St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church

Did you ever hear of a church rising from the ashes, not once, but twice? Here at St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Punchbowl, a suburb of Sydney, that’s exactly what happened. This church, a cornerstone of the Antiochian Orthodox community, has a history intertwined with resilience, migration, and unwavering faith. St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church wasn’t always here in Punchbowl. Its story begins in Redfern, at the original St George Church. Antiochian Orthodox migrants, fleeing oppression in the Ottoman Empire, began arriving in Australia in the mid-1880s. They first worshipped at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity. In 1913, their first priest, Exarch Nicholas Shehadie, arrived from Lebanon. A church was built, named St George, but later demolished to make way for housing commission flats. Undeterred, the community secured the land where St George Cathedral now stands. However, the struggle continued. Their priest, Fr Michael Shehadie, son of the Exarch, passed away in 1951 before seeing the new church built. St George Church finally rose again in its new location. The first service was held in the still-incomplete building for Pascha in 1954. St George then helped establish other churches, including St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church. In 1973, seeing the growing Antiochian community spreading across Sydney, Bishop Gibran decided a second church was needed. St George Parish purchased a house at 11 Henry Street, Punchbowl, and gifted it to the newly formed St Nicholas Parish. Fr John Shehadie, son of the original Exarch, became St Nicholas’ first priest. St Nicholas Church continued to flourish, serving a wave of new migrants, many of whom were refugees from the Lebanese Civil War. St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church stands as a testament to the dedication of the Antiochian Orthodox community. It is a symbol of their enduring faith, carried across oceans and rebuilt against the odds.