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==History==
Similar to most other jurisdictions in Australia, and other parts of the 'diaspora', a detailed pre-history of the Archdiocese is better told in terms of cities which later formed a diocese, rather than the other way around.
The first wave of Lebanese, then called Syrian, immigration was in the 1880-1890s, where work was found in hawking and peddling goods in the country areas of the eastern states of Australia. The first place of worship was usually in the capital cities of Sydney and Melbourne, with a Greek priest who spoke Arabic.
===Sydney===
The Syrian Orthodox (as the Antiochian Orthodox were then known) faithful took part in the construction of a community church dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Surry Hills with the Greek and Russian Orthodox faithful. It was known as Holy Trinity. A priest was later provided by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. Due to various difficulties regarding the 1898 election of an Arabic patriarch of Antioch, the Syrian community then took to meeting in individual homes, only going to the church in Surry Hills for necessities.
In 1913, Father [[Nicholas Shehadie]] was sent to Australia as Exarch to determine the extent of the problem and to find possible solutions. However, while this was intended to be temporary, World War I intervened meaning that Father Nicholas could not return to Lebanon where his family was. Hence, his stay became permanent. He realised the need for a church for the Antiochian Orthodox, and determined to built it, with the Divine Liturgy being held in parishioners' homes until that time.
===Melbourne===
By the early twentieth century, an amount of Lebanese had settled in Melbourne. These families kept contact with each other, working as hawkers, shopkeepers or wholesalers during the week and using the weekend for social activities and, on Sundays, meeting in the Exhibition Gardens. The first Greek Orthodox Church in Melbourne, Holy Annunciation, was established in East Melbourne; the establishment of this was aided by the Antiochian Orthodox. 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 (Mobayed)]], and on his return to Melbourne, Archim. Antonios was recommended as a suitable priest for the church in Melbourne. Patriarch Arsanios 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 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 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. 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 (Papanastasiou) of Australia and New Zealand|Theophylactos]] and Fr [[Michael Shehadie]]. He was replaced by Exarch George Haydar. *''[http://www.stnicholas.org.au/Articles/DrBtrney.htm St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox ChurchSource]. A history of the Archdiocese in the city of Melbourne.
===Diocesan and Archdiocesan===
