Ordination of Fr. Siluan Dignac from Argentina
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Here is Metropolitan Valentine of Suzdal and Vladimir ordaining Siluan Dignac to the Holy Priesthood in the Tsar Constantine Cathedral on February 22, 2005. Fr Siluan has become the first cleric ordained by the Free Russian Church for South America.


Father Siluan is reading his first prayers as a priest. He was serving in Spanish, altough he knows some Church Slavonic. Argentina is known in Russia mostly from the telenovelas (soap operas) only:-) So peope here were impressed to see a real Orthodox Argentinean. As Vladyka Valentine put it, "he came from the opposite side of the globe, where it is summer now".


Father Siluan is blessing the catacomb nuns. Schema-abbess Evfimia congratulates him on his ordination. I noticed that when a new priest is ordained in Suzdal, all the people are trying to take a blessing from him, so that a long line of people is usually waiting for a new priest.


Here are some people and clergy after the ordination.


Archbishop Theodore, Father Siluan and Joseph Suaiden. Vladyka Theodore is the second-ranking hierarch in our Church after the Metropolitan, he is the main helper of Vladyka Valentine. As for Joseph Suaiden, he was an interpreter for Father Siluan because he speaks fluent Spanish.


Hegumen Theophan, the rector of the school for priests and laypeople in Suzdal (right) with Father Siluan and Joseph Suaiden. Joe is trying to make a scary face here, but people in Suzdal still liked him very much. As one babushka put it, one can seldom meet such a kind person. Although he still managed to scare a couple of guests:-)


In the snows of Suzdal...


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