On April 15, 2007 the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani was installed and
welcomed as the 14th Anglican bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
In 2001, Bishop Elect Suheil Dawani led the first Jewish Arab group to Camp Allen in Houston Texas, under the name 'Kids for Peace'. He is the chairman of the Helen Keller Board in Jerusalem, a member in the Clergy for Peace Group, and
in the Council of the Dialogue between Faiths. He served for six years
as a
member in the Central Synod of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem
and the
Middle East.
Bishop Elect Suheil Dawani is very committed to work hard for
the future
of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East: "With
the
support of my colleagues, friends, and family, I have committed
myself
before God to dedicate myself to utilize my utmost efforts and
experience to revive our Church and to enhance the rich
Christian faith
in the lives of our people.
Upon being elected as bishop, Bishop Dawani stated that it is
his objective to serve the
Church, the
people, and the parish, and to involve more lay people in the
spiritual
and social life of the Church and the parish,"
focusing his vision especially on the following aspects:
1. The development of pastoral ministry to achieve the Church's
mission;
2. The family: to encourage good family relationships, strong
family
bonds and Christian education, and to involve the family in the
Church
and its activities;
3. Youth: to develop youth programs, developmental programs,
youth
leadership programs, summer conferences, volunteering
committees, youth
exchange programs, employment opportunities, and the integration
of
youth into all the aspects of the church;
4. Women: to create equal opportunities for women, to encourage
them to
participate on the boards of the institutions of the Church and
its
committees, and to dedicate special local and international
workshops
and conferences to pastors' spouses;
5. Administration;
6. Property and Investment;
7. Laws and Regulations;
8. And Public Relations.
The Rt. Rev’d Bishop 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, Bishop 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 1985, he took his family to
Virginia, USA where he
earned his M.A. at Virginia Theological Seminary.
Returning to his home
diocese, he became vicar of St. John’s
Episcopal Church in Haifa, and in 1989, began
the Doctor of Divinity program at Virginia Theological Seminary
where he completed eighty percent of the program before being
recalled to the Diocese.
In 1992, Bishop 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, Bishop 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 bishop 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.
Given the complexities of managing a diocese in a
multicultural, multi-faith, multi-ethnic, diocese spread across
five countries, The Right 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
interfaith issues.
One of the thirteen recognized Heads of Churches in
Israel, Bishop 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.