On Sunday, July 14, at the holy church of Panagia Dexia (Thessaloniki), the Metropolitan of Korea and Exarch of Japan Ambrosios celebrated the ordination of Deacon Vasyl Pokhylets to the office of Presbyter.
Fr. Vasyl, who hails from Ukraine, is a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was ordained as a deacon by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Fanar last March. He will be serving in the Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Japan.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the Metropolitan of Korea expressed his gratitude to His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch for the addition of a new clergyman to the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea and Exarchate of Japan. He also thanked His Eminence Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki for granting permission for Fr. Vasyl’s ordination in his Province. Additionally, he expressed appreciation to the priests Fr. Efthymios Vakalakis, Fr. Agapios Papadopoulos, and Fr. Georgios Chilas for their hospitality and support towards Fr. Vasyl during his service at the church of Panagia Dexia.
The ordination ceremony was attended by a large number of individuals, including students from the Department of Greek Studies at HUFS University in South Korea, who are participating in the summer program for the Greek language at the University of Thessaloniki.