ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE OF CONSTANTINOPLE
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AUSTRALIA
GREEK ORTHODOX PARISH OF St George Rose Bay

For service dates and times, View Church Calendar

Ekklesia – Church

The Greek word for church is ekklesia. It signifies the gathering of a group of people responding to a call or invitation to attend an event of common good. Ekklesia was the word used for the people’s assembly in Ancient Greek Democracy. Everyone had an equal vote, provided you were a citizen, that is, male and free. This excluded the majority of the populace, women, foreigners, slaves. As the Greeks gradually abandoned their pagan religion and embraced the Christian faith, they carried over such elements of their culture that harmonized with Christianity. Ekklesia came to refer to the gathering of the now Christian people, where everyone was now treated equally; male and female, slave and free.

Two thousand years later, the tradition lives on. Orthodox Christians gather mainly on Sundays, responding to a call to come and hear the good news, the evangelion and express their desire to be in communion with the Spirit of Life.

Our gatherings of worship are conducted with colour and charm, following thousands of years of tradition. Ancient art forms are engaged to express our beliefs and convey the good message of Christ. Music, poetry, movement, iconography… all the senses are engaged in a spiritual atmosphere that seeks to keep out the noise of the modern world.

At Rose Bay, our main gathering is on Sundays, but we also have a variety of gatherings and festivals throughout the year that fall on weekdays. We use both the English and Greek languages.