Two To Be Ordained as Priests of Australia's Melkite Eparchy

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
2 Feb 2010

Bishop Issam Darwish, Eparch
of the Melkite Church of Australia
and New Zealand

More than 500 members of Sydney's Melkite Greek Catholic Church are expected to attend the ordination of Deacon Anwar El Khoury and Deacon Elie Francis into the priesthood on February 2.

The two young men will be ordained at the St John the Beloved Melkite Church, Greenacre by the laying-on of hands and the consecrating prayer of His Grace, the Most Reverend Bishop Issam John Darwish, the Eparch of the Melkite Church of Australia and New Zealand.

"I've waited a long time for this," says Deacon Anwar El Khoury, who studied at a seminary in the Lebanon before arriving in Australia in 2003 to continue his training for the priesthood which included graduating with a diploma in education from the Australian Catholic University.

Deacon Elie has been in Australia just two years but like Deacon Anwar has made great friends, many of whom will be at tomorrow evening's Ordination to pray for the young men as they fulfil their calling from God and enter the priesthood.

The Holy Liturgy and Ordination ceremony will also include a blessing by Bishop Darwish upon Bernard Toutounji as he enters into the Ministry of the Sub Diaconate.

Created a Sub Diaconate for the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy, Mr Toutounji explains that the role of a sub diaconate in the Eastern Church is to assist the Bishop with liturgy and other church matters. Education officer for Archdiocese of Sydney's Life, Family and Marriage Centre, Mr Toutounji is well known and although he grew up in the Latin (Roman) Church, as a young man he returned to the Melkite tradition which he had inherited through his father who was born in Syria.

As Mr Toutounji begins his ministry as a sub deacon in the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy, he finds himself with another complementary role, having recently been appointed Executive officer of the Archdiocese of Sydney's Permanent Diaconate Office.

"It is confusing," he agrees with a smile and explains that while both roles sound similar, they are in fact quite different with the Archdiocese's newly re-established Permanent Diaconate Office reviving the tradition of permanent deacons as part of  the clergy in the Latin Church.

"Basically, I am employed by t he Latin Church and worship in the Melkite Church," he explains describing this as a wonderful opportunity to observe "the rich diversity that exists within the Catholic Church."

"Few people realise the Catholic Church is made up of 22 autonomous Churches all in union with the Bishop of Rome," he says.

Speaking of his new role with the Archdiocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate, Mr Toutounji says there are currently five permanent deacons within the Archdiocese.

"But all were ordained more than 10 years ago, before the program was discontinued," he says, pointing out that in the early Church the permanent diaconate played a prominent role. "But it faded out in the West in the first millennium although it continued to be a permanent fixture within the churches of the east," he says. "Then with the Second Vatican Council, the permanent diaconate was re-introduced into the Latin Church and there are now more than 30,000 permanent deacons world wide."

Late last year, understanding there was a need once more for a permanent diaconate in Sydney, the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell in consultation with clergy and members of the Archdiocese, re-established a Permanent Diaconate Office and appointed Mr Toutounji its Executive Officer.

"I will divide my time between my duties as Education Officer for the Archdiocese's Life, Marriage and Family Centre and the Permanent Diaconate, as well as carry out my role outside my work time, helping His Grace, Bishop Darwish as a sub diaconate within the Melkite Eparchy," he says.

On February 2, Mr Toutounji will receive his blessing for his sub diaconate ministry from Bishop Darwish as part of the Ordination Service for the two young Melkite priests at St John the Beloved's Melkite Catholic Church, 80 Waterloo Road, Greenacre which will take place from 6. 30 pm on Tuesday February 2.

All members of the public are welcome at the ordination and blessing and for more information about the service and the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand, log on to www.melkite.org.au