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={{orthodoxyinaustralia}}'''St George Free Serbian Orthodox Church St George''', in Forrest=, Canberra, Australia, is a [[parish]] in the [[Holy Synod in Resistance]]'s [[Diocese]] of Sydney and New South Wales, and is currently served by Fr Dragan Saracevic.

Since 1992, when the schismatic '[[Image:STGEORGECHURCH.JPG|left|thumb|300px|St George Free Serbian Orthodox Church' came into the Serbian Patriarchal fold, it has been visited by several canonical Orthodox bishopsForrest, Canberra, including the [[Serbian Patriarch PavleAustralia]] in November 2004.

==ClergyFounding and Hiatus (1955-1992)==St George Free Serbian Orthodox Church was formed in 1955, served by Fr Dusan Popovic. In 1963, the church experienced some unspecified difficulties, during which time a group of former Yugoslav Royal Military officers registered the 'Free Serbian Orthodox Church St George, Inc' organisation with the ACT government, an organisational structure that continued until 1992.

* Fr Dusan Popovic The parishioners acquired land in the suburb of Forrest, built a [[church]] building, a hall which they call to this day 'Serbian Centre Draza Mihailovic', and a monument to ''Cetnik'' (19??-1963Royal Yugoslavian Armed Forces)* Fr Jakov Jovic General Dragoljub 'prophetDraza' (1992-2004)* Fr Stanisa Ostojic (2004-present)Mihailovic, the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

Address: 32 National CircuitThe interior of the church was painted by Czech artist Karl Matzek in the 1970s and 1980s, Forrest, ACT>br>Postal Address: PO Box 3339, Manuka ACT 2603<br>Tel: 02-6295-1344<br>Fax: 02-6232-6897<br>Fr Stanisa Tel: 0421-316-172primarily in the Western mural style.

==LinksSerbian Patriarchate (1992-2008)==Since 1992, when the schismatic 'Free Church' came into the Church of Serbia, it has been visited by several canonical Orthodox [[bishop]]s, including the Serbian [[Patriarch]] [[Pavle (Stojcevic) of Serbia|Pavle]] in November 2004.

During the early 1990’s, the Church was fortunate to be recognised amongst the Australian Capital Territory's Heritage Listed sites and remains a civic icon of Canberra to this day. Fr Jakov Jovic served the church from 1992, and was succeeded by Fr Stanisa Ostojic in 2004. In August 2006, Bishop Milutin removed the [[antimension]] from the [[altar]] of St George's. At an unknown date, the antimension was replaced. Fr Nikola Bilic succeeded Fr Stanisa as the [[parish]] [[priest]] during this year. In 2007, the church was blessed with the restoration of the frescoes that line the ceiling and walls. These frescos have drawn many tourists to Canberra to the church, sharing in the beauty of Serbian Orthodoxy depicted in these frescoes whilst learning about several significant events that shaped our Serbian Orthodoxy. Fr Nikola Bilic concluded his service during this year, without immediate successor. ==Holy Synod in Resistance (2008-present)==In March 2008, Bishop Irinej removed the antimension from the altar for the second time in two years, authorising for chains to bar the main gates. It is reported (by whom?) that this is due to a dispute, variously between the property trustees and/or with the majority of regular parishioners.  Following this dispute, the parish broke away from the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (New Gracanica Metropolitanate), and reverted to its original name of St George Free Serbian Orthodox Church. During 2009, the parish faced the decision to be amalgamated into the newly formed Organisation established by Bishop Irinej or to seek acceptance elsewhere.  Choosing the latter option, the parish has been accepted into The [[Holy Synod in Resistance]], an [[Old Calendarist|Old Calendar]] Church based in Greece, receiving a blessing from the St. Cyprian and Justina Monastery, Greece. The current parish priest, from 2009, is Fr Dragan Saracevic. A parallel parish administration aligned with the Serbian Orthodox Church also exists, with Fr. Jakov Jovic installed as parish priest by Bishop Irinej. ==See also==*[[Holy Synod in Resistance]]*[[Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand]] [[Category:Churches|George]][[Category: Churches in Australia|George]][[Category:Orthodoxy in Australia|George]]