The legacy of Sister Kaliniki has been brought to the surface nearly forty years on from her death by Heritage NSW, recounting an historic figure who lived through wars in Greece, devoted herself to helping others and became the first Greek Orthodox nun in Australia.
The extraordinary life of Sister Kaliniki (Καλλινίκη) has been put in the spotlight decades after her passing through her nomination for the inaugural People’s Choice Blue Plaque, a new category of Heritage NSW’s Blue Plaque program.
Jason Crosson, Sister Kaliniki’s grandson, revealed the incredible story of his grandmother’s life which has been documented in various books, including one written by his mother Doukissa (Joyce) in 1976 titled ‘My Mother-in-Law is a Nun’.
He also provided extracts from a book written by Anna Cassimatis-Lambrou called ‘A Past Worth Remembering’ which covers details from Sister Kaliniki’s life before and after her ordination as a nun.
“I only stumbled across this book a few weeks ago when visiting my Greek solicitor about a passport application and found a copy on the coffee table,” Crosson told Neos Kosmos.
The book states that Coralia Stavropoulos (née Christides) was born in Cairo, Egypt on September 14, 1907, growing up and living there while also becoming fluent in French, German, Italian, Arabic and English.
She eventually left Cairo for Athens to study to become a dentist, and it was there that she met her husband, Odysseus (Οδυσσέας) Stavropoulos, with whom she had a child named Alexandros.
Her devotion to helping others was made clear during the time of the World War II, working as a volunteer in the Greek Orthodox Christian Brotherhood (G.O.C.B) and providing food to the Athenians battling the harsh conditions caused by the war.
“During WWII in Athens, Coralia worked very closely with Princess Alice (the mother of Prince Phillip) in aiding the Allies and working with the Red Cross,” Crosson told Neos Kosmos.
Following the war, Coralia continued to work as a volunteer at church councils and Christian Brotherhoods, going with other ladies on visits to sanatoriums, orphanages and prisons.
The Stavropoulos family decided to migrate to Australia in 1947 amidst the distress caused by the Greek Civil War, joining Coralia’s father and three sisters who were already there and settling in Sydney.
Coralia attended church every Sunday and began her missionary program, all the while continuing her philanthropic work by visiting hospitals and other healthcare institutions as well as families in financial hardships.
She founded what came to be known as the ‘Charitable Christian Ladies’ Society’ while also teaching scriptures at public schools and high schools.
In 1971, Stavropoulos was approached with an offer by the then Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia Ezekiel to become a nun and live in one of the St Basil’s nursing homes of the Archdiocese.
These homes were originally established by Sister Dorothea, an Australian nun of the Catholic Church in the class “Order of the Sisters of Mercy” who helped set up many nursing homes in Sydney and the Blue Mountains before granting them to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
Stavropoulos eventually accepted Archbishop Ezekiel’s offer and was formally ordained in a ceremony on 1 May, 1971, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Redfern.
There she was handed her religious name of Sister Kaliniki by Archbishop Ezekiel, making her the first Greek Orthodox nun of Australia.
Sister Kaliniki lived at the St Basil’s Nursing Home in Dulwich Hill from then on as she continued her philanthropic work.
She passed away in December 1985 (aged 78), leaving behind a son Alexander (who passed away in 2021 aged 88), two grandchildren, Ulysses and Sotiris (Jason) and an immense legacy that can be further solidified with a Blue Plaque.
“It would be great if we could get the Greek community behind this and vote for Sister Kaliniki to receive the Blue Plaque,” Jason Crosson said.
Votes can be made here.
*All information has been taken from extracts of the book ‘A Past Worth Remembering’.