DIOCESE OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND: 6 February 2026
The land for a new church dedicated to Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg is consecrated

February 6, 2026, entered the annals of Russian Orthodoxy on the Fifth Continent as a day of special spiritual joy and hope. On the ocean coast, near the town of Famine Coast, in Tweed Heads, New South Wales, the consecration of the land for the construction of a church in honor of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg took place—a long-awaited, heart-wrenching, and truly historic event.
The celebrations were preceded by the Divine Liturgy for the patronal feast of Blessed Xenia, celebrated in a temporary church. Archpriest Alexander Paramonov is the rector of the parish of Xenia of St Petersburg in Tweed Heads.

Following the Liturgy, the main event took place—the rite of consecration of the land, led by Archbishop George of Sydney, Australia, and New Zealand, co-served by thirteen priests and three deacons who came from various Australian states.

It was a rare and truly unique union of clergy and laity, gathered for a common cause—the future church.
Following the church's consecration, a celebratory lunch was held at a restaurant on the shores of a beautiful bay. More than 130 people, like one family, gathered around hospitably set tables.

Liudmila Larkina.
Brisbane.