DIOCESE OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND: 16 January 2026
Teenage Retreat in the Australia Diocese

On the 19-23 of December 2025, the ‘Joy of All Who Sorrow’ parish in Geelong, Victoria, hosted the annual Teen Retreat. With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop George of all Australia and New Zealand the theme for this Teen Retreat was “I am the Good Shepherd,” extracted from John 10:11-18 in which Christ says "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Since the establishment of the Teen Retreat, which accommodates for teens aged 13-17, the year 2025 was monumental as it saw more than 90 participants, which is a record number for the event, from all over the Australia and New Zealand to travel to the beautiful port city of Geelong to congregate, pray, learn and join in fellowship with one another. Those who had never met each other became friends, and those who knew each other, grew stronger together. The lectures and workshops delivered by the clergy and laypeople were greatly engaging and enlightening. The delicious meals provided by the renown cheff Peter Kichakov with assistance of the Sister’s Auxiliary were a great addition to the already spectacular retreat, as there was great variety and multitude of selections to choose from. The experiences shared with one another and time spent proved to be a great power in consolidating past, present and future friendships.

Starting on the 19th of December, the buses filled with teens from all around the diocese began to arrive at the parish from 4:30pm onwards. The weather was a welcoming and warm. Greeted by fasting friendly snacks of grazing mix and a great selection of sushi. After registering in the hall, and being given a complimentary tote bag, drink bottle with the Retreat logo, room key, prayer bracelet and icon, the remaining parents said their farewells and departed. At 6:00pm the rector of the parish, Archpriest Yaroslav (Belikow), rang a bell calling all the teens for dinner, the theme of that night’s meal, Mexican. After the blessing of the meal, the teens were able to create their own tacos and burritos. Once dinner had been completed, a Moleben was held in the beautiful parish at 7:00pm. Adorned with breathtaking frescoes and icons. Accompanied by an icon of the Heavenly patrons of the Teen Retreat, St Spyridon of Tremithus and St, Herman of Alaska, Fr. Andrew (Morgan) led the Moleben, accompanied by Protodeacon Fr. Alexander (Abramoff), with the choir being led Rev. Fr. Alexander (Paramonov). Upon the completion of the magnificent service, icebreaker games were held in the church hall, granting a greater chance for the initially timid bunch of teens to get to know each other. Evening prayers were then held at 9:00pm, it gave a great opportunity for some teens to come forth and read and be apart of the evening prayers. This then marked the end of the day as the teens were to depart to their accommodation at the Deakin University dorm rooms. Only one block away from the waterfront, the accommodation provided was of an astounding quality.

Saturday the 20th of December saw the first full day of the Retreat. With the buses departing from the accommodation at 7:30am, and all the teens bright eyed and bushy tailed, morning prayers were held in the church at 8:00am sharp, followed by a delicious breakfast. The first lecture of the event was titled after the theme of the Teen Retreat, “I am the Good Shepherd” delivered by the highly esteemed Fr. Nicholas Karipoff. After a greatly informative talk on the role of Pastors, and what it means to be a Shepherd, and how we ourselves are able to be Shepherds in our own way, Fr. Nicholas took questions from an inquisitive crowd. Proceeding the magnificent lecture, a short half hour tea break was granted to have a snack and interact some more. At 11:00am the first workshops were held; the teens had an option as to what workshops they desired to do. Fr. Gennardy Baksheev gave an absolute masterclass into the importance and meaning of the sacrament of ‘Confession’, and an explanation of the core element of Confession, which is repentance. Reader Lawrence Boikov delivered his workshop ‘Orthodox Life in a world of AI, Influences and Endless Content’ with great insight from his experience working in cyber security. The lecture by Reader Strats Papageorgiuo ‘Saints of the 20th Century’ was able to grant the Orthodox youth to see and know the modern saints of our times, and understand that the almost incredible virtues of the saints are achievable in our time.

The choices provided were all equally engaging and granted a chance for all those who participated to know a little more and be able to interact and ask questions into their chosen workshop.

Lunch was then provided, which was of an Italian theme. A variety of pizzas were provided, vegetables in pastry like that of a sausage roll style, salads and fruits were all laid out. The marquee was decorated with the colours of the Italian flag as the teens sat down to eat. The second round of workshops were delivered at 1:00pm which, once again, were all equally intriguing and desirable. Dating in the XXI Century, delivered by Archpriest Yaroslav (Belikow) primarily discussed the discovery of each other, revealing that many breakups are the result of people entering relationships without knowing the core carachter of the future spouse, and not being ready to transform themselves or accept their partner. Fr. Alexander (Paramonov)’s lecture on the All-Night Vigil was a very meaningful lecture, revealing the symbolism interwoven into all aspects of the service and granting a deeper appreciation for the service to all those who attended. Choir Rehearsal, headed by Reader Lawrence Boikov, with him having experience in the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia (ROMCA), he saw that those who desired to sing did so, in a most angelic manner.

After a brief tea break, the teens had the option to either go to Confession, rehearse in the choir or attend a talk that Archpriest Yaroslav (Belikow) was delivering on the Gospel. At 5:00pm a small dinner was held as the teens prepared for the evening All-Night Vigil Service. 6:00pm saw the ringing of the Church bells, signifying the beginning of the service. Once again led by Fr Andrew (Morgan) and accompanied by Protodeacon Fr. Alexander (Abramoff) and also saw the addition of Archdeacon Vasily (Kozulin) who is the appointed deacon to the Geelong parish. Archpriest Yaroslav (Belikow) and Fr. Alexander (Paramonov) were also hearing confessions as well. The youth choir were absolutely amazing and in conjunction with the other clergy, Altar servers and all those present, a great prayerful environment was very much prevalent. At the culmination of the service, the teens returned to the accommodation to retire for the night.

On Sunday the 21st of December the teens arrived at church for the Divine Liturgy. There were five priests concelebrating together, and once more the choir was breathtaking. The service ran smoothly, almost all of the teens partook in Holy Communion which was a magnificent sight to see. A lunch was held after the Liturgy, which saw the appearance of the “Tsar”, who invited everybody to have lunch, which was aptly Russian themed. The weather then took a turn for the worse, with pouring rain an executive decision was made, the beach day, which was meant to be on Sunday, was delayed until Monday. This meant that workshops that would have been held on Monday were moved to Sunday. So, with this, the third round of workshops were delivered. Archpriest Yaroslav (Belikow) gave a workshop on the Antimins, a very important icon printed on fabric used in the Divine Liturgy. The head of the parish Sisterhood, Tatiana Pye, delivered a deeply insightful lecture on the topic ‘Changing Relationship with Parents.’ The youth could gain understanding how relationships with parents change when a person moves from the state of a dependent child and becomes an independent young man or woman.
The lecture ‘Who am I? Who are We? Finding Our Place in God’s Bigger Picture’ given by Emilia Metlenko gave insight into the teens role as youth and what they can do for the Church. Two Q&A sessions were held, where the teens were able to receive answers to the questions they have had, regarding Orthodoxy, life and general advice. After which, free time was had on church grounds, with a number of games, table tennis, soccer, etc. Which culminated in an evening meal and evening prayer for an early return to the accommodation for free time in each other’s company.

Monday the 22nd of December started with the buses leaving the accommodation at 7:30am for Morning Prayers at 8:00am. After breakfast, The Serbian Metropolitan of All Australia and New Zealand, His Eminence Silouan, delivered a lecture on the First Ecumenical Council, as 2025 marked 1700 years since the historic Council. In an in-depth and very engaging lecture, covering the main facets of this monumental event, Bishop Silouan emphasized the particular influence of the Arian heresy and its manifestations in our days. Proceeding the lecture, a brief tea break was held, in which some teens were able to converse with the Vladyka and ask him questions. Once lunch was served, Metropolitan Silouan departed, as the teens sat down for lunch. When at 12:00pm the teens returned to their dorms to prepare for the beach, upon arrival, the sun began to shine, as the warm sand, blue skies and endless water invited all to a good time. Many swam, played volleyball, cricket, or just went for a walk. Everyone enjoyed themselves as the time flew past, but the teens had to return to their dorms at 4:00pm to ready themselves to return to church for dinner, and the talent show. On the judging panel amongst others, was a special guest, Babushka, who was a humorous caricature of everybody’s grandmother. The talent show featured several piano pieces, Greek chanting, Dog tricks and a panel show. Everyone was then given a voucher for a free scoop of ice cream, so once the teens returned to their dorms, in their chaperone groups, they left for a famous ice cream shop in the heart of Geelong and received their free ice cream/gelato scoop.

Tuesday the 23rd of December was the final day of the Teen Retreat. At 7:30am one of the busses departed from the accommodation straight to the airports, while those were dropped off by their parents or are locals, returned to the Church for a thanksgiving Moleben, to then have breakfast and be dismissed.

A big thankyou is given to all those that made this Teen Retreat happen. All of the hard work that went into this event paid off greatly. It will not be a retreat that could ever be forgotten. Especially a big thank you to His Eminence, Archbishop George for his blessing for this event, His Eminence Metropolian Siloaun, for donating his time to come and deliver his lecture and his time conversing with the teens. Another thankyou to the rector of the parish Archpriest Yaroslav (Belikow) for hosting the retreat, and all the other clergy involved. To all those that donated money, time and effort into making this into an unforgettable experience, a big thank you, and to all those teens who attended, thank you.

Alexander Mihicinac