Dear brothers and sisters,
With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan, we are publishing the Speech delivered by Fr Deacon Ephraim Haddad at the festive lunch on the occasion of his ordination to the holy diaconate, January 5th, 2025. The full text of the speech is provided below, but here is also the link to a pdf-file version: Dcn Ephraim Ordination Speech.pdf
Speech by Deacon Ephraim on the Occasion of his Ordination, January 5th, 2025
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
I stand before you today as a deacon in the Holy Apostolic Orthodox Church, a servant of the all-good and almighty God, and a servant to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.
For a long time, I have been waiting for this new day in my life, remembering the words of Saint Basil the Great, who says: “Strive to make yourself worthy and worthy of the honorable laws, then think and reflect on whom you stand before, and how you will complete the honorable service.”
I will always try to keep this commandment, but I know how difficult it is in our present day, in which sin has become easy. But God, whom I always believed was seeing me from above, was seeing me from within, made it easy and arranged all matters for me, as He placed spiritual people to guide me according to the amount of their love that they sought from God.
The first of them is the father of fathers, the shepherd of shepherds, master of masters 13th of the Holy Apostles, Kyrios Kyrios John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, my teacher since my teenage years when he was Metropolitan of Europe, as he had the merit of placing the love of God in my heart and planting in me the love of the true holy service of Christ through his spiritual teachings, his paternal care that continued with me throughout my journey in studying theology at the University of Balamand and unto this present day
I also thank from the bottom of my heart, His Eminence Silouan, Metropolitan of the British Isles and Ireland for your support, patience, paternal tenderness, generosity and guidance since the beginning of your episcopal ministry here. I thank you for your sincere fatherhood and endless dedication. What I have seen in you I have not seen in anyone else, my venerable master. I pray to Almighty God to grant you many more years as a father and inspiration to this God-protected Archdiocese so that we may grow more through you in grace, love and humility as servants of the Most High God, our Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be all the glory.
I also thank the Abbot and Fathers of the Holy Royal Stavropegic Monastery of Machairas Cyprus, to which I was sent just before my ordination, where I experienced monastic life through silence and prayer to better prepare myself for this solemn and blessed day. His Eminence Bishop Epiphanius, the Abbot, is a source of grace, he is close to my heart because he enriched my spiritual life and brought me closer to Christ so that I may become a man prepared as much as possible for this blessed ministry, even if I was unworthy, to stand before the Lord.
I also thank my beloved family, my mother, father and siblings. There are no words that can describe how grateful I feel for your love, support and patience, which the good God has given you. You are an icon of a good family. I love you always until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I would like to thank priest Father Jonathan for his spiritual guidance and prayers, which he blessed me with from the beginning of my church life.
I would also like to thank all those who came from afar, especially our family friends from Cyprus, who travelled specially to be with me on this blessed day by the grace of God.
I thank the Faculty of Theology at the University of Balamand, the Dean Archimandrite Jack Khalil, and the professors, staff, and students who contributed to my spiritual and intellectual growth. Balamand is truly the cornerstone of our Holy Patriarchate of Antioch.
I also feel joy for your presence, my beloved ones, my family and friends, without whom my day would not be complete, as the apostolic laws say that the community of believers are who elect a man as a deacon or priest by exclaiming the word “worthy”. I will rejoice with you at all times of my life in God because He is joy and peace.
I pray to the Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, to protect, guide and support all who place their hope in her.
“My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready”. Amen
