[1] On returning to Australia he began leading youth meetings and conventions in the church and translated one of the Pope's books into English, "The Life of Repentance and Purity".

On 8 June 1993, Suriel was ordained a priest and continued to serve in the monastery before moving to the fledgling St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Honolulu, US, in 1996.

On 15 June 1997 he was ordained a bishop and later that year moved to administer the Coptic Archdiocese of North America based in New Jersey where his ministry included touring to connect with churches and further establishing the charity BLESS USA.

[6] Under his leadership the church established a new Coptic centre and the theological college in Coburg in 2000 and, having outgrown it in two years, moved to the former Carmelite friary at Whitefriars Park in Donvale.

"[10] On 5 November 2018, Suriel formally announced via social media his resignation as the bishop of the Diocese of Melbourne and its extended regions, citing the joy of seeing the church more than double in size and the pain of "insults, death threats, gossip and back stabbings".