. He prayed and wept for the whole world as for himself, and he put the highest value on love for enemies. Though barely literate, he was sought out by pilgrims for his wise counsel. He became widely known on Mt Athos as an Elder (or Staretz in Russian), but it was only after his death that the world found out about this great treasure. His writings were edited by his disciple and pupil, Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov. Father Sophrony wrote the life of St Silouan, along with a record of the Saint’s writings and teachings, in the popular book ‘Saint Silouan the Athonite’. St Silouan died on September 24, 1938 and was canonised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1987.

34. THE DEVIL IS SIDE-LINED AND NEUTRALISED

St Silouan Commemorated on September 24th

T he Devil, having deposed man, the natural king of whole creation, took away from him all power, and thus he himself became the king of the creation. The power of the Devil had cosmic dimensions -- power on land, the waters, the atmosphere, and the whole universe. Only the power of Christ could counteract the demonic powers in all their dimensions. 1. On Earth - The devil was defeated at every earthly

confrontation with Christ, particularly during the first frontal attack on Jesus in the desert (Matt. 4, 3-10). In His daily encounters with the devil, Christ was defeating the devil every time, and was liberating men from the devil's tyranny, so much so that the demons were publicly declaring their weakness in front of Jesus "What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God" (Matt. 8, 29).

2. In the Waters - The presence of Christ in the river Jordan and His baptism there, caused enormous upheaval in the demonic camp. The devil launched a ferocious attack on Jesus in the desert after His baptism, a sign that the demonic kingdom extended to the fluid element of the world.

3. In the Air - The Cross on Golgotha, acted as the platform from which Christ neutralised the power of the devil on the whole universe.

4. In the darkness of Hades - Christ defeated the devil in his, until then, impregnable kingdom of the underworld. Jesus defeated death by binding him permanently in his own domain, and liberated from the power of the devil all those souls who believed in Him.

5. The devil's final abolition - Both Biblical and Christian writings, describe three confrontations between God and the devil : - a) The first was the one at the beginning of time,

when the archangel Eosforos revolted against God. Jesus Himself mentions this in Luke 10, 18.

b) The second was at the time of the Incarnation, when the devil had done everything to eliminate Jesus from the earth.

c) The third and last will occur at the end of time -

Page 3 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

Θ εοφιλέστατε, ἅγιε καθηγούμενε, σεπτὲ προηγούμενε πάτερ Στέφανε, κύριε πρόεδρε τὴς Χριστιανικὴς Ἑνώσεως γιατρὲ Ψαρομμάτη, κύριε καθηγητὰ Ἀντωνιάδη, τέως πρόεδρε καὶ ἱδρυτὰ τὴς Ἑνώσεως, μαζὶ μὲ τοὺς ὀλίγους

πρωτεργάτας, κληρικοὶ, λαϊκοὶ, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ ἀδελφαί, τέκνα ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀγαπητὰ καὶ περιπόθητα.

∆ὲν θὰ σᾶς ὁμιλήσω διὰ μακρόν. Θὰ πῶ μόνο ὅτι εἴμεθα ἐλεημένοι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ. Θὰ εἴμεθα συχρόνως καὶ ταπεινωμένοι, ὡς οἱ ἔσχατοι τῶν ἀποστόλων, οἱ ἔσχατοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἐν τούτοις, ὀνομαζόμενοι συνεχῶς ὡς οἱ δυναμικότεροι τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὁ Χριστιανὸς, ἑνῶ συνεχῶς κατευθύνεται ἀπὸ ὑπακοή, δὲν παύει νὰ πιστεύει αὐτὸ ποὺ ἀκούσαμε ἀπὸ τὸ λόγο τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ὅτι «ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ ἄλας τῆς γῆς». Πῶς εἶναι δυνατὸν νὰ εἴμεθα, κάτι τὸ ὁποῖο γνωρίζουμε ὅτι προσπαθοῦμε νὰ γίνουμε; Αὐτὸ εἶναι τὸ μεγάλο μυστήριο τῆς ἀνθρώπινης ζωῆς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. Ἕνα μυστήριο τὸ ὁποῖο εἶχαν, κατὰ περίεργον εὐαισθησία καὶ πρόγνωση, ἀντιληφθεῖ οἱ ἀρχαῖοι πρόγονοι ἡμῶν, καὶ ἔλεγαν «γίνε αὐτὀ ποὺ εἶσαι», “become what you already are” - «Γίνε αὐτὸ ποὺ εἶσαι». Τὶ θὰ πεῖ αὐτό; Θὰ πεῖ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς σοῦ δίνει χαρίσματα, καὶ συγχρόνως τὰ χαρίσματα εἶναι αἰτήματα, εἶναι ἐντολές. «Γίνε αὐτὸ ποὺ εἶσαι. Τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. Τὸ ἄλας τῆς γῆς».

Ἡ Ἐκκλησία ὁλόκληρη, ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ, ἡ Στρατευομένη Ἐκκλησία, τῆς ὁποίας, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ τῆς Χριστιανικῆς Ἑνώσεως, ἄνδρες καὶ γυναίκες, ἀποτελεῖται πολυτιμότατον τμῆμα, ὄχι ἁπλῶς βοηθούς. Εἶστε οὐσιαστικοὶ συλλειτουργοὶ μαζὶ μὲ μᾶς, τοὺς ἱερατεύοντας. Εἶστε πολύτιμα στελέχη τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ἐνθυμούμεθα ὅτι ἡ Ἐκκλησία ὁλόκληρη ἡ Στρατευομένη, εἶναι Μία, εἶναι Ἁγία, εἶναι Καθολική, καὶ εἶναι Ἀποστολική. Αὐτὰ εἶναι τὰ γνωρίσματά Της. Καὶ ὄμως καλεῖται κάθε μέρα, κάθε λεπτό, νὰ γίνει οὐσιαστικότερο Μία, Ἁγία, Καθολική, καὶ Ἀποστολική. ∆ιότι ὅλα τὰ χαρίσματα τοῦ Θεοῦ

εἶναι δεδομένα καὶ ζητούμενα. Αὐτὸ εἶναι τὸ μέγα μυστήριο. Καὶ σ’ αυτὸ ἔχουμε κληθεῖ ὅλοι νὰ συνεργαστοῦμε.

Αὐτὰ ποὺ εἶπε ὁ ἀγαπητὸς πρόεδρος τῆς Χριστιανικῆς Ἑνώσεως, ὁ φίλτατος Ἰωάννης, εἶναι ὄντως μιὰ μεγάλη ἀλήθεια, ὅτι ἀφήνετε καὶ οἰκογένεια, καὶ ἐπάγγελμα οἱ περισσότεροι ἐξ ὑμῶν, οἱ ἰατροί, οἱ δικηγόροι, οἱ ἄλλοι, ἁπλοὶ ἄνθρωποι, ἀφήνετε τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἠκολουθήσατε τὸν Χριστόν, ὅπως καὶ οἱ μαθηταί Του, «ἀφέντες πλοῖα καὶ δίκτυα, ἠκολούθησαν Αὐτόν». Ὀλίγοι ἄνθρωποι εἶναι ἐκεῖνοι πάντα ποὺ γίνονται πρωτοπόροι. Τὸ ζυμάρι εἶναι λίγο, ἀλλὰ ὁλόκληρη τὴ ζύμη τὴν ἀνεβάζει.

Γι’ αὐτὸ τὸ λόγο, εἶμαι εὐγνὠμων ἐγώ σὲ σᾶς, καὶ ὄχι ἐσεῖς σὲ μένα. Ἐμένα μὲ ἔστειλε ἡ Ἐκκλησία, καὶ εἶναι καθῆκον μου καὶ ὑποχρέωσίς μου, νὰ γνωρίζω καὶ νὰ ἀναγνωρίζω αὐτὸ τὸ ὁποῖο ἐπὶ τόσας δεκαετίας, ἀκόπως καὶ ἀφιλοκερδῶς, καί με τόσας θυσίας ἐπιτελεῖται ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, ὥστε νὰ γνωρίζομεν καὶ νὰ εὐγνωμονοῦμεν γιὰ ὅσα προσφέρετε, καὶ νὰ προσευχόμεθα γιὰ σᾶς. Τὸ νὰ

ἔρχομαι καὶ νὰ ἐκτελῶ ἕνα ἁγιασμό, ἢ μιὰ ὁποιαδήποτε ἄλλη ἱεροτελεστία, αὐτὸ ἀποτελεὶ ὄχι μόνο εὐχάριστον ὑποχρέωσιν, ἀλλὰ ἐγκαύχησιν. ∆ιότι ὄντως εἶστε τὸ καύχημα τὴς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ὅπου ἐπεράσατε, καὶ ὅπου ἐκηρύξατε, καὶ ὅπου ἐργαστήκατε,

τὰ ἔργα ἠκολούθησαν καὶ ἐπιβεβαίωσαν τοῦ «λόγου τὸ ἀληθές».

Εὔχομαι ὁ Θεὸς νὰ μᾶς στηρίζει καὶ νὰ μᾶς σοφίζει, ὥστε καὶ ἀπὸ τὸ νέο αὐτὸ προπύργιο, διότι περὶ προπυργίου πρόκειται, νὰ στήσετε μιὰ καινούργια ἐποχή. Ἀρχίζει πράγματι σήμερα μιὰ νέα ἱστορία. Καὶ γράψατε ἱστορία, καὶ θὰ συνεχιστεῖ αὐτὴ ἡ ἱστορία. Εὔχομαι ὁ Θεὸς νὰ εὐλογεῖ ὅλους σας καὶ τὰς οἰκογενείας σας, καὶ νὰ μᾶς στηρίζει ὅλους. Κάθε ἡμέρα νὰ μᾶς κάνει πιὸ ταπεινούς, νὰ μᾶς κάνει πιὸ ἀποφασιστικοὺς διὰ τὸν «προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγώνα». Εὔχομαι σε ὅλους σας πλουσίους φωτισμοὺς τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ παρακαλῶ νὰ προσεύχεσθε νυχθημερὼν διὰ τοὺς λειτουργούς, τοὺς ἱερατεύοντας ἐν μέσῳ ἡμῶν, οἱ ὁποῖοι πράγματι ἐπιτελοῦν, σε μιὰ δύσκολη ἐποχή, ἕνα θεάρεστον ἔργον.

Ὁ Θεὸς εἴη μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν.

«Γίνε αὐτὸ ποὺ εἶσαι. Τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. Τὸ ἄλας

τῆς γῆς»

Αγιασμός Νέου Κτιρίου της Χριστιανικής Ενώσεως 

16 Ιουλίου 2011

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΣΕΒΑΣΜΙΩΤΑΤΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ κ.κ. ΣΤΥΛΙΑΝΟΥ 

Page 4 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου, καὶFrom the Blessing of the New Building of the

On Saturday, 16th July, a Blessing Service (Αγιασμός) was conducted by His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, assisted by His Grace Bishop Seraphim, to inaugurate the historic new premises of the Greek Orthodox Christian Soci‐ety, now operating in its 56th year to assist the work of the Church in its in‐ternal missionary activities, and cultivating a deeper spiritual life among its members. 

Page 5 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου Greek Orthodox Christian Society

Also in attendance were other clergy of our Archdiocese, members of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society, the Ladies Orthodox Fellowships, as well as all the Christian Youth Groups (Omathes) and their families. We present here some images from this historic and memorable day, and pray that God contin‐ues to bless the work of the Society for many years to come, as we entreat in the Blessing Service: “Save O Lord your people, and bless your inheritance”. 

Page 6 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

acquisition of our new building in October 2010. The consecration and blessing (Αγιασμός), of our premises, was conducted by our Primate, his Eminence, Archbishop Stylianos, on Saturday, 16th July, 2011. His speech at the time is published on page 3 of this edition. 2. The sale of Christian books was accompanied by the establishment of two Sunday Schools. One in the hall of Agia Sofia, Darlinghurst, and the other at the public school at Todman Avenue, Kensington, where the Greek language School was operating in the afternoons. It must

be mentioned here with gratitude, the enormous help the teachers of the Greek afternoon Schools, in encouraging the children to attend Sunday School, so much so that classrooms were full with children every week. New Sunday Schools followed every time a new Church was built, so at present there are 66 Sunday School classes in Sydney and Wollongong, and these require 110 teachers and assistant teachers for their operation, most of whom are young men and women. The Sunday Schools operate with the Authority and Supervision of the Church, and the teachers are mostly members of the Society, and its affiliated Female branch, as well as pious Christians, as selected by local priests.

(continued on page 7)

Missionary Work

1. The first step was the importation of Orthodox books from the Motherland, which made the missionary Brotherhoods there ecstatic that such work started in this country, giving us a significant discount ever since. The books were being sold outside the two Churches that existed at the time - Holy Trinity at Redfern and Agia Sofia at Darlinghurst - after the Liturgy, by the Sunday School teachers. Initially there was some resistance, as mentioned above, but soon that disappeared and the sale of books took off rapidly. It was decided then, and the policy continues to date, that books should be sold at a minimum profit, to cover the losses from wear and tear, and those gifted to people who could not pay. The Holy Bible is still sold at cost price. It is estimated that since its inception, the Society has sold, mostly in Sydney, in excess of 50,000 copies of the Bible (either Greek or English). With the passage of time, many new Churches were built, and in every one both a Sunday School was established and a book stall operated: the books being sold by the Sunday School teachers. With the help of God, and after many years of financial contributions by its members, the Society was able to buy a shop in 1976 at 31A Enmore Road, Newtown, that was made into a bookshop, if for no other reason, at least as an Orthodox witness and missionary centre. The upper floor was being used as our meeting place, until the

Display of Orthodox Christian books in front of the parish of St John’s, Par-ramatta. Christian books are sold every Sunday by the Society outside Syd-ney churches following the Divine Liturgy.

The Greek Orthodox Christian Society

55 Years serving Christ through His Church

Sunday School children of the parish of the Holy Trinity, Bourke Street, Sydney, in 1958.

Continued from page 1

Page 7 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

3. Youth Groups (Omathes). These started in 1961, for High School pupils, from year 8 to 12, in reality the older children of Sunday Schools. They exist in various parts of Sydney where there is an adequate number of willing adolescents, and they meet weekly, either Friday or Saturday afternoon, under a trained and enthusiastic leader. There they listen to a lesson, similar to a Sunday School, but very relevant to their station in life, topics relevant to adolescence, and Bible readings. They usually play one or two games before the lesson, they go for an occasional excursion, and to two camps annually. They partake in the sacrament of Confession at regular intervals, and in Holy Communion, at the discretion of their confessor. These groups are very popular with the boys or girls, as they make a lot of friends, sincere like themselves, and are introduced into adolescence smoothly, whilst they acquire a deeper knowledge of the Church. It was because of these groups, that some of them were so moved, so as to later join the Church as priests.

4. Retreats and Camps. The members of the Society have an annual Summer camp. The Youth Groups, and the two younger groups of the Society, have one Camp in Summer and another in Winter. All these camps take place in the Marist Centre at Mittagong. The older children of Sunday Schools have a camp in September, at Challenge Ranch near Mangrove Mountain.

5. Visits outside Sydney. Two to three times annually, members of the Society make visits, usually over a weekend or long weekend, to various smaller towns of Australia, where they deliver a sermon, usually also a public lecture, distribute Christian books, may put on a short Christian play and come into contact with our Orthodox brethren.

6. Publications. For the help and enlightenment of the younger generation, the Society publishes a bimonthly periodical "Λύχνος" (Lychnos, - the Lamp). It is distributed free of charge, at all the Churches, and is available on the internet where it is read widely in Australia, and even by some people overseas. Most articles are in English, whilst the Greek content is about 25%.

7. Various other activities. In association with our Archdiocese, the Society maintains four (4) weekly radio programmes - three on Sunday mornings, and one on Thursday afternoon.

At Easter and Christmas times every year, donations are made by members, for the help of needy people in the

Greek Community. Collections are also made at other times, either directly or when holding an afternoon tea, and the moneys raised are sent to overseas Orthodox missions, e.g. Indonesia, Bali or Madagascar.

8. In 1959, a group of pious ladies with Christian zeal, established a Bible study group known as the Christian Friendly Society, and soon took part in the activities of our Society, and they so became the female section of our mission. Their contribution to the whole effort has been constant and very significant, and any successes so far are due in great part to their dedication to the service of Christ.

Their younger members serve as Sunday School teachers, they organise the details of most of our social activities, and conduct two groups, meeting simultaneously every Saturday afternoon (for details see below).

Several other activities are undertaken periodically, depending on circumstances, and these need not be enumerated here, so as not to exhaust the reader.

8. Where can you find us / to discover the meaning of a Christian life / and serve God:

We meet every Saturday, at 217 Bexley Road, Kingsgrove

For Men

1. Middle-aged men 8 - 9.30 pm

2. Graduates & Professionals 8 - 9.30 pm

3. Young men & Students 8 - 9.30 pm

For Ladies

1. Middle aged ladies 3.30 - 4.30 pm

2. Young ladies 4 - 5.30 pm

The Greek Orthodox Christian Society (Sydney)

The Greek Orthodox Christian Society

55 Years serving Christ through His Church

Continued from page 6

Members of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society at their annual camp in January, 2011.

Page 8 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

NEWS NEWS NEWS andandand VIEWSVIEWSVIEWS

« ΛΥΧΝΟΣ » is a bimonthly publication of the

Greek Orthodox Christian Society, 31a Enmore Rd, Newtown, NSW, 2042,

under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.

Phone: (02) 9567 3542. E-mail: editor@lychnos.org Internet: www.lychnos.org

Ακούτε το ραδιοφωνικό πρόγραμμα «Η ΦΩΝΗ ΤΗΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΙΑΣ»

κάθε Κυριακή 10:45 π.μ. στο 2MM-ΑΜ 1665 11:00 π.μ. στο 2ΕRΑ-FΜ 151.675 (scanner) 5:30 μ.μ. στο Galaxia FM 151.850 (scanner) κάθε Πέμπτη 3:30 μ.μ. στο Radio Club AM 1683

Consecration of the New Building

O n Saturday 16th July, the new building of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society at 217 Bexley Rd Kinsgsrove, was consecrated by His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, assisted by His Grace Bishop Seraphim. The new building represents an important landmark in the history of the Society, now in its 56th year. In this issue, we present some photographs from this historic day, as well as a brief history of the Society in the service of the Church. We pray that God continues to bless the work of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society for many more years to come.

Mid-Year Camps

D uring July, the Boys Omathes of Sydney held their mid-year camps at Kooree Cabins, Mangrove Mountain, near Pantanassa Monastery. The Omathes of Bankstown, Kogarah and Parramatta held a combined camp from 1st-3rd July, with 15 boys attending. Belmore Omatha held its camp from 5th-7th July, with 18 boys participating, whilst Earlwood Omatha held its camp from the 8th-10th July with 16 boys. The highlight of all the camps were the Divine Liturgy Services held at Pantanassa Monastery.

Launch of New Book

O n Sunday, 31st July, the Orthodox Christian Ladies Society held a book launch for an anthology of Christian poems written by one of its members, Mrs Matina Kalithrakas. The book, titled Δροσοσταλίδες – Dew Drops, is a collection of beautiful and heartfelt poems in Greek, penned by the author over many years. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go towards various philanthropic and missionary works of the Church.

His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos at the Service of Consecration, assisted by His Grace Bishop Sera-phim.

Members of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society with His Grace, Bishop Nikandros and Fr Silouanos, during their visit to Adelaide.

Visit to Adelaide

F rom the 30th June – 3rd July, a small group from the Greek Orthodox Christian Society visited the parishes of Prophet Elias and St Nectarios in Adelaide, South Australia, where they delivered three talks, a sermon, and presented a Christian book exhibit. More such visits are planned in the near future to other interstate and rural parishes.