By Michael Antoon

Selwan Anwar Taponi was born to a Syriac Catholic family on April 29, 1969, in Baghdad, Iraq. In August of 1969, he was baptized at the Monastery of the Martyrs Mar Behnam and Mart Sarah in northern Iraq.

Growing up in Baghdad, Father Selwan’s home parish was Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Church in Baghdad. Although they were Syriac Catholic, his family were regular parishioners at Sacred Heart Chaldean Church in the same city; Selwan’s father was particularly close with Bishop (then Father) Jibrail Kassab. It was in this church that he received his First Holy Communion.

At age 14, Selwan joined the Chaldean Seminary of St. Peter and Paul in Baghdad. Ordained a Syriac Catholic Priest in 1994 by Mar Matti Matoka, Syriac Catholic Archbishop (now Emeritus) of Baghdad, Father Selwan’s first assignment was at the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance. There he served as a parochial priest and as secretary to the bishop.

After three years, while visiting his parents in the United States, it was agreed that Father Selwan would serve the Syriac community in Jacksonville, Florida, for one year. He was assigned as a Pastor and ended up staying in Jacksonville for 19 years, building two Syriac churches in the area.

In Jacksonville, Father Selwan served the Syriac and Chaldean communities, having been trained in the Chaldean rite through the Chaldean Seminary. Finally, in 2018, Father Selwan officially joined the Chaldean Church and Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle U.S.A. In that capacity, he served at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Warren for one year.

As priests do, Father Selwan moved around. He was assigned to serve the community of St. Paul in Grand Blanc for two years. In 2021, he was assigned as pastor of Holy Martyrs Church, a role he still holds today. As of this coming August, Holy Martyrs Church under Father Selwan will care for all pastoral responsibilities of St. Paul in Grand Blanc.

Journey to the Priesthood

Growing up, Selwan was a quiet kid who was blessed to be raised in a faithful home. With three brothers and two sisters, he gives a lot of credit to his mother - the first person to teach him how to connect with God and carry the faith.

He remembers how his family would come together daily at 7 pm to pray the rosary, read scripture, and spend time giving glory to God. Throughout his time in school, Father Selwan says he was a good student who was at the top of his class.

Since he was a young child, Father Selwan remembers having a passion to help and serve people. He specifically remembers saving some of his allowance money to give to the poor, and he recalls his happiest moments seeing the joy in their eyes.

His passion grew over the years, and this led him to want to serve more. Father Selwan and his family were also particularly close with Bishop Matti Matoka, who would visit their home frequently. Father Selwan remembers Bishop Matoka would always tell his father that he needed to give one of his four boys to the Church, following in the footsteps of the first Eastern Catholic Cardinal who was from the Taponi family, to carry on the family torch.

Whether or not that had any influence on young Selwan, after completing middle school he decided to join the seminary and become a priest.

In the Chaldean seminary, Father Selwan fondly remembers the rector Bishop (then Father) Shlemon Warduni acting as a father to him and the other seminarians.

Priestly formation requires sacrifice and dedication, something Father Selwan quickly realized after joining. He recalls his first day, and week for that matter, being a horrible time for him. He was finding it difficult to adapt from his having his own space to now sharing a room with 17 other students.

The difficult lifestyle change led him to leave the seminary that same week; fortunately, he was convinced by Father Fawzi Koro to give it more time and stay another week. Father Selwan ended up staying and made it through the seminary, eventually becoming a Syriac priest.

He finds that his greatest joy in the priesthood comes from giving his congregation Jesus’ body and blood in the Holy Mass, and seeing them grow in their faith.

Coming to the Chaldean Church

Father Selwan was accepted to the Chaldean Catholic Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle of the USA by His Excellency Mar Francis Kallabat in 2016 before officially joining the Chaldean Church in 2018.

Father Selwan’s role in the community does not go unnoticed. He is a dedicated servant to his people and makes a point to be around them. Something you may not know about Father Selwan is that he loves to build and do construction work. He also studied music and middle eastern tonal structure, specifically Iraqi tones.

When asked about his goals in life, Father Selwan explained with joy that becoming a priest was his highest goal; priesthood is a vocational call directly from God. He gives thanks to Our Lord for blessing the Chaldean Catholic Diocese with a good Bishop who is continuing the mission in a great way and is very appreciative of Bishop Ibrahim’s work in building our community and churches.

Father Selwan notes that our Church is alive and thriving, something he witnesses daily through his role at Holy Martyrs. He is grateful for the faithful Chaldean community here in the United States and is especially proud to see those born here speaking Sureth and working to preserve our beautiful language and precious culture.

Author’s Note: It has been an absolute honor to interview Father Selwan Taponi, Pastor of Holy Martyrs Church in Sterling Heights. We are fortunate, as a community and Church, to have Father Selwan as a dedicated servant of God and His people.

Father Selwan: Leading by Faith

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