Commemoration
of the Consecration
15 Oct 2006
“Obey your leaders and submit
to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who
must give an account. Obey them so that their work will
be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage
to you.” Hebrews 13:17
As has been the tradition for countless years, Assyrians
and all members of the Church of the East worldwide alike
on the 17th of October every year undertake the commemoration
of the consecration of His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch
Mar Dinkha IV to the most holy and sacred See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon.
And with hearts full of love and intense admiration for their
spiritual Shepherd, the faithful of St. George Parish of
the Assyrian Church of the East in Melbourne on the evening
of the 15th of October joined in faith and fellowship to
remember and honour one of the greatest and most respected
leaders the Church of the East has ever seen.
While being a small Parish some 400 people flocked to the
Ishtar Reception complex (owned and administer by St. George
Parish of Melbourne) for an evening of mutual friendship
and above all a desire to beseech the Lord God to strengthen
His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV in leading the Holy Church and
giving glory to God for blessing the Church with such an
effective and righteous leader.
As expected the evening was thoroughly enjoyable and spiritually
uplifting. The program of the evening was blessed with the
presence of some 90 students of the St. George Assyrian Language
School (under the auspices of St. George Parish in Melbourne)
who with their youthful smiles and childish presence warmed
the hearts of the attendees and demonstrated that they indeed
are the future of our Holy Church and our Assyrian Nation.
The students of the school engaged the attendees with various
songs, poems and speeches demonstrating their passion for
the Assyrian language and laying testament to the hard work
of the teachers of the school who not only for this event
but each week dedicate their time and effort to teach the ‘Mother
Tongue’ to the students. Two senior students indulged
the crowd with a series of ‘Question and Answer’ phrases
giving the attendees a flavor of the messianic teachings
of the Church which they have learnt throughout the year.
The younger students also impressed everyone by reciting
poems in the Assyrian language clearly and concisely. The
efforts of the intermediate students in giving the audience
religious phrases was also notable. Moreover a highlight
of the evening was a drama performed by the senior students
demonstrating their apt knowledge of the Assyrian language
and more importantly their prime performance skills.
The evening was also blessed with poems and Bible readings
by Deacons (Shamashe) as well as beautiful hymns chanted
by the St. George Parish Church Choir who as usual were a
key factor in the success of the evening with their heavenly
voices. The attendees were also treated to a slideshow of
historical photographs which brought back heartfelt memories
to the all.
The last speech of the evening was delivered by the Pastor
of the Parish, Rev. Fr. Gewargis Toma who briefly discussed
the history of the Church and paid tribute, as had been done
throughout the evening, to the years of hard work, dedication
and service of His Holiness, Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Dinkha
IV.
One of the speakers aptly commented: “This anniversary,
most importantly reaching 30 years this year will be celebrated
from Baghdad to Bangalore, Canada to Kerala, Sydney to San
Jose, Melbourne to Mosul, Urmie to Khabour, Armenia to Auckland
and from Nation to Nation, Coast to Coast and City to City
all throughout the World!” and this statement indeed
is pivotal in highlighting that the Holy Apostolic Catholic
Assyrian Church of the East is until this day truly universal
(or Catholic), reaching the 4 corners of the Earth to preach
the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The St. George Parish of the Assyrian Church of the East
in Melbourne blesses the 30th Anniversary of the Consecration
of His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV as Catholicos-Patriarch and
wishes him many more years as the Supreme Head at the helm
of the Holy Church.
The Holy Qurbana is offered by Rev. Fr. Gewargis Toma at
St. George Church located at 8 Broadhurst Avenue, Reservoir
every Sunday at 9am.
Assyrian language Bible Studies take place every Wednesday
at 6pm. The St. George Assyrian Language School welcomes
new students to enroll. Classes take place on Sunday mornings
at 9am, both events take place at St. George Church.
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