Feb 24, 20192 min read

Building the new Chapel of St Mark and St Herman

During February 2019 the exarchate built a new chapel of St Mark and St Herman in Ferntree Gully.

Day One

The day began with a blessing from Archbishop Raffaele as he consecrated the ground where the chapel would be built. Next, a wooden flooring frame was built and secured to the consecrated ground. Towards the end of the day, the walls of the building began being constructed.

After a hard day's work, the team enjoyed a meal and relaxed, watching a film together.

Day Two

The morning began with the construction of the chapel walls. Measurements were made and metal was drilled and eventually, the walls were ready to be erected. Father Mark and Archbishop Raffaele held the walls of the building and they were joined and secured to the flooring frame.

Next, the roof was built and connected to the building, the door was attached and a latch fitted. The internal flooring was laid and the building sealed. In the evening the decking was begun.

Day Three

After the decking was completed and the flooring was secured, the building was consecrated.

Archbishop Raffaele and Father Mark first blessed and consecrated the outside of the building with incense and oil. They then read passages from the Gospels at each of the four walls. Once this was done, the entrance was blessed and the inside of the building was consecrated with incense and oil. The sign of the cross was made with Chrism oil on the floor, and another passage from the Gospel was read. An icon of Jesus was set against the back wall and incense was burned in front of it.

Day Four

Once the building had been consecrated, it was time to begin decorating the inside of the chapel.

After selecting some fabric to line the walls, some interior frames were built to hold the cloth. Rugs were fixed to the floor and the wooden frames were covered in beautiful fabrics.

Day Five

After the inside construction was complete, it was time to fully decorate inside the chapel.

Icons were displayed on the walls and lamps were hung around the sanctuary and iconostasis.

An alter and preparation table were also found and placed inside the sanctuary. An alter cloth was sewn from some material to match the fabric on the walls. By the end of the day it looked really beautiful!

Day Six

Now that the chapel was decorated and ready to fully welcome our Lord inside, the final day started with a liturgy held in the new chapel.

During the liturgy, the new altar was consecrated with holy water, wine, incense, wax and oil, and the new altar cloth was laid on top of a shroud. The new lamps were lit, and Father Mark received a certificate of consecration from the Archbishop for his new chapel.