On August 19th, Dr. Gabriel Bar-Sawme, was ordained a priest by His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, together with His Eminence Mor Dioscoros Benjamin Atas, in St. Aphrem Cathedral in Södertälje. Also attending the ceremony were Mor Philoxenus Yusuf Cetin, Patriarchal Vicar in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir; Mor Youhanon Lahdo, Archbishop of Sweden and Scandinavia; and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary.
Fr. Dr Gabriel Bar-Sawme spoke in his sermon about the wounds of Christ and our brokenness as channels for God’s love and encouraged all attending, especially the youth, to not search for perfection but instead accept our weakness and brokenness as a way to bring Christ present in our midst. Fr Dr Gabriel was given a small token of appreciation and love from the school – a priestly vestment – that was ordered from Antiokias bokhandel in St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Norsborg.
Vi säger alla Axios, Axios, Axios till den nyordinerade prästen, och vi ser fram emot att tjäna tillsammans i Guds, hans heliga kyrkas och hela mänsklighetens tjänst.