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His Eminence Paul (Saliba), Metropolitan-Archbishop of Australia and New Zealand, pictured left, is the presiding hierarch of our Archdiocese since his enthronement in 1999; a biography is available on the Archdiocesan website. His Eminence has also released his Easter Message for 2008; this is also available on the Archdiocesan website. |
The Reverend Father Raymond Smith, pictured right administering Communion on our parish's thirteenth anniversary in Orthodoxy, has been the parish priest of St Barnabas from its 1994 inception to the present day.
Fr Raymond has also written some articles especially for the website.
Father Raymond Smith is a Queenslander, born in Brisbane, educated at State Schools in Central and North Queensland and Brisbane, with his secondary education taking place in Brisbane.
At the age of 21, he went to India to serve as the Assistant to the Manager for India of a commercial firm. During his five years there, he travelled extensively in India and Pakistan as a result of his work commitments and as stroke of the Bombay crew in the Amateur Rowing Association of the East Regattas in Calcutta, Madras and Karachi.
After six months leave travelling via South Africa to the United Kingdom, Europe, United States and Canada, he decided not to take up his next appointment in Singapore but instead to test his vocation to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion. For this he studied three years in St Francis' Theological College, Auchenflower, Brisbane. In his final year he was the Head Student.
Fr Raymond served curacies in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, and Maryborough. In 1961, he married Allison, having three children together. He also was the parish priest of Goondiwindi, Wynnum and Southport parishes; he and his wife have very fond memories of all these parishes.
In 1994, Fr Raymond, together with his family and a number of other people, after much thought and prayer, converted to Orthodoxy and were received by Chrismation in December of that year, forming the Parish of St Barnabas the Apostle in the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Australasia (since elevated to Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand). On December 13, 2007, he celebrated his thirteenth year in the priesthood of the Orthodox Church.
Fr Raymond shepherds a warm and caring parish, with members spanning from the Darling Downs and the Sunshine Coast to northern New South Wales. Over the past few months there have been four people who have converted to Orthodoxy and received into the Orthodox Church by Chrismation.
As parish priest, Fr Raymond has ensured an emphasis on providing a stable family and on reaching out to others with the Good News of the Resurrection and the fulness of the Faith, and hopes that a suitable site on which to build a church and other facilities might be obtained in the not-too-distant future.
Contact the Parish
P.O. Box 448
Southport 4215
Ph: (07) 5573 7977
E-mail: Fr Raymond
E-mail: Webmaster
Regular Services
Divine Liturgy
Sunday 8am
The Chapel,
18 Tonga Pl, Parkwood
The Parish of Saint Barnabas the Apostle, 2007-2008, is in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand.
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