General News
25 September, 2025
Greeks mark 90 years
THE Dormition of Our Lady Innisfail parish and church has celebrated their 90th anniversary with a divine liturgy by Archbishop Makarios Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
Archbishop Makarios addressed the 200 strong congregation and delivered words of faith and wisdom in the church and a lunch followed at Brothers Leagues Club.
Other guests included Bishop Bartholomew from Brisbane, clergy of the Holy Diocese of Brisbane Fathers Sotorios, Evangelos and Presvitera from St John the Baptist, Cairns, Cosmas Gianoulis, president of Saint Theodore Townsville, archon of the ecumenical patriarchate and parish president of St John The Baptist Cairns, Theo Bakalakis, Member for Hill Shane Knuth, president of the parish of the Dormition of the Theotokos Innisfail John Kotzas, as well as representatives of the Greek Orthodox Community of Innisfail/North Queensland and Greek Philoptohos Ladies.
At the luncheon, Anna Kotzas, Toula Mantgaris and Androula Panayi received official acknowledgement with a special award for many years of dedicated service to the church and community as choir members.
During a visit to the region by Metropolitan Timotheos, he raised the idea to construct a church, so, in January 1934, the constitution of the Greek Orthodox Community of Innisfail and North Queensland was written and approved at a meeting on 5 May, 1934.
Construction of the original church took a year to complete and cost 1000 pounds or $2000. A young iconographer Vlase Zanalis from Perth was engaged to paint the large icons that still adorn the church.
The consecration of the Dormition of Our Lady Church, Innisfail took place on 10 November, 1935, by Metropolitan Timotheos which was the sixth church built in Australia, and only the second in Queensland.
Rev Elias Kotiadis was the first serving priest until 1937, with the Very Rev Isodoros Sideris, the longest serving priest of the Innisfail parish for 26 years.
After 36 years of service, demolition of the old church took place in August 1969 and replaced with a new church at a cost of $32,500, which is the one that stands today. Archbishop Ezekiel officially opened the new church on 25 January, 1970, with the Ayia Treapeaza and Econastasio of the old church preserved and reinstated in the new church.
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