Conferral as Spiritual Father

On 5 June, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia celebrated matins and the divine liturgy at the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Stephanos in Hurlstone Park, Sydney. At the end of the liturgy, His Eminence conferred the sacred duties of a spiritual father and confessor upon college alumnus Fr Stavros Ivanos (BTh, 2004).

The Archbishop gave him the following paternal advice: “Seek an opportunity to forgive people. What we need to do is to imitate Christ, Who is looking for a way to save all of us.” His Eminence stressed and asked Fr Stavros not to lay unbearable burdens on people, but to offer them what they need from the Church: a little compassion and some love. “I am certain you will do this,” he said, “because you have many spiritual gifts and qualifications and, above all, you have a loving heart, you are a sensitive person, noble and faithful to the Church, to your Archbishop and to our Holy Archdiocese. And all these things are a guarantee that you will be a good and blessed spiritual father and many souls will find rest under your guidance, and they will also find salvation.”

Fr Stavros is married to Presbytera Annette and they are blessed with a daughter, Elizabeth. He was ordained to the holy diaconate in May 2006 and to the holy priesthood in October 2008. Fr Stavros served as assistant parish priest at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Euphemia in Bankstown, Sydney, for two years prior to undertaking pastoral commitments at St Stephanos in Hurlstone Park.

Earlier in the liturgy His Eminence had ordained Deacon Kyriakos Theologou to the holy priesthood, announcing his appointment as the parish priest for the Greek Orthodox Church of St Panteleimon in Goulburn, a regional city approximately 200kms south-west of Sydney. He had also ordained Mr Dimitri Katsis to the holy diaconate.