Serbian Orthodox in Australia and New Zealand Propose a New Saint

The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand has proposed that Elder Nicanor (Hilandarskiy), an Athonite monk who served in the Diocese, be glorified as a saint by the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church. More here.

Bishop Maxim Visits Australia

Bishop Maxim (Vasilijevic) of Alhambra of the Serbian Orthodox Church began his visit to Australia today. During the course of his stay in Australia he will speak at a clergy retreat of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand. More here.

Serbian Orthodox to File Suit for Return of New Kalenic Monastery

The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand has announced that it is beginning legal proceedings for the return of the New Kalenich Monastery of St. Sava to its jurisdiction. The Monastery is owned by a Free Serbian Orthodox trust that in recent years rejected the authority of the Pech Patriarchate. The lawsuit will be filed in May if the trust administrators continue to refuse clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church access to the Monastery.

The schism between the Church of Serbia and the Free Serbian Orthodox Church developed after World War II. In the 1990s it was resolved, but individual Free Serbian Orthodox parishes and monasteries have in recent years left the Serbian Orthodox Church because of its decision to end the overlapping patriarchal and Free Serbian Orthodox dioceses abroad in favor of establishing a system of blended territorial dioceses. More here.

Last OCA Parish in Australia Joins Serbian Orthodox Church

The last of the parishes of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) in Australia, St. Michael's Church in Homebush, New South Wales, has been transferred to the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand. The parish had been served for several years by a Serbian Orthodox priest, but remained a multiethnic community faithful to its Russian roots.

The decision to join the Church of Serbia was made at a recent assembly of St. Michael's Church. It received the blessing of Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington, its diocesan hierarch, and received its new antimens from Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic) of Sydney this past Sunday. More here.

Impact of Upcoming KFOR Troop Reduction

As of 1 March the international Kosovo Force (KFOR) will only protect four of Kosovo's monasteries, transferring the other properties under its protection to the Kosovo Police Service. More here.

St. Simeon's Village in Rooty Hill, NSW, Expanding Facilities

St. Simeon's Village, a retirement home maintained by St. Stephen's Serbian Orthodox Church in Rooty Hill, New South Wales, will be expanding its premises to increase its occupancy. Most of the retirees living at St. Simeon's Village are Serbs, but non-Serbs are also in residence. More here.

Construction of Sydney's St. Sava College Continues

Construction of St. Sava's College, a future educational institution of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, is well underway in Varroville (metro Sydney), New South Wales. More here.