Spiritual Retreat for the MECC Team
Hosted by Saint Paul Convent in Harissa, Lebanon
Together Towards Easter
On the occasion of the Great Lent and in preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches, headed by the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, organized a Spiritual Retreat, on Friday 24 March 2023. It was hosted by the Saint Paul Convent in Harissa, Lebanon, and the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Paul, Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
The meeting was held in coordination with Father Nicolas Bustros, the General Assistant of the Paulist Fathers Congregation, Director of Saint Paul's Institute, and Associate Secretary General at the Middle East Council of Churches, with the participation of the MECC’s General Secretariat team of various departments from Beirut.
The Spiritual Retreat started in the morning with a discussion with Father Bustros, who presented a brief history about the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Paul, the goals of its founding which are the Missionary work, Ecumenical work and dialogue, in addition to its mission and expansion. He also shed lights on the Saint Paul's Institute of Philosophy and Theology, as well as its majors.
Then, the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs delivered a message in which he thanked Father Bustros for hosting the retreat, stressing the need to know the history of our Churches, their structures, and the work of their affiliated institutions. He also mentioned that we have to know the richness that characterizes the Eastern Christianity, and its history which is full of efforts, struggle and sacrifices. Dr. Abs affirmed that the Churches’ institutions give people values and constitute a space for interaction and social education, and added that the Middle East Council of Churches remains a place for togetherness.
In addition, the Middle East Council of Churches team participated in a spiritual talk with Sister Therese Al Salwa, from the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, under the title "Fasting is an opportunity to live the filiation". The talk was based on a meditation on the Biblical text related to the temptation of Jesus Christ in the Wilderness from the Gospel of Luke 4: 1-13. Sister Therese stressed the importance of relying on the Lord and overcoming all trials and challenges with deep faith and great hope. Then, a discussion was made and centered around Sister Therese’s topic. She also answered the questions of the present colleagues.
Afterwards, the participants met Father Marwan Saydi, General President of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Paul. He guided them on a visit to the Basilica of Saint Paul, and gave them a detailed presentation about the Church, its history, construction and the goal of its establishment which aims to pray for Christian unity. Father Marwan also explained that the Basilica expresses the unity of Christians through several wall mosaics representing various Churches. As well as, he highlighted the meanings of the other mosaics, which symbolize the most important Christian events as well as some Saints.
The Spiritual Retreat continued in Saint Paul's Basilica, where the participants celebrated the Six O’clock Prayer with some Panegyrics, raising their heartfelt Prayers and supplications to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, they all gathered for lunch in the Monastery, and the Retreat ended with a Pilgrimage visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.
