THE VICAR

“O Holy Spirit, make us worthy temples of thy holy habitation.”

Before the Almighty God in praise and thanksgiving, We bow our heads. We forever trust in Him and submit ourselves to His mighty plan.

This Church at 35 Mid Dural Rd, Galston is the long awaited dream of the St Mary’s Indian Orthodox Church members of North and North-West Sydney.

The tranquility and peace experienced during the first inspection of the Galston Church premises assured us that God’s hand had shepherded us to this pasture. This belief was strengthened as we navigated the decision making and purchase process of the Church. The commitment of our Parish members, especially those of the General Body, Managing Committees of 2022-23 & 2023-24, and Building Committee is to be commended. God’s blessing and the culmination of the Parish’s effort has transformed the dream of having a permanent place of worship for the SMIOC Sydney members into reality.

The first service of St. Mary’s congregation was convened at West Epping Public School auditorium on 4 September 2011. It was God’s plan, that on the twelfth anniversary of our conception, 4 September 2023, we commenced the renovation of the Galston Church. Parishioners volunteered to renovate the Church, Tasks ranging from building the Altar, to painting, gardening, and cleaning etc, have been meticulous executed by the Parish members. The hard work of the spiritual organizations of SMIOC Sydney can be felt in each detail of the Church.

This endeavor became a reality through the countless prayers and contributions of members and non-members. I wish to convey my heartfelt gratitude to other Churches in Australia. Special thanks to those Vicars, managing committees, members and all well-wishers for their encouragement, financial contributions, and donation of artefacts for the Church. I also acknowledge my Parish members for their involvement in fundraising through collection drives, food sales, website links, auctions and other initiatives. The consecration of the Church was planned and executed with the support of committees for souvenir, fundraising, program, food, publicity, reception, as well as traffic management and roster groups. These committees have worked tirelessly for the smooth execution of this momentous day.

We are grateful to His Grace Dr Yuhanon Mar Diascoros, the founder Metropolitan of this Parish for blessing us and to His Grace Geevarghese Mar Philoxenos, our Diocesan Metropolitan for the guidance and prayers throughout this process. We commemorate the memory of the late Very Rev. Thomas Thekkil Corepiscopa, who was a guiding light through this process. A heartfelt thanks to Very Rev. Thomas Varghese Corepiscopa, for leading us in the services of interim sanctification. Thank you to Sajan, Trustee during 2023 & 2024, and to Sachin, Building Coordinator, for their tireless work and commitment. Their dedication is truly appreciated.

As the prayer echoes, “O Holy Spirit, make us worthy temples of thy holy habitation.”