Ras Baalbek, from Its Heights, Strengthens the Believers in Hope

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Within the framework of the Environmental Days organized by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), believers in Ras Baalbek, in cooperation with the Environmental Youth of Our Lady of Ablah and the Basilian Order of Aleppo, celebrated an Environmental Day.

These Environmental Days hold a special place as they bring together believers, especially the youth, and invite them to contemplate all that God has made and commit to the care for creation.

In the towering Bekaa village of Ras Baalbek, the Coordinator of the Season of Creation program at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) cooperated with the Abbot of the Monastery of Our Lady of Miracles to organize the celebration and establish a new "Chrism Grove" which is specific to that area and its people.

The celebration began with learning about the origins and history of the Monastery. As well as, the participants visited the Monastery's sundial that has indicated the twelve hours of the day since many generations. In front of this ancient clock, the youth remembered the importance of good time management and making the most of every moment.

Afterwards, the Prayer of the Season of Creation was held, and was celebrated by the Abbot of the Monastery Father Serge Halabi, with the participation of Father Fadi Al-Fahl and Father Rabih. Among the attendees were officials from the municipality, the cooperative, the Mukhtars, and the Women of Solidarity.

On the occasion, the Abbot delivered a speech in which he spoke about the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), thanking the Theological and Ecumenical Department that manages the Season of Creation program, for choosing Ras Baalbek, located in the far North of the Bekaa, to establish the “Chrism Grove.”

After the speech, the Abbot offered a symbolic gift as a token of thanks and appreciation to both Father Fadi Al-Fahl and the Archdeacon Garen Yosolkanian for their cooperation in organizing the celebration and making it a success.

For his part, Archdeacon Garen, the Coordinator of the Environmental Projects at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), gave a spiritual meditation about Our Lady of Al Ras and the Chrism Path extending from the Orontes River to the Nile River, and stressed the importance of the role of believers and farmers in developing life and caring for creation. He praised the role of the people of Ras Baalbek in spreading knowledge and working in the educational fields in universities and entrepreneurship, which proves respect for what the Lord has given us. He concluded by thanking the Engineer Naji Nasrallah, the Head of the Cooperative, appreciating his spirit of love and his steadfastness in staying and struggling in this fertile spot.

At the end, and through an environmental walk with hymns, everyone moved to the Mar Touma Reserve. There, on the eastern slope of the Bekaa, the Abbot of the Monastery blessed the olive seedlings of the Abou Chawkeh variety, and each one from the people of Ras Baalbek planted a seedling in the fertile blessed land, according to the agricultural instructions of the Environmental Youth of Our Lady of Ablah. The blessing also poured from the sky, and as soon as the youth finished planting, the rain began to fall.