The priest censes around the coffin and begins a Panikhida. Once the procession arrives at the church, the coffin is placed either in the centre of the nave. During the procession all sing the Trisagion. The priest walks in front of the coffin with the censer. There is a procession headed by the cross and banners. Vassily Maximov, ‘Sick Husband’, painted in 1881, showing a traditional icon corner. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)Īfter a final Panikhida at the house of the deceased, the body is brought to the church. This includes pictures of saints, icons and candles.Īccording to Orthodox funeral traditions, the person should be laid out so that their head is the part of their body which lies closest to the icon corner. In some Orthodox households, there will be an icon corner. In the past, people were usually laid on the dining table, but now many people choose a casket. In Orthodox families, the person who has died will be laid out in their home for three days, while the family makes funeral arrangements and pays their respects. This happens throughout the night until the body goes to the church. The Trisagion Hymn is also sung over the time of the vigil. The service, Panikhida is composed of Psalms, litanies, hymns and prayers.Īfter the clothing of the deceased, the priest sprinkles the coffin with holy water on all four sides, and the deceased is placed in the coffin. Traditionally, this act of love is performed by the family and friends of the deceased.Ī hymn laden strip of paper (Crown), icons of Christ and Saints and crosses are placed on the deceased head and hands. After this, the body is washed and clothed for burial. Immediately after death, a unique memorial service, or vigil called the “First Pannikhida” is celebrated. Greek Orthodox Church of St Athanasios – Rookwood.Greek Orthodox Parish & Community of St John the Forerunner – Parramatta.Antiochian Orthodox Church of St Mary – Mays Hill !IMG_04189.Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St Athanasius – Granville.There are four Orthodox churches in the Parramatta Council area: Serbian, Macedonian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches were all established in Australia following World War II. The first permanent Russian Orthodox priest arrived in 1922 and the first church was built in Brisbane in 1926. Then Russian Orthodox began arriving in Australia following the Russo-Japanese war early in the 20th Century and the Russian Revolution. As a result of European immigration post World War II, there was a significant increase in the numbers of Greek Orthodox Australians. In 1924, a Greek Orthodox diocese was established by the Patriarch of Constantinople.
This was organised by joint efforts of people of various Orthodox backgrounds. The first Orthodox Church in Australia was established in 1898 in Sydney. There are around 200 million adherents of Eastern Orthodoxy world-wide. In 1054, the Great Schism occurred, resulting from disagreements over the Roman Pope’s claim to supremacy and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit – led to the split between the Eastern Church (centred in Constantinople, now Istanbul) and the Western Church (centered in Rome). Over the centuries relations between the two power bases – Constantinople and Rome – grew more tense over political and theological differences. It was influenced more by Greek culture and language than Roman. The Orthodox stream of Christianity developed from the church’s spread across the eastern Roman, or Byzantine, empire in the first few centuries after Jesus.
Orthodox all-night vigil (Source: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church)
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