Melbourne’s Greek Orthodox community gathered with deep emotion last Sunday to commemorate the annual memorial service for the late Archimandrite Hieromonk Fr Nektarios Zorbalas at the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in Balwyn.

Clergy and faithful attended the service to honour the memory of one of the most beloved and respected priests of the Greek Orthodox community in Australia.

Originally from Antimachia on the Greek island of Kos, the late Fr Nektarios served faithfully for more than 50 years as parish priest of the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Sydney. Through his dedication, humility and pastoral ministry, he supported generations of Greek Australians, offering invaluable spiritual guidance alongside extensive social and charitable work. His lifelong service left an enduring legacy within both the Church and the wider Greek community in Australia.

The memorial service was led by Fr Nikolaos Georgiou and Fr Emmanuel Lykopantis, a priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia originally from the island of Symi, who now serves in Melbourne.

Held in an atmosphere of reverence and prayer, the service gave those in attendance an opportunity to pay tribute to a priest who served the Orthodox Church and the Greek diaspora with selflessness, dedication and genuine love for others.

Special recognition was given to the clergy who officiated the memorial service, the parish of the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in Balwyn, and the chanters whose contribution ensured the service was conducted with dignity and devotion.

The memory and lifelong contribution of Fr Nektarios Zorbalas continue to serve as a lasting inspiration for the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek Australian community.

May his memory be eternal.