The Official Opening Prayer of the Week of Prayer for the Church Unity at St. Ignatius Church in the Patriarchal See, Al Mathaf - Beirut
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
His Beatitude Patriarch Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, presided over the official Opening Prayer of the Week of Prayer for the Unity of the Churches, according to the Syriac Antiochian Rite, at the Church of St. Ignatius the Antioch, in the Patriarchal See, Al-Mathaf - Beirut.
The Prayer was attended by His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Beatitude Youssef Al Absi, Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Holiness Aram I Keshishian, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Orthodox Church, Holy See of Cilicia, His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, His Excellency Monsignor Paolo Borgia, Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, His Eminence Archbishop Mor Clemis Daniel Kourieh, representing His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, Reverend George Mrad, representing Reverend Joseph Kassab, President of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, and Heads of Churches in Lebanon or their representatives.
From the Syriac Catholic Church, the participants were Their Eminences: Mar Ephrem Youssef Abba, Archbishop of Baghdad and Secretary of the Holy Synod, Mar Matthias Charles Mrad, Vicar General of the Patriarchal Archdiocese of Beirut, Mar Ishaq Jules Boutros, Director of Our Lady of Salvation Patriarchal Seminary in the Monastery of Al-Sharfeh and Head of the Youth Pastoral Care, Priests from the Patriarchal Department, from the Monastery of Al-Sharfeh, and from the Patriarchal Archdiocese of Beirut, the Ephraimite Monks, the Ephraimite Nuns.
Participants were also the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, students of Our Lady of Salvation Patriarchal Seminary in the Monastery of Al-Sharfeh. As well as, attendees were Bishops, Priests, Monks, Nuns, and Deacons from various Churches, in addition to crowds of parishioners from the Patriarchal Archdiocese of Lebanon and the Holy Family Mission for the Iraqis refugees in Lebanon for Syriac Catholic Church, and believers from Sister Churches.
After the opening Prayer announced by His Beatitude Patriarch Younan, a Prayer was held according to the Syriac Antiochian Rite, which included hymns in the Syriac language, performed by the Patriarchal Choir and students of the Patriarchal Seminary of Our Lady of Salvation in the Monastery of Al-Sharfeh. The Prayers and hymns brought together selected Prayers of the Holy Epiphany and the Sundays of the Sanctification and Renewal of the Church.
The Prayers and Holy Readings from the Old and New Testaments were recited by the Patriarchs and Bishops from various Churches.
After the Holy Gospel, His Beatitude Patriarch Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan delivered a spiritual Sermon entitled “… and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Father Tanios Khalil, Rapporteur of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL), and the Dean of the Faculty of Theology at La Sagesse University in Beirut, inaugurated the Prayer by introducing the Week of Prayer for Church Unity, which is held every year, and announcing the launch of this year’s Week of Prayer.
Before concluding the Prayer, His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif, President of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL) and Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli, delivered a speech in which he thanked His Beatitude the Patriarchs, Bishops, Clergy and the faithful participating in the Prayer, on behalf of the Committee and on behalf of the Middle East Council of Churches, the organizers of this week’s Prayers, talking in depth about the importance of faith in the life of the believer, and praying for the unity of Christians to be achieved as the Lord Jesus wants.
At the end of the Prayer, everyone moved to the Patriarchal Hall, where His Beatitude, our Father the Patriarch, received the Patriarchs, Bishops, Priests, clergy and faithful people, in a loving meeting on this blessed occasion.
