His Holiness Pope Tawadros II to the Newly Ordained Priests: “As you prepare for this grace, lift up your heart and make a covenant before God that you will walk in love, compassion, faithfulness, and peace.”
H.H. Pope Tawadros II prayed the Divine Liturgy this morning at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbassia, joined by a number of bishops and the General Deputy of the Patriarchate in Cairo.
Following the Prayer of Reconciliation, His Holiness offered the prayers for the ordination of 29 new priests to serve in the pastoral sectors of Cairo and the diaspora.
The newly ordained priests will minister in churches throughout Cairo and abroad. Four priests were ordained to serve in countries across Africa and Asia, two for the United States and Canada, and twenty-three for churches in Cairo. Of these, five will serve the churches of Heliopolis, Nasr City, and Hadayek El-Zeitoun; four will serve the South Shoubra sector; three will serve the churches of El Salam City and El Herafyeen; three will serve the Ain Shams, El Matareya, and Helmeyet El-Zeitoun sector; two will serve the Hadayek El-Qobba, El-Waily, and Abbassia sector; two will serve the Central Cairo churches; and one priest each will serve Mokattam, East Railway District, El Daher, and New Cairo.
In his sermon, His Holiness outlined four principal foundations that contribute to the success of a priest’s ministry:
- Love
A service rooted in love is the one that endures, flourishes, and reaches the heart.
Be a priest who sows love in your church, among your congregation, your fellow priests, and within your family.
Serve with genuine love, drawn from the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. From our earliest years we have learned that “God is love,” and likewise a priest is love. We call the priest “Father” because he continually nurtures love among his spiritual children.
Make your first priority the pastoral visitation of every individual and every family entrusted to your care. You should know your flock by name and be acquainted with their circumstances. Pastoral visitation is an expression of love that allows your people to truly experience you as their father. Likewise, in the sacrament of confession, be loving toward the sinner who comes seeking repentance, and guide him with purity.
- Compassion
Avoid harshness, lest your ministry become unacceptable. Be mindful of people’s circumstances, struggles, and needs, serving every segment of your congregation. You are ordained a priest for the sake of those who are sick—those suffering in body, soul, and spirit.
Serve with a heart full of compassion. Let your words be filled with mercy and tenderness, and be a source of strength for others.
Follow the example of our Lord Christ in His ministry, for He dealt with sinners with great compassion. Be open to everyone, and remember that the poor are your helpers on the path to entering the Kingdom.
- Faithfulness
Be faithful in every word you speak and in all your relationships.
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15–16)
Remain faithful in financial matters, in your relationship with your bishop, and within your own family.
“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”(Revelation 2:10)
In every aspect of your ministry, let your faithfulness be complete.
- Peace
Be a peacemaker, for this makes you a son of God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”(Matthew 5:9)
Promote peace among the servants and the congregation. A peaceful church receives abundant blessings from God; it grows, flourishes, and ministers effectively.
Place these four principles at the center of every aspect of your ministry. Never neglect your relationship with your father of confession, and faithfully preserve your times of personal spiritual retreat, for they are essential to your spiritual vitality.
As you prepare for this grace, lift up your heart and make a covenant before God that you will walk in love, compassion, faithfulness, and peace. May these principles characterize your new priestly life, and may God grant you rest, grace, help, and good health, so that you may serve Him in spirit and in truth.
This page is also available in:
العربية
