OUR CHURCH IN BRUSSELS - BELGIUM
History:
Here
we present some extracts from the historical summary published in Le
Lien, issues 5-6, 1980, by Mr and Mrs Anthony Gebara, from then on
active members of the parish committee:
?When
we arrived here from Lebanon four years ago, we were somewhat
disappointed not to find any community of our rite in Brussels and to
be obliged to frequent the Latin Church in our district. But we did not
lose courage and we still hoped to be one day members of a
'Melkite-Greek Catholic parish like those that have seen the light of
day here and there around the world for our brethren of the Diaspora.
?0ur
Lord was to grant our desire through the providential encounter with
Fr. Serge Descy, a young Belgian priest of our Patriarchate, charged
with setting up the first parish in Belgium for Christians of the
Middle East. From this moment there was whole-hearted collaboration
between us.
?A
visit of H.B. the Patriarch was announced for the month of September
1980 and a committee was organized to receive him and to lay the
foundations of the future parish. Meanwhile many families were to join
us.
?When
His Beatitude arrived in Brussels, an already well-organized community
awaited him. Encouraging our pioneering efforts, he stressed the need
to reconstitute outside the Middle East some oriental communities so
that our expatriate Christians should be lost neither to our Church nor
to the Universal Church, and so that the present massive exodus should
not mean the disappearance for ever of the rich centuries-old
traditions of the Christian Orient.
?This
was also one of the themes that the Patriarch was to bring up the next
day, feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, during the solemn
pontifical liturgy concelebrated with all Belgian priests of Byzantine
rite in the presence of the Papal Nuncio His Excellency Mgr Iginio
Cardinale.
?In
this way there came to be inaugurated the first Greek-Catholic parish
of Belgium, one which was to bring together several hundred Arab
Christians from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Palestine. Next day,
accompanied "by Fr. Serge, the Patriarch was received by the new
Archbishop of Malines -Brussels and Primate of the Belgian Church, Mgr
Godfr. Danneels, who assured them of his total support in future
collaboration with our new centre.
?Following
this there was the General Assembly of the Parish, chaired by His
Beatitude. There was a very fertile discussion, marked by patriarchal
wisdom highlighted
with touches of humor, which resulted in the passing of resolutions
decisive for the community. A parish council of sixteen members was
further elected on this occasion.
?It
was with the greatest joy that the whole community was able to come
together in early October for its first Liturgy in the magnificent
church of Sainte Marie-la-Miserable, dating from the fourteenth century
and a famous centre of pilgrimage for the Brussels region, now restored
and listed as a public monument. This historic shrine, now the
liturgical home of the Greek-Catholics and of all oriental Christians
living in Brussels, sees many faithful crowding between its walls,
whose style recalls in remarkable fashion the atmosphere of our
churches of the East?.
Parish
Rev. Fr. Jihad Jalhoum
Eglise St Jean Chrysostome
Rue de l'Orient, 41
1040 Bruxelles (Brussels)
Belgique
Web Site: http://www.melkiteb.com
jihad.jalhoum@skynet.bebe
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For any information updates or amendments, please send an E-mail to GMA: gma@melkites.org
or alternatively by post to:
Global Melkite Association
Rev Fr Samir Haddad
40 Gillies St Fairfield VIC 3078
Australia |
