The youth committee of St Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church Prospect in Adelaide has found a unique and innovative way to give parishioners some hope and comfort during those difficult times.

The #SaintYourselfaSeat initiative gives any parishioner the opportunity to have an icon of their choice made up by the church and then placed on a seat inside the church representing them or members of their family.

Since its inception last week the response to the project from the public has been incredibly overwhelming and the church has been inundated with icon requests from all over the world.

“We are just shy of 500 icon requests in little over a week. We are working day and night to have as many icons as we can hanging on the church seats before Holy Week. Our aim is to have our church full before Easter,” Mr Nicolaos Demourtzidis, former president of the youth committee, told Neos Kosmos.

The initiative was born following Archbishop Makarios’ announcement that public worship was going to be suspended indefinitely, amidst coronavirus fears.

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“Going to church is very important to many. A closed church for worship is something we read in history books; never did we think it would happen in our time. After closing the doors of the church to the public many parishioners were left feeling sad and depressed as that was their way to connect with God and find comfort within their little church community. Many have the desire to be present at church, and the #SaintYourselfaSeat initiative is a unique and special way for the community to attend their beloved church,” Mr Demourtzidis said.

A personalised message for each family or individual is included on the back of each icon.

The aim is to keep the icons safe inside the church until the Covid-19 nightmare is over.

Then all icons will be given to their owners to keep as a memory of this difficult time.

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“The church has always remained a spiritual hospice, a place of gathering and worship for the Greek community and it will continue to be in the future. There are many anxious people in the community right now and if they find comfort in participating in this initiative, we see that as a blessing and a way to maintain our constant and unceasing connection to our faith and our church,” Mr Demourtzidis said..

If people would like to participate in Saint Yourself a Seat, they can get in contact with St Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church Prospect or email their request to admin@stanthonychurch.com.au. Note: There is a $20 donation per icon.