New Sikh Dharma Ministers Ordained in August
The Office of the Secretary of Religion of Sikh Dharma International offers congratulations to two newly ordained Sikh Dharma International Ministers, who took their Minister vows in August 2021. Wahe Guru ji ka Khalsa! Wahe Guru ji ki Fateh!
Singh Sahib Kirpal Singh Khalsa, France
SS Kirpal Singh Khalsa took his Sikh Dharma Minister vows on August 15 in a “hybrid” ceremony. He was blessed to be surrounded in person by his students, friends, and his spouse Ishwara Kaur at a cozy gurdwara at his farmhouse/teaching center in a town south of Paris, France.
Secretary of Religion SS Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa administered the Minister’s vow via Zoom.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Office of the Secretary of Religion has been performing ordination ceremonies around the world using the virtual platform to connect with our worldwide sangat.
The ceremony was heartfelt and joyful. The Secretary of Religion administered the vows, supported online by Executive Assistant SS Sarb Nam Kaur Khalsa. One of Kirpal Singh’s students offered a musical recitation of Rakhe Rakhanahar prior to the ceremony to set the vibration.
The ceremony was translated into French so that the attendees could follow along. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a loving Ardas was given by one of Kirpal Singh’s long-time students.
She shared that she was “touched to be able to perform the Ardas for Kirpal Singh” whom she met at the first French Kundalini Yoga Festival in 2010.
She described SS Kirpal Singh as “a beautiful soul” who, with the Minister’s ordination ceremony today, “confirmed his profound vows to be of service to others and to transmit the light of the Guru.”
Ishwara Kaur, the wife of the Minister candidate, took a beautiful hukam, following the Ardas, which was lovingly explained to the students by newly ordained Minister SS Kirpal Singh. Many blessings to Singh Sahib Kirpal Singh and Wahe Guru!
Sardarni Sahiba Har Tirath Kaur Khalsa, Argentina
On Saturday, August 28, another Minister Candidate, Har Tirath Kaur of Buenos Aires, Argentina, became an ordained Sikh Dharma International Minister.
Surrounded by students, friends, and family in her cozy gurdwara, Har Tirath Kaur took the solemn Minister vows and oath of a Sikh Dharma Minister, administered via Zoom by the Secretary of Religion, SS Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa.
The ceremony was lovingly translated by Har Tirath Kaur’s daughter, Har Prakash Kaur (who had also assisted in translation during the candidate interview process).
There was much emotion and tears of joy as the ceremony progressed in the presence of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. A number of friends and well-wishers joined the ceremony online as well as in person.
SS Hari Nam Singh of Mexico (formerly of New York), a long-time Sikh Dharma International Minister, offered the Ardas in Spanish.
He requested in the prayer that God and Guru Gobind Singh bless “your beloved and faithful daughter, Har Tirath Kaur Khalsa, who was ‘born in 1999 in Anandpursahib, India'” where she had taken her Amrit (Sikh baptism).
He requested that she be able to “continue in the path of her father, Guru Gobind Singh” in her service as a newly-ordained Sikh Dharma Minister.
A beautiful hukam was taken in Spanish by SS Har Tirath Kaur (translated by Har Prakash into English). Har Tirath Kaur celebrated the end of the ceremony by leading the sangat in chanting to Guru Ram Dasji. The joy in the room (and on Zoom) was felt by all as the sacred and uplifting event unfolded.
We send blessings and light to our new Ministers. May their service be guided always by God and Guru!
