Ordination and Conferral

On Sunday 22 May, College alumnus Peter Simos (GradCertArts, 2016, MA, 2020) was ordained to the holy diaconate by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Dormition (Mount Gravatt, QLD). His Eminence concelebrated with His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, together with several clergymen. In his guiding speech to the newly ordained deacon, His Eminence noted that “you will be a successful and blessed clergyman if you can convince the people that they should rejoice. In a society of sadness and depression we need joy more than ever. You are to convince people to live and experience the inner joy of Christ, the true joy that is a foretaste of the Kingdom of God.” Deacon Peter, a physician by profession and father of three children with his wife Danae, received the prayers and blessing of his Archbishop, along with paternal advice for the beginning of his priestly ministry. “The ministry and the offertory of the doctor does not differ much from the ministry of the clergyman, because the object of both ministries is the human person. In essence, you will continue to serve people holistically and give them the joy of Christ which is unique and unrepeatable,” His Eminence stressed. Dn Peter will assist the parish priest Fr Nicholas Brown, also a College alumnus (BTh, 1999), at this same church.

Towards the conclusion of the same Divine Liturgy, His Eminence – with the permission and blessing of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I – elevated College alumnus Fr Dimitri Tsakas (BTh, 1998) to the rank of Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne. In his address, His Eminence explained to the congregation that this is the highest honour for a married clergyman; one which is conferred upon those who have proved, through their ministry, that they work for the Mother Church of Constantinople with inherent zeal, devotion and an ecclesiastical ethos and mindset. The honoured clergyman thanked the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop, while during a formal dinner given later, the President and the members of the Parish Council of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George, Brisbane, asked His Eminence to convey to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, their thanks and gratitude, as well as their anticipation of seeing the Patriarch in Queensland during his 2024 visit to Australia. Fr Dimitri has served the Church of St George for more than two decades, and also served in the role of Archepiscopal Vicar for the 4th Archdiocesan District of Queensland and Papua New Guinea of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia from 2000 to 2019. Fr Dimitri is married to Presvytera Michelle and has two sons Andrew and James.