January - February 2005
year XXX
How to become
a member of the
Saint Mary’s parish
Rev. Dr. Doru Costache
Parish Priest
I n Romania, people do not
regard the matter of
becoming a member of an
Orthodox parish necessarily
as being of great importance.
Everyone considers
him/herself as belonging to
the parish with or without
being a registered member.
In the diaspora communities,
however, becoming a
registered member of the
Romanian Orthodox parish
is valued and taken
seriously. Australia, as a
multicultural society that has
abandoned a long time ago
its assimilation politics, is a
country where everyone can
live and value his/her own
spiritual, cultural and ethnic
identity.
Therefore, our parish is
ready to accept requests for
registration of members.
Being a member of a
religious community implies
some conditions for the
applicant, conditions which
are not taken into account by
the secular (lay)
organisations. These refer to
the fact that, according to the
Holy Scripture, the Christian
community, the Church,
represents “a people
belonging to God”, “a
chosen people, royal
priesthood, a holy nation” (1
Peter 2,9-10). A member of a
parish has to take some
Christian responsibilities
within the community and
the society.
The applicants for
membership with voting
photo courtesy Gabriel Diţu
rights of the Saint Mary’s
parish can be Orthodox
believers not formally
affiliated to another Church
community, as well as adults
who have been converted to
our faith. The ethnic origin,
social status and sex make
no criteria for obtaining
membership with voting
rights.
The applicants have to fulfil
the following conditions:
(a) They shall know the
Creed and its significance;
(b) They shall participate in
the holy liturgy (mass) and
other activities in the parish;
(c) They shall participate in
the catechism / Christian
education organised by the
parish (after Friday night’s
service), and
(d) They shall confess or
participate in the spiritual
discussion with the parish
priest.
It is of great importance that
the applicants should be
recommended, by members
of the parish, as living their
lives according to the faith
and the traditions of the
Romanian Orthodox Church.
The guaranty for the
constitution of a healthy and
prosperous community is
given by these criteria which
every member has to
observe.
(English translation by
Prof. Cristina Tănase)
spiritual springs
Saint Macarius the Egyptian
Simona & Emil Eracovici
Saint Macarius the Egyptian, celebrated by the Christian
Orthodox Church on 19th of January, was born in northern
Egypt around 300 A.D., to a Christian family. Following the
death of his wife and his parents, he gave everything he
owned to the poor and became a monk. He built himself a
place in the desert where he lead an austere way of life,
spending his days in prayers, with little food and working
with his bare hands. But his peaceful life did not last long.
One day he was wrongly accused of molesting a maid from a
nearby village, for which he was mocked and beaten up sav-
agely by the villagers. The girl, who became pregnant, could
not give birth to her child until she confessed publicly that
she lied and that the monk was innocent. The people wanted
to praise Macarius for his patience and his humility, but he
modestly run away in the desert, unwilling to enjoy venera-
tion and fame. It was there in the desert where he met Saint
Anthony the Great, becoming one of his close disciples.
At the age of forty Macarius was blessed by God with the
power of healing and prophecy, advising everyone who
came to listen to his divinely enlightened wisdom, or looking
for healings or blessings. Because there were so many peo-
ple coming to listen to his words, he set up a guesthouse in
the dessert for the pilgrims and for the sick.
Saint Macarius passed away in 390 A.D., after a long life
dedicated to God, leaving behind a book of fifty homilies.
Once pious Macarius was asked: ‘How should we pray?’
He answered: ‘You don’t need to use many words, all you
have to do is raise your hands to God and say ‘Have mercy
on me, O God, as You will and as You know best’ and trust
His wisdom.
A young monk asked pious Macarius what to do to save his
soul. The old man told him to go to the graveyard and insult
the dead. So the young monk went to the graveyard and
shouted insults and threw stones. When he came back to
Macarius he was asked what did the dead say. ‘Nothing’ was
his answer. ‘Then go tomorrow and praise them’ advised
Macarius. The next day the young monk went to the grave-
yard and praised the dead all day, calling them saints, apos-
tles and righteous, then returned to Macarius. He asked what
did the dead say this time. ‘Nothing” said the young monk
disappointed. The wise old man said ’First you insulted
them, and they did not answer, then you praised them and
they didn’t care; this is exactly what you should do if you
want to save your soul, ignore both the insults and the praise
of the people to be worthy of God’s Kingdom’.

Diet, Exercise and Health
Dr. Emil Eracovici
A bad diet and lack of exercise are two very important factors that
can lead to excessive weight, cardiovascular disease and general
deterioration of our wellbeing.
A healthy diet and plenty of exercise help prevent diseases like
stroke, heart attack, hypertension and diabetes. And if you already
suffer with one or more of these conditions, all the more reason to
watch what you eat and to make up a diet plan and an exercise plan
together with your family physician that will take into consideration
your age, mobility, and the state of your health. Cooperation with a
dietician and a physiotherapist can be of great help.
There are two sides to our diet: quality and quantity. Quality wise
we should eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, cereals, legumes and pasta,
moderate amounts of lean meat (beef, skinless chicken), fish and
dairy foods. Food like margarine, butter, sugar, cakes and soft drinks
should be eaten in small amounts or even avoided. It is always a
good idea to have your meat grilled or boiled rather than fried. One
serving per day is sufficient and you should have two meat-free days
every week. Have your dairy foods as low fat or skim (not in young
children), as these are low in fat, but have plenty of calcium. Moder-
ate amounts of olive oil in your salads are good for you, whereas
fried oil is unhealthy.
As far as quantity is concerned, you should leave the table before
you feel full. Learn to differentiate between hunger and craving, and
only eat when feeling hungry. A piece of fruit or a glassful of water
is perfect for a nibble between meals. To prevent temptation, do not
keep any unhealthy snacks in the house. Avoid shopping when feel-
ing hungry, and always have a list and stick to it.
The benefits of exercise are endless. It increases the blood flow to
the tissues, including brain and heart, increases the good cholesterol
(HDL), flushes toxins from the body and keeps arteries healthy. The
elderly and patients with chronic medical conditions can benefit
enormously from exercise as long as it is initiated in collaboration
with the family physician, as discussed above. Most medical au-
thorities recommend 30 minutes of exercise per day. The same
benefit can be achieved with three 10 minutes sessions if it fits bet-
ter into your schedule. So choose your sport and get started. One of
the most underestimated exercises is brisk walking, which can even
be incorporated into your way to work, by parking your car a few
streets away from your destination, and walking the last fifteen min-
utes.
A healthy diet, regular exercise and good health go hand in hand
and we must keep this equation in balance, remembering Saint Paul
who said: ‘our body is the temple of God and the Spirit of God
dwells in us’ (1 Corinthians 3,16-17).

Informaţii de la Consulatul General al României la Sydney

Actele necesare pentru redobândirea naştere, căsătorie etc.), copii legalizate întreprinde şi nu sprijină acţiuni
cetăţeniei române, de către persoanele la Consulat pentru titulari şi ascendenţi împotriva ordinii de drept, ori a
care au pierdut cetăţenia română (părinţi, bunici) foşti cetăţeni români. siguranţei naţionale, şi că nici în trecut
înainte de 22 decembrie 1989 şi de Dacă actele de stare civilă au fost nu a desfăşurat asemenea activităţi;
către descendenţii de gr. I şi II ai întocmite în străinătate, se vor anexa şi - declaraţie scrisă personal, la depunerea
acestora traduceri legalizate în limba română; cererii, din care să rezulte menţinerea
copiile şi traducerile legalizate notarial domiciliului în străinătate sau stabilirea
În conformitate cu art. 10 din Legea în ţara de reşedinţă vor fi, după caz, domiciliului în România. Aceeaşi
cetăţeniei române nr.21/1991, apostilate sau supralegalizate; opţiune se face şi pentru copiii minori
republicată şi modificată prin O.U.G. - dovada scrisă (adeverinţă) privind data pentru care se solicită redobândirea
nr.43/29 mai 2003, actele necesare pierderii sau a ridicării neimputabile a cetăţeniei române;
redobândirii cetăţeniei române sunt cetăţeniei române sau că localitatea de - certificate de stare civilă în copii
următoarele: naştere s-a aflat pe teritoriul României legalizate pentru copiii minori ai
- cererea de redobândire a cetăţeniei până în august 1940 (de la Direcţia de solicitanţilor şi consimţământul pentru
române şi lista cu date personale; Evidenţă Informatizată a Persoanei, obţinerea cetăţeniei române, dat prin
- paşaportul original şi copie legalizată copia documentului de aprobare a declaraţie autentificată, de către minorii
de către Consulat; renunţării la cetăţenia română, alt de peste 14 ani;
- copie legalizată la Consulat a document eliberat de o autoritate - acordul soţilor pentru dobândirea
buletinului sau a cărţii de identitate a competentă – ex. stare civilă, evidenţa cetăţeniei de către copiii minori, dat prin
soţului (pentru persoanele căsătorite cu populaţiei, primărie, arhivele statului, declaraţie autentificată.
cetăţeni români); arhivele judeţene etc.), sau documente Important! Cererea se depune personal.
- cazier judiciar din România (valabil 3 personale; Numai în cazuri temeinic justificate
luni de la data emiterii); - declaraţie personală autentificată, din (dovedite cu înscris oficial) cererea se
- cazier judiciar din străinătate (valabil 1 care să rezulte dacă solicitantul a mai poate depune prin mandatar, cu procură
an de la data emiterii), cu traducere în depus sau nu o altă cerere de specială şi autentificată.
limba română, legalizată la Consulat, şi redobândire a cetăţeniei române; Cererile se primesc numai însoţite de
fotocopia originalului; - declaraţie personala autentificată din toate documentele menţionate mai sus.
- acte de stare civilă (certificat de care sa rezulte ca în prezent nu

Consulatul General al Dr. Ec. Viorel Predoşanu

României, Sydney, Australia
84 Elizabeth Bay Road,
Elizabeth Bay, NSW 2011
secretariat: tel 9331 87 99,
fax 9357 15 65
secţia consulară: 8354 02 68
email: consgrom@tpg.com.au
Dr. Ec. Ovidiu Grecea
Consul general, şeful misiunii
diplomatice acreditate
luni-vineri: 09.00-17.00
audienţe (cu programare prin
secretariat): 10.00-14.00
Consul economic, secţia
comercială
luni-vineri: 09.00-17.00
Dipl. Jurist Lavinia Toma
Vice-consul
secţia consulară / vize /
notariat
luni-vineri: 10.00-13.00
marţi, joi: 16.00-18.00
Tatiana Cosma
secretariat
luni-vineri: 09.00-17.00
SPONSORS the board:
Rev. Doru Costache, PhD
Prof. Cristina Tănase
Consulate General of Dr. Simona Eracovici
Romania (Sydney) Dr. Emil Eracovici
Liviu Octavian Cruceanu photoreporter:
Ioana Maria Costache
General Manager
layout design:
PRECISE COPIER SERVICE
Ion Nedelcu (Bucharest)
0414 667 542
address:
Prof. Laurenţiu Păunescu 64 Linthorn Ave,
Enfield South, NSW 2133.
Dr. Emil Eracovici phone: (02) 9642 02 60