Longserving Deacon John Dibs joined the ranks of the Holy Priesthood this summer. Fr. John, an alumnus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, was ordained on Saturday, July 4, during Divine Liturgy held in San Diego at the Parish Life Conference of the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles and the West. His Grace Bishop Anthony (Michaels) presided.
The Rev. John Dibs is the son of the late Mary and Dr. George Dibs from Southern California. As a child Fr. John attended St. Luke Church in Garden Grove, CA. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley (B.A. in History, 1984) and St. Vladimir’s Seminary (M.Div., 1987). During his time at the Seminary Fr. John volunteered as a parish assistant at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Juneau, AK, in the summer 1984; was a member of the St. Vladimir’s Seminary Octet in the summer of 1985; and volunteered at the SYNDESMOS Secretariat in Kuopio, Finland in the summer of 1986. (SYNDESMOS is the world fellowship of Orthodox youth organizations.) His ministry has included service in the Antiochian Archdiocese’s Society of Youth Organization (SOYO), on the editorial board of The Word magazine, and on the Executive Committee of SYNDESMOS. After his ordination to the Holy Diaconate in December 2001, Fr. John went on to serve multiple Antiochian parishes in California including St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in San Francisco, St. Timothy Orthodox Church in Fairfield, CA, and the Orthodox Church of the Redeemer in Los Altos Hills, CA.
Following his ordination to the Priesthood, Fr. John has been assigned to serve as Pastor of St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Murrieta, CA.
Fr. John married Irena Szydlowska from Hajnowka, Poland in 1990. They have four adult children living in the Bay Area: John, Michael, Gregory, and Maria.
May God grant many years to the newly ordained Fr. John, his wife Khouria Irena, and their family!
Photos: Antiochian.org
Some information for this article was adapted from the website of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church.
