Jerusalem, May 27, 2019
In October, OrthoChristian reported on the ordination to the diaconate inside the Holy Sepulchre of Saba Makhouli, a native of the Holy Land and graduate of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.
Having faithfully served as a deacon for seven months, was further ordained to the priesthood inside the Lord’s Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during the All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy on the night of May 23-24, reports the press service of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Fr. Saba will assist the priest in Tarsiha, in northern Israel, and his own father, Fr. Theodosius Makhouli, in Kafr-Yasif, where Fr. Saba is from.
The ordination inside the Lord’s Tomb begins at 31:10 in the video below:
As was his ordination to the diaconate, his ordination to the priesthood was celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Secretary General of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
In his archpastoral word before the ordination, Abp. Aristarchos stated: “During these few months you have proven to be worthy of the trust the Church has shown you, because in faith and diligence you have ministered as a deacon to the Orthodox people of the Tarsiha community.”
“You are therefore called, at this hour of the Divine Liturgy and here, at the holiest place in the world, to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit to celebrate as a priest the Sacraments of the Church, the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the bloodless sacrifice of Christ, to baptize the children of Orthodox Christians with three submersions and three ascents and to give them their first Holy Communion, which for us Orthodox is straight after Baptism, and to study the Holy Scriptures, to understand and explain it to the faithful, just like the Church Fathers have done,” the Archbishop exhorted.
“Indeed, it is a great honor, a great responsibility,” the hierarch continued, “… Come forth therefore, kneel before the stone that the angel moved from the Tomb and pray that the All-Holy Spirit may come down and burn up your sins, purify you, and make you a chosen vessel of God, a trusted and worthy worker in the vineyard of the Lord.”
Fr. Saba graduated from St. Tikhon’s Seminary in 2012 and also undertook pedagogical studies in Ukraine.
May God grant the newly-ordained Priest Saba many years!
Another St. Tikhon’s graduate, Fr. Khader Baramky, was also had the honor of being ordained to the diaconate inside the Lord’s Tomb in August.
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