Concerns regarding language and the future of our youths in Australia

To His Eminence Archbishop Makarios,

Your Eminence,

I write to you arsenic a committed subordinate of the Greek Orthodox assemblage successful Australia, a hubby to an Australian wife, a begetter of 4 big children, and a gramps of nine. As someone raised successful this country, I consciousness a work to stock the lived world of galore families within our parishes.

I listened cautiously to your caller connection regarding the preservation of the Greek connection successful our services. We profoundly respect and value our heritage, and we recognise the quality and value of our tradition. At the aforesaid time, I wish to explicit a pastoral interest that is progressively felt by galore families successful our community.

In families similar my own, when the Divine Liturgy is heard successful English, there is simply a wide difference: understanding leads to participation, and information leads to genuine prayer. Without that understanding, many—especially younger members—struggle to stay afloat engaged successful the beingness of the Church.

This is peculiarly evident among our children and grandchildren, who unrecorded successful an English-speaking world. For them, connection is not simply a preference, but the cardinal to whether the religion becomes something they actively live, oregon something they observe from a distance.

This interest is not theoretical for me—it is profoundly personal. I person already experienced the symptom of seeing 1 of my daughters, on with three of my grandchildren, go portion of different English-speaking Christian tradition. Language and understanding played a important relation successful that journey. I stock this not to delegate blame, but to item the existent pastoral challenges galore families are facing.

We are besides a assemblage progressively shaped by mixed marriages. When the connection of worship is not understood, non-Greek spouses tin find it hard to afloat enactment successful the spiritual beingness of the Church. This tin unintentionally make region within families who sincerely wish to worship together arsenic one.

Preserving the Greek connection is simply a meaningful and worthy goal. However, it indispensable beryllium held alongside the Church’s cardinal mission: to proclaim the Gospel successful a way that is heard, understood, and lived by the faithful.

We bash not question to diminish our heritage, but to guarantee that it remains a surviving tradition—one that speaks to the hearts of radical successful Australia today and continues to nurture aboriginal generations.

Many of us person made idiosyncratic efforts to span this gap, including the use of English liturgical texts. However, this unsocial is not sufficient. Hearing the prayers of the Church successful a connection that is understood remains indispensable for afloat participation.

For this reason, I respectfully inquire that the use of English within our services beryllium supported and encouraged arsenic a pastoral effect to the needs of the faithful. This is not astir replacing our tradition, but astir ensuring its continuity successful the lives of our children and grandchildren.

Your Eminence, this entreaty is offered with respect, sincerity, and a heavy emotion for our Church. It reflects not lone my ain experience, but that of galore families who are striving to stay connected and spiritually engaged.

Respectfully yours,

Paul Kondoyiannis