Chaplain Retchie Salvador’s ordination at St Andrews Cathedral on February 22, 2025, was a momentous occasion filled with joy, pride, and cultural celebration. Mission to Seafarers Sydney Board, volunteers and staff joined Chaplain Retchie’s family and community, including relatives who had travelled from the Philippines, to honour his remarkable achievement together.
Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, enthusiastically performed the ceremony commissioning 27 men and women as deacons at St Andrews Cathedral which overflowed with more than 1,000 well-wishers. “What a privilege, what a joy!” he said.
Chaplain Retchie’s remarkable achievement is a testament to his commitment, capability, compassionate faith and hard work. He is the first indigenous Filipino from the highland Cordillera Region of Luzon to meet Sydney’s rigorous Anglican ordination criteria and he managed to do so in only one year. His ordination opens more opportunities for him to serve on land and at sea as he is now formally recognised as clergy within the Anglican community – worldwide!
The Sydney Anglican Diocese’s comprehensive and highly-respected ordination process is done to ensure all candidates possess the requisite moral, spiritual, and mental qualities, as well as thorough theological training.
It includes physiological interviews, safe work and children’s checks, medical checks, and interviews with bishops and ministry heads, accompanied by the ordinands’ spouses. Chaplain Retchie has a Master of Theology from Sydney College of Divinity and has also been ordained at Christ Herald Church, Baguio City, Philippines.
Chaplain Retchie’s family hosted a lively celebration with Cordillera region traditional feasting and dancing, declaring the event a proud milestone for the entire community. Chaplain Retchie said Anglican missionaries were the first to reach this remote region in the highland areas of Luzon. They established hospitals and schools, including the one Chaplain Retchie attended as a child.
MtS Sydney Chair Robert Dunn and CEO Clayton Strong attended both celebrations. Clayton said Chaplain Retchie, who joined our team four years ago, continues to be an enormous blessing.
“Chaplain Retchie’s warmth, fluency in four native Filipino languages – as well as his willingness to join in singalongs – helps him to connect brilliantly with seafarers,” Clayton said. He goes the extra mile to meet seafarers’ needs – even literally by driving to western Sydney to find their favourite snacks. Seafarers often continue to ask for his counsel on WhatsApp long after they have left Sydney. Our Mission Centre welcomed over 7000 seafarers last year with more than half of the seafarers coming from the Philippines.
“From his incredible dedication to his heartfelt connections with thousands of seafarers, Chaplain Retchie continues to be a beacon of hope and joy at our Sydney Mission,” he said.
For more information on the ordination, see the Sydney Anglican’s website:
https://sydneyanglicans.net/news/a-thousand-tongues-27-hearts/54660
