On Saturday 14 March and Sunday 15 March we had services for the Third Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Veneration of the Precious Cross.  Matins with the bringing-out of the Cross was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the customary prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  As Saturday 14 March was a day of commemoration of the departed, Matins on Saturday was preceded by a general panikhida at which we commemorated our departed parishioners, benefactors, and friends; the departed clergymen of our Diocese; and our departed family members.  As an act of kindness in memory of their departed ones, many of those attending the panikhida brought non-perishable foods to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.

On Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March we had services for the First Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  All-night vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  Our church was full on both days, with many people taking the opportunity to confess and receive Holy Communion.  Our choir was strengthened on Saturday evening and Sunday morning by choristers visiting from Sydney.  In accordance with the practice of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia,  'The Order for a Hymn of Supplication for the Conversion of those in Error' was served at the end of Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  Following the Sunday services, Seraphim Orthodox Shop held a successful Great Lenten Pop-Up Market in our church hall.

On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of the First Week of Great Lent (23-26 February), Great Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete was served.  The odes of the Great Canon were read by the parish rector alternately in Church Slavonic and English.  During Great Compline many of those present participated in the reading and singing in both languages.

Our Autumn 2026 Schedule of Services - covering late February and March, April and May - is now available in digital format.  It includes all our services for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha.  A copy of the English-language Autumn 2026 Schedule of Services is available here, and a copy of the Russian-language Autumn 2026 Schedule of Services is available here.  Printed copies are available in church as of the weekend of 14-15 February.

On Saturday 14 February and Sunday 15 February we had services for Meatfare Sunday, the third of the four Preparatory Sundays for Great Lent, and for the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord .  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As Saturday 14 February was a day of commemoration of the departed, All-night Vigil on Saturday evening was preceded by a general panikhida to which many people brought non-perishable foods to be passed to a local charitable organisation for relief of the homeless.  The services on Sunday were preceded by a blessing of water and followed by a seasonal blessing of fruit and the traditional Orthodox blessing of candles.  Also following Divine Liturgy a memorial litia was served for four ever-memorable clergymen of our Diocese: Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) (+15 February 1995), Archpriest Nicholas Grant (+14 February 1995), Protodeacon Vasily Hadarin (+13 February 2021), and Protodeacon Constantine Moshegov (+ 30 January 2022, ordained deacon 15 February 2007).  The Ladies’ Auxiliary later served blini  (pancakes) in the parish hall.

On Tuesday 10 March and Wednesday 11 March 2026 the clergy of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese will gather in Brisbane for their customary Great Lenten Pastoral Conference.  On Tuesday the clergy will meet at Saint Nicholas Cathedral for the Rule of Preparation for Holy Communion at 5.00pm and Lenten Matins and confession at 6.00pm.  On Wednesday from 8.00am the Lenten Hours, Typika and the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts will be served at the Cathedral with Archbishop George presiding and Diocesan clergy concelebrating.  Those of the faithful who have the opportunity to do so are welcome to attend the services on Wednesday morning and may – if properly prepared – receive Holy Communion.  Following Divine Liturgy the clergy will meet in the cathedral hall for lunch, to hear two lectures and to discuss pastoral, liturgical and administrative matters.

Updated 12 March 2026: On Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February we had services for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the first of the four Preparatory Sundays for Great Lent.  All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy the customary prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land.  Following the service on Sunday a memorial litia was served for all the departed founders, benefactors and parishioners of our church, customarily remembered by us in prayer together on the weekend closest to the day of commemoration of Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg, the heavenly protector of our parish Ladies' Auxiliary.

On Sunday 18 January and Monday 19 January we had services in honour of the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany).  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Sunday evening and the Hours and the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great with the Great Blessing of Water were served on Monday morning.  At both services we were joined by friends from Newcastle, Sydney and the Central Coast. Following Divine Liturgy, many people gathered in the church hall for a festive meal.

On Saturday 17 January and Sunday 18 January we had services for the Sunday before Theophany.  Matins was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  As often happens at this time of year, we were joined on Sunday by dear friends holidaying on the Central Coast.  Following Divine Liturgy our church vestments were changed to white in preparation for the Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany), and a panikhida was served for a much-loved parishioner of the early years of our Gosford parish, Nestor Petroff (+16 January 2022).

"For every Christian, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is beloved and joyful. Throughout the world on this day, people remember the Star of Bethlehem and the manger, the shepherds and angels, the Mother of God and Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, while the Orthodox celebrate, confessing the cornerstone of faith—the Incarnation of Christ, the manifestation of God in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Out of His greatest love, the Lord descended to be born of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, uniting fallen humanity with God through Himself. "The Word became flesh so that we might be renewed and divinized in Him," says St. Athanasius the Great."  Metropolitan Nicholas’s Epistle is available in full in English here and in Russian here.

"Once again we hear the message of the angelic host, God’s messengers to mankind, as they announce the glad tidings of the Birth of Christ our Saviour, Emmanuel, Who has become incarnate in order to free mankind from the bondage of sin... Let us hearken to their angelic message, and let us make every effort to worship and glorify God every day of our lives. In this way we will bear witness to the presence of Christ in our hearts, Who was incarnate for our salvation."   Archbishop George’s Epistle is available in full in English here and in Russian here.

On Tuesday 6 January and Wednesday 7 January we had services for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ (Christmas).  All-night Vigil with the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and five loaves was served on Tuesday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Wednesday morning.  We were joined by visitors from Newcastle, Sydney, and the New South Wales Mid North Coast, and on both days our church was full to overflowing.  At Divine Liturgy a great many of the faithful received Holy Communion.  In place of a sermon on Wednesday, the Nativity Epistle of Archbishop George was read aloud in English by the parish rector and in Russian by Reader Alexey Douriaguine.  At the veneration of the Cross following Divine Liturgy, those present were given chocolates and Christmas crackers.

On Saturday 3 January and Sunday 4 January we had services for the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ.   All-night Vigil was served on Saturday evening and the Hours and Divine Liturgy were served on Sunday morning.  At Divine Liturgy we were joined by friends from Sydney holidaying on the Central Coast.  The customary prayers were offered for Orthodox unity, peace in Ukraine, and peace in the Holy Land, and many people received Holy Communion.

2026 will be for our small parish a year of consolidation.  We hope to enrich the liturgical life of our community through additional weekday services and by acquiring new icons and other items for the divine services.  Although we will not have a midnight Paschal service this year, we will have many services during Great Lent and Holy Week and one late in the morning of the Sunday of Pascha itself.  We will continue to make newcomers welcome and to assist all who wish to better understand and experience Orthodox Christian faith and worship.  In August we hope to welcome Archbishop George on a pastoral visit in honour of our patronal feast of Saint Panteleimon, a commemoration that will fall this year on a Sunday.