Australian jurisdictions without a local bishop

This article seeks to serve as a catch-all point for the jurisdictions in Australia who are small enough to not warrant a resident bishop - both current and former.

Current Jurisdictions

Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese in the USA, Canada and Australia

• Number of Parishes: Three in Australia.
• Hierarch: Metropolitan Joseph of the USA, Canada and Australia.
• Began: First parish in 1950.

1. Sydney: St John of Rila Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church. [1][2]
2. Melbourne: Sts Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church. [3]
3. Adelaide: St Petka Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church. [4]

Moscow Patriarchate in Australia

• Number of Parishes: Two in Australia.
• Hierarch: unknown
• Began: First parish in 1988.

1. Sydney: Holy Protection Orthodox Church, Blacktown. Established 1988. [5]
2. Melbourne: Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, Oakleigh. Established 1989. [6]
3. Newcastle: Parish of the Theophany, Mayfield West. Established 1996, since closed (c.2010) with parishioners incorporated into St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Wallsend.

Historical Listings

Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand

• Last Hierarch: Metropolitan Antony (Scharba) of Hierapolis.
• Last local administrative head: Very Rev. Michael Solomko (Consistory President)
• Began: 1950
• Number of Parishes at conclusion: 10 parishes and 2 missions, in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and New Zealand.
• Concluded: May 2022. All Ukrainian Orthodox parishes in Australia were incorporated into the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia (under Archbishop Makarios).

Orthodox Church in Ukraine in Australia

• Last Hierarch: unknown.
• Last local administrative head: unknown.
• Began: January 2019 (as part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. (Had previously been part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyivan Patriarchate).
• Number of Parishes at conclusion: 5, in Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide and Brisbane.
• Concluded: May 2022. All Ukrainian Orthodox parishes in Australia were incorporated into the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia (under Archbishop Makarios).

Orthodox Church in America - Parishes in Australia

main article: Parishes in Australia (OCA)

• Last Hierarch: Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington.
• Last local administrative head: Archimandrite Benjamin (Garshin) (1971-1995).
• Began: 1971, in ROCOR schism.
• Parishes:

1. Sydney: St Nicholas Orthodox Church, Bankstown. Parish was a Polish Orthodox parish, which had previously joined ROCOR. In 1971, parish left ROCOR for OCA. In 2001, parish canonically transferred to the local Antiochian Archdiocese.
2. Brisbane: Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church, Woolloongabba. Priest left ROCOR in 1972 and began a new OCA parish. In 2009, parish canonically transferred to the local ROCOR Diocese.
3. Sydney: Australian Orthodox Fraternity of St Michael, Homebush. Laypeople left ROCOR in 1971, and subsequently began a new OCA parish. In 2011, parish canonically transferred to the local Serbian Metropolitanate.

• Concluded: The final OCA presence in Australia was Priest Ian Bojko, who reposed in 2013.

Polish Orthodox Church in Australia

• Began: 1969, with two priests who left ROCOR and were received as priests in the Polish Orthodox Church Abroad (under the Ecumenical Patriarchate).
• Concluded: Uncertain; however, at some point during the 1970s, both priests were within the OCA.

External links

• Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese in the USA, Canada and Australia
• Moscow Patriarchal Church Blacktown
• A Russian Presence: A history of the Russian Church in Australia, by V. Rev. Fr Michael Protopopov (page 239).