In This Issue - Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton · Fr George Gallaro Named Bishop in...

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l. 45 | No. 2 | S

priNg 2015

In This Issue Bible Boot Camp

The New Martyrs

Around the Eparchy

National Assn. of Melkite Women

2 SOPHIA | Spring 2015

SophiaThe Journal of the Eparchy of Newton for Melkite Catholics in the United States

www.melkite.org Published quarterly by the Eparchy of Newton.

ISSN 0194-7958. Made possible in part by the Catholic Home Mission Committee, a bequest by the Rev. Allen Maloof and generous supporters of the annual Bishop’s Appeal.

PUBLISHER Most Rev. Nicholas J. Samra, Eparchial Bishop

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rt. Rev. Archimandrite James Babcock

COPY EDITORRev. James Graham

PRODUCTIONDeacon Paul Leonarczyk

DESIGN and LAYOUTDoreen Tahmoosh-Pierson

SOPHIA ADVISORY BOARDDr. Fran Colie | Rev. George Gallaro

Very Rev. Lawrence GosselinDeacon Paul Leonarczyk | Rev. Justin Rose

Rt. Rev. Michael Skrocki

DISTRIBUTIONRt. Rev. Michael Skrocki

Please email subscription additions/deletions or address changes to: [email protected].

The Publisher waives all copyright to this issue. Contents may be distributed free and without special permission in publications that are distributed free. Wherever possible, please include a credit line, indicating the name of SOPHIA magazine. Unsolicited manuscripts, articles, and letters to the editor are welcomed. The editors assume no responsi-bility for lost manuscripts or photos. The content of all ar-ticles, past, present and future, remains the expressed personal opinion of the individual author and may not reflect, in its entirety, the opinion of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton. © 2015 SOPHIA Magazine.

Share Your Voice With Us!Have you ever dreamed of being a writer? Perhaps having your voice heard on the printed page? Is there a subject that you have wanted to address or a story that you are excited to tell? We would love to hear from you! SOPHIA welcomes updates and photos from all of our parishes and invites manuscripts, articles, and letters to the editor from parishioners. Submissions will be subject to review by the editorial staff and only those approved by the publisher will be published.

All submissions can be sent to: [email protected]

or SOPHIA Letterbox

3747 Vista Campana, #84Oceanside, CA 92057

714 600 3660

All materials (photos/articles/parish news) for the Spring issue of SOPHIA magazine are due June 1, 2015.

SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE

CONtENtS

3 From the Editor, Come and See

4 Pascha Proclaims an Undying Hope

6 Bible Boot Camp Get Ready for Basic training

8 Bishop Nicholas Announces New St. Barbara Mission

10 Fr Khaled Anatolios Ordained Priest

11 Deacon Andrew Baroody Ordained

12 Alabama Parishioner Named a National Distinguished Principal

13 It’s Not Easy Being Green. Or Melkite

14 the New Martyrs for Christ

16 Father Bechara A Man of Simplicity and Humility

18 Salvatorian Order Commemorates 85th Anniversary

19 NAMY Conference Coming to Michigan

20 Sin Makes U Sick Jesus Heals Body and Soul

21 Vocation tour Reaches Miami

22 Quiz What’s Your Melkite IQ?

24 Grottaferrata A Gem of the Christian East

25 Whole Church Should Help Eastern Churches

26 Revisiting the Councils of the Church

30 Around the Eparchy

33 NAMW News

35 Navigating the Eparchy

ON tHE COVERNewly ordained Fr. Khalid Anatolios, Khouria Meredith and his two children, Rebecca & Sarah.

FROM tHE EDItOR

The Journal of The MelkiTe CaTholiC eparChy | 3

Come&See“Moving day again? Since I’ve been ordained

I have moved or changed residence—well, let see how many times. From Boston to New Jersey. From New Jersey to Akron.

From Akron to Sacramento. From Sacramento to Fullerton. From Fullerton to Yorba Linda. From Yorba Linda to Placentia. From Placentia to Placentia (the parish finally purchased a permanent home for the clergy, but I lived in it for only one year.) Then from Placentia to Temecula, and now from Temecula to Oceanside, which is half-way between Temecula and San Diego.

This will, I hope, be my final move. To make sure, I bought this house from a couple of our priests who had intended it to be their retirement home. Retirement for me is a few years away but I need somewhere to go when that day comes.

So, for now, I will continue to serve as Pastor of our two mis-sion communities, St Jacob in San Diego and Virgin Mary in Temecula. Virgin Mary Community, by the way, also just com-pleted a move back to its original starting city. It now has a nice church and hall located inside a warehouse which the com-munity is leasing. Fr Paul Al Khoury Fallouh is assisting me in

Temecula and is doing a fantastic job.As for my assignment as editor of SOPHIA, I will continue at

the pleasure of His Grace, Bishop Nicholas. With all this activ-ity and various illnesses related to age, I could use your prayers.

As I write this we are about to enter into Holy Week. The beautiful services of Holy Week are so powerful that if even an atheist were to attend them all I believe he or she would be converted.

“Come and see,” the envoys of Prince Vladimir were told when they visited Constantinople seeking to learn the religion of the Byzantines. Yes! Come and see! Truly, there is nothing else on earth like these services and that’s because we celebrate them simultaneously with the angels and saints in heaven, recounting the greatest act of love ever known, the life-giving death and res-urrection of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.

So to all our readers, I say, “Christ is Risen!” “He is Truly Risen!” I wish all of you a happy, holy, and blessed Pascha! †

Archimandrite James Babcock was ordained priest in 1981. He is pastor of St Jacob Mission in San Diego, CA, and Virgin Mary Mission in Temecula, CA, and Editor-in-Chief of SOPHIA.

GOOD NEWS! Fr George Gallaro Named Bishop in SicilyFather George D. Gallaro, priest of our Melkite Eparchy of Newton, was named Bishop of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, near Palermo (Sicily), Italy, by Pope Francis on 17 March 2015. This Church is sometimes called the Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church. The public announcement was made on 31 March, just as this issue of SOPHIA was going to the printer.

A full story will follow in the next issue of SOPHIA. Our prayers and best wishes are with Bishop George in this new endeavor. Axios! Axios! He is worthy!

Right Reverend ArchimandriteJames BabcockEditor-in-Chief

Pascha Proclaims an Undying Hope2015 Paschal Message of Bishop Nicholas

Christ is risen! He is truly risen!

My Beloved Clergy and Faithful,

Pascha is our celebration of Faith and Hope, our belief and trust in God’s promise that “we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Indeed, our yearning for abundant life is fulfilled by the Resurrection that gives promise for our future.

Without hope life can be very sad and painful, and we can become disillusioned in relationships, in shattered dreams, in family problems, in illness, and of course, in death. Yet Pascha proclaims an undying hope—the risen Christ comes today to bring hope and victory. He comes to bring resurrection and new life.

On Holy Friday, we heard the reading of Ezekiel’s vision of an entire valley filled with dead people’s bones. The Lord who is ever faithful breathes over the bones and brings His people back from death and captivity. This vision is fulfilled by the risen Christ, who even today calls us back

to life and clothes our dry, dead bones with purpose, hope, and eternal life!On the night of His Resurrection, Jesus walks to Emmaus with two of his disciples who do not recognize Him im-

mediately (Luke 24:13-35). In their sadness they tell Him: “We hoped that He was the one who would redeem Israel.” They mention that the women, and some other disciples, found the empty tomb, “but Him they did not see.” Jesus then interprets for them the Scriptures concerning Himself, and He opens their eyes in the “breaking of the bread.” Immedi-ately, He brings them from the darkness of despair to the joyful light of hope in Him.

Our life, too, is often filled with shattered dreams and broken hopes. Truly, our world is still filled with problems: wars, killings, injustice, hatred, and the like. So many people lose themselves in despair.

But if Christ is risen, then hope is risen! If Christ is risen, death is conquered, and we live in the everlasting arms of our beloved Savior who died so we may live. In Him “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13).

The risen Christ liberates us from all negativity and pessimism. Our lighted candles on Pascha remind us that we sing with full and joyful hope as we proclaim with St John Chrysostom in his Paschal Homily: “Christ is risen, and the de-mons are cast down. Christ is risen, and the tombs have been emptied of their dead. Christ is risen, and life is set free!”

Sartre speaks of the silence of God.Heidegger speaks of the absence of God.Jaspers speaks of the concealment of God.Bultmann speaks of the hiddenness of God.Buber speaks of the eclipse of God.Tillich speaks of the nonbeing of God.Altizer speaks of the death of God.

However, the New Testament writers—eyewitnesses—speak of the hope of the Risen and Living Lord! To Him be glory, honor, and worship, praise and thanksgiving for all ages. Amen.

My sincere and prayerful wishes that you will find your Hope in the risen Lord, and that your Paschal celebration and its forty-day festal season will be filled with great joy. I offer all of you my prayers, blessing, and love.

Sincerely yours in the risen Christ,

† Most Reverend Nicholas J. Samra Bishop of Newton

Most Rev. Nicholas J. SamraEparchial Bishop of Newton


In the past two issues of SOPHIA, my articles have reviewed the in-troduction to Fr Alex-

ander Schmemann’s book Liturgy and Life: Christian Development through Litur-gical Experience. This won-derful book, which I highly encourage you to read, ex-plains the importance of renewing authentic East-ern Christian catechesis for adults as a way of renewing our entire Orthodox com-munity. And this renewal, as I emphasized, must begin with a “renewal of the ba-sic knowledge of the Bible, in its stories, in its themes, and in its underlying message. We must once again become biblically literate.”

Therefore, in this and subsequent issues, I will be offering a “Bible Boot Camp.” If you want to partici-pate in the catechetical renewal of our Melkite church in the United States by renewing yourself in the Word of God, I invite you to take a moment to go find your Bible, dust it off, and join me in this important journey.

Before beginning any important journey, we must plan well and pack our bags properly. If we do not pack well, we risk failing to reach our destination. Therefore, in this article we will consider how to “pack our bags” by discussing some tools that will help us when reading the Bible.

The first “tool” that we must pack for our journey is the Bi-ble itself. Which Bible should we read? Which English trans-lation is best? The answer to this question is simple—read the Bible that you have in front of you! It is better to read your Bible than not to read it, regardless of the translation.

With that said, some translations are better than others. First, ensure that your Bible is a “Catholic” or “Orthodox” translation. This will ensure that you have the entire Bible and not just part of the Bible. Among the different versions readily available today, as Fr Thomas Hopko has said, the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) is best. The New American Bible is also acceptable. Less common, but very well done, is the Confraternity edition. The Ortho-dox Study Bible is also available today.

I would avoid editions of the Bible that are so-called “liv-ing” translations. (Editor’s note: They tend to distort the Scriptures by simplifying them according to a certain inter-pretation.) Finally, if you are going to purchase a new Bible, do make the investment in a hard cover or leatherette edition as these will last you for many years of good Bible study.

The second “tool” that I recommend packing for our jour-ney through the Bible is a map, or better yet, a set of maps.

You can download great Bible maps on-line or purchase a small Bible Map insert if your Bible does not already have maps included. A good set of maps will help you literally find your way through the Bible. By using a map when you are reading, you can more easily follow the story line and keep track of the bigger picture. If you purchase a set of Bible maps, be sure that they are designed as an “insert” that will fit inside your Bible case.

This brings us to our third “tool.” A Bible case or Bible cover is very helpful for storing all of your Bible tools and keeping them with you at all times. Choosing a Bible cover is really up to you and many variations are available on-line. I prefer a Bible case that is not too bulky but allows for a place to keep some pens, notes, maps and other tools.

The fourth Bible “tool” is a set of highlighters and pen. Bible highlighters are very helpful in making connections and following themes in the Sacred Scriptures. Because the pages of Bibles are usually very thin, you do not want highlighters that bleed through the paper. I have found the Sharpie brand is best. Do not use the newer “liquid” highlighters as they put out too much fluid and will bleed through the pages of your Bible. The new Sharpie gel highlighters seem to work well. For a pen, I would recommend a Bic 4-Color ballpoint. Having a good pen is essential for making notes in your Bible and underlining key passages.

A related tool that will help when using your pen is a very small ruler or straight edge that will fit inside your Bible case. It can be really helpful to draw lines that connect passages together on the pages of your Bible. An example of this is the connection between Genesis chapter three, verse 17 (Gen.

Get Readyfor Basic TrainingBy fr DeaCon SaBaTino Carnazzo



3:17) and Genesis chapter four, verse three (Gen. 4:3). Here you will see the connection between the cursing of the ground after the fall of Adam and Eve and Cain’s offering of the “fruit of the ground” which was rejected by God. Drawing a line between these two passages will help focus your eye upon this connection when reading your Bible.

A fifth and final “tool” that I have found very helpful is a Bible concordance. A concordance will help you find related passages. If you are going to purchase a Bible concordance, be sure to get a word concordance and not a theme concordance. I recommend The New Strong’s Compact Bible Concordance. Do not get the compact version if you have poor eyesight. You can usually purchase past versions for a discounted price.

Well, that should do it. Now that we are all packed for our journey, we need to spend a few minutes planning, to ensure that we do not get lost along the way. So open your Bible and let’s take a glance inside.

First, it is always good to begin your Bible reading in prayer. For future use, I would recommend copying the following prayer and pasting or taping it on the inside cover of your Bible. The following is a prayer composed by St. Ephrem:

Shine in our hearts, O Master who love all people, the pure light of your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our minds that we may understand the proclamation of your Good News. Set in us the fear of your blessed command-ments, so that trampling all desires of the flesh, we may begin to live according to the spirit, both willing and do-ing everything that pleases You. For You are the light of our souls and bodies, Christ God, and we render glory to You and to your eternal Father and to your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Your Bible is divided into sections, which you need to know and which will help you make sense out of the book as a whole. I encourage you to open your Bible and walk with me through this part.

The first part of your Bible is the Old Testament, which cov-ers the time from the creation of the world to just before the birth of Christ. The second part is the New Testament, which includes the story of Jesus and the early Christian Church. Please open your Bible and hold these two sections in your hands so that you can clearly see the division between the two Testaments.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the Old Testament. The first section is the Torah or Pentateuch, the first five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy. These first five books tell the story of the creation of the world, the flood, the calling of Abraham, the selling of Joseph into slavery and the resulting enslave-ment of Israel in Egypt, the calling of Moses and the story of the Exodus, the journey to Mount Sinai, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the forty years in the wilderness.

The next section of your Bible comprises the “historical books” from Joshua to Tobit and tells the story from the con-quest of the Promised Land through the Babylonian Exile, the return from Babylon, and the period of Messianic expectation.

The “wisdom books” follow the historical books and include the book of Job to the book of Sirach. The writings in this sec-tion tend to offer moral instruction for God’s people for right

living and warnings of the consequences of sin.The next section, the Prophets from Isaiah to Malachi,

tends to be the most confusing as it often includes highly symbolic language. The most important thing to keep in mind when reading the Prophets is the time in which they lived. The prophets lived just before and during and after the Babylonian exile, from the tenth century to the fifth century before Christ. When reading the Prophets, it is best to locate the context of sayings within the historical books of 1 and 2 Kings through Ezra and Nehemiah. By reading the historical context first, you will be better prepared to understand the teachings of the Prophets.

In some Bibles, the last two books are 1 and 2 Maccabees. These two books really are part of the historical books, thus, some Bibles will place these books after Nehemiah in the his-torical books section.

In the New Testament, the first section is the Gospel of Je-sus Christ in four versions (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). The second section of the New Testament is the book of the Acts of the Apostles, which tells of the life of the early Chris-tian community.

Saint Paul’s letters to various Christian communities fol-low, from the epistle to the Romans to the epistle to the He-brews. As reading the Old Testament Prophets needs to be done within its historical context, so also it is important to read Saint Paul’s writings in the context of the historical events recounted in the book of Acts.

The next section of the New Testament is usually called the “Universal” or “Catholic” epistles. This section contains writings intended as instruction to the whole Church and in-cludes the epistle of James to the epistle of Jude. The final book of the New Testament is the Revelation (or Apocalypse) of St John. It should be read within the historical setting of persecution which the early Christians faced in the first cen-tury after Christ.

I hope that this “warm-up exercise” has been helpful. Now we are ready to start our training in the Bible itself.

Until the next issue of SOPHIA and our next boot camp ses-sion, I encourage you to read chapters 1 through 3 of the book of Genesis. One of the best commentaries on this section is St Ephrem’s Hymns on Paradise, published by Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press. I also recommend St Ephrem’s Commentary on Genesis, in St Ephrem of Syria, Select Prose Works, Volume 91 in The Fathers of the Church series from The Catholic Univer-sity of America Press.

As always, the Liturgy of the Church is the very best inter-pretive tool for understanding Sacred Scripture. You can find wonderful insights regarding the ancestral sin of Adam and Eve in the Lenten Triodion texts for the Sunday of Forgiveness.

Finally, remember to always read God’s Word within the context of the Church, within the boundaries of her teach-ings, and with her interpretive guidance. “There are some things in [the Scriptures] that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). †

Fr Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo is the Director of the Office of Educational Services of the Eparchy of Newton.


After a pastoral visit to the Melkite Outreach in Hous-ton, Texas, Bishop Nicholas consulted the Presbyteral Council and with their agreement announces that the Outreach is now raised to the status of a Mission un-

der the protection of St Barbara the Great Martyr. Here is the information he presented to the Presbyteral Council:

“Almost three years ago, the Melkite Outreach began in Houston, Texas, at the request of several Melkite families who approached Ruthenian priest Fr Elias Rafaj, Pastor of St John Chrysostom Church, for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Fr Elias was in contact with me from the start, and after con-sultation with his Eparchial Administrator and later his Arch-bishop, I gave my blessing to the Melkite Outreach. Initially we shared the expenses with the Ruthenian parish in proportion to the number of families that Fr Elias served. Two years ago, I changed the financial situation to a token $1000 rent for the use of the church and a stipend for Fr Elias. Attendance at the weekly Melkite Liturgy averaged between 60 and 80 people, and our children participated in the religious education pro-gram of St John Chrysostom parish.

“From 30 November to 5 December 2012 I visited the Out-reach families and celebrated a combined Divine Liturgy for the Melkites and Ruthenians, followed by a reception. I met with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who is very supportive of our presence in Houston. I met with Fr Milad Yazgi, a Maronite priest whose parish some Melkites attend. In addition, we served Great Vespers on Saturday evening, followed by a recep-tion, and I visited large groups of families in three homes.

“In August 2014, I sent Fr Fadi Al-Mimmas, a priest on leave from the Paulist Fathers in Harissa, Lebanon, to serve the Outreach. Through the assistance of Cardinal DiNardo, the Seminary of St Mary welcomed Fr Fadi with accommo-dations and meals and a private tutor for spoken English. I had previously welcomed Fr Fadi at the Chancery and re-viewed with him many aspects of our Eparchial Handbook, and provided him with some CDs of Melkite English liturgi-cal texts. Since his arrival, Fr Fadi has been serving the Out-reach families through visitations and weekly liturgies and other ministries.”

The Houston Outreach Today“Since I was attending a meeting of the Christian Churches To-gether (CCT) in Houston as one of the USCCB members ap-pointed to this ecumenical body, I took the opportunity to visit the Outreach once again, 5-10 February 2015. I had meetings with the men of the community (25), the youth (20), and the ladies (20), attended several large family dinners, and celebrated Great Vespers on Saturday and the Sunday Divine Liturgy with 250 participants. Following the Liturgy a dinner for 250 people was donated and hosted by a parishioner at her banquet facil-ity and restaurant. A group of laity provided wine, sodas, and dessert sweets. A small Arabic ensemble with singer Jabbour donated entertainment.

“According to our eparchial guidelines for the establishment of new missions, I believe we are ready to name the Outreach in Houston a Mission.”

Bishop Nicholas Announces

NEw ST BARBARA MiSSioN in Houston, Texas


Some Statistics:“Fr Fadi provided me an updated list of 87 fami-lies, comprising 258 people (with more on the way). We estimate over 200 Melkite families in the Houston area. Our guidelines require that we have 30 active families to start a mission. There is sufficient potential for more growth. The com-munity has been paying the salary of the priest ($2057), room and board at the seminary ($300), and a donation to the parish ($1000), per month. At present, we have a balance of $39,214 in check-ing and savings. A car has been provided also by the community for Fr Fadi’s use. If we agree to raise the Outreach to the status of a Mission, I will also ask the community to pay insurance (health, car, and retirement) monthly.

“Regular attendance at Sunday Liturgy now numbers 100-120 people.

“Having witnessed the excitement of the com-munity and seeing their spiritual and financial commitment, I feel confident that we can agree to name them a Mission. I propose the name of the Great Martyr, St Barbara, whose feast on 4 December is celebrated by all Melkites. We have no church in our eparchy named in her honor, and there is no church in the Latin Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston so named either. I also checked the names of the laity and found no Barbara among them; thus, no one can claim we named the mission after a family member.

“In due time, we will look for a residence for the priest, and there are already some possible donors who have offered to purchase land for a future church. I have asked them to hold off until we see where the majority of Melkite families live after we register more of them.

“We are also blessed to have a Melkite Dea-con there who was ordained by Cardinal Di-Nardo with my permission. Deacon Steve Moses (brother of Deacon John Moses of our Cathe-dral) completed his diaconal formation for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. The Cardi-nal has spoken with him about assisting the Mel-kite community. His main work with be with the Latin Archdiocese, but we will work with him to familiarize him with our traditions so he can serve with us on occasion.” †

“Lord, Lord, look down from heaven and see, visit this

vineyard, the community of St Barbara in Houston, guide

her, protect her, make her grow, and sanctify her because Your right hand has planted it.”


In the midst of an historically snowy winter, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation had much to celebrate on Saturday 14 February 2015 when Bishop Nicholas ordained Deacon Khaled Anatolios to the priesthood.

Born in India to Egyptian parents, Fr Khaled moved to Canada when he was about seven years old. He first encountered the Gospels as a young adult and immediately dedicated his life to following Christ.

He went on to study theology, earning his PhD in Theology from Boston Col-lege. He has been a Professor of Theology for close to twenty years, focusing pri-marily on the Early Church Fathers. Among his published works are two books on St Athanasius and a book on the early Church doctrine of the Trinity (Retrieving Nicaea. The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine).

Fr Khaled is married to Meredith and is the father of four children.Fr Khaled was guided in his preparation for the priesthood by Archimandrite

Philip Raczka, Rector of the Cathedral. He was ordained a subdeacon by Patriarch Gregory III during his visit to the Cathedral last May and was ordained to the dia-conate a few weeks later by Bishop Nicholas.

At the priestly ordination Archimandrite Philip Raczka and Fr Brian Daley, SJ, served as presenters, as did Deacons John Moses and Ibrahim Zeinieh. As cantors, Protodeacon Bryan McNeil, assisted by Deacon Ziad Layous, provided magnifi-cent chanting.

Among the other attendees from the Melkite eparchy were Bishop Emeritus John Elya, Fr Alam Alam, Fr Francois Beyrouti, Archimandrite Mark Melone, Deacon John Fleshman, Deacon Michael Macoul, and Fr Roger Boucher and Deacon Paul Leonarczyk from Our Lady of Cedars parish in Manchester, NH. A special guest of Bishop Nicholas was the esteemed theolo-gian and historian of Byzantine liturgy, Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ.

Many other priests and deacons from the Roman Church attended, as did many of Fr Khaled’s colleagues from the theology and philosophy departments at Boston College. A good number of these guests expressed enthusiastic appreciation of Bishop Nicholas’s style of presiding, which they found both solemn and warmly accessible.

In his remarks at the reception following the ordination, Fr Khaled expressed his deep gratitude for the guidance and en-couragement of Bishop Nicholas and thanked the people of the Annunciation Cathedral for their support through the years and for the witness of their faith. He also thanked Fr Philip for his teaching and wonderful example and the deacons of the Ca-

thedral (John Moses, Abe Zeinieh, and Thomas Burke) for laying a foundation of humble service to ground his priestly ministry. He spoke of his gratitude for his spir-itual directors over the years, who included Fr Constantine Belisar-ius, Fr Brian Daley, and Fr John Connelly. Finally, he thanked his wife, Khouriyeh Meredith, for being a wonderful helpmate in both marriage and ministry.

Fr Khaled has been a parish-ioner at the Cathedral for about 25 years and will assist there until this summer, when the Anatolios family will move to South Bend, Indiana. In September, Fr Khaled will begin a new position as Pro-fessor of Historical Theology at the University of Notre Dame. †

Fr Khaled Anatolios Ordained Priest at CathedralBy arChiManDriTe philip raCzka

Subdeacon Andrew Baroody was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by the laying on of hands by Bishop Nicholas Samra during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St George the Great-Martyr

parish in Birmingham, Alabama, on 1 February 2015.Deacon Andrew is the first deacon to be ordained at St

George since Fr Deacon Seraphim Ritchey was ordained on Thomas Sunday in 1988. Deacon Seraphim joined Deacon Andrew’s brother, Protodeacon David Baroody of Holy Transfiguration parish in McLean, VA, as Deacon Andrew’s co-sponsor. The experience of their sponsorship left Deacon Andrew very humbled, because his admira-tion, love, and respect for the example set by his sponsors was partly responsible for his call to service.

The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Bishop Nicholas and concelebrated by St George’s long-time pastor Archi-mandrite Frank Milienewicz and Archimandrite Joseph Francavilla of Holy Transfiguration parish. Deacons Sami Jajeh and Elie Hanna of St John Chrysostom parish in Atlanta were present, as were Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo from Holy Transfiguration parish and Deacon Sebastian Carnazzo from California.

Deacon Andrew relocated to St George from Holy Transfiguration in 1985 in order to attend The University of Alabama at Bir-mingham. Since joining the parish community so many years ago, he has actively served his church in many different capacities. He has served on the altar his entire life, so doing so at St George was only natural. As an acolyte, he took a keen interest in recruiting young men to serve in this role and is proud to have wit-nessed over the last 30 years countless young men grow in their faith through serving as aco-lytes. It is his prayer that some of these young men will follow him on the path to the diacon-ate, and beyond.

Deacon Andrew has served as a Sunday School teacher for almost 20 years, a youth group moderator for eight years, co-chairman of St George’s food festival for 15 years, and member or president of the parish council.

Deacon Andrew expresses his heartfelt grati-tude to the St George community for its tre-

mendous support as he approached his ministry. A banquet was held in honor of the new deacon with more than 300 people in attendance. Deacon Andrew was very touched that so many attended the event, some coming from as far away as New Hampshire (no doubt to escape the epic snow)! †

Deacon Andrew BaroodyOrdained at St George, Birmingham

Frances Ritchey Finney, a member of St. George Melkite Greek-Catholic Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where she has served in many capacities, has been named to the National Association of Elementary School Principals list of 2014 National Distinguished

Principals. She represented the state of Alabama with 61 other principals from around the country at a celebration in Washington, D.C. on 16-17 October 2014.

She has been married to John R. Finney for thirty-eight years. She has one daughter, Katherine, and three sons, Patrick and wife Lucy, Tim and wife Kristen, and Matthew. She is Sitti to one granddaughter, Sophia.

Currently the principal of Fultondale Elementary, Finney was nominated while principal of Gresham Elementary; she holds an educational special-ist (Ed.S.) in Educational Leadership from Samford University, a master’s degree in Administration, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in early childhood education from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education.

Established in 1984, the NDP program recognizes public and private school principals who make superior contributions to their schools and communities.

“To be selected as a National Distinguished Principal is an award of the highest order,” said Boyd Rogan, Ph.D., director of the UAB Regional In-service Center. “Of more than 67,000 elementary school principals in the United States, Frances Finney was selected for this honor.”

Before joining Fultondale Elementary over the summer, Finney was principal of Gresham for seven years and has worked to establish a culture of collaboration and encouraged a strong sense of community. Gresham is a Title I school with about 400 students. Finney has secured more than $37,000 in Community Service Grants from the Jefferson County Com-mission, state representatives, and community businesses. She has been designated a distinguished principal by the Alabama Association of El-ementary School Principals and serves as a NAESP nationally-certified mentor, having mentored principals in the Alabama New Principal Men-toring Program since 2012.

“We have long known locally that Frances was an outstanding princi-pal,” Rogan said. “We are pleased that those on the national level have recognized her talents and accomplishments as well. The leadership pro-vided by the principal of a school is the primary factor in the success of that school. Frances is the perfect example of the difference individuals can make when they demand the best of themselves and others.” †

Matthew 19:13-15 —“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’”

This icon hangs in her office reminding Finney of how precious the children are that she and her faculty are en-trusted with each and every day.

Alabama Parishioner Named a

NatioNal DistiNguisheD

PriNciPal



When the Muppets’ Kermit the Frog* sang, “It’s not easy being green,” he was lamenting the fact that, being green, he sort of blended in every-where. He wasn’t colorful or outstanding.

But as his song went on, he reflected that many beautiful and important things are green, and he concluded that if green was what he was, that was fine and beautiful and what he wanted to be.

“It’s not easy being green” can also be understood as an expres-sion of the difficulty of being different. Of being an outsider. Of being someone who doesn’t fit in.

And that is a very familiar situation for Melkites in the USA.Melkites are Catholics, but not “normal” Roman (Latin) Cath-

olics. Melkites worship and believe almost exactly as Orthodox do, but Melkites are not Orthodox. Most Melkites are Middle Eastern, but to Americans, “normal” Middle Easterners are Mus-lim. Non-Arabs who join the Melkite Church are never consid-ered “real Melkites,” because they will never be Arabs in “the Arabic Church.” Non-Arab Melkites also become outsiders to other Americans, because they have joined “the Arabic Church.”

When you are an outsider, you can deal with that in three basic ways. You can simply not worry about it, being happy being your-

self. You can worry about it a lot, and try to change by becoming like everybody else. Or you can embrace it, be proud of being different, and enjoy sharing with other people about who you are.

Many of the people in our parishes, and in fact many of our parishes, follow the first way. Maybe they aren’t even conscious of being different. For them, the Melkite Church is what it al-ways has been: our Church for our people. And that means basi-cally an Arabic Church, with more or less Arabic in the liturgy, Middle Eastern food and music and dancing at festivals and par-ties, and not much of an attempt to blend into American life. It usually also means not having much concern for studying the theology and spirituality that distinguishes the Melkite Church from other churches, and taking for granted that the way things are done “back home” is the authentic and right way to do them. This approach preserves our identity, in a way, but doesn’t evan-gelize (remember that Jesus said to “go and teach all nations”) or contribute anything to the culture we live in and ultimately leads to extinction because it has no solid spiritual foundation.

Some of our people and some of our parishes seem to choose the second way. They are keenly aware of being different from “normal” Americans and “normal” American churches. They want desperately to blend in. They want to minimize or erase the differentness of our Church. Sometimes they talk about this

in terms of keeping the younger generations connected with the church. So they “modernize” the liturgy and introduce musi-cal instruments to accompany the singing. To be like “normal” Catholics, they send their kids to parochial schools and they don’t bother with fasting, even on Fridays. After all, “the Pope said we didn’t have to.” They, too, don’t bother much with studying what makes the Melkite Church unique, because to them being dif-ferent means somehow being inferior. So this approach doesn’t preserve our identity; it denies it and destroys it.

The third approach preserves our unique identity and wants to share it with the world. People and parishes that choose this way don’t want to be “normal.” They realize that the Melkite Church has something different and special to offer the spiritu-ally hungry—no, spiritually starved—people in this country who may not even realize how hungry they are. People and parishes that follow this path don’t claim that the Melkite Church is bet-ter than other churches—just that it suits some people better.

Many people are hungry for beautiful, meaningful worship that doesn’t depend on the loudness of the praise band or the charismatic presence of the preacher. Many people are hungry for a church community that continues beyond the day care cen-ter and the committees and the coffee house. Many people are

hungry for a church that takes the Holy Scriptures seriously in liturgy and preaching and study, but doesn’t turn the Bible into an idol. Many people are hungry for beauty in church, and wor-ship that goes beyond emotion as well as beyond scholarship to touch the senses and the heart and the soul. Many people are hungry for traditions and rituals that connect the works of God with the lives of God’s people.

Our Melkite Church offers people this experience. But we have to make it happen. We have to be proud of all that we have and all that we can offer. We have to be prepared spiritually and intellectually and emotionally to share the great riches of our Church. We can’t hesitate and mumble and apologize for it. When visitors—and even lifelong Melkites—ask, “Why do you do this?” or “What does this mean?” we have to be ready to an-swer them with knowledge and enthusiasm. We need people and clergy who are informed and educated and articulate about the Melkite Church as a place where people experience God.

People in America in the 21st Century don’t come to church anymore because it’s where their parents worshipped or because it’s the church of their ancestors or their families’ homeland. Es-pecially people under 30 come to church for a personal spiritual experience—for a better relationship with God in the company of

It ’s Not Easy Being Green. or Melkite.By fr JaMeS k. grahaM

Continued on page 19


This year the Christian Churches are not celebrat-ing the feast of Pascha/Easter on the same date. Although repeated calls to witness the Lord’s Res-urrection together come from various quarters, par-

ticularly the Egyptian or Coptic Church, this eloquent sign is not yet possible. Consequently, neither do the dates for the sea-son of Great Lent coincide. Nevertheless, recent tragic events united all the Christian Churches in suffering and tears just as those of the West entered into the time of conversion and re-pentance in preparation for Pascha.

Thus the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kiev, in a sad appeal to his faithful people and their fellow country-men, invited them all to live the habitually merry days that pre-cede Lent in a climate of repentance, fast, and prayer, “remem-bering the bloody tragedy of Maidan”—he wrote—“and calling to mind the thousands victims of last year in the eastern part of the country. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has canceled all the external festivities which traditionally are celebrated at this time of the year. An invitation was extended to the rep-resentatives of culture and arts, the media and all citizens to join to such initiative. This is not the moment of amusement

and enjoyment. It is the time of prayer and fast, the time of atonement for past sins and the future.”

However, the bloody event that in a more disturbing way united all Christians was the barbarian killing in Libya of twen-ty-one Egyptian Christian workers, slaughtered by the hands of the so-called Muslim Caliphate. On learning the news, Pope Francis did not hesitate to make an unprecedented gesture by commemorating Christians of another Church in a Catholic Eucharist : “Let us offer this liturgy for our twenty-one Coptic brothers, slaughtered for the sole reason of being Christians . . . let us pray for them, that the Lord may receive them as martyrs, for their families, for my brother Patriarch Tawadros.”

These are words of great spiritual significance that go beyond deeply sharing the pain. And the use of the term “martyrdom” is not accidental. The world’s mass media, in fact, reported what was announced by the Coptic circles: when about to be slaugh-tered those simple migrant workers invoked the name of Jesus Christ, entrusting themselves to Him, keeping their faith which was the only reason for that violent death.

The horrible images came from a resort in Libya on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and broadcasted with the most modern equipment. Nevertheless these images directly con-nect us to the Acta martyrum, the scanty but effective narration of the martyrdom of the Christians in the first centuries who, in front of courts, judges, and emperors, confirmed with their

death the scope given to their lives.These Coptic Christians were simple persons, migrant work-

ers, who had left their families behind in Egypt, like those four-teen Croatian workers slaughtered twenty years ago in a yard near the Monastery of Tibhirine in Algeria. Like all their fellow Christians, these Egyptians—Milad, Abanub, Maged, Yusuf, Ki-rollos, Bishoy and his brother Somaily, Malak, Tawadros, Girgis, Mine, Hany, Bishoy, Samuel, Ezat, Loqa, Gaber, Esam, Malak, Sameh, and the unnamed worker “from the Awr village”—carried the small baptismal tattoo on their wrists, the cross of Christ, so that, even if unable to express their faith by words, this small sign in the flesh supplied for it. This is the blood ecumen-ism evoked by Pope Francis of Rome: from the brutal assassins comes the paradoxical acknowledgment that the Lord’s disciples are “the same thing,” among themselves and with their Lord.

There is no distinction of language, rite, calendar, or theolog-ical formulations, no secular dispute, about these Copts; they are simply “Christians,” disciples of Christ in all their life until death. Sometimes martyrs are killed only because their words and gestures have disturbed those who do evil things; that is,

they are killed for their loyal Christian behavior.One last remark. In the Orthodox tradition, the Great Fast

or Lent is marked by a “painful joy,” waiting in contrition and repentance for the luminous exultation of Pascha, the feast of feasts, the victory of life over death asserted once and for all by Jesus’ Resurrection. It is the time of waiting to be able to partic-ipate in this new life that gushes forth from the empty tomb and fills all sufferings with peace. It is this “painful joy,” so difficult to understand or even imagine by Western peoples, that the faithful Copts have been experiencing. It is a feast marked by tears, torn by pain, but authentically a Christian feast because those twenty-one brothers joined to the body of the immaculate Lamb—who also were husbands, fathers, sons, friends—were conformed to their Lord whom they glorified until the last breath in their throats.

A naïve painting has circulated these days in the media: Jesus wearing an orange tunic falls to the ground under the weight of the Cross, and behind Him is a procession of men in the same orange tunic with black figures beside each one.

It looks like the reproduction of a bloody video by Islamic fundamentalists. In reality, it is the re-interpretation of the Way of the Cross—the way of every human victim of violence. And perhaps one wonders more and more, “Where is man? Where has humanity ended?” †

The New Martyrs for ChristBy aBouna girgiS


Salim Abou-Mourad was born in Zahle, Leba-non in 1853, the son of Jabbour and Elizabeth

(Kash) Abou-Mourad, a pious and industrious couple. They lived modestly by trading and selling groceries and fruit and vegetables from their small farm in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon. As in most large families at that time, the mother gave herself totally to the education and nur-turing of her children while the father handled the labor and business. Elizabeth was known for her sound judgment as a me-diator who was called upon often to settle problems in her family and among friends.

The couple had six sons and four daughters. However, six of their children died young.

Salim was greatly influenced by his pious mother. He went with her several times a week to the parish church for liturgical ser-vices and witnessed her caring for the poor with alms, even if by a small coin. He learned that giving to some-one in need was God’s blessing.

Village-life allowed families to live and work as strong units. The ex-tended family of relatives was impor-tant. Sundays and Holy Days, along with many week days, were centered around the church.

Before Salim was eight, he experi-enced a brief exile from his home dur-ing the Druze uprising of 1860. Many Christian lives were lost. Returning home after two months, the family had to begin practically from nothing, since their home and store had been destroyed. They built a small house and life resumed.

Throughout his youth and schooling, church was a great fo-cus for Salim. He excelled in his studies, especially French, sci-ence, and mathematics. His playtime was minimal for he would go to the church to pray and on the way would not forget to help a poor beggar. He was an angel in the flesh.

When Salim contemplated monastic life, he was blocked by his father who saw his son as a capable tradesman. Salim visited with the Salvatorian monks at St Elias Church, prayed more in the church, and served his parish admirably. Elizabeth, his mother, knew her son well, and it took her some time to convince Jab-bour, her husband, about Salim’s vocation. After a stormy rejec-tion, Jabbour, with much pain, had to give in, especially after Salim attempted to go to the monastery without permission. But

Elizabeth, like any mother, inter-ceded on behalf of her son and fi-nally convinced Jabbour although he remained reluctant.

So, at the age of 21, Salim left home for Holy Savior Monastery, never to return to Zahle again, not even at the death of his elder brother, Mourad, or his mother.

Crossing from Zahle and the Beqaa Valley to Joun is no easy task. Today by car it is a thrilling mountain ride; one can hardly imagine making the trip on foot. Modern advances in transpor-tation make it hard to fathom. When I crossed the mountains in Lebanon for the first time by car, I was awed and fearful.

Salim traveled with another Salim, son of Hanna Marsha, also of Zahle, who would later become Fr Basil Marsha, founder of our St Elias Church in Cleve-land, Ohio. They were welcomed at Holy Savior Monastery on 5 September 1874 in time for the

celebration of daily Vespers—eve-ning prayer at the setting of the sun. Salim was greeted by his maternal uncle, newly ordained Deacon Bou-los Kash, who presented him to the General Superior, Fr Simeon Nasr. He was also greeted by Fr Dionysios Sayegh, the parish priest for 25 years in his hometown, Zahle, as well as by another relative, Fr Elias Ghannam.

Monastics and religious live as a family; so the son of Jabbour left one family and God gave him a new fam-ily, the Basilian Salvatorian Order. His monastic and religious life began. One of his confreres in the monastery was the retired patriarch, Clement Bahouth, who had given up the patri-archal office to retire humbly to the

life of a monk in prayer and penance.Admitted to postulancy in the novitiate at Deir as-Saydeh, one

hour walking distance from Holy Savior through a landscape harsh even today, in September 1874 Salim received his reli-gious habit, made his first vows, and was given his new name: Bechara; that is, “glad tidings.” And Bechara was good news the rest of his life, announcing the glad tidings through prayer, preaching, and a simple and humble life. In the novitiate there were no beds; Bechara slept on the floor on double mats of goat hair. Bechara passed two years in rigorous living, study filled with prayer and God’s Word, and work in the field—growing and tending the wheat, grapes, olives, figs, and many herbs and spices. Throughout all this, Bechara was happy with the spirit

FAThEr BEChArA A Man of Simplicity and Humility:

A Model for the Spiritual Life

By hiS graCe BiShop niCholaS SaMra

eparChial BiShop of newTon

Delivered at Saint Basil Seminary, Methuen, MA21 February 2015

At the Commemoration of the 85 th Anniversary of the Death of Father Bechara Abou-Mourad,

Servant of God


of poverty and simplicity.Even before the novitiate was over, Bechara was entrusted

with the care of his brother monks; this lasted almost 15 years following his perpetual vows in 1876.

The rest of his life bore concrete witness to his conviction, to his unshakable fidelity to his Savior, Jesus Christ, and to his commitment to his vowed life.

In March 1882 the Superiors called Bechara to the diacon-ate after intense theological study with the elder fathers. He considered himself “unworthy” or anaxios—la mustahiq—but accepted the will of his superiors as God-given. In Decem-ber 1883, Bechara accepted priestly ordination, again through obedience to his superiors. He made ever-greater progress in humility, kindness, and piety as confessor and spiritual direc-tor of the seminarians until 1890.

After being a priest for eight years, for the next 32 years, until the age of 69, Bechara accepted the charge given him by his su-periors and the challenge of the holy founder of his monastery, Archbishop Eftimios Saifi, that his monks would also be evan-gelizers of the “good news” of Christ through parish ministry. The only church in the greater mountain area above the mon-astery to the west was Deir al-Qammar. Around it in the rugged mountains were many outlying villages and hamlets above and within the Shouf. The area was filled with little hamlets and many un-evangelized people in the al-Wadi—the valley below.

Bechara footed his way on Saturdays, Sundays, and feast days, from village to village, hamlet to hamlet, and served the faithful, most of whom were unchurched, in over 25 hamlets. Religious practice was at level zero, for the village people lived off their land and forgot what a priest even looked like. Their life was to survive. He went from home to home for litur-gies, sharing whatever he had with those in need—even what was given him for his sustenance. Many times he even walked barefoot, having given his shoes to another who had none.

In 1894 a new church was built in Bmehlay—Our Lady of the Annunciation (Bechara). Soon after, he built a small school with his own hands. Christians and Druze alike came to kiss his hand in respect.

From his early days in the Monastery, Bechara practiced rig-orous fast and abstinence, not just during Lent. It was his daily routine.

He was truly an itinerant preacher who loved his flock as a good shepherd loves and cares for his sheep. Bad weather, rain, and snow brought no change to his lifestyle and itinerant travels. He cared for each person, each family, and cared too for non-Christians—because of course Christ was for all.

After 30 years in this ministry the health of Father Bechara was in danger. He was transferred to the Archbishop’s Resi-dence in the seacoast city of Saida where he served the Cathe-dral parish from late 1922 to early 1927, just a bit more than four years. His main ministry was in the confessional—great numbers of faithful chose him to confess them. He especially touched the lives of the poor, the sick, prisoners, and the de-spairing. He visited the sick, the dying, and those in prison, and he alleviated the sufferings of the poor. Yet his life before the Blessed Sacrament in the Church, his spiritual reading, and his rigorous mortifications were never forgotten.

Ill health forced Fr Bechara in 1927 back to the Monastery of the Holy Savior not far from Saida, where he continued his

intense prayer life. His tired body became exhausted by 1929, yet he spent his time in prayer in his cell. After several heart attacks in February 1930, our saintly father was bed-ridden, yet remained strong in prayer until the Saturday of the De-parted, 22 February 1930. Fr Bechara traced a sign of the cross and surrendered his soul to God with a simple smile on his face at the age of 77.

The next day the church was filled to overflowing into the courtyard, with five bishops, 200 priests, nuns, and monks, and faithful Christians and non-Christians alike to celebrate the funeral of a saint who lived among them.

Stories are still abundant about the miracles Fr Bechara per-formed before his death and more so after.

His simple grave is marked: “Here lies in peace awaiting the Resurrection, the very venerable Father Bechara Abou-Mourad, Salvatorian monk, a model of religious life and priestly perfection.”

Fr Bechara knew well his Divine Liturgy and lived it abun-dantly after celebrating it. He truly lived the job description for priests given to us by St. Basil, whose rule the Salvatorian Order follows and which we find in his great Eucharistic anaphora:

1. Remember the people here present and those who are absent for reasonable causes.

2. Preserve their marriages in peace and harmony.

3. Nourish the infants.

4. Instruct the youth.

5. Console the elderly.

6. Comfort the faint-hearted

7. Collect the scattered.

8. Bring back the wandering and unite them to your holy catholic and apostolic Church.

9. Free those who are bothered by unclean spirits.

10. Defend the widows

11. Protect the orphans.

12. Liberate the captives.

13. Heal the sick.

14. Remember all your people, especially those in every kind of affliction or distress; those who love us and those who hate us, and those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we be.

15. Remember the poor.

I have no knowledge if Fr Bechara ever read the homilies of St. John Chrysostom, but he certainly lived them:

“Christ left us on earth in order that we should become like beacons of light and teachers to others; that we might act like leaven, move among men like angels, be like men unto chil-dren, and like spiritual men unto animal men, in order to win them over, and that we may be like seed, and bear abundant fruits. There would be no need for sermons, if our lives were shining; there would be no need for words, if we bore witness with our deeds. There would be no pagans, if we were true Christians.” (Homily X on I Timothy)



Salvatorian Order Commemorates 85th Anniversary of the Death of Venerable Fr Bechara Abou-Mourad

On Saturday 21 February, Saint Basil Seminary, in Methuen, Massa-chusetts, hosted a celebration of the 85th Anniversary of the death of the Servant of God, Father Bechara Abou-Mourad. Father Bechara, a priest of the Basilian Salvatorian Order, was declared “venerable” by

Pope Benedict XVI on 10 December 2010. According to the process for recognizing saints, after one of his miracles is accepted by Rome, he will be declared “blessed” and, when another has been verified, a saint in the Universal Catholic Church.

Father Fares El-Khlaifat, the Local Superior at Saint Basil’s, invited His Grace, Bishop Nicholas, to speak about the life of Father Bechara and then celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Bishop Nicholas’ talk, entitled “Father Bechara, a Man of Simplicity and Humility: A Model for the Spiritual Life,” was very interesting and well-docu-mented. A meatless lunch was served to all the participants and a movie on the life of Father Bechara (in Arabic with English subtitles) was shown later in the afternoon.

Among the approximately 100 people participating in the day’s events were Bish-op John Elya, BSO, Eparchial Bishop Emeritus of Newton; Archimandrite Philip Raczka, Rector of Annunciation Cathedral in Boston; Archimandrite Mark Mel-one, Pastor of Saint Joseph Melkite Church in Lawrence; Deacon Ziad Layous, also from Saint Joseph parish; Monsignor Peter Azar, Pastor of Saint Antony Maronite Church in Lawrence; the Honorable Ibrahim Bechara Hanna, Honorary Consul of Lebanon, and his wife, Leila; Brother Rene Roy, FMS, former president of Central Catholic High School in Lawrence; and many friends. †

Prayer for the Intercession of Venerable Father Bechara Abou-MouradO Lord, we come to You following the example of Father Bechara Abou-Mou-rad, your priestly son and faithful servant. Through his prayers, may our hearts be filled with a deeper love for You. May we grow through his example in faith-fulness to your call to holiness, and fully offer ourselves as living sacrifices sur-rendering to your holy will. Father Bechara was truly a man of the Spirit, walk-ing in the light of our transfigured Savior, Jesus Christ.

May we be blessed with peace in our hearts, in our homes, in our country, and in the world. Heal us, O Lord, of all infirmities of body, soul, and spirit. Mani-fest miracles today as You did in the lives of your saints.

United with the powerful prayer of your servant and son, Father Bechara, I make the following request (here name your prayer intention). May You be blessed and glorified, O Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN

With Ecclesiastical Approbation† Archbishop Joseph E. Tawil | Melkite Eparchy of Newton | August 27, 1987

Bechara was a light—a beacon of light.Bechara was a teacher by his own example.Bechara was leaven—yeast in his flock.Bechara walked like an angel with angels.Bechara was good seed in good soil—a true evangelist.Bechara bore much fruit.Bechara was a good shepherd gathering his sheep.Bechara’s life of humility and simplicity was his sermon.Bechara’s deeds bore witness to his Savior, Jesus Christ.

Venerable Fr Bechara is truly a model of priestly life, then and

now—more so now in our modern life when we have so much more than he had in the time of his life, and yet our evangeliza-tion is not strong. Today many Christians still act like pagans. We need to look at our saintly father and do as he did, live as he lived, pray as he prayed, love as he loved, and win souls for Christ.

I exhort my brother clergy and you beloved faithful laity, whatever title or level you have in life, to emulate the man of simplicity and humility—a saint for us today: Bechara Abou-Mourad. Join me in fervent prayer that his recognition as a saint may come soon. †

FAThEr BEChArA Continued from page 17


It ’s Not Easy Being Green. Continued from page 13

By fr. ToM STeinMeTz

naTional n.a.M.y. DireCTor

The 2015 National Association of Melkite Youth Conference will take place from 28 June through 2 July at the Colombiere Re-treat and Conference Center, 9075 Big Lake

Road, Clarkston, Michigan, about 35 miles from the Detroit airport. The cost of the conference, including room and meals, is $185 per person. To check out the beautiful facilities at this Jesuit-operated retreat center, visit their website at www.colombiere.com.

Any of the young Melkites who have attended past conferences will tell you what a wonderful time they had. The experience of laughing, loving, learning, play-ing, and praying together is powerfully enriching. Peo-ple meeting at these conferences have formed lifetime friendships.

So, if you are a Melkite teen who has never been to the national conference—what are you waiting for?

Young Melkites at least 13 years old by 31 December 2014 and under 19 years of age as of 2 July 2015, who have not yet started college, are eligible to attend the conference. Advisors from each parish accompany their NAMY groups to the conference, along with some dea-cons and priests.

All of the necessary registration forms, consent forms, and deadline dates are available from parish pastors and NAMY advisors, or can be downloaded from the NAMY page on the eparchial website at www.melkite.org.

I look forward to being with everyone at the confer-ence again this year. See you in Michigan!

Please pray for our advisors and for our youth.

Fr. Thomas Steinmetz has been Director of the National Association of Melkite Youth for ten years. He is pastor of Our Lady of the Cedars Church in Manchester, New Hampshire.

other people. They do not come to church to fulfill the expecta-tions and continue the work and preserve the heritage of those who have gone before them. But they will do those things if those things are connected with their reasons for belonging to a church.

So, if we want to preserve our Melkite identity and offer something special to our country and to people who are hungry for God, we need to be very clear that we’re not a mainstream church. We need to be strong in expressing and explaining and demonstrating how our Melkite Church—in its liturgy, theol-ogy, prayer life, and community life—leads people into rela-tionship with God. And we need to reassure “our people” that we are not devaluing or discarding what they love and what they have achieved, though we are presenting it in a different way

because we live in a different time and a different place.Just as being green is not easy, being Melkite is not easy.But Kermit concluded, “I’m green and it’ll do fine. It’s beauti-

ful! And I think it’s what I want to be.”And we have to say the same: “I’m Melkite and it’s fine. It’s

beautiful. It’s what I want to be.”* The Muppets—puppet characters such as Kermit the Frog, Miss

Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Oscar the Grouch, the Cookie Monster, and oth-ers—are familiar all over the world from their entertaining and edu-cational appearances on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show and in their movies.

Fr. James K. Graham joined the Melkite Church in 1978 and has been a priest for more than 20 years. He is pastor of St Joseph Church in Lansing, Michigan, and Copy Editor of SOPHIA.

naMy ConferenCe Coming to Michigan in 2015


On the Third Sunday after Pascha, we read the story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15). When we read or listen to this Gospel passage, we often pay so much attention

to the events leading up to the healing that we don’t pay any at-tention to what happens afterwards.

And there are two things definitely worth thinking about in the second half of the story.

First, there is the reaction of the religious authorities. They don’t seem to notice or care that the man has been healed and can walk again after 38 years of being paralyzed. All they care about is that he is breaking the religious Law by carrying his sleeping mat on the Sabbath. That counts as work, and work is forbidden on the Sabbath, the day of rest.

Second, there is the reaction of Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want to be noticed after He heals the paralyzed man, so He blends into the crowd. But He isn’t finished with the man. When we encounter God, we need to learn something. So Jesus goes looking for the man, and finds him in the Temple area. Then He warns him, “You have been made well. Take care not to sin anymore, so that

Sin MAkeS US Sick. JeSuS HeAlS BODy & SOul.By fr JaMeS k. grahaM

nothing worse may happen to you.”Obviously, the religious authorities

and Jesus have very different ideas of sin.

The authorities are concerned that the man has violated the Law by work-ing on the Sabbath. They don’t seem to connect physical healing and spiritual healing.

On the other hand, Jesus doesn’t seem concerned with the Law. However, for him the healing of the paralytic is just the first step. He has to make sure that the man understands how profoundly his life has been changed—how his physical healing is just the sign of a deeper spiritual healing.

Jesus doesn’t mean that sin leads di-rectly to illness, or that illness is direct punishment for sin. But sin can literally make us sick. It can paralyze our abil-ity to make moral decisions. It can make us sick with guilt. It can poison our re-lationships with other people and with God. It can lead us to do stupid and dangerous things.

Very often we don’t think much about the connection between sin and health, between our spiritual and our physical condition. It doesn’t seem like the para-lytic does this, either. Before he’s healed, he just complains that no one will help him, and afterwards he just seems to be glad that he can walk. He focusses en-tirely on his physical condition.

The religious authorities also don’t seem to connect the physical and the spiritual, except for them the spiritual dimension is missing entirely. They

consider only the physical aspect of sin: it’s just a matter of breaking the Law, rather than dealing with what’s in the heart.

What Jesus shows the paralytic—and us—is that both of these attitudes are wrong. We can’t take health—or any other aspect of physical existence—for granted, and leave God out of it. And we cannot reduce our relationship with God to following the rules. We also cannot judge other people and their relationships with God on how well we think they follow the rules.

When Christ comes into our lives, He brings healing for body and soul. He frees us from paralysis, from sin, from obsession with rules.

But He not only frees us from things; He also frees us to do things: to live holy lives of love and mercy and justice; to be humble and respectful and generous; and to give thanks and praise and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever and unto ages of ages. †

Fr. James K. Graham joined the Melkite Church in 1978 and has been a priest for more than 20 years. He is pastor of St Joseph Church in Lansing, Michigan, and Copy Editor of SOPHIA.


The Voca-tion Tour a p p r o v e d by Bishop

Nicholas—visits parish-es around the Eparchy to promote awareness of the call to priesthood—continued in February at St. Jude parish in Miami. St Jude’s pastor, Archimandrite Damon Geiger, prepared the congregation by post-ing flyers about the upcoming visit and pre-sentations on vocations.

Display tables in the parish hall offered in-formation on various as-pects of vocations, quiz-zes, contact details, and prayer cards in English and Spanish.

Fr Damon invited me to speak at the parish’s three Sunday liturgies, and to celebrate one of them as well. The eve-ning liturgy is the famil-iar Byzantine Melkite liturgy celebrated and chanted entirely in Span-ish. A Spanish-speaking priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami is learning to celebrate the Melkite Liturgy, and on the spot Fr Damon asked him to do a simultaneous translation of my presentation into Spanish.

Following that Sunday evening liturgy, Fr Damon scheduled a meeting with the women’s group Las Servidoras de San Ju-das (Servants of St Jude). It was quite an enjoyable experience. The members’ opening comments in Spanish were translated

for me by the bi-lingual pastor and my com-ments in English were translated for them. A period of questions and answers about vocations followed. The women pledged their support to the work of the Voca-tions Office.

Fr Gabriel Azar, new-ly-assigned as a tempo-rary assistant at St Jude, also joined in the discus-sion. He comes original-ly from Sednaya, Syria, but grew up in Beirut.

Other meetings, with the St Jude La-dies Guild, which like Las Servidoras de San Judas is affiliated with NAMW, and with St Jude’s NAMY group, had been planned. Be-cause of miscommuni-cation, however, these meetings and a visit to St Nicholas parish in Delray did not happen. Perhaps that visit and the meetings will take place at another time.

At the 2014 Clergy Conference in New Or-leans, various pastors in-vited me to their parishes for the Vocation Tour. After Great Lent and

Pascha, I hope to schedule more visits around the country—and that your parish will be one of them.Please keep praying to the Lord of the Harvest that He will touch the minds and hearts of our families to create the needed atmosphere in our homes that will be open, encouraging, welcoming, and justifiably proud to give the gift of a child back to God in a holy vocation. †

VOCAtiOn tOurReaches MiamiVOCAtiOn tOurReaches MiamiBy arChiManDriTe John azar

Office Of VOcatiOnsEparchy of NEwtoN1428 Ponce de Leon ave., ne

atlanta, Georgia 30307

404-373-9522fax: 404-373-9755

www.melkite.org/vocationse-mail: [email protected]


WHAt’S YOUR MELKiTE iQ?A Self-Assessment

for Your Fun and Enlightenment By aBouna DiMiTry

See how much you and yours know about your faith and traditions by completing this self-quiz. You can find the correct answers on page 29. Do some research to learn more about the topics that especially interest you.

1. What was Baal? A. A false god worshipped by pagans in the Old Testament B. A type of food used by the hebrews C. A sacrifice offered by the Jews D. A kind of perfumed incense

2. Which Old Testament person was renamed Israel? A. Abraham B. Jacob C. Isaac D. Elijah

3. Which of these books of the Bible is not part of the Pentateuch? A. Genesis B. Numbers C. Isaiah D. Exodus

4. Which Old Testament couple served strangers a meal and later found out they were angels? A. Jacob and rachel B. Isaac and rebecca C. David and Bathsheba D. Abraham and Sarah

5. At which event did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples? A. his baptism B. his last supper C. his entry into Jerusalem D. his journey to Emmaus

6. Which apostles were present when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter? A. Peter, James and John B. Peter, John and Andrew C. All of the Twelve apostles D. Andrew, Peter and Judas

7. To the Christians in which of these cities did Saint Paul write two letters? A. rome B. Antioch C. Corinth D. Edessa

8. Who called himself the Good (or Beautiful) Shepherd? A. Joseph of Arimathea B. John the Baptist C. Andrew the First-Called D. Jesus, Son of Mary


9. The story of the Prodigal Son or the Merciful Father teaches us a lesson in A. repentance B. Getting along with others C. Controlling anger D. Leaving home when we are young

10. Who of these was an ancestor of The Theotokos? A. David B. Joseph C. Saul D. Joachim

11. Female Deacons were A. Mentioned by Saint Paul in his letters B. Serving in the church until about the 11th century C. To be over forty years of age as prescribed by the Council of Chalcedon D. All of the above

12. Which of these statements is not true about services during the Great Fast or Lent? A. Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays B. Divine Liturgy is offered on all days other than Wednesday and Friday C. Most of the services have prayers with kneeling and prostrations D. We recite the Prayer of Saint Ephraim of Nisibis at most services

13. We bless palm and olive branches on what day A. Lazarus Saturday B. Sunday of the Blind C. Palm Sunday D. Sunday after Pascha

14. Saint Mary of Egypt is commemorated during Great Lent for her A. Noble birth and almsgiving B. Life of repentance and asceticism C. Bloody martyrdom D. Great generosity to others

15. Which feast is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and not in the Gospels? A. Nativity of Jesus B. resurrection C. Epiphany D. Pentecost

16. The Penitential Canon read during Great Lent was composed by A. Saint Andrew of Crete B. Saint Aphrahat the hermit C. Saint Isaac the Syrian D. Saint Maron the Monk

17. On the weekdays of Great Lent, the biblical readings at the services are taken from A. The Gospels B. The Apocrypha C. The Old Testament D. The Epistles

18. Which of these about the holy Trinity is true? A. The Father alone is God; the Son and the holy Spirit are creatures as we are B. There are three Persons (Father, Son, and holy Spirit) but one Godhead C. The Father is one God, the Son is another God, and the holy Spirit is also another God D. God is one, and the Son and Spirit are names for God’s thought and action

19. The holy Spirit proceeds from A. The Father B. The Father and the Son C. The Church D. None of the above

20. The liturgical words Amen and Alleluia originally come from A. Aramaic B. Greek C. hebrew D. Latin


Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903) referred to the beauty and uniqueness of the Basilica of Saint Maria of Grottaferrata by calling it “a gem of the Christian East mounted on the papal tiara.” This monastery near Rome is also known as the Greek Abbey of St Nilus the Calabrian, its founder and first hegumen (abbot).

In 1004 the venerable Abbot Nilus, with a small community, reached the hill of Tusculum. Upon the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, perhaps a property of the Roman consul Marcus Tullius Cicero (d. 43 BC), after the Mother of God appeared to him and his disciple Bartholomew of Rossano, they built a monastery dedicated to the Theotokos.

Grottaferrata is indeed a rare gem, since it is the last Byzantine-Greek monastery directly depen-dent on the Holy See of Rome, among the once numerous monasteries and hermitages of southern Italy and Sicily. Even the military invasion of Fred-erick Barbarossa (d. 1190) and the wholesale pillage of Frederick II (d. 1250) could not destroy it.

The monastic building, completed around the middle of 1024, was consecrated in December of that same year by Pope John XIX (d. 1032). In the 20th century, the outside of the Basilica was completely restored so that the original view of its main rose-window, the blind Gothic arches, and the narthex with the baptismal font and a fresco of Christ freeing the souls from Hades can be ad-mired. Marble reliefs frame the wood-carved clap-pers of the main portal, the top of which displays

a beautiful 11th-century Byzantine mosaic Deisis; that is, the icon of Jesus in royal robes, seated be-tween the Theotokos and St John the Baptist.

The Romanesque interior of the church with its three naves has been transformed in Baroque style, replacing the columns with pilasters and covering the walls with stucco. The mosaic on the main arch that separates the central nave from the deep pres-bytery dates to the 12th century. Its hieratic depic-tion of the Apostles converges towards the empty throne where a lamb symbolizes the sacrifice of Christ. The overhanging frescoes that represent the Trinity date from roughly the same time.

Three great artists contributed to increase the splendor of the temple. Domenico Zampieri, known as Domenichino (d. 1641) crafted the frescoes featuring episodes of Saint Nilus’ life that adorn the Farnese chapel, whose altarpiece was made by Annibale Carracci (d. 1609). It shows the Theotokos, holding Christ, between the two founding saints, Nilus and Bartholomew. Gian Lorenzo Bernini (d. 1680) planned the majestic iconostasis, at the center of which is placed a Byzantine icon of the Theotokos pointing to Christ.

Since its founding, the Greek Abbey of Grottaferrata has been a center of culture, thanks to the labors of copyist monks (monaci scriptores) who produced for the library many precious Latin and Greek codices. †

Grottaferrata A Gem of the Christian EastBy papaS giorgioS


VATICAN CITY (CNS) – While fully part of the universal Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic churches suffered from the prejudices of the Latin-rite majority and an emphasis on uniformity among all Catholics, the head of the Congregation for Eastern Churches said in Rome on 20 November 2014.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Coun-cil decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum, which affirmed the rich-ness of the Eastern churches within the Catholic communion, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri said, “Diversity at the center of the church is some-thing that reflects a project of God.”

In his message for the anniver-sary, the cardinal described Orienta-lium Ecclesiarum as the “crowning of an important jour-ney in the Latin conscience” toward acceptance of the Eastern churches.

The Eastern churches histori-cally faced “sev-eral prejudices” in the Catholic com-munion, namely an ecclesiology of “universal unifor-mity,” which, he said, “considered the Latin church and its ‘rite’ as the universal model.”

In addition, he said, because of a particular interpretation of the role of the Roman pontiff, “the rights and privileges of the patriarchs were worn thin or dropped.”

“At the base, there was perhaps a consideration of East-ern Catholic Christianity as quaint folklore, sometimes not deeply understood and confused with the Orthodox Church,” he wrote.

However, the Second Vatican Council offered a new under-

standing of the Eastern churches and affirmed “the necessary diversity within the universal church,” he said. It expressed “great esteem for their ways of governance, their canonical dis-ciplines as regards priests—including the married priesthood—their piety, their ways of understanding the Christian mystery and their vision of the church,” he wrote.

The Eastern churches were not, as previously understood, “caused by some historical contingency, but they exist by provi-dential design,” said Cardinal Sandri.

“Diversity is an indicator of com-munion and almost the condition for its possibility, not its negation,” he wrote. “It is di-versity, owed to the Spirit, and ex-pressed according to the cultural hori-zon of each people who has welcomed the Gospel.”

Praising the “wit-ness of courage and hope” of the martyred Eastern Catholic churches, the cardinal also noted the significant challenges faced by many Eastern churches today as they minister in territories affected by war, political upheavals, and hu-

manitarian disasters.Faced by these challenges, many Eastern Catholics have

immigrated to countries where the Latin church is predomi-nant, he said. In light of this migration, he said, the more numerous [Latin] Catholic communities are called “to help Eastern Catholic churches in the diaspora preserve, love, and transpose . . . their religious traditions in new cultural contexts.” †

PrESErvE

LOvETrANSPOSE

WhOLE ChurCh Should Help Eastern Churches PrESErvE TrADITIONS, CArDINAL SAyS

By laura leraCi, CaTholiC newS ServiCe

WhOLE ChurCh Should Help Eastern Churches PrESErvE TrADITIONS, CArDINAL SAyS


We have now passed the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the 450th anniversary of the Council of Trent (1545-1563). These anniversaries offer an opportune

occasion to recall also the importance of the other 19 general councils of the Catholic Church. Many of these councils treated matters of special concern for the Eastern Churches.

Church historians remind us that tracing the developments of the 21 general councils is an outstanding way to survey the 2000-year history of Christianity. While the general councils did not treat every aspect of theology and spirituality, they did address the major issues of their times. For this reason scholars recog-nize these meetings as an essential lifeline in church history.

A dominant theme across all the general councils is their paradoxical (and often controversial) situation as democratic or constitutional meetings happening in a hierarchical church pre-sided over by a pope claiming a singular and unique authority directly from Christ.

Another prevailing theme is the cycle of challenge and re-sponse that brings councils into session to treat heresy, the need for reform, questions of church authority, and other significant issues at various times in the two millennia of Christian history.

The councils are the Church’s “think tanks” for solving prob-lems and plotting the future. Often, issues are churning for de-cades or even centuries before being brought to a council for solu-tion. The general pattern sees the Church identifying the reason for convoking the council, setting the goal, and having a period of preparation, then the meeting itself, and afterwards the efforts to put the decisions into practice. The council fathers enunciate guiding principles and procedures, and plot their implementation.

Looking back at the previous councils with the recent history of Vatican II’s landmark sessions in mind will help us not only to understand the specific history of each, but especially to put Vati-can II and its results into clearer perspective. Studies of Vatican II and its different kinds of conciliar documents abound. But we lack sufficient attention to the earlier councils and their docu-ments in light of our own experience of Vatican II. The past is prologue.

Reading about councils is one thing. Living through a coun-cil, having learned about earlier councils, is quite another. First-

hand familiarity with Vatican II gives people today exceptional insight and perspective on how other councils worked. Con-temporary Christians are more fortunate in this regard than the millions who lived during periods when no councils met, such as the 306 years between Trent and Vatican I, or the 92 years between Vatican I and Vatican II.

Historical OverviewWe can group the 21 general councils in four periods of church history: Early, Medieval, Reformation, and Modern.

In the first millennium the councils met to formulate doctri-nal statements to correct heretical differences. The councils of the middle ages and reformation dealt with reforming church divergences and clarifying certain doctrines. In the modern pe-riod the two Vatican councils were called for dissimilar reasons: the first to define papal infallibility, the second to renew the church in line with contemporary developments.

Some councils completed the unfinished business of their pre-decessors. The first eight councils, Nicaea (325) to Constanti-nople IV (869-870), met in somewhat rapid succession because they were refining essential statements of belief, addressing persistent problems. The first four Lateran councils met suc-cessively in less than a century (1123, 1139, 1179, and 1215) to address questions of church reform. Some later councils finished the work that difficult circumstances prevented earlier meetings from doing.

Reviewing the historical contexts and major undertakings of the councils to respond to particular challenges will help us rec-ognize the connecting themes and form a general picture of the church’s journey to the present.

Why Church Councils MeetWhat constitutes a general council? A general council is a meet-ing of all the bishops of the Church, convened by the pope, al-though this was not always the case in the early church. Persons other than bishops are also invited. There is no regular schedule for convoking a council; they are called as needed so that the council fathers can address the demanding religious and social issues of their day. From the very outset of the Church’s life, Christian leaders have used such major meetings to compare

Revisiting the Councils of the Church:

An Historical Retrospect By aBouna DiMiTry


notes and solve problems.

For example, when Pope Innocent III announced Lateran IV, which met in 1215, he declared that some important questions required attention, and “since these objects affect the condition of the whole body of the faithful, we should summon a general council according to the ancient custom of the holy fathers to be held at a convenient time and to be concerned only with the spiritual good of souls.”

He then suggested a sweeping agenda: “to uproot vices and implant virtues, to correct abuses and reform morals, to elimi-nate heresies and strengthen faith, to allay differences and es-tablish peace, to check persecutions and cherish liberty, to per-suade Christian princes and peoples to grant succor and support for the Holy Land from both clergy and laymen, and for other reasons which it would be too tedious to enumerate here.”

All those invited were requested to be in Rome two and a half years after the summons and to prepare according to this directive: “Meantime, both personally and by discreet agents, you will inquire precisely about all matters which seem to call for energetic correction or reform, and, conscientiously writing

a report, you will deliver it for the scrutiny of the sacred council.”

The Council of Constance (1414-1418) was a controversial assembly that wanted to put coun-cils on a regular schedule mainly to assert a claim to authority over the papacy. In 1417 Constance stated: “The frequent holding of general councils is a pre-eminent means of cultivating the Lord’s patrimony. It roots out the briars, thorns, and thistles of heresies, errors, and schisms; corrects deviations; reforms what is deformed; and pro-duces a richly fertile crop for the Lord’s vineyard.”

While Constance failed in this attempt, no one in church leadership doubted the value and cru-cial importance of a general council. In 1512, five years before Martin Luther posted his 95 The-ses, John Colet, the dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London and a friend of the renowned humanist scholar Erasmus, preached a sermon to a gather-ing of England’s clergy in which he clearly stated: “For nothing ever happens more detrimental to the church of Christ than the omission of coun-cils, both general and provincial.” He and others knew the church needed to call a council to ad-dress critical conditions.

Although general councils met for a variety of reasons, Vatican II is considered to be the first council without a serious doctrinal issue at the head of its agenda.

Vatican II was a different type of council, and Pope Paul VI affirmed this in his encyclical Eccle-siam Suam (1964) when he encouraged the con-tinuation of the Council’s innovative direction: “How often in past centuries has the determina-tion to instigate reforms been associated with the holding of ecumenical councils! Let it be so once more; but this time not with a view to removing any specific heresies concerning the church or to remedying any public disorders—for disor-

ders of this sort have not, thank God, raised their head in our midst—but rather with a view to infusing fresh spiritual vigor into Christ’s mystical body considered as a visible society and to purifying it from the defects of many of its members and urging it on to the attainment of new virtue.”

The First and Model Council in the New TestamentWhile the council held in Jerusalem and recorded in the Acts of the Apostles is not listed with those we consider general or ecumenical, this meeting of Peter and James, Paul and Barn-abas, and others is often noted as the first and model council. Constantinople II (553) explicitly mentioned the importance of the apostles coming together to consult and to make a decision.

The New Testament includes two accounts of this meeting: the Acts of the Apostles 15 and Galatians 2:1-10. The “Council of Jerusalem” probably met in 49 or 50 to address the question that arose a handful of years after Jesus’ death and resurrection: Must one be a Jew in order to be a Christian? The issue boiled down to whether men needed to be circumcised and whether all



were bound by the Jewish dietary laws.Acts 15 set some important patterns for future councils. For

example, Paul and Barnabas were “appointed to go up to Jeru-salem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. So they were sent on their way by the church . . .” Henceforth church leaders representing distant and diverse areas gathered in a central place to discuss common issues and find solutions to vexing problems. James employed a reasonable compromise approach, and the decision of this council was that Gentile men need not be circumcised to be followers of Christ. Then those at the meeting sent a letter explaining the decision and indicat-ing the source of its authority: “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us . . .”

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul relates that the group seemed to agree over a handshake, as though everyone partic-ipated equally in the decision: “(they) gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership . . .” (Gal 2:9). But in the Acts of the Apostles, James listened to everyone and then made a decision: “My brothers, listen to me . . . It is my judgment . . .” (Acts 15:13, 19).

We see a slight discrepancy appears between Galatians, which sounds like a consensus decision, and Acts, which suggests one de-cision maker with whom others agreed. This tension appears again in several general councils, between popes exercising their primacy and bishops emphasizing collegiality and collaborative action.

Church Law on the Relationship of Pope and BishopsThe present Code of Canon Law of the Latin Church, pro-mulgated in 1983, explains the working relationship between pope and bishops at general councils (canons 336-341), echo-ing Vatican II’s document Lumen Gentium (no. 22). Canon 336 declares that the two working together are the final authority in the church: “The college of bishops, whose head is the Supreme Pontiff, . . . together with its head and never without this head, is also the subject of supreme and full power over the universal church.” The pope belongs to the college of bishops as head of the diocese of Rome, but the law emphasizes the pope as head of the college.

Regarding councils, canon 337 states: “The college of bishops exercises power over the universal church in a solemn manner in an ecumenical council.” Canon 338 reserves to the pope sole authority in some matters: convoking an ecumenical council; presiding over it personally or through others; transferring, sus-pending, or dissolving a council; approving its decrees; setting the agenda, and approving items added to the agenda.

Current church law states that an ecumenical council cannot come into play without papal authority. But history shows that in the first millennium emperors and one empress called and sometimes presided over councils, usually with the knowledge and blessing of the popes. Nor did popes always attend general councils in person. When they did not, they would send a legate to speak for them.

The decrees of a general council are valid and binding only after the pope approves them and orders them published. Can-on 341 states, “The decrees of an ecumenical council do not

have obligatory force unless they have been approved by the Roman Pontiff with the council fathers, confirmed by him, and promulgated at his order.” Only at the behest of the pope are the results then shared with the universal church.

Bishops are the main participants, and canon law gives them alone the deliberative vote, one that is binding on a council’s decisions and not merely an opinion that may be overlooked. However the convening pope may invite others to a council and determine how they will participate. This is covered in canon 339. At Vatican II, John XXIII and Paul VI gave a deliberative vote to the heads of religious orders, and invited the advice of many experts and observers—clerical and lay, male and female, Catholic and non-Catholic—especially in committee sessions, public lectures, and private consultations.

“Ecumenical” or “General”?The terms “universal,” “ecumenical,” and “general” are ordi-narily used interchangeably, and somewhat loosely. But it is im-portant to be accurate and note the distinctions. “Ecumenical” comes from the Greek word for “universal.” A truly ecumenical council, then, is a gathering that includes representatives of the Church from all parts of the world. By that definition, the first seven major councils were ecumenical, as Chalcedon called it-self in 451, because they included bishops from the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire, considered to be the entire world at that time. In fact, very few western bishops were pres-ent at some of those meetings.

While the Eastern Orthodox churches consider only the first seven councils ecumenical, the Roman Catholic Church rec-ognizes 21 as ecumenical or general, even though the East was missing from the councils of the second millennium. Lateran I (1123) called itself a general and not an ecumenical council be-cause no eastern bishops participated. Basel-Ferrara-Florence-Rome referred to itself as ecumenical since eastern and western bishops gathered to discuss reuniting the church.

The common usage of “general council” acknowledges the ab-sence of the East from most meetings after the first millennium. This use gradually became customary. In 1974, when marking the 700th anniversary of Lyons II, Paul VI said it was “counted sixth among the general synods celebrated in the western world,” since those meetings of the medieval period took place in west-ern Europe. Paul VI used “synod” instead of “council,” but both terms carry the same meaning in the church records of the day.

The important distinction is the difference between gen-eral, universal, or ecumenical meetings, and local, regional, or provincial meetings. Numerous provincial or local councils or synods met during the first three centuries of Christianity, es-pecially during the third century, to handle matters of doctrine and discipline. These earliest church meetings in North Africa, Rome, Gaul, Asia Minor, and Iberia paved the way to Nicaea I, the first general council.

Many local meetings, some attended by popes or their del-egates, also met during the Middle Ages. Today regional synods of bishops continue to meet, sometimes in Rome, and frequent-ly in the home countries, as national synods or conferences.

Revisiting the Councils of the Church Continued from page 27

A Concluding ReviewThe time between councils, their duration, and attendance at them varies widely. Counting 21 general councils may give the impression that they were called about once each century. In reality general councils have met infrequently and often in clusters, with long periods of time that experienced no councils at all.

Three centuries elapsed before Christianity was recognized by the Roman Empire. Only then was the first general council convened. Then eight councils sat in the 545 years between Ni-caea I (325) and Constantinople IV (869-870). Two and a half centuries later the seven medieval councils, Lateran I (1123) to Vienne (1311-1312), met over the next 189 years.

With the passing of another century, two more general coun-cils met within three decades: Constance (1414-1418) to Basel-Ferrara-Florence-Rome (1431-1445). Lateran V (1512-1517) followed more than sixty years later, succeeded by Trent, which met in three stages between 1545 and 1563.

Three centuries transpired before the next council, Vatican I (1869-1870). Another century and Vatican II (1962-1965) met.

General councils varied widely in duration. Lateran II sat only a week, while Constance (1414-1418) met for three and a half years of steady activity. But length of time is no indicator of importance or achievement; Lateran IV gathered for only twenty days and was the most impressive of the medieval coun-cils. Lateran V met for five years, 1512-1517, but accomplished little. Vatican II met for 281 days in four autumn gatherings, but, as at most councils, a great deal of work took place before and after the four sessions.

Concerning participation, as few as a dozen members were present during a low point at Constantinople IV (869-870), and only 17 during one session of Trent in 1551-1552. In striking contrast, 2540 packed St. Peter’s Basilica for the first session of Vatican II in 1962.

But the historical period of a general council was not nec-essarily a big influence on attendance. In spite of difficulties in travel and communication during the ancient and medieval eras, about 600 took part in Chalcedon (451), more than 400 at Lateran IV (1215), and nearly 900 at Constance (1414-1418).

Even though each general council exhibited distinctive charac-teristics, a common thread runs through all. Each council rose to the occasion and responded to the urgent needs of its day.

Hopefully, this brief and broad view of conciliar history offers a context for a better appreciation of the Church’s growth and development, and places the Church’s life in clearer perspec-tive. Perhaps it will whet our appetites for delving a little deeper into how these councils have served the Church by addressing the challenges they confronted. History repeats itself.

Correct ContextEach council must be seen in its proper context. Our faith re-minds us that the Holy Spirit has guided the Church and the fathers of the councils through all the centuries. And the Holy Spirit will be with the Church in all the years to come. If we lose sight of this fundamental truth, we risk the confused thinking that the Holy Spirit might abandon Christ’s Church. But we know the Holy Spirit, like Christ Himself, is always with us.

In 1870 Blessed John Henry Newman shrewdly projected that it takes a century to integrate fully the wisdom of an ecu-

menical council. “It is rare,” he wrote, “for a council not to be followed by great confusion . . . The century following each council has ever been a time of great trouble.”

At the outset of Vatican II, Saint John XXIII noted that “it is now only dawn . . .” We are still digesting the work of Vati-can II: 16 major decrees approved by more than 2500 council fathers, who cast more than 1,200,000 ballots after 1000-plus speeches and more than 6000 written interventions.

Consider this an invitation and opportunity to refresh and to renew ourselves by rereading (or reading for the first time) the dynamic teachings of Vatican II and of earlier councils. These documents reveal a Church ever faithful, a Church ever dynam-ic, a divine gift, and a grace that continues from the time of the Apostles.

Pope Benedict XVI reminded us, “The Church both before and after the [Second Vatican] Council is the same one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church journeying through time.” †

General Councils of the Catholic Church

Councils of the Early Church1. Nicaea I, 3252. Constantinople, 3813. Ephesus, 4314. Chalcedon, 4515. Constantinople II, 5536. Constantinople III, 680-6817. Nicaea II, 7878. Constantinople IV, 869-870

Councils of the Medieval Church9. Lateran I, 112310. Lateran II, 113911. Lateran III, 117912. Lateran IV, 121513. Lyons I, 124514. Lyons II, 127415. Vienne, 1311-1312

Councils of the Reformation16. Constance, 1414-141817. Basel-Ferrara-Florence-Rome, 1431-144518. Lateran V, 1512-151719. Trent, 1545-1548, 1551-1552, 1562-1563

Councils of the Modern Era20. Vatican I, 1869-187021. Vatican II, 1962-1965

Answers to What’s Your Melkite IQ?from page 22-23

1. A 2. B 3. C

4. D 5. B 6. A

7. C 8. D 9. A

10. A 11. D 12. B

13. C 14. B 15. D

16. A17. C 18. B

19. A 20. C


ePArCHyePArCHyAround the

ST ANNENOrTh hOLLyWOOD, CABy nina kaSBarian

In December 2014 St Anne’s second annual Chil-dren’s Christmas Carol program featured all the Sunday School children and the music classes. They even learned some Arabic Christmas songs, which all the families to see their children perform.

The Melkite Ladies League had a successful Christmas party. After a Saturday morning liturgy, they took a trip to San Pedro harbor. They enjoyed a boat ride along the harbor with lunch and shop-ping. Now they are planning their Mother’s Day luncheon and fashion show on 9 May.

After celebrating the Divine Liturgy on 31 De-cember, a capacity crowd filled the hall for a New year’s Eve Party planned by the Social Commit-tee. Everyone enjoyed the festivities and rang in the New year with Father Fouad Sayegh, the pas-tor, and Father Musil Shihadeh, the assistant pastor.

Saint Anne’s Melkite youth Association (SAMyA), led by their Advisors, Deacon Tareq Nasrallah and Linda haddadin, meets on the first and third Sun-days of the month to discuss the readings from that day’s liturgy and deal with the group’s busi-ness. Selected members also discuss a Bible verse with the group. On the third Sunday, they also hold their monthly fundraiser. In January, they had their first Bible study on the Divine Liturgy with Fr Musil Shihadeh and took Fr Musil to universal City Walk for dinner and bowling.

In January, Saint Anne’s young Adult group (SAyA) went to “Skid row,” one of the poorest areas of the city, to pass out homemade sand-wiches to the needy. The experience opened their eyes to the many poor people who live in Los An-geles. On 14 February, Fr Musil led a day retreat for the young adults: After the Divine Liturgy, they made and ate breakfast together. Fr Musil then presented an in-depth look at the Theotokos and her place in salvation history.

Celebration of the holy Mystery of reconciliation is scheduled for 30 May. Children and adults are practicing every week for the big day.

ST JOhN ChrySOSTOMATLANTA, GABy DeaCon elie hanna

The Men’s Club of St John Chrysostom parish col-lected winter blankets and clothing as well as food for the needy at Thanksgiving. At Christmas parishioners received the pocket-size Book of the hours published by our eparchy.

As our building nears its 100th birthday, renova-tion of the parish facilities continues. New hvAC units were installed in the residence’s kitchen and den. More efficient windows replaced 37 of the 45 in the church and residence. Deacon Sami Jajeh coordinated this project. It will take longer to re-place the remaining ones, some of them curved. The extensive removal of asbestos was completed in the basement, but property lighting, a security system, and restoration of the stained glass dome in the nave of the church have yet to begin.

The Ladies Society generously underwrote the ex-penses of tailoring a few vestments of the parish’s original pastor, Exarch William haddad of blessed memory, for wearing by present and future clergy of the parish while they remember him at Liturgy. One of his vestments is already on display as part of the parish’s history and heritage.

On 17 January, St John Chrysostom parish and St Elias Antiochian Orthodox parish co-hosted a ben-efit dinner at St John’s to aid the children of Syria. The sold-out event raised $26,000, divided between the two parishes to forward to their respective patri-archates and relief agencies in Syria.

The parish hosted the Southern regional Clergy Meeting on 30 January. Bishop Nicholas presided, and the discussion, led by Deacon Sabatino Car-nazzo, centered on the successes and downfalls of religious education around the region. On the next day, Deacon Sabatino led the fifth Eden to Eden Conference in the Cultural Center. Clergy and laypeople attended from St George parish in Birmingham, AL, St Ignatios of Antioch parish in Au-gusta, GA, and St John Chrysostom parish.

Deacon Sami Jajeh, Deacon Elie hanna, and their families travelled to Birmingham to witness

30 SOPHIA | winTer 2014


the ordination of their seminary schoolmate, Dea-con Andrew Baroody, on 1 February.

During Great Lent, with its services and weekly Poor Man’s Suppers, the Men’s Club began its outreach activities by assisting at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception’s St Francis Table for the homeless.

In March, once again Catholic schools visited St John’s and heard presentations on the Melkite Church by the pastor, Archimandrite John Azar. he was also invited to speak at the local Eritrean Catholic Community feast day celebration and at the Lenten reflection at Christ the King roman Catholic Cathedral, where he discussed the East-ern Church’s perspective on Pope Francis’ sermon on the universal Church of Mercy.

On 1 March, the Parish Pastoral held an open meeting after the Liturgy. The parishioners ob-served the council in action and had the opportu-nity to raise issues during the open discussion.

Fr John gave the children of the Church School a tour of the church on 8 March. Other educational initiatives include production of videos, DvDs, and power point presentations, especially for people who are homebound.

ST. NIChOLASrOChESTEr, NyBy Meghan SarkiS

Parishioners of Saint Nicholas Church, in rochester, Ny, spent a snowy Saturday in January discussing and connecting over the needs of the parish. Gary Sick, a friend of Saint Nicholas Church, generously donated his time to organize and lead the event.

The structure of the day’s activities allowed par-ticipants to break away into smaller groups. This facilitated discussion of what each person felt the church should offer as it moves forward.

Two of the most challenging issues the parish faces as it seeks to remain a vibrant and integral part of the whole community are 1) finding ways to increase church membership and 2) needing to maintain financial viability. The parishioners par-ticipating in the day met these concerns head on with many wonderful and inspiring ideas.

At the close of the event, people were asked to choose three of more than 30 ideas that had been presented. The options most voted for included starting a summer festival, holding raffles, encour-aging Sunday giving through an online debiting sys-tem, and having a Middle Eastern food fundraiser.

It was uplifting to witness the community work-ing together. The long list of ideas brought forth served as a reminder of the good that can be ac-complished when parishioners seize the opportu-nity to be custodians of their faith and their parish, through their time and talents.

ST ANNWATErFOrD, CTA Memorial Service in English, Greek, and Arabic for the 21 Coptic New Martyrs was hosted by St So-phia Greek Orthodox Church in New London, CT, on 22 February 2015. Fr Dean Panagos, Fr Constan-tine Simones, Fr victor Chaker, Fr John, and Archi-mandrite Edward Kakaty (pastor of St Ann Melkite parish in Waterford) conducted the service.


OUR MAILBAGThese notes were received after the last issue went to print.

Greetings!Merry Christmas and New Year’s blessing from the Lord, filled with the blessing of Baptism (Theophany).

I thank you for your kindness and the beautiful gift of the pyx for my ordination.

Fr Paul Fallouh

Dear Carolann and all the Women of NAMW,Thank you again for your continued kind and generous support.

We have finished another semester; time is flying by. It has been a great year so far; we have a wonderful small but joyful community here. I am so excited to have a Melkite classmate, a good and holy one, too! We’ve been working hard to prepare for service to our churches. Our Melkite faith is rich and deep and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to explore and embrace it.

Thanks to your prayers, support, and generosity my mind is clear and my heart can focus on my studies and my discernment.

All the best to you and your families.Merry Christmas, Thomas A. Moses

NAMW MEMBER MEETS POPE FRANCISMany of us were thrilled just to be in the same room for an au-dience with the Holy Father in 2013. But Maria Obeid of the Melkite Outreach in Houston, TX, actually met Pope Francis during her recent trip to Rome. She called the experience “the happiest few minutes of my life as his Holiness blessed me and my Godchild, John Paul Bassil.”

Maria asked the Holy Father to pray for the Christians being executed in the Middle East and also for our young Byzantine Catholic Outreach in Houston. She also wrote, “He asked me to pray for him and ask all my Christian friends to do so as well so he can bear his cross. As I promised his Holiness, I would like to ask all of you to please keep Pope Francis in your prayers. Thank you. Regards, Maria”

OFFICER REPORTS:Our Treasurer, Carolann Caven, reports that $6,100 has come in from fundraisers held in the parishes of St John Chrysostom (Atlanta, GA), Holy Transfiguration (McLean, VA), Annuncia-tion Cathedral (Boston, MA), Our Lady of the Cedars (Man-chester, NH), Church of the Virgin Mary (Brooklyn, NY), Our Lady of Redemption (Warren, MI), and St. Anne (North Hol-lywood, CA). We’ve heard that more events have been sched-uled for the spring.

Membership dues have been coming in steadily and the num-bers are growing. Our seminarians are definitely benefitting from your generosity. The final accounting for the year will be published in the next issue of SOPHIA. Be sure your parish is on the list!

NAMW Secretary Susan Elek has sent prayer cards depict-ing the Myrrh-Bearing Women to the contact ladies in all of the parishes based on last year’s membership list. Requests are coming in for more cards to cover the increases in membership and a second printing has been ordered.

Special congratulations to Holy Cross parish (Placentia, CA) for increasing membership from 30 last year to more than 80 this year. Thank you, Theresa Awad, for your efforts!

We also welcome a new group of members from the Annun-ciation Cathedral and thank Fr. Philip Razcka for his continued support of NAMW.

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESkThis is the second year that NAMW has been sending a month-ly stipend to each of our Melkite seminarians. We also present each one a check for $1,000 in July, usually at the Convention/Annual Meeting. We also use our funds to publish educational materials.

We have to keep our treasury full in order to continue these programs. Keeping in touch with our members across the coun-try is the key to doing that successfully.

If your parish does not have a contact person, please consider doing the job. Call us for details on what to do—see the contact information below. It really is a rewarding way to serve!

Aside from financial support to seminarians, an important work of NAMW is to continue to pray for vocations. The dis-cernment of a vocation and then the strength and passion to see it through can be achieved only through prayer and encourage-ment from the faithful who will be served.

God has blessed us with Tom Moses and Oliver Black. Please continue to pray for their success and for other young (and old-er) men in your parishes who may be thinking about a future in the priesthood.

Archimandrite John Azar, Director of Vocations, can pro-vide a wealth of information. You can contact him by email at [email protected].

Sunday 19 April: FEAST OF THE MYRRH-BEARING WOMENThe Second Sunday after Pascha is the patronal feast of NAMW. Happy Feast Day to all of our members and to all who serve their families, churches, and communities as the Holy Myrrh-Bearers served our Lord.

By roSeMary ShaBouk

Christ is Risen! He is Truly Risen!


NA

MW

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NtA

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INFO

RMAt

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ROSEMARY SHABOUKPresident

[email protected] (NY)

MARGO SAYEGH, Vice President

[email protected] (CA)

CAROL CAVEN, treasurer

[email protected] (CA)

SUSAN ELEK, Secretary

[email protected] (MI)

to join the National Association of Melkite Women or to renew your membership, complete and mail this form with your dues check for $10.00 made payable to NAMW to:

Carol Caven, NAMw . 2030 N. Glenoaks Boulevard . Burbank, CA 91504

PLEASE PRINt:

NAME ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS ________________________________________________________________________________________________

CItY, StAtE, ZIP __________________________________________________________________________________________

tELEPHONE ______________________________ EMAIL ________________________________________________________

PARISH _________________________________________________ Please Circle one: NEw MEMBER RENEwAL

Remember to keep our need for vocations in your prayers. Be an advocate, encourage our youth to participate in your parish.

NA

MW

MEM

BERSHIP APPLIC

AtION

The names of the eight women who cared for Jesus during his ministry, stood at the Cross, and went to the Tomb were listed in the Spring 2014 issue of Sophia. While we know much about the Theotokos, her life, and her relationship with her Son, we do not know as much about the others. With the help of Dea-con John Fleshman, St. Joseph Church, Lawrence, MA, we learn more about each one:

St Mary Magdalene is called “Equal to the Apostles” in our tradition as she was the first to be an eyewitness to Christ’s Res-urrection (John 20:11-18). After seeing the Lord, she ran back to the disciples and proclaimed to them the Good News. Tra-dition says that she went on to Rome and proclaimed Christ’s Resurrection to the Emperor Tiberius Caesar. He made fun of her and sarcastically said to her that it was about as possible for a man to rise from the dead as for the egg she was holding in her hand to turn red. At that moment the egg turned bright red. This is why you see her holding a red egg in her hand in some of her icons, as well as why we dye eggs red for Pascha.

St Joanna, according to Holy Scripture, was the wife of Chuza, King Herod’s main steward and administrator (Luke 8:3). She is listed as one of the women who went to the Tomb, but she is also known for giving St. John the Baptist a proper burial. When she found out, after St. John was beheaded, that his head had been disposed of improperly, she found it and buried it honorably on the Mount of Olives.

St Salome, according to the Gospels, not only was one of the myrrh-bearers but also was present at the Crucifixion (Mark15:40). She is called the mother of Zebedee’s children (Matthew 27:56), which makes her the mother of the disciples James and John. Holy Tradition says that she was the daughter of St. Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage, thus making the Theotokos her stepmother.

St Mary, the wife of Cleophas, was also present at the Cruci-fixion (John 19:25). She is considered to be a sister of Mary, the Theotokos. Her husband was the one to whom the resurrected Christ appeared on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).

St Susanna, along with Mary Magdalene and Joanna, is iden-tified as one of the “certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities” (Luke 8:1-3) who ministered to and served Christ out of their wealth.

SS Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus whom Christ brought out from the tomb before His entry into Jerusalem. They were followers and close friends of Jesus. Martha is depicted in the Gospels as the one who stays busy “with much serving” (Luke 10:40) and whom Christ rebukes after she asks Him to tell her sister to help. Mary, on the other hand, was the one sitting at His feet and listening to His word. Christ tells Martha that “Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.”

Knowing that there was a large stone covering the entrance to the Tomb, the women went there in faith and hope of being able to enter with their ointments to prepare Christ’s body for proper burial. When they arrived they saw that the stone had been rolled away.

The stone can be seen as representing what covers our hearts and makes us unable to see or feel God in our lives. The stone is what holds us back from God—our sins, jealousy, anger, lust, bad habits, apathy, pride—the list goes on. When we live in faith in Christ’s death, resurrection, and everlasting love, He will roll the stone away for us, the myrrh-bearers of our day.

The myrrh-bearers ministered to Christ.The Body of Christ is the Church.All members of the Church are members of the Body of Christ.We are all myrrh-bearers, caring for the Body of Christ, car-

ing for the Church.

NAV

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hierarCh

BISHOP NICHOLAS SAMRA617 323 9922 | [email protected]

BiShop eMeriTuS BISHOP JOHN ELYA, B.S.O. 978 683 2471 | [email protected]

ChanCery offiCe SAIDEH DAGHER

Secretary3 V.F.W. Parkway | West Roxbury, MA 02132

617 323 9922 | Fax. 617 323 0944

proToSynCelloS ARCHIMANDRITE PHILIP RACZkA

617 323 5242 | [email protected]

JuDiCial viCar ARCHIMANDRITE

GERASIMOS MURPHY 352 683 7637 | [email protected]

ChanCellor DEACON PAUL LEONARCZYk617 323 9922 | [email protected]

Chief finanCe offiCer

DEACON ROBERT SHALHOUB973 785 2433 | [email protected]

offiCe of eDuCaTional ServiCeS DEACON SABATINO CARNAZZO

540 635 [email protected]

Sophia Magazine ARCHIMANDRITE JAMES BABCOCk

Editor in Chief 714 600 3660

[email protected]

Sophia preSS puBliCaTionS SAIDEH DAGHER

617 323 9922

WEBSITE melkite.org | [email protected]

naTional aSSoCiaTion of MelkiTe woMen (naMw) ROSEMARY SHABOUk


aMBaSSaDorS ROSA AILABOUNI


Clergy ConferenCe CoorDinaTor FR. CHRISTOPHER MANUELE


MelkiTe aSSoCiaTion of young aDulTS (Maya)

NAJEEB HADDADBoard Member & Co-Chair 773 780 1549 | [email protected]

RICHARD McNEILCo-Chair978 407 2381 | [email protected]

Website: usmaya.org

naTional aSSoCiaTion of MelkiTe youTh (naMy)

FR. THOMAS STEINMETZ603 623 8944 | [email protected]

voCaTion DireCTor ARCHIMANDRITE JOHN AZAR404 373 9522 | [email protected]

DeaCon forMaTion DireCTor ARCHIMANDRITE PAUL FRECHETTE


preSByTeral CounCil Most Rev. Nicholas J. Samra;

Rt. Revs. Philip Raczka, Charles Aboody, John Azar, Damon Geiger, Mark Melone,

Michael Skrocki , Alexei Smith; Very Rev. Philaret Littlefield;

Revs. Francois Beyrouti, Michel Chebli, George Gallaro, Christopher Manuele,

Antoine Rizk, Thomas Steinmetz

College of eparChial ConSulTorS:Exarch Joseph Haggar,

Archimandrites Philip Raczka, John Azar, Michael Skrocki,

Alexei Smith, Frs. George Gallaro, Antoine Rizk, Thomas Steinmetz

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Standing on their ShouldersStories of the First Melkite Priests in Americabishop nicholas J. samra

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