LAST UPDATE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 10:10
On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, on the feast day of the First and Second Finding of the Venerable Head of John the Baptist, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar.
After the completion of the Divine Liturgy, Patriarchal Deacon Iakovos Krochak was ordained a presbyter by the Ecumenical Patriarch and was also awarded the offikion of Grand Syncellus of the Great Church of Christ.
On the same day, Nikolaos Amanatidis from Thessaloniki was ordained to the Diaconate and was given the name Oikoumenios.
Speaking to the new Grand Syncellus Iakovos and the new deacon Oikoumenios, the Ecumenical Patriarch said:
“Fr. Iakovos, you came to us from the northern part of the American continent, and you deacon Oikoumenios, of Pontic origin, from the city of St. Demetrius, you met here, in Phanar, the navel of the earth, in Constantinople”.
The Ecumenical Patriarch then addressed paternal exhortations and advice to the two newly ordained.
“Your ordination takes place a few days after the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican. From it, you must draw a lesson that you should have as an amulet throughout your life: humility and a humble mind.
One day you will probably become high priests of the Great Church. They will respect you, glorify and worship you. Great temptations! But I urge you to overcome these temptations and remain humble.”
Then the young Grand Syncellus Iakovos expressed his gratitude to the Ecumenical Patriarch for the promotion but mainly for the paternal love and trust He showed him during the approximately three years of his ministry in Phanar.
“And today, as you bestow upon me this great honor, I assure you of my deep love for the Church and our Ecumenical Patriarchate, and for my sincere devotion to You, not only as First in the Universe of Orthodoxy but also to the Abbot of the “Great Monastery”.
Elsewhere in his speech, he referred to the difficult period of the Pandemic we are going through and to the stance of the Ecumenical Patriarch: In fact, last year, when we all experienced the ordeal of the pandemic together, You, Your Holiness, have guided us correctly and paternally to ensure our return to everyday life, when that becomes possible. This stance of yours is very important, as during the obligatory curfew, the faithful, limited and isolated, far from the possibility of going to the church, now have a greater need to hear words of pastoral encouragement”.