Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Suheil Salman Dawani was consecrated as Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem in January, 2006, and he was installed as Diocesan and the 14th Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem on April 15, 2007. He was born in Nablus, West Bank in 1951 and is married to Shafeeqa Fu'ad Massad; they have three daughters, Sama, Tala, and Luban.
In 1976, after graduating with a B.A. from the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Archbishop Dawani was ordained Deacon and served at St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1977, he served for eight years at St. Andrew’s parish in Ramallah and St. Peter’s, Bir Zeit, in the West Bank. In 1985, he went with his family to the USA where he earned his M.A. and completed eighty percent the Doctor of Ministry program at Virginia Theological Seminary before being recalled to the Diocese. In 1987, he was assigned as priest in charge of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Haifa, Israel.
In 1992, Archbishop Dawani again served in the Ramallah and Bir-Zeit parishes, where he remained until 1997. During that time he founded the ecumenical center, helped establish the first evangelical scouts group with the Lutheran Church, worked with leaders of the churches in Ramallah to unite major Christian feasts, and began construction of a housing project for young Christian couples.
In 1997, Archbishop Dawani was elected as the General Secretary of the Diocese and began service at St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem as the Canon pastor of the Arabic speaking congregation. Here he continued his ecumenical and interfaith work with other Jerusalem churches and organized six summer camps for Muslim and Christian children. In the summer of 2001, the Archbishop led the first Jewish-Arab group to Camp Allen in Houston Texas, under the name “Kids for Peace.”
In 2004 he returned for the third time to St. Andrew’s, Ramallah, where he remained until his installation as Diocesan Bishop on April 15, 2007, the same year he was granted his Doctor of Divinity from Virginia Seminary.
As Diocesan Bishop, Archbishop Dawani is the Chief Pastor of the 27 parishes spread through the five political regions of Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. As Bishop, he is also Chairman of the Board of each of more than thirty institutions of education and healthcare spread throughout the five countries of the Diocese, including Gaza. The diocesan schools, hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation and vocational training centers provide the best possible services while reaching out to assist those who cannot afford to pay for services and strengthening the Christian presence in this region.
In a multicultural, multi-faith, multi-ethnic diocese spread across five countries, The Most Rev’d Suheil Dawani is a strong advocate for peace and reconciliation. A significant member of many ecumenical and interfaith organizations, he works with the Archbishop of Canterbury on Anglican and interfaith issues. One of the thirteen recognized Heads of Churches in Israel, Archbishop Dawani faithfully encourages leaders of the Churches to make every effort to strengthen the Christian presence as a moderate and mediating Body in a region torn by anxiety and unrest.
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