Today (Saturday), the city of Alexandria witnessed the ordination of five new hegumens by H.H. Pope TawadrosII. Four were ordained for churches in Alexandria, and the fifth, for St George’s Church in Vancouver, Canada. This coincided with the Coptic Orthodox Church’s celebration of the 12th anniversary of His Holiness’ enthronement on the chair of Saint Mark the Apostle.

In the morning, Pope Tawadros prayed the Divine Liturgy at Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, joined by H.G. Bishop Bavly (General Bishop for the Montazah District churches); H.G. Bishop Elarion (General Bishop for the Western Alexandria churches), H.G. Bishop Hermina (General Bishop for the Eastern Alexandria churches), Hegumen Abraam Emil (General Deputy of the Patriarchate in Alexandria), the priests of Alexandria, and a large number of congregation members.

During the liturgy, His Holiness delivered a sermon based on the Gospel reading (John 16:20–33), reflecting on the verse: “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:21).
He linked this verse to the service of a priest, explaining that it goes through three stages, analogous to pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. These stages are:

Stage 1: The Stage of Longing, Struggle, and Effort (“A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come”). In this phase, the priest exerts great effort to prepare his children for eternal life, seeks the lost, and cares for souls. He eagerly longs for their repentance and return to God.

Stage 2: The Stage of Repentance and Return to God (“But as soon as she has given birth to the child”). This represents the moment of returning to God, just as the Prodigal Son done. It is a moment the priest awaits for his children, without despair but with complete hope.

Stage 3: The Stage of Joy (“She no longer remembers the anguish, for joy…”). Here, the priest rejoices in the spiritual rebirth of a new child for the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a repetitive and continuous process in the priest’s service.

After the Prayer of Reconciliation, His Holiness completed the ordination rites for the five new hegumens.

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