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News & EventsCatholic World NewsArchbishop Elias Zoghby 1912-2008 I am the Life and the ResurrectionConseil des Patriarches Catholiques d'Orient 18 octobre 2007Council of Eastern Catholic Patriarchs 18 of October 2007Le dix-septième congrès des patriarches catholiques d’Orient-Octobre 2007-Ain TreizCommunautés/Clôture du premier concile patriarcal des grecs-catholiques 29 septembre 2007Réception du chef de l'Eglise anglicane, l'archevêque de Canterbury le 28 septmebre 200743rd National Melkite Convention “Commit to the Lord and you will succeed” July 5 – 8, 2007 Boca Raton – FloridaNouveau Evêque de JordanieMonastère de l'Emmanuel-Jérusalem-avril 2007L'Election du Révérend Archimandrite Elie Béchara Haddad Archevêque de l'Eparchie de Saida et Deir El KamarST GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN: Seminary and Clergy in AustraliaArchimandrite Georges Bakar was elected by our Synod as Patriarchal Vicar of JerusalemCurriculum Vitae of Archbishop Elias CHACOUR was elected by our SynodCurriculum Vitae of the Archbishop Georges BACOUNI elected by our Synod and confirmed by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Archbishop Elias Zoghby1912-2008I am the Life and the Resurrection.
His Beatitude, Patriarch Gregorios III, the Bishops of the Holy Synod of the Melkite Catholic Church, His Grace, Elias Rahal, Archbishop of Baalbeck, the Clergy and Faithful of the Eparchy of Baalbeck, His Grace, Bishop Youssef Joel Zraiy, Patriarchal Vicar of Egypt and Sudan, the Clergy and Faithful of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Zoghby Family and their relatives here and abroad, regret to inform you of the passing to the Lord of His Grace, Archbishop Elias Zoghby, on Wednesday, 16 January 2008.
Archbishop Zoghby was Dean of the Holy Synod of Melkite Bishops, Patriarchal Vicar Emeritus of Egypt and Sudan, and Archbishop Emeritus of Baalbeck.
Archbishop Zoghby’s Funeral will take place at St. Paul Basilica in Harissa, on Saturday, 19 January 2008, at 3:00 P.M. Sympathies will be accepted before and after the funeral service at St. Paul Convent in Harissa and on Sunday, 20 January 2008 at the Patriarchal Residence in Rabweh from 11:00 A.M to 6:00 P.M.
O Christ God, with the Saints grant rest to the soul of your High Priest Elias in a place where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing, but everlasting life
Council of Eastern Catholic PatriarchsProt. 515/2007 Ain Traz, 18 October 2007
Letter of the Council of Eastern Catholic Patriarchs
We remain one with you in brotherly affection, communion and prayer. Fraternally yours,
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AYYACHE Yasser Rasmi Hanna,né à Chatana (Irbed)-Jordanie 4 décembre 1955. Archevêché de Petra, Philadelphie (Amman).
Ces Études: Petite Séminaire de Beit Sahur - Séminaire de Saint-Sauveur de Beit Sahur - Philosophie à l'institut Saint-Paul Harissa - Collège Grec (St-Athanase) à Rome - Bachelier en philosophie et théologie à l'Angelicum (Université pontificale des PP. Dominicains) à Rome - Licencié à l'institut pour les Études Orientales des PP. Jésuites "L'Orientale" à Rome.
Son Ordination sacerdotale le 12 Juillet 1987
Maîtrise la Psaltique et la liturgie - Curé dans différentes paroisses, enseigne la cathéchèse dans différentes écoles à Amman et y donne des conférences - Membre du Comité Œcuménique, du Comité Biblique et du Comité Catéchètique... - Actuellement, curé de Gebel al-Hussein
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Le Synode des Evêques de l’Eglise Greque-Melkite
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History of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church in Australia
The Melkite Greek-Catholic Church is the modern Catholic expression of the first Christian Community established in Antioch by the Apostles, Peter and Paul.
The movement towards closer ties with the western Catholic Church culminated in 1724, with a formal union between sections of the Church of Antioch and the Church of Rome. The Catholic Antiochians usually describe themselves as Melkites or Greek-Catholics .
Melkite Catholics have traveled the face of the earth and it is now estimated that half of all Melkite Catholics live in the Church abroad. Now Melkite Catholics are to be found amongst all ethnic communities and all social classes throughout the world.
Melkite Greek-Catholic migrants first arrived in Australia, in NSW sometime in the middle of the 1800s. By 1895, they were numerous enough to have constructed the Church of St Michael at Waterloo. The first priest to serve in Australia was Archimandrite Silwanos Mansour.
The Melkite Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Australia was established by Pope John Paul II in 1987, at the request of His Beatitude, Patriarch Maximos V Hakim and the Holy Synod of the Melkite Catholic Church.
The present Eparch is The Most Reverend Issam John Darwish, BSO, a priest-monk of the Monastery of the Holy Saviour, Deir-et-Moukhalis.
There are now Melkite Catholic Churches in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Since the 19th Century, the Community has grown to some 45 000.
The Eparchy has recently constructed a Community Centre and Church in Auckland NZ to serve as headquarters of the Eparchy in New Zealand.
The Project
By the Grace of God and in response to the needs of the Melkite Church in Australia, the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand, under the guidance of His Grace Bishop Issam Darwish, wishes to establish and build the first Eastern Rite Catholic seminary and clergy residence in Australia. In honour of St Gregory the Theologian, it is proposed to be constructed at the Eparchy Community Centre at 80 Waterloo Rd, Greenacre. The foundation stone for the project was laid by His Beatitude Gregorios III, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of Alexandria and of Jerusalem, during his Apostolic Visit to Australia in November, 2002.
The English word "seminary''' derives from the Latin "seminarium" meaning "a plot in which seeds are planted." In a seminary', the seeds of priestly and diaconal vocations are planted, nurtured and cultivated. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council state directly and without hesitation: "Major seminaries are necessary for priestly formation".
At present, most of the Melkite Catholic clergy have completed the greater part of their philosophical and theological studies in the Middle East or in Western Europe. It is essential for the long term future of our Church in Australia that the clergy be prepared academically by methods common to the intellectual life and standards of higher education in this country.
Also it is desirable that our clergy have the opportunity to interact with theological students from other communities (Christian and others) in an atmosphere removed from the tensions so often to be found abroad.
In Australia our students are able to move in an environment free of the restrictive concerns of the "old countries".
However, above all, it is essential for the Melkite Church to provide the Australian Melkite Community with pastors and teachers from amongst the native born faithful. Such a task is only half completed if vocations fostered here must be brought to fruition abroad. In this regard the Melkite Church is blessed with having a large number of young men who wish to pursue their priestly vocation.
The Australian Melkite Catholic Church is most fortunate in having access to a number of internationally recognized schools and faculties of theology preparing both lay theologians and candidates for the ordained ministry. However, it is also necessary that our theological students be well versed in the tradition (the ekklesiastika) of our Greek-Catholic Community which has its historical origins in the Christian Hellenism of Byzantine Antioch, the rich tradition of its Syriac predecessor and the intellectual heritage of the pre-Christian City.
For this reason, it is proposed to establish a seminary with the intention of augmenting the philosophical and theological education received by our students at institutions serving the Australian Church. It would be thus possible for our students attending lectures at the several theological faculties also to follow courses with content appropriate to their future life of service in the Melkite Church.
It is also proposed that a clergy residence be attached to the seminary. At present, there is no suitable accommodation for our seminarians who are forced to live at diverse locations.
This makes it extremely difficult to establish a sense of fraternity amongst those who one day will be either brothers in the ordained ministry or colleagues in the Melkite theological community.
More than half of the Melkite faithful now live outside the Patriarchate in an extensive Diaspora, the components of which form a vibrant international Community in itself. Regular visits from abroad and exchange of clergy are part of our experience throughout the Diaspora. Our Eparchy needs a suitable residence for Melkite clergy staying for a time in Sydney. Such a clergy residence would also provide appropriate accommodation for visiting lecturers and tutors teaching at the seminary.
The proposed seminary and clergy residence includes accommodation for up to nine priests, a number of classrooms, library, offices and appropriate dining facilities. The total cost of the project is estimated to be in the vicinity of $A2 million including a figure of $A400,000 for furniture, fixtures and fittings. Being only a small community of some 10,000 families in Australia and New Zealand, its capacity for funding such a project is very limited. Because of its importance to the Universal Church and particularly to the Eastern Rite Church in Australia and New Zealand, the Melkite Church Eparchy is seeking financial assistance to make this proposal a reality. On behalf of Patriarch Gregorios III, and His Grace Bishop Darwish, this project is commended to you for your prayers and support.
The Holy Father gave his assent to the canonical election carried out on February 9 by the Synod of Bishops of the Melkite-Greek Catholic Church meeting in Ain Traz, Lebanon, from February 6 to 11, 2006, of Archimandrite Georges Bakar, bursar of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, as patriarchal vicar of Jerusalem with the title of archbishop of Pelusio of the Melkite-Greek Catholics. The archbishop-elect was born in Cairo,Egypt, in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1973.
1939: Born in the village of Biram in the Upper Galilee in the Arab Palestine, to a Palestinian Christian family, members of the Melkite Catholic Church, an Eastern Byzantine Church in communion with Rome. Rev. Chacoιιr is the youngest of six children, four brothers and one sister.
1947: At the age of eight, Rev. Chacour experienced the tragedy of his people. He was evicted, along with his whole village, by the arrival of Jewish immigrants and became α deportee and a refugee in his own country, the Palestine of his birth. Because Rev. Chacour remained in the country of his forefathers, he was granted citizenship by Israel when the state of Israel was created in 1948.
1958: Upon graduating from secondary school in Nazareth, Rev. Chacour was sent by his Church to Paris, where he graduated with a Degree in Theology and Bible Studies from Saint Sulpíce, and the Catholic University of Paris in 1965.
1965: Ordained α Melkite Catholic priest in Nazareth on July 24. His first assignment as a parish priest was in the small village of Ibillin in Galilee on August 15. This originally was an assignment for one month, but Rev. Chacour is still in Ibillin.
1967: In September, Rev. Chacour was sent by his Church to the Hebrew University, where he received a Master's Degree in Bible and Talmudic Studies in 1968. He was the first Arab student to study the Bible and the Talmud there. During this time he acted as chaplain to the other Arab students and opened the first Arab Students' Hostel in Jerusalem.
1970: Appointed Assistant Lecturer at the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Bossey, Switzerland. At the end of 1970, Rev. Chacour returned to Ibillin and started a long-standing and diversified series of relationships within Israel and abroad. Since that time he has been the founder of, or assisted in the founding of, a number of establishments and organizations, some of which are listed below: Myriam Bawardi Youth and Adult Center in Ibillin. Myriam Bawardi Kindergarten. Community and Youth Center in Maylia. Saint John Chrysostomus Secondary School and Youth Center in Jish. Saint Joseph Community Center and Youth Center in Tarshiha. Boy Scouts Center in Shefa'amr -Community Center in Fassuta. Community Center in Isifya. Eight public libraries, containing over 150,000 volumes. Α Summer Camp for children that has grown from 1,129 children to reach more than 5,000 young people of different religions and denominations from thirty different villages in the Galilee region.
1971: Obtained Ph.D. in Ecumenical Theology at the University of Geneva.
1975: In April, Rev. Chacoιιr visited Beirut and was kidnapped by the PLO, which held him in the Shatilla Refugee Camp.
1982: Opened Prophet Elias High School in Ibillin, one of Rev. Chacour's most challenging projects. He began with 80 students and there are now 1450 students attending. Since then, the school has been developed into Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI). As of November 2002, MEEI has 4,000 students enrolled.
1984: Launch of first book: Blood Brothers. Published by Chosen Books, Baker Book House, USA.
1986: Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (nominated again in 1989 and 1994).
1989: May 14th: Received Honorary Ph.D. from St. Michael's College in Winooski, Vermont, USA.
1990: Launch of second book: We Belong to the Land. Published by Notre Dame Press, Indiana.
1994: March 10th: Received the prestigious World Methodist Peace Award that has been presented in the past to such pilgrims for peace as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the late Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat.
1995: October: Rev. Chacour opened Prophet Elías Technological College, which was awarded accreditation by the Israeli Minister of Education in March 1995, allowing it to award Diploma of Technology and Diploma of Education degrees. As of November 2001, the college has an enrollment of 750 students.
1996: Opened the Center for Religious Pluralism at Mar Elías College.
1997: Received Honorary Ph.D. from Texas Wesleyan University at Fort Worth. Established and opened Mar Elías Teachers' Regional Resource Centre for the continuing education of Arab teachers in the Galilee.
1998: Appointed Chancellor of the Galilee Eparchy, Melkite Catholic Church, Israel. Appointed Parish Priest of Nazareth for nine months, however, Rev. Chacour relinquished those duties to concentrate on the development of the Mar Elias Educational Institutions. October 16th : Opened the School of Arts and Technology for gifted children. Opened the Mariam Bawardi Elementary School that is adding one grade level each year. As of November 2002 there are 160 students in Grades 1 through 5.
1999: June: Awarded Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur by the President of France.
2000: April: Received the Marcel Rudloff Peace and Tolerance Award at Strasbourg Received Ηοnorary Ph.D. from Duke University at Durham, North Carolina.
2001: May: Received Ph.D. Honoris Causa from Indianapolis University. May 10th: Received the 18th Νiwano Peace Prize, Tokyo-Japan. May l4th : Received Ph.D. Honoris Causa from Emory University, Atlanta. May 17th : nominated for Man of the Year award in Israel. June 28th : Appointed Archimandrite in the Melkite Church in Israel.
2002: April: launch of 3rd book: J'ai foi en nous. Published by Hommes de Parole, Paris. September: Department of Divinity and Holy Land Studies, ΜΕΕΙ commenced the inaugural diploma course in the Higher Diploma of Theology. Students will have the opportunity to complete their degree at Mar Elias University in the future. December 10th: Received Dante Alighieri Peace and Human Rights award from the Comune di Castelnuovo Magra Provincia della Spezia in Italy.
2003: June 16: Appointed Consultant to the Holy See Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. March 14: received Prix Mediterranée pour la Paix, from the Accademia del Mediterraneo, Naples, Italy. May 18: awarded Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary, Iowa, USA. May 20: received Lion's International award: Man of the Year, Israel. July 17: Accreditation received from the Israelí Ministry of Education, Committee of Higher Education for the establishment of Mar Elías University Campus as α branch institute of the University of Indianapolis, Indiana. August: received the prestigious 2002 Peacemaker in Action Award from Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding New York. October 21: Mar Elías Campus (MEC) branch of the University of Indianapolis Opening of first Arab Christian university in Galilee with three initial degree programs in Computing Science, Communications & Marketing, Environmental Science & Chemistry.
2004: Currently continuing development of campus facilities and curricula of the Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI): The new Niwano Peace Auditorium with seating for 1500 people has been completed. The new Mariam Bawardi Elementary School building with facilities for 850 students is now in service. On September 1st, 450 young pupils from first to seventh grade began classes in their new school rooms. The new Church of the Sermon on the Mount is nearing completion. It will serve as a witness world-wide to the Catholic Christian foundations of Mar Elias and the continued commitment to building relationships with peoples of all faith traditions. It is Rev. Chacour's hope and vision to expand the facilities to accommodate 5,000 students from all over Israel, and eventually from other countries as well. MEEI is the only private campus in the history of Galilee where Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Druze can live together, learn together, and establish a common future together.
2005: January 19: received the distinguished America's First Freedom Award, First Freedom Center, Richmond, Virginia. June 4: received a Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa. Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Detroit, Michigan.
The Holy Synod elected Rev. Archimandrite Georges Bacouni as Metropolitan of Tyre (Lebanon) for Melkite Greek Catholics; His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI confirmed the election.
Born in 1962, Beirut. His parents Wadih Bacouni and Jacqueline Jadaa.
Archbishop-elect Bacouni was ordained Priest in 1995. He ended his studies in Theology & Philosophy in St Paul Institute (Harissa) after receiving his diploma in business administration & accounting from the Lebanese University.
Archbishop-elect Bacouni served as Rector of the “Saint Ann” Major Seminary and as parish priest in Bekfaya, Raboueh and Safra respectively. He was always Chaplain in the Renewal in the Holy Spirit movement and in the Faculty of engineering & medicine in Lebanese University. He was also for a certain time the steward of the Archbishopric of Beirut.
The Melkite Greek Catholics are in Tyr about 4000, Served by 12 priests, 2 deacons in 12 parishes.
