St. Prophet Ilija Macedonian Orthodox Church, Footscray
The St. Prophet Ilija Macedonian Orthodox Church (Macedonian: Македонска Православна Црква „Свети Пророк Илија“, Makedonska Pravoslavna Crkva „Sveti Prorok Ilija“) is a Macedonian Orthodox church serving the inner western Melbourne suburb of Footscray, Victoria, Australia.[1][2] The church borders Footscray and is itself located on the outskirts of Seddon, a inner western Melburnian suburb.[3] Built as a Methodist Church, it was transformed into a Macedonian Orthodox Church in the mid 1970s.[3]
| St. Prophet Ilija Macedonian Orthodox Church | |
|---|---|
Македонска Православна Црква „Свети Пророк Илија“ Makedonska Pravoslavna Crkva „Sveti Prorok Ilija“ | |
 | |
  St. Prophet Ilija Macedonian Orthodox Church Location in greater metropolitan Melbourne | |
| 37°48′17″S 144°53′33″E | |
| Location | 83–85 Victoria Street, Seddon 3011, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Country | Australia |
| Denomination | Macedonian Orthodox |
| Website | St. Prophet Ilija Church |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Dedication | St. Elijah |
| Consecrated | 26 December 1974 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Completed | 1935 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand |
| Clergy | |
| Priest(s) | Reverend Father Ljupčo Karevski |
History
St. Ilija became the second church established by the Macedonian community in Melbourne.[1] Plans were initiated from 1971 onward to form a Macedonian church based in Melbourne's inner-western suburbs.[3] Located at Victoria street in the suburb of Seddon, a former Methodist Church was bought in 1974 and renamed St. Prophet Elijah.[3] The church consecration took place on 26 December 1974.[1]
As a centre of community life, St. Ilija has influenced and shaped local Macedonian culture, education and society by upholding their identity and creating a sense of belonging to the area.[4] Sunday mass is performed at the church.[3] Attendance by parishioners averages some 200 per liturgy.[5] Other religious services are held at Easter and Christmas that attract large numbers of Macedonians.[6] In such instances, the local municipal council has blocked traffic access to part of Victoria street to assist with crowd management.[6] The church also hosts christenings and weddings.[3]
St. Ilija has a Church Committee who administers its funds and other non-religious activities.[4] In the area of Walter street, Pilgrim street and Victoria street, St. Ilija used to own nearby residential properties.[4] The Church Committee later sold them and one was turned into a language school teaching Macedonian.[4] St. Ilija has a church hall.[4] During the 1970s, film nights organised by St. Ilija church were held at the church hall and showed Macedonian movies to large audiences.[4] In 1984, St. Ilija church bought a 40-acre property in Rocklyn to host large annual Macedonian community gatherings in the form of picnics in the Victorian countryside.[7] Part of the Rocklyn property is also the site of the new St. Naum of Ohrid Monastery built in the early 2010s.[7]
Church entrance
Church hall
Church owned house where Macedonian is taught
Streetscape showing all three buildings
References
- Najdovski 1997, p. 86.
- "MOC Saint Prophet Elias – Footscray | Австралиско-новозеландска Епархија". Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- Anastasovski 2011, p. 49.
- Anastasovski 2011, p. 51.
- Najdovski, Chris Ico (October 1997). Contested Identity: Macedonians in Contemporary Australia (PDF) (Masters). Victoria University. p. 89. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- Anastasovski 2011, p. 50.
- Anastasovski, Nick (2011). "The arrival and settlement of Macedonians in the inner Western suburbs of Melbourne" (PDF). Victorian Historical Journal. 82 (1): 47.