Archangel Saint Michael Eparchy in Sydney
| Archangel Saint Michael Eparchy in Sydney | |
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Rite church | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| Country | Australia |
| Ecclesiastical province | Immediate |
| Diocesan bishop | Robert Rabbat |
| founding | 1987 |
| surface | 7,961,676 km² |
| Parishes | 13 (December 31, 2014 / AP2015 ) |
| Residents | 29,108,533 ( 12/31/2014 / AP2015 ) |
| Catholics | 52,900 ( 12/31/2014 / AP2015 ) |
| proportion of | 0.2% |
| Diocesan priest | 11 (December 31, 2014 / AP2015 ) |
| Religious priest | 2 (December 31, 2014 / AP2015 ) |
| Catholics per priest | 4,069 |
| Permanent deacons | 7 (December 31, 2014 / AP2015 ) |
| Friars | 2 (December 31, 2014 / AP2015 ) |
| Religious sisters | 3 (December 31, 2014 / AP2015 ) |
| rite | Byzantine rite |
| Liturgical language | Arabic |
| cathedral | St. Michael's Cathedral |
| address | PO Box 620, 80 Waterloo St., Greenacre, NSW 2190, Australia |
| Website | www.melkite.org.au |
The Archangel Saint Michael eparchy in Sydney ( lat . : Eparchia Sancti Michaëlis Sydneyensis Graecorum Melkitarum ) is a Melkite eparchy unified with the Roman Catholic Church and is based in the Sydney suburb of Darlington , Australia .
history
In the mid-19th century, Christians from the Melkite Greek Catholic Church began to immigrate to Australia. The first gatherings were in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne , later Melkite Christians also settled in other regions. After the number of believers had increased significantly, the need arose to practice the faith and the Eucharist in the Byzantine rite .
In 1889 the religious priest of the Basilians of St. John the Baptist Archimandrite Silwanos Mansour, from Baalbek in Lebanon , came to Australia to pay a visit to his parents. At the request of the faithful, after obtaining the approval of his church leadership, he stayed in Sydney. Mansour began collecting donations, and in 1891 the foundation stone for the first church of the Melkite Greek Catholic Community was laid. The laying of the foundation stone was blessed by Auxiliary Bishop Higgins on behalf of the Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Francis Moran of Sydney . The church was consecrated in 1895 and became a meeting place for believing Christians from various Eastern churches. Since 1895, religious priests of the Basilians of St. John the Baptist have served at the church, which bears the name "Archangel Saint Michael". Pope John Paul II implemented the eparchy with the Apostolic Constitution Quae quantaque on March 26, 1987. Since 1999, the area of the diocese has included Australia and New Zealand .
Bishops
- George Riashi BC (March 26, 1987– July 28, 1995), then Archbishop of Tripoli
- Issam John Darwich BS (August 4, 1995– June 15, 2011) (Issam John Darwish)
- Robert Rabbat (since June 15, 2011)
See also
Web links
- Brief History of the Eparchy , homepage of the Eparchy, accessed on January 17, 2015
- Entry to the Archangel Saint Michael Eparchy in Sydney on catholic-hierarchy.org
- Entry on the Archangel Saint Michael Eparchy in Sydney on gcatholic.org (English)