Shroro

The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest - November, 2005

People all around the world mourn the Holy Father Mor Julius Yeshue Cicek

By Josef Aslan

The metropolitan of the Syriac Orthodox Diocese of Central Europe His Grace Mor Julius Yeshue Cicek, entered into eternal rest on Oct 29, 2005. The mortal remains of Mor Julius Yeshue Cicek will be brought to the monastery of St. Ephrem the Syrian and he will be entombed in the tomb for bishops below the sanctuary of the church of The Holy Virgin.

His Eminence will rest next to Mor Philixinos Elias of Tur `Abdin and Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel of North America--great fathers and servants of the Holy Syriac Orthodox Church.

Mor Julius Yeshu` Çiçek was born in 1941 in Upper Kafro, in Tur `Abdin (Turkey), to Qashisho Barsawmo and Bath-Qyomo Sayde. At the age of nine he went to seminary at Deir Za’faran Monastery, where he studied Syriac, Turkish, Arabic and Theology. He was ordained a deacon in 1958, and became a secretary to the late Metropolitan Mor Philoxenos Hanna Dolabani. Later he joined the monastery of Mor Cyriacus in the region Bsheriye (Bitlis) to administer pastoral service and engaged in a mission to seek Syriac and Armenian Christians, who survived the genocide of 1915 at the hands of the Turks. In 1960 he was made a novice monk in the monastery of Mor Gabriel and embraced an ascetic life. He taught in the theological seminary at Mor Gabriel and copied many books with an excellent hand. When Fr. Shabo Guenes, the abbot of the monastery retired in 1962, Fr. Yeshue Çiçek was chosen as abbot of the monastery. In 1969, Mor Iwannis Ephrem Bilgic, the Bishop of Tur `Abdin, ordained him a priest. Between 1973 and 1974, Yeshu` Çiçek lived in Damascus, in the Seminary of Mor Ephrem at Atshane in Lebanon and in the Holy land. Then he came to Germany, where learned the German language and ministered to the Syrians of the diaspora. At the request of the Metropolitan of America, Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, Dayroyo Yeshu` Çiçek was in the United States from 1975-77, learning English and ministering to the Syriac Orthodox faithful there. In 1977, he returned to Europe and settled in Holland at Hengelo.

In the same year the Holy Synod chose him as the Patriarchal Vicar for the new diocese of Central Europe. He constructed a hall for a new Syriac Orthodox church of St. John the Evangelist, which was consecrated by the late Patriarch Mor Ignatius Ya`qub III. In 1978, Dayroyo Yeshu` began publishing Kolo Suryoyo, the news magazine of Syriac Orthodox diocese of Central Europe

In 1979, the Patriarch Ya`qub III consecrated Dayroyo Yeshu` Çiçek in Hengelo as Archbishop of the Syrian orthodox diocese of Central Europe, with the name Mor Yulius. In 1984, Mor Yulius acquired Dayro d-Mor Ephrem at Losser, Nederlands, which became the seat of the archbishop. Under the able guidance of His Eminence, the Central Europe diocese has flourished

The Syriac people all over the world mourns this holy shepherd who served the Almighty God until his very end.

May his prayers be with us all SLOTHE AMAN!

Source of the biography portion of the article: Syriac Orthodox Resources - http://sor.cua.edu/

Source of pictures: http://www.morephrem.com/