Cardinal Pizzaballa Ordains Two Deacons from the Koinonia John the Baptist Community in Tiberias
An Echo of the first call
On Saturday, December 13, 2025, at St. Peter’s Latin Church in Tiberias, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus first called His disciples to follow Him, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, ordained two deacons from the Koinonia John the Baptist Community: Daniel Suchozebrski of Poland and František Anderle of the Czech Republic. In this same place marked by the call and mission of the Gospel, the Church witnessed a new response to Christ’s call through the ordination of these two servants of the Word and the Altar.
The liturgy was concelebrated by Msgr. Rafiq Nahra, Patriarchal Vicar in Galilee; Fr. Piotr Żelazko, Patriarchal Vicar for the Saint James Vicariate; Fr. Juan Manuel Silva Lopez, Rector of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Domus Galilaeae; Fr. Ricardo Argañaraz, Founder of the Koinonia John the Baptist Community; and Fr. Giuseppe De Nardi, General Moderator of Koinonia, together with numerous priests serving in Galilee, seminarians, and members of the Koinonia community.
In his homily, H.B. Cardinal Pizzaballa reflected on the question of John the Baptist from prison (“Are you the one who is to come?”), describing him as a man of expectation and restless faith. He noted that, like John, the faithful are often challenged when Jesus does not meet their expectations as a powerful liberator. The Gospel, he said, invites believers to remain within the tension of the question, learning to recognize Christ in what is seen and heard through the Word of God.
Addressing the newly ordained deacons, he stressed that true faith is not built on rigid answers, but on an open certainty purified through encounter, listening, and service. He encouraged them not to build their lives on personal expectations of Jesus, but to learn, day by day, to know Him more deeply and to allow their expectations to be purified through encounter with the Word and service to the people of God. Their service, he said, finds its primary expression at the Altar and in the proclamation of the Gospel, not only in words but through a life that reflects the question of John the Baptist kept alive in the heart.
The Church rejoiced as the two new deacons offered their lives in service to God and His Church. Deacon Daniel will continue his ministry in Tiberias, while Deacon František will serve within the Koinonia John the Baptist Community.
