His Beatitude Patriarch John X Holds a Prayer On the Occasion of the Canonization of Martyred Fathers and Priests Nicolas and His Son Habib Khasha of Damascus
The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in the Prayer
You can find a photo album below the text.
On the occasion of declaring the Canonization of the Martyred Fathers and Priests Nicolas and his son Habib Khasha of Damascus, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox Family, held, with the participation of Their Eminences the Metropolitans, Members of the Holy Synod of Antioch, and Their Eminences the Bishops, a Prayer, on Saturday 21 October 2023, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery in Lebanon.
This Prayer was held in the presence of Priests, Deacons, Monks and Nuns, and believers from various Dioceses of the Antiochian See. The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs also attended the Prayer.
Before the beginning of the Prayer, which was served by the Choir of the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of Balamand, the procession of the Clergy and participating people toured the western courtyard of the Monastery, with hymns played by the Orthodox National Scouts, and arrived to the Monastery’s Church, holding the icon of the two Martyred Priests.
During the Service, His Beatitude Patriarch John X and Their Eminences the Metropolitans, Members of the Holy Synod of Antioch, signed the decision of the declaration of the Canonization of Fathers Khasha in the Synod’s register, after which the Synod’ Secretary His Eminence Bishop Gregory Al-Khoury, read the text of the Synod’s decision.
At the end of the Prayer, His Beatitude Patriarch John X delivered a word in which he spoke about the most important issues in Lebanon, Syria and the bloody siege of Gaza. He also praised the lives of Saints Khasha, reminding that “the path of Holiness is a Call for each one of us,” especially as they are models for Christian family life. As well as, and according to the Facebook Page of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, His Beatitude talked about “the Antiochian gesture towards the Church of Jerusalem by restoring Ecclesial communion with it, while emphasizing the right of the Antiochian Ecclesial jurisdiction in Qatar specifically and in the Arabian Gulf.”
His Beatitude Patriarch John X also addressed a call of peace for the return of the Bishops of Aleppo, Paul Yazigi and Youhanna Ibrahim, and the rest of the abducted people. In conclusion, he thanked to God at the end of “this Antiochian week par excellence,” which finished with this Prayer.
In conclusion, a Procession with the Icon of the two Martyred Saints was held, in which the believers participated, and received the biography of their lives and the biography of Saint Raphael Hawawini, Bishop of Brooklyn.
Photos’ Source: Facebook Page of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.
