On Thursday 15 December 2022, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios and under the guidance of His Grace Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis, Go Youth Melbourne under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, held its fifth talk in their ongoing series, ‘Conversations: Our Calling to Christ’. The age range for this Go Youth Melbourne talk series is 18-29.
The special guest for the night was His Grace Bishop Silouan of Sinope. His Grace Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis was also present.
The event was once again held at the Parish St Catherine’s, East Malvern where the youth were treated to a spread of seafood and chips for dinner. Many of the attendees were familiar faces and welcomed the opportunity to socialise with new friends. After dinner, the youth sat down to hear Bishop Silouan share his spiritual journey.
Bishop Silouan was born in Brisbane and gave examples of formative experiences from his youth that helped develop his relationship with Christ. He spoke about how God’s providence led him to hear about and attend Saint Andrew’s Theological College. He also talked about his decision to become a monastic priest and how that led him to be transferred from Brisbane to Adelaide.
He described monasticism and marriage are two equal paths leading to the Kingdom of God. He also talked about completing a degree in social work and the challenges he has faced as a priest. His Grace concluded his talk by reminding the youth that there is never an aim too high in someone’s pursuit for Christ and that there will always be the ability to recover, heal and be perfected in Christ.
While the focus of conversation was on His Grace’s journey, he also gave advice to the audience on topics such as cultivating discernment and overcoming loneliness.
Go Youth Melbourne woulkd like to thank His Grace Bishop Silouan of Sinope for taking the time to share his experience and knowledge with the youth and young adults of Melbourne.