The Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand of the Serbian Orthodox Church has taken over the management of the New Kalenic Monastery near Canberra, including visits to the Monastery, following a prolonged court case which began in 2011 and concluded in 2017 with a decision of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. This decision regulates the relationships between the Metropolitanate and the Property Trust of the “Free Australian New Zealand Diocese”.
The obligations specified in the Supreme Court decision have been complied with on Saturday 8th September 2018, when the members of the “Diocesan Board of the Free Church” announced a two-hour visit to the Monastery, including a visit to the Cemetery and the Church. In accordance with the blessings received from the Right Reverend Bishop Siluan and the decision of the Executive Board of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Prior of the Monastery, Archimandrite Petar, and Very Reverend Protopresbyter-Stavrophor, Djuro Djurdjevic, member of the Executive Board and Trustee of the Monastery, have organised and enabled the visit to be conducted in the proper manner.
By informing the faithful people of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand about this, as part of our obligations specified in the Supreme Court decision, we remind all Serbs in Australia and New Zealand that we are, as St Sava’s children, called upon to follow his path, and to urge all others to mend what is torn apart and to unite what was divided under unfortunate circumstances, and to stride into a happier future as brothers of one blood and one faith. We are reminded of this by the sacrifices of all our Holy Serbian Martyrs of Jasenovac, Jadovno, Prebilovci and all other known and unknown places of suffering.
Every division and tearing of St Sava’s vestments and of the unity of our holy Church of St Sava saddens our ancestors, to whom we shall all one day give an account of ourselves.
May our martyred and risen Lord hear our prayers.
Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand Administration