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calendar=[[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
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website=[http://oca.org/CAdioceseAUPDF/DOC-PUB/SB/2006/06.asp?SID=8 Parishes 13oca-australian.parishes.pdf Listing in Australia2006 Sourcebook & Church Directory]
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{{orthodoxyinaustralia}}
The '''Orthodox Church in America - Parishes in Australia''' was the name applied to the [[church]]es who, [[ROCOR and OCA#1970: Autocephaly for the OCA|in 1971]], left [[Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR)|ROCOR]] and asked to be taken under the [[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]'s protection. The For most of its history, the parishes were administered directly by the [[metropolitan]] of the [[OCA]].
There are presently no parishes in Australia that are under the omophorion of the Orthodox Church in America.
In 1971, in a split from [[Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR)|ROCOR]], a group of Orthodox faithful applied to the Orthodox Church in America for acceptance.
St. Nicholas Parish in Bankstown, NSW, was formed in 1959 and worshipped in premises the parishioners built on land leased from NSW Government Railways. In 1971, it was under the rectorship of [[Archimandrite]] [[Veniamin (Garshin)]] who had resigned as dean of the ROCOR Cathedral in Sydney and departed from that [[jurisdiction]]. At that time they petitioned OCA for their acceptance under the [[omophorion]] of the OCA Metropolitan. Their petition was quickly granted.
A second [[parish]] in Brisbane, Holy Annunciation Church, was formed under the rectorship of Fr. [[Gregory Malisheff]] and, following the example of the Bankstown parish, petitioned the OCA and was also quickly accepted.
In 1977, a third group, later named the Australian Orthodox Fraternity of St. Michael, was formed in metropolitan Sydney for the purpose of purchasing and organising another parish, under the rectorship of Fr. [[Michael Mersher]]. In November of that year, Mr Verjbitsky contacted the Uniting Church and was offered a surplus Presbyterian church in Homebush. The building was made suitable for Orthodox worship, including an [[iconostasis]], on [[January 26]], 1978. Fr. Michael was the [[rector]] from 1978-80, Fr. [[Theodore Michaluk]] from 1980-86, Fr. Leopold in 1986, and Fr. [[Igor Chlabicz]] from 1987.
Following the repose of Archimandrite Veniamin in 1994, the Orthodox Church in America was unable to supply a replacement [[priest]] for the Bankstown parish. The parish council of St. Nicholas approached Bishop [[Gibran (Ramlawey) of Australia and New Zealand|Gibran]], then Antiochian Orthodox Bishop for Australia and New Zealand, and asked if he was able to supply a [[priest]] who could celebrate in Slavonic. Hieromonk [[Andrija (Vujisic)|Andrija (Zoran Vujisić)]] and, later, Fr. [[Nicholas Gan]] assisted on a temporary basis until Fr. [[Mitko Machevski]] was appointed and commenced services at St. Nicholas on [[August 10]], 1996. The parish later formally changed jurisdictions to the [[Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand]]. Fr. Mitko was appointed rector of the parish, which continues to use Church Slavonic and follow the [[Julian Calendar]].
In Brisbane, Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church found itself without a rector after Fr [[Ian Bojko]] retired in 2005. In 2009, the parish requested permission to enter the ROCOR [[Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR)|Diocese of Australia and New Zealand]] as an English-language parish; this was accomplished by the mutual consensus of Metropolitans [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington|Jonah]] and [[Hilarion (Kapral) of New York|Hilarion]] and the transfer was finalised in May 2009.
The following parishes, who originally formed the grouping, moved to:
*St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Bankstown, New South Wales; now in the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines]].*Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church, Woolloongabba, Queensland; now in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia - [[Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR)|Diocese of Australia and New Zealand]].*St. Michael Orthodox Church, Homebush, New South Wales; now in the [[Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand]].
The final OCA presence in Australia concluded with the repose of Fr Ian Bojko in Jan 2013.
