On Sunday, October 6, 2024, Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria and Exarch of Hungary presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Vienna, together with Bishop-elect Maximos of Aristi, Archpriest Ioannis Nikolitse, Presbyter Aristeidis Ganosis and Deacon Goran Ostojic.
During the service, Deacon Ostojic was ordained a priest to serve the liturgical needs of the Holy Metropolis of Austria Parish in Linz. A group of visitors from the Metropolitan’s hometown of Gergeri in Heraklion, Crete, attended and were warmly welcomed by Metropolitan Arsenios.
Addressing the newly ordained, the Metropolitan spoke of the responsibilities of the priestly ministry, emphasizing the role of the bishop as a vital link between the parish and the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ as a whole. “I send you out to serve the Church in Linz, giving priority to the proclamation of the Gospel, leading others to Christ, and promoting salvation. We bear a great responsibility as members of the Great Church of Christ, the Ecumenical Patriarchate – the Mother Church of all newly-established Patriarchates and Autocephalous Churches since the 15th century. This responsibility calls us to preserve the unity of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, to uphold the canonical order, and to observe the ordinances of the Church. You are called to uphold this duty.”
The Metropolitan urged the newly ordained priest to remain open to all, to follow the commandments of the Gospel, to preserve the canonical order, and to contribute to the unity of the Church by faithfully serving at the Holy Altar and assisting all those who accept the teachings of the Church as the path to salvation. He then paid tribute to the priest’s family, who had accepted Fr. Goran’s commitment with love, and expressed his hope that they would continue to support him. In response, the newly ordained priest thanked the Metropolitan for the vocation he had received and for his loving support, acknowledging the weight of the responsibility given by ordination and expressing gratitude to God for the strength he had received in his journey so far.
In his homily, the Metropolitan reflected on the message of the Gospel passage that tells of the resurrection of the widow’s son in Nain, as understood by the Church Fathers.
In this passage, we see that Christ is the Lord of life and death, for only God could restore the widow’s son to life.
He explained that according to the Church’s teaching, death for the sinless is like “sleep. Thus, “the dead who are asleep hear Christ and respond to His command; Christ then raised the young man and returned him to his mother, who, according to the Fathers, symbolizes the Church”. Finally, he urged the faithful to follow this example and to keep their relationship with Christ alive.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
