Our parish was founded by Serbian migrants who arrived after the Second World War from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Most were officers who had fought alongside the Allies. The communist regime meant they could not return home. They settled in Australia, and some of them in Wollongong.
The migrants came from different regions and held different political views. They shared the Orthodox Christian faith and formed a parish around it.
At a meeting on 27 March 1960, they agreed to establish a parish and church. Patriarch German approved the parish on 24 May that year. They chose to build the church as a War Memorial.
Land was bought at 82 Kenny Street and paid off quickly. A temporary chapel went up first. On 10 October 1976 the church we still gather in was consecrated.
What grew around it
The parish later formed the Ladies’ Auxiliaries, Serbian school, folklore group, pensioners group and youth group.
The priests who have served here
Fr Dušan Popović, Fr Božidar Arčon, Fr Slavko Nićetin, Fr Rodoljub Ilić, Fr Živko Popović, Fr Ljubomir Vučurović, Fr Jovan Vukadinović, Fr Stanko Milosavljević and Fr Milan Zbiljić. Fr Branko Bosančić is the current parish priest.
Presidents of the church community
Dragić Stefanović, Milutin Šućur, Milan Delić, Gojko Vujić, Perko Gačević, Milan Maravić, Đuro Babić, Ljubomir Mihajlović, Živoljub Lečić, Ljubomir Delić, Savo Rašković, Živorad Timotić, Milan Sladaković, Ljubomir Krajnović and Milovan Daljac.
Inside the church
