11.03.2017

A Weekend of Blessings Our Patriarch

By Sr. Natalie Sayde Salameh
The Maronite Servants of Christ the Light spent three joy-filled days (Friday, October 27 – 29th) in attendance at the pastoral visits of His Eminence and Beatitude, Bechara Peter Cardinal Rai, head of the Maronite Church. 
His Eminence came to visit Our Lady of the Cedars Church in Boston on Friday, October 27, following his participation in Washington D.C in the 4th Annual Summit of “In Defence of Christians (IDC)”. During his homily on Friday’s Divine Liturgy in Boston, the Patriarch informed the congregation of the progress and deliberations of the three-day IDC Summit.
His Eminence mentioned that the Church leaders are looking to the U.S. for leadership to obtain peace in the Middle East, especially to help Lebanon in its current humanitarian crisis. The small country of Lebanon now holds 1.7 million Syrian refugees, almost half the size of its own population, not to mention half a million Palestinian refugees, and many Iraqi refugees, which are putting a severe strain on the country’s already unstable economy and tenuous demographic balance. Patriarch Rai is calling for their peaceful and dignified re-establishment back in those areas of their own homes where peace now resides again.
On Saturday, October 28, a historic event took place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.  Patriarch Rai inaugurated, blessed and dedicated a new chapel in honor of St. Charbel at the Cathedral, in the presence of His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and many dignitaries, bishops, and clergy. The chapel is the first of its kind outside of Lebanon, made with stunning Italian mosaics, generously donated by the Shnaoui family.
“St. Charbel is a sign of hope for Christianity and for all the people of the Middle East who suffer in difficult circumstances,” Cardinal Rai said in his homily during the prayer service at the Cathedral. 
The artistic mosaic sanctuary depicts St. Charbel wrapped in a luminous halo in the Lebanese mountain, near the St. Maron monastery in Annaya, Lebanon, where his tomb is located. The saint is surrounded by flourishing cedars and crystalline waters of the Mediterranean.
We were blessed to participate in this event, and to pray before this beautiful shrine with our Maronite faithful, who filled St. Patrick’s Cathedral to the brim.
On Sunday, October 29, Patriarch Rai celebrated the Pontifical Divine Liturgy at our Maronite Cathedral of Our Lady of Lebanon in Brooklyn, after which he met and greeted the faithful (including the Maronite Servants) at the Brooklyn Historical Museum.
In the afternoon, we were blessed to participate in a historic meeting between, Patriarch Rai and His Beatitude, Patriarch John X, head of the Orthodox Antiochene Church. This was a beautiful day of ecumenism where Catholic East shared an unbelievable sense of camaraderie and fellowship with Orthodox East. These two Patriarchs spoke before dignitaries, bishops, clergy, and faithful of both Churches. They reaffirmed their commitment to work together to bring about sustained peace in the Middle East. 
The Patriarch, now back in Lebanon, his Patriarchal See, continues his efforts on the home front, having voiced his approval and approbation of all his pastoral visits in the U.S. God be with you Sayedna, our prayers are with you!