To arrange any service, memorial or meeting, call Fr Branko on 0411 750 882 or email wollongongparish@gmail.com.
During Great Lent
The Presanctified Liturgy is served on Wednesdays at 7pm.
On each Soul Saturday (Zadušnice) the memorial Liturgy begins at 8.30am. Bring koljivo and a list of the names of your departed.
On feast days marked in red on the calendar, the Divine Liturgy begins at 9am.
Baptism
Baptism brings a person into the Orthodox Church. The Church requires preparation before the service. In the early Church, the catechumenate lasted three years.
For a child’s baptism, the parents and godparents complete a short course with the priest. The course covers baptism, chrismation and the duties of parents and godparents. Church canons do not permit baptism without preparation.
Parents and godparents bring the newly baptised child to the next Sunday Liturgy for their first Holy Communion.
What to bring
- Knowledge of the basic Orthodox prayers and beliefs
- A white cloth or towel
- A candle of pure beeswax
- Olive oil
- A bottle of liturgical wine for Communion, available at the church
Weddings
Call Fr Branko on 0411 750 882 to set a date.
Every couple completes a course of at least six weeks. The parish usually runs it during Great Lent and at other times when needed. The course covers these topics:
- Communication in marriage
- Conflict, and how to work through disagreement
- Intimacy in marriage
- Finances
- Natural family planning
- The prayers and actions in the wedding service
What to bring
- Prayer together before the wedding
- Serbian cloth for the binding of hands
- Liturgical wine, available at the church
- Wedding rings
- A common cup
Under Australian law the priest is also the registrar and records the marriage with the New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. He can apply for the official marriage certificate on your behalf; the Registry charges its own fee for this.
Funerals and memorials
If someone is dying, call the priest while they are still conscious. He can hear their confession and give them Holy Communion.
When death comes, call the priest first on 0411 750 882. He will come and do the prayers and everything the Church requires.
The funeral service takes place in the church in the morning. By arrangement, the priest can serve a memorial at the church or funeral home on the previous evening.
What to bring
- Prayers for the departed
- Koljivo
- Wine
- Wine and oil, half and half, mixed in one bottle
- Pogača, if it is the local custom
Nothing else is required. If there are local customs you want to observe, talk them through with the priest.
Memorial services are prayed
- On the third, seventh, ninth and fortieth day
- At six months
- On the anniversary
- At every Soul Saturday