Ordination

On Wednesday 30 November, College student John Saredakis was ordained to the holy diaconate by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Andrew (Noarlunga, SA). In his guiding speech to the newly ordained deacon, His Eminence called him to offer his entire being to the ministry of Christ and the Church, because “the harvest indeed is plenteous, but the labourers are few.” (Matthew 9:37). With paternal love, he urged him with the following words: “Surrender yourself to the mercy and love of God, because the priesthood is not a ‘career’ that promises comforts, honours, glories and short-term pleasures. The road of the priesthood, which you are entering today, is narrow and difficult, but it leads safely to Christ. It is a journey against the conventions, the desires and the perspectives of this world, that is, the secular spirit, which gives priority to the ephemeral and the transitory and not to the permanent and eternal.” At another point, His Eminence emphasised: “Do not make compromises in your ministry, but dedicate yourself with a spirit of sacrifice and work for the unity of our Church and the salvation of our people. Only in this way will you become a worker in the Lord’s harvest and therefore be included in the category of His few workers. Few, but honest, loyal and dedicated.” Deacon John and his wife Magdaline are blessed with two young sons, Dimitrios and Constantinos. He will continue to work as a school teacher at St George College in Thebarton.