Community and Parish of Saint George Thebarton, Adelaide, South Australia facts for kids

The exterior of the Church

The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George is a church in the suburb of Mile End, in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and spiritual direction of Archbishop Makarios of Australia and is the largest Greek Orthodox church in Adelaide. This is partly due to the high population of Greek Australians in the area, mostly from Thebarton, Torrensville and Mile End.

Greeks of North-East West Torrens

The church is located at the centre of the three suburbs, that are densely populated by Greek-Australians

Throughout the 1950s the area became home to a large number of Greek migrants, and by 1966 they formed 13.4 per cent of the population in Thebarton.

The "Greek Orthodox Community and Parish of Saint George Thebarton and Western Suburbs Inc." was formed in 1960 to help the expatriate Greeks, and in 1965 the members of that community built St. George's church.

Today, the suburbs of Torrensville and Thebarton have a significant Greek Australian population, with 4,471 Greek Australians living in the area, that is 18.7 per cent of the total population, according to census data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2001.

Attendance

Sunday morning service attendance is approximately 300 - 500, which is the approximate capacity of the church. Celebrations such as the feast day of St. George usually have over 1000 people attending, and the outdoor sound system is turned on for the benefit of the hundreds outside. By far, the Good Friday evening service and the midnight Easter service have the greatest attendance of the year, with upwards of 5000 having attended in the past.

People who serve in the church

Father Diogenis at the Epiphany celebrations at Glenelg 2008

Father Diogenis Patsouris, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne OAM was appointed parish priest of Saint George in 1970. Father Konstantinos Skoumbourdis was appointed assistant priest on 1 August 2012. The Head Chanter at the church was Ilias Frangoulis, Archon Protopsaltis of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia until his retirement on 26 October 2011; he was succeeded by John Saredakis. The Left Chanter is John Archontoulis. The chanters and assistant chanters form the choir, which chants every Sunday at St George Church.

Gallery

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  The front section of the inside. (2007)

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  The Epitaph returned to the front on the Church, after the procession around the streets. (2006)

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  People receiving the holy light from Father Diogenis, minutes before midnight. (2007)