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At the first council meeting of May 1932, the majority favoured the name Saint Anthony, in honour of their first priest, however many preferred Saint George. To settle the dispute, Archim. Antonious placed 12 names in a bag on the altar and George Facoory, the oldest member of the community, drew out Saint Nicholas. The church was consecrated on 1 October 1933 by Metropolitan [[Timotheos (Evangelinidis) of Rhodes|Timotheos]], the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia. The consecration, attended by Rev. F.E. Maynard (Anglican) and the Greek and French consuls, was chanted in Arabic, English, Greek, and Slavonic.
Saint Nicholas included both Arabic members and Russian members, the latter group also contributing to bringing Archim. Antonious 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 Saint Nicholas donated a Slavonic Bible in memory of Archim. Antonious, and as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the Syrian/Lebanese and the Russians.
With Arabic and Slavonic choirs, a youth society, Syrian/Lebanese youth that knew the service in Arabic, and a priest willing to travel to Sydney, Adelaide and New Zealand to raise fundsfor the fledgling church, Archimandrite Antonious was a very suitable and dedicated priest for the Melbourne flock. However, after a short illness, he 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]], and was replaced by Exarch George Haydar<-- in 19xx-->.
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*''[http://www.stnicholas.org.au/Articles/DrBtrney.htm Source]
