International Pastor Shares How His Six-Week Long Coma Was a Gift

Economos Antony Gabriel has been in ministry for 50 years, but no event has brought him closer to God then when he suffered a near two-month coma. His complex medical conditions served as a spiritual test for Gabriel. He shares how he faced this test in life and faith with his new book, "Silence: A Diary of Suffering and Redemption."

"Silence" follows the six weeks Gabriel was in a coma and chronicles his suffering through a dreamlike state. The book explores his journey as he faced his own mortality while still providing counsel to others around him.

Gabriel's medical journey is complimented by his internal reflections, focusing on the faith and wisdom he garnered throughout the healing process. "Silence" serves as an inspirational and spiritual guide to readers who are facing complications in life, and encourages them to continue to persevere.

"I wrote Silence to give solace to any person undergoing the vicissitudes of life," Gabriel said. "Through my own recovery, I learned that the anguished I faced was a gift. It allowed me to appreciate life and God's love more fully than ever before. It allowed me to grow closer to my Savior as I put my existence in his hands and trusted that he would provide for me through my fear, terror and frustration."

"Silence: A Diary of Suffering and Redemption"
By Antony Gabriel
ISBN: 9781512790566 (hardcover), 9781512790559 (softcover)
Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Westbow Press

About the author
No individual clergyman from the Antiochian Archdiocese has had greater impact on the church's image in Canada and the United States than Economos Antony Gabriel. Gabriel has served tenures in Chicago's St. George Church, Phoenix's St. George, Toledo's St. Elias. He also spent 40 years with the Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York. In Canada, he was a founding member of the Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and streamlined the Department of Convention Planning and Credentials. He retired as the longest serving pastor in Montreal. He married Lynn Georges, the first female seminarian of the Antiochian Church, with whom he has three children and five grandchildren.

Review Copies & Interview Requests:
LAVIDGE - Phoenix
Satara Williams
480-998-2600 x 586
swilliams(at)lavidge.com

General Inquiries:
LAVIDGE - Phoenix
Jacquelyn Brazzale
480-998-2600 x 569
jbrazzale(at)lavidge.com

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