The first church municipality (parish) – church in Australia, and in general in the Diaspora, by name Macedonian Orthodox Church was founded in Crabbes Creek, New South Wales in 1946. Later in 1952, the Macedonians in Fitzroy, Melbourne, organize a church municipality (parish) – the church of St. Cyril and Methodius, and because at that time the Macedonian Church had not yet organized church life and diocese, the sanctification and registration was carried out by the Bulgarian bishop Andrej Velichki, under the name Macedonian-Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church. The word given by the Bulgarian bishop before the Macedonians organized in the church municipality, that their church municipality will be handed over under the jurisdiction of the Macedonian Orthodox Church as soon as it becomes organized, it was never been fulfilled. In 1958 in Queanbeyan, a new church municipality is organized – Sveti Ilija which also fell under the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church until 1969, when it re-registered under company law under the name Macedonian Orthodox municipality of Queanbeyan and the surrounding areas.
Towards the end of 1959, in Melbourne a third church municipality – is organized, and it is registered as a company under the name Macedonian Orthodox municipality of Melbourne and Victoria. Orthodox Macedonians of this church community bought space in Fitzroy which was transformed into a church dedicated to St. George the Victorious. The sanctification was performed by the Bishop of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Naum in 1960.
In the period from 1959 to 1967, when for the parishes in the Diaspora cares the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in the territory of Australia, without the church of St. Cyril and Methodius in Fitzroy, are organized in total four church municipalities, but unfortunately all of them are as companies and not as ecclesiastical municipalities (parishes) that have received Regulations in accordance with the Constitution of the MOC and the Holy Canons and approved by the Holy Synod of MOC. Since 1967, the Australian territory constitutes an integral part of the newly formed US-Canadian and Australian Diocese which until 1974 is operated by Metropolitan Kirill as the competent Bishop. In 1971 the First Diocesan Assembly was held in Wollongong on which uniform Regulations for the work of the parishes were brought in.
The period under the leadership of the Metropolitan Kirill ends with 9 organized parishes and churches, of which, besides the mentioned are the Church of St. Nicholas in Perth, Holy Mother of God in New Castle, the Church St. Naum in Adelaide. In 1974, at the Clergy – Laity Council (Assembly) the Constitution of the MOC is amended and supplemented and then the Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia as distinctive for the Australian diaspora was formed and is placed under the direction of Holy Sinod of MPC until 1981, when the Metropolitan Timothy was appointed as a competent Bishop.
In 1974 the first Regulations approved by the Holy Synod for the church municipalities of Footscray and Yarraville in Melbourne has been passed, and since then, as a condition to establish a church municipality and be under the jurisdiction of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, it was needed at the Church – Municipal Election Assembly to elect receiving of uniform Regulations approved by the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
At the time of Metropolitan Timothy 6 church municipalities (parishes) and churches are organized and built that received Regulations approved by the Holy Synod. Bishop Timothy manages the Diocese until 1994 when he was dismissed upon his request. Just before the request to be dismissed, 12 church municipalities (parishes) have given up the cooperation and joint management of churches and monasteries, and only 5 remained under his authority and in the Diocese.
After one-year period when the Holy Synod was compelled again to govern manage the Diocese they concluded that there is a real danger of disintegration of the Diocese. Once SAS of MOC, brought a solution that to overcome the situation it was necessary to appoint a new Bishop, in 1996, unanimously, a new competent Bishop, Metropolitan Peter was elected.
In 1996 in Gelong, under the presidency of the competent Prelate, Metropolitan Petar, a Diocesan assembly was held on which a Statute of the Diocese was brought in confirmed by the Supreme Courts of Victoria and New South Wales.
In 1997, Diocese of Australia and New Zealand succeed to regulate the legal status and registration before the state named: Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand. Later, due to the conditions and requirements, a small change is made and finally it was registered under the name: Macedonian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, whereby it is especially emphasized that it is under the jurisdiction of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric, based in Skopje.
The organization of the canonical church life in Australia represented a painstaking process. Many unfortunate incidents and problems occur due to abuse and trying to seize the property of the Macedonian Orthodox Church by individuals and groups, in violation of church laws, the Constitution of the MOC-OA and the Statute of the Diocese, they usurped and managed Churches as companies and incorporated associations. Therefore, as an unavoidable alternative are trials to prove that the church property is owned by the Macedonian Orthodox Church, and the Bishop, clergy and believers are obliged to keep only as its and God’s. From 1996 onwards, the property is returned with court rulings and in church-canonical unity with the MOC there are returned: 3 parishes and 1 church by court settlement.
From 1996 to date, there are organized 11 new parishes that are built and consecrated 11 new churches. Besides them there were purchased, there were converted and sanctified two churches and also for a short time were purchased and built two new monasteries: St. Prohor Pchinski Donnybrook and Sveta Petka in Kembla Grunge. Six diocesan churches are fully fresco-painted in the Macedonian-Byzantine style, and 8 churches are made new iconostasis and the iconostasis icons.
In all churches there are made Bishops thrones, that was not the case in the period before 1996. Within the churches and municipalities there are built 7 new church or diocesan spiritual centres that do not serve as the old centres, only for eating and drinking, feasting and dances, but primarily to carry out the mission of the church. Besides the renovated Temporary Metropolis in Footscray and Metropolitan residence in Caroline Springs, there has begun the construction of the new Metropolitan administrative building in the Cathedral Church in Melbourne.
In 2016, within the Macedonian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Australia and New Zealand a Trust Corporation was established and registered, in which there are entrusted more church-municipal properties, and soon, the other parishes in the Diocese have committed to do the same. The Church properties in the Corporation trusteeship “Macedonian Orthodox Church – Diocese of Australia and New Zealand,” according to church canons and laws keep body guardianship of property, i.e. Diocesan Ruling Committee, whose members under the Church laws are confirmed and elected at the Diocesan Assembly.
By organizing the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand and registration of church property in the Trust Trust Corporation the process is largely accelerated, finally in the Australian Parliament to adopt a law on custody of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand.
