Metropolitan SABA’s Vision of Diaconal Service and What We as an Archdiocese Are Going to Do

God has revealed Himself to be a God of Love. He has also revealed to us that we are created in His image and likeness. The divine love is shown in giving and serving. Love is not stagnant; rather, it is dynamic. Our God does everything for us and for the salvation of the world. It follows that we have “built into our DNA” the desire to serve.

Deacon means “servant” and the servant, of course, is one who serves! With this in mind, let us reflect together on what Sayidna SABA has shared of his vision or visions for America. He says that it is for him a scandal that the churches and church halls in America are empty during the week. The people need to come more regularly to pray, to fellowship, to learn and to serve. The priests cannot do all the work alone, particularly because the needs in our complex society are so specialized. Parishes need to identify the needs of their parishioners and of the communities in which they live. Deacons and lay ministers need to be identified and recruited to lead these educational and service projects, and our faithful need to come forward to bear witness to the God who serves, through these efforts.

The Antiochian Women have responded to this call by initiating a bank of potential outreach ministries, with suggestions of best practices, that will be available on the Antiochian Women pages of the Archdiocese’s website. These projects will include efforts like mentoring young mothers, offering a “mother’s day out” (weekly or monthly baby sitting at the Church so that mothers can take care of their other needs), food and clothing programs for the poor, dress-up help for women to prepare for job interviews, parenting coaching, and weekly fellowship events for seniors.

In his three-part article “On the Ministry of the Diaconate” in this issue of The WORD, you will find the plan for the ordination of male leaders willing to serve. Leading the ministries in the parishes is not just for women! Men are asked to step up and lead the way in men’s ministries to men and other services as well. Of course, all these initiatives will take your cooperation, and the service of both men and women and must be coordinated and done in an orderly way, under the direction of the priests and bishops.

These initiatives were rolled out the same week as we translated the relics of St. Raphael. It will take me some time to process the magnitude of this event before I can bring myself to write about it. For now, I am satisfied to share the vision of St. Raphael bringing God’s sacramental mysteries to the relocated Antiochians and other Orthodox of America, which is paralleled by Sayidna SABA’s plan to witness to America through charitable service and education.

Sayidna SABA has a vision for the Archdiocese of America. More importantly, he has the spiritual depth and the pastoral heart to inspire and lead, and the will and determination to make such a vision a reality. May God give Sayidna and us the energy and enthusiasm to accomplish God’s will.

The Most Reverend Metropolitan SABA

The Right Reverend Bishop THOMAS

The Right Reverend Bishop ALEXANDER

The Right Reverend Bishop JOHN

The Right Reverend Bishop ANTHONY

The Right Reverend Bishop NICHOLAS

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