name=Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, and New Zealand and All Oceania|

bishop=Metr. Abp. [[Paul Basilios (SalibaKodseie) of Australia and , New Zealand|Pauland the Philippines]]|

territory=Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceaniathe Philippines|language=Arabic, Belarus, Bulgarian, English, Greek (church), Greek (Modern), Macedonian, Moldovan, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slavonic Filipino (Churchothers as needed), Ukrainian|music=[[Bulgarian Chant|Bulgarian]], [[Byzantine Chant|Byzantine]], [[Russian Chant|Russian]] & [[Znamenny Chant|Znamenny]] Chant; Russian & Western Choral|calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]] and [[Julian Calendar]] (depending on parishnormatively)|population=743,525 ([[Statistics of Orthodoxy in Australia|Defective]] [http://www.cra.org.au/pages/00000226.cgi Federal Census 2001]); 37500 to 123,490 (2005 internal Archdiocesan census)000|

The '''Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceaniathe Philippines''', with headquarters in Sydney, is an [[archdiocese]] of the [[Church of Antioch]]. Its current [[primate]] is His Eminence Since 2017, the Archdiocese has been led by Metropolitan [[Paul (Saliba) of Australia and New Zealand|Paul Basilios (SalibaKodseie)]], [[Metropolitan Archbishop]] of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania.

Similar to most other jurisdictions :''Expanded in: [[History of Antiochian Orthodoxy in Australasia]]''The first wave of Syrian (now Lebanese) immigration was in Australiathe 1880-1890s, where work was found in hawking and other parts peddling goods in the country areas of the 'diaspora'eastern states of Australia. The first places of worship were in Sydney and Melbourne, with a detailed preGreek-history of speaking priest who also spoke Arabic and, sometimes, Russian. The Antiochian Orthodox faithful took part in the Archdiocese is better told in terms construction of cities which later formed a dioceseboth Holy Trinity, Sydney, and Holy Annunciation, rather than the other way aroundMelbourne.

The first wave Due to the problems concerning the election of an Arab Patriarch of Antioch in 1899 and the decision of the [[Church of Constantinople]] to appropriate jurisdiction of parishes in the diaspora to the [[Church of Greece]] with the sole use of LebaneseEcclesiastical Greek, then called Syrianthese churches were effectively closed off from the Arab Orthodox, immigration was in aside from the 1880-1890ssacraments. However, where work was found these faithful would not be denied Orthodoxy in hawking their language and culture, and peddling goods founded three Antiochian Orthodox churches in the country areas of the eastern states of AustraliaAustralasia: St George, Sydney (founded by Fr [[Nicholas Shehadie]], exarch); St Nicholas, Melbourne (founded by Archim. [[Antonious (Mobayed)|Antonious]]); and St Michael, Dunedin (founded by Hmk [[Nicholas (Manovitch)|Nicholas]]. The first place of worship was usually These churches, founded in the capital cities of Sydney 1920s and Melbourne1930s, with a Greek priest who spoke Arabiccontinued to be the only Antiochian Orthodox parishes in Australasia through the period of the Exarchate.

===Sydney===The Antiochian Orthodox faithful took part in In 1969, the construction Church of a community church dedicated Antioch sent Archimandrite Gibran (Ramlawey) to Australia as Patriarchal Exarch to find the Holy Trinity best way to solve problems caused by two priests having to serve every Antiochian Orthodox in Surry Hills with Australia. On his recommendations, the Greek Diocese of Australia and New Zealand was created, and Russian Orthodox faithful. A priest Archimandrite Gibran was later provided by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalemelected as [[Patriarchal Vicar]]. Due to various difficulties regarding the 1898 election Two parishes were created very soon after his arrival - St Nicholas, Punchbowl, NSW was created as a result of an Arabic patriarch Bp [[Gibran (Ramlawey) of AntiochAustralia and New Zealand|Gibran]]'s directive, and St George, the Syrian community then took to meeting in individual homesThornbury, only going to the church in Surry Hills for necessitiesVic. was created as a result of tensions caused by differing waves of immigrants.

In 1913, Father [[Nicholas Shehadie]] was sent to Australia as Exarch to determine the extent of the problem and to find possible solutionsThe late 1980s saw some growth in parishes. HoweverIn 1985, while this a parish was intended to be temporarycreated in Mays Hill, World War I intervened meaning that Father Nicholas could not return to Lebanon where his family was. HenceNSW; 1989 saw the first parish committee for a church in Brisbane, his stay became permanentQld. He realised The mid-1990s saw the need for first instance of growth by group conversion as a church for result of the Anglican Church of Australia's decision to ordain females, which gave the Antiochian OrthodoxDiocese four parishes, a monastery and determined five priests, mostly parish priests who were assigned to built it, with pastor the Divine Liturgy being held in parishioners' homes until flock that timethey had guided into Orthodoxy.

In 1999, Bp Gibran reposed. The State Government leased a block Holy Synod of land Antioch, having raised Australia and New Zealand to an Archdiocese, consecrated Archim. Paul (Saliba), the Antiochian Orthodox parish priest of St. George Church on in Washington DC, as the corner Metropolitan Archbishop of Walker and Redfern Sts, Redfernthe new Archdiocese. His tenure has seen a rapid growth of parishes, clergy and the first use of English in the Divine Liturgy of Antiochian Orthodox church was built there and placed under the patronage of Saint Georgeparishes.

In 1934, Exarch Nicholas Shehadie reposed, From ten parishes at his enthronement in his early 70s. Then his second sonlate 1999, [[Michael Shehadie|Michael]], became a priest. During the time of his presbyterate total at the Church end of eight years of St George, the government lease expiredMet. Fr Michael worked with the government to find a new site and, in 1950Abp Paul's tenure, they were granted land at the corner close of Walker 2007, stands at approximately 34 parishes or missions and Cooper Sts1 monastery, Redfernincluding three English-language parishes in Sydney, where Melbourne and the church - now cathedral - stands today. HoweverGold Coast, Fr Michael never saw it built. In 1951served by 42 clergymen, aged 56, he reposedincluding two universities [[chaplain]]s in Melbourne and the first Orthodox military chaplain in Australia.

===Melbourne===By In 2008, a "historic moment in the early twentieth centuryhistory of...the Archdiocese" occurred, an amount with the Archdiocese accepting a large number of Lebanese had settled converts in the Philippines (based in MelbourneDavao and Manila). These families kept contact with each other, working as hawkers, shopkeepers or wholesalers during This event was especially marked by a change in the week and using name of the weekend for social activities Archdiocese to include 'Australia, New Zealand and, on Sundays, meeting in the Exhibition GardensPhilippines'.

The first Greek Orthodox Church in MelbourneIn July 2017, Holy Annunciation, was established in East Melbourne; the establishment of this was aided by the Antiochian OrthodoxMetropolitan Paul reposed. The services were in both Greek and Arabic, the altar boys were of Greek and Lebanese descent, some of the icons were donated by Lebanese, and the first warden was Lebanese. By the 1920s, however, Holy Annunciation became a predominately Greek church with a priest who could not speak Arabic. Special services at Holy Annunciation were attended by the Lebanese, such as weddings, baptisms and funerals; and some would choose to attend Sunday school at Protestant churches, but neither of these met the needs of the Lebanese community: despite lacking their own place of worship for up to forty years, the desire to establish their own church was not dimmed. By the late 1920s, it was deemed the right time to found a church. In 1929, James Batrouney visited Lebanon, met Archimandrite [[Antonios Basilios (MobayedKodseie)]], and on his return to Melbourne, Archim. Antonios was recommended appointed as a suitable priest for the church in Melbourne. Patriarch Arsanios Patriarchal Vicar before being elected Metropolitan of Antioch commissioned Archim. Antonios as the first priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Victoria, arriving on 12 Nov 1931. Archim. Antonios was well suited, having graduated from Balamand Theological Seminary and Kiev Theological Academy and speaking fluent Arabic, Russian and Greek. Formerly representative to the Church of Russia for 15 years, the Communist Revolution forced Archim. Antonios to return to Lebanon in 1929. On his arrival in Melbourne, Archim. Antonios brought and donated everything essential for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy; some of these items can be found at St. Nicholas Church today. The first services were held in St. George's Anglican Mission, the beginning of a long and amicable relationship between Anglicans and Orthodox in Victoria. In March 1932 the community purchased a church, where St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church stands today, using four £125 donations from John Batrouney, Joseph & Walter Davis, and Alex Malouly. The iconostasis, based Archdiocese on St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Japan, was completed by Palm Sunday, 1932, when the first service was held in the Church. At the first council meeting of May 1932, the majority favoured the name St. Anthony, in honour of the first priest; however, many preferred St. George. To settle the dispute, Archim. Antonios placed 12 names in a bag on the altar and George Facoory, the oldest member of the community, drew out St. Nicholas. The church was consecrated on 1 4 October 1933 by Metropolitan [[Timotheos (Evangelinidis) of Rhodes|Timotheos]], the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australiahttp://antiochian. The consecration, attended by Rev. F.E. Maynard (Anglican) and the Greek and French consuls, was chanted in Arabic, English, Greek and Slavonic. St. Nicholas included both Arabic members and Russian members, the latter group contributing to bringing Archim. Antonios to Australia, converting the church into an Orthodox church, writing icons and organising a choir, which would chant the Liturgy in Slavonic on every fourth Sunday. When the Russians established their first church in Melbourne in the early 1950s, the committee of St. Nicholas donated a Slavonic Bible in memory of Archim. Antonios. Archim. Antonios did many things, organising choirs and teaching the youth the service in Arabic, travelling to Sydney, Adelaide and New Zealand to raise funds, making the church complete with all necessities and trappings for Orthodox services, organising a youth society which provided for Orthodox youth growing in their faith, marrying in the Church and acclimatising to their country of residence. Archim. Antonios, after a short illness, reposed on [[November 9]], 1943. He was buried by Metropolitan Timotheos and assisted by Archimandrite [[Theophylactos (Papathanasopoulos) of Australia and New Zealand|Theophylactos]] and Fr [[Michael Shehadie]]. He was replaced by Exarch George Haydar.<!org/axios-axios-holy-synod-more content required (up to 1969), but other articles antioch- like one for the archimandrite elects- would be best two-new->*''[http://www.stnicholas.org.au/Articles/DrBtrney.htm Sourcemetropolitans] ===Diocesan , being subsequently consecrated and Archdiocesan===Following in the footsteps of his father and elder brother, John Shehadie became a priest. Fr John served at St George church for a short time, after which he founded St Nicholas Church, Punchbowl, following one of the first directives of Bishop Gibran. Fr John served here until his 1987 retirement. *The [http://www.antiochian.org.au/content/category/7/30/21/ History section] of the Archdiocesan website.*[http://www.geocities.com/abuelabed007/SPAH.htm History of St Paul's Antiochian Orthodox Church]. A history of the Archdiocese in the city of Brisbaneenthroned.

==Recent HistoryOrganisation==*Recent news The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese is a single archdiocese spanning a number of countries. The Archbishop resides in Australia, and there is a Deanery for New Zealand and a Vicariate in the Archdiocese can be found Philippines. There are 23 [[http://www.antiochian.org.au/content/category/2/3/parish]]es and missions across Australia, 6/ here]parishes and missions in the Deanery of New Zealand and a number of missions in the Philippines.

==Organisation==The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese is a single archdiocese spanning a number of countries. The Archbishop resides in Australia, there is a Deanery for New Zealand, and presences in other countries of the region. There are 25 [[parish]]es and missions across Australia, 8 parishes and missions in the Deanery of New Zealand, and approximately 37,500 regularly church-going faithful in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and All Oceania. The Archdiocese also has one female monastery of [[Monastery of dedicated to St Anna . Michael in Goulburn, NSW (Preston, Australia)|with a chapel dedicated to St . Anna]] in Victoria, and founded the multi-jurisdictional [[Melbourne Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies]]).

The Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Australasia (as it was then called) was a founding member Many students of theology have been sponsored by the Archdiocese to study at Balamand University, at [[Standing Conference of Canonical St. Vladimir's Orthodox Churches in AustraliaTheological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St Vladimir's Seminary]]. The Antiochian Archdiocese says that SCCOCA, after being moribund for quite a number of yearsUSA, finally became defunct in or through the year 2000. Recent reports St Stephen's Course of SCCOCA still being active are mere puffs Studies in Orthodox Theology via the wind[[Antiochian House of Studies]].

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Diocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania, Australasia (as it was then called) was a founding member of the [[Eastern HierarchsStanding Conference of Canonical Orthodox Churches in Australia]]. The , and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese believes that this of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines is now a friendly, effective organisation, working for part of the love [[Episcopal Assembly of God spreading throughout Oceania|Episcopal Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in Oceania]] that first met in 2010 in response to the whole mystery of His ChurchChambesy meeting.

== The Episcopacy Administration=====Current Episcopacy======Hierarch===* His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Archbishop [[Paul Basilios (SalibaKodseie) of Australia and New Zealand|Paul (Saliba)]] of Australia, New Zealand and All Oceania.**Dean of New Zealand is [[Archpriestthe Philippines]] [[Jack Witbrock]].===Deans===**Vicar-General and Dean of the Cathedral is Sydney: Right Reverend [[Archimandrite]] [[Nabil (Kachab)]].**Dean of Clergy for the Archdiocese is Melbourne: [[Archpriest ]] [[George Nasr]].*Dean of New Zealand: Very Reverend Priest George Bosauder.

===Primates in Bishops of Australia and New Zealand===* Bishop [[Gibran (Ramlawey) of Australia and New Zealand|Gibran (Ramlawey)]], Bishop Patriarchal Vicar of Australia and New Zealand, 1969-1999.* Metropolitan Archbishop [[Paul (Saliba) of Australia and New Zealand|Paul (Saliba)]] , 1999-2017.* Metropolitan [[Basilios (Kodseie) of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceaniathe Philippines|Basilios (Kodseie)]], 19992017-present.

== See Also ==* [[Antiochian parishes Orthodoxy in AustralasiaAustralia]]*[[Orthodoxy in New Zealand]]*[[Orthodoxy in the Philippines]]

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