Background
David Royel was born to Koresh and Flourence Royel in Chicago, Illinois.
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March Awa Royel
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He obtained his bachelor"s degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1997, and went on to achieve his second bachelor"s degree of Sacred Theology from University of Saint Mary of the Lake in 1999. He later received his License of Sacred Theology from Pontifical Oriental University in Rome in 2001.
Career
As of 2015 he resided in California. March Awa also serves as the Secretary of the Holy Synod. He was a first-generation Assyrian-American.
At 16 he was ordained as a sub-deacon, and the following year became a deacon.
He was ordained by March Dinkha IV. Both ordinations took place at March Gewargis Cathedral (Street George Cathedral) in Chicago. Education David Royel was ordained as cor-bishop in July 2006 by March Dinkha IV in Chicago, Illinois, and as Archdeacon by March Dinkha IV on November 23, 2008 in March Yosip Khnanisho Church in San Jose, California.
On November 30, 2008, David Royel was elevated to the rank of Bishop, taking the name March Awa Royel. March Awa was again consecrated by the Patriarch March Dinkha IV, assisted by March Sargis Yousip, Bishop of Iraq, March Aprim Khamis, Bishop of the Western United States, and March Odisho Oraham, Bishop of Europe.
He is also the President of the Commission on Inter-Church Relations and Educational Development (Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement).
Advocacy On March 9, 2015, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes met with March Awa as well as March Paulus Benjamin. Together, the Bishops briefed Rhodes on the dire situation facing Christian communities in both Iraq and Syria. They also discussed the crisis along the Khabour River in northeastern Syria, where ISIL had attacked in late February 2015, which led to thousands of displaced people and a hostage crisis.
Rhodes condemned ISIL"s targeting of religious minorities, and outlined the Administration"s plan to protect and aid the civilians impacted by the terrorist organization.
