Saturday 23 September, Bishop Suriel of Melbourne received the Order of Sankt Ignatios 2017 in a two-day ceremony held at the Stockholm School of Theology in Stockholm. During this two day event the esteemed professor Samuel Rubenson was installed Professor of Eastern Christian Studies at the Stockholm School of Theology and received at Sankt Ignatios. The graduating students of 2017 were promoted by the bishops and newly installed professor. Finally, the award ceremony for the Order of Sankt Ignatios was held. Attending was Anba Avakir, Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Scandinavia.
After he received the Order, Anba Suriel gave a lecture on: “The Role of St Habib Girgis in the Renaissance of the Coptic Church”. He gave copies of his book ++Habib Girgis: Coptic Orthodox Educator and a Light in the Darkness++ as gifts to his hosts, as well as stained glass icons.
During the visit paid by Pope Tawadros II to Australia from 30 August to 12 September 2017, the dean of Sankt Ignatios’s met the Pope and discussed future collaboration between St Athanasius College in Melbourne and Sankt Ignatios Theological Academy in Södertälje, and were presented a gift from the Pope and Bishop Suriel of Melbourne.
Anba Suriel was born in the coastal city of Port Said in Egypt, but moved at the age of four to Australia. He was nominated to the Order of Sankt Ignatios for having established the St Athanasius College in Melbourne during the last ten years, which is the first Coptic institution in the world that is accredited for university degrees.
Watani International
24 September 2017