OUR CHURCH IN VENEZUELA
History:
The
emigration of Syrians, and particularly of Aleppines, which began
timidly before the first World War, was intensified at the end of it,
only to slow down after 1930. The new-found wealth of Venezuala due to
the oil discovered there was in no small way responsible for this
phenomenon. Many Aleppine families have settled in the country, with
every intention of staying. The number of Christians who emigrated from
Aleppo is more or less equal to the number who remained there.
The
different communities are represented in almost the same proportion as
in their home town. As is well known, of all the Catholic communities
in Aleppo, the Greek Catholic is the largest. No doubt it was because of this that, with the agreement of the Latin Archbishop of Caracas,
the immigrants in 1957 asked the Greek Catholic Patriarch to give them
a priest to minister all the Christians of Aleppine origin living in
Venezuala, and in their petition they insisted that the priest should
himself be from Aleppo.
From
1958 to 1970 it was Fr. Gabriel Dick, an Aleppine of the Society of
Missionaries of St Paul, who looked after the mission. He lost no time
buying a house, an old one but spacious enough to serve as a temporary
church, while awaiting something better. He added a school, which might
have been further expanded if only the premises had been more capacious.
As
from 1970 the mission was confided to the Aleppine Basilian Order by
decision of the Patriarchate, which was going ahead with a general
reorganization of the apostolate overseas.
Apostolic Exarchate of Venezuela
Catedral San Jorge
Bishop Exarch of Venezuela: His Excellency Bishop Georges Kahhale Zouhairaty, O.B.A.
Final 3ra, Ave. Montalban, P.O.Box 20.120 - Caracas 1020
Venezuela
Tel. (02) 443.30.19
Fax: (02) 443-01-31
Bishop's private number: 0058-2-472.53.67
georgeskahhale@cantv.net
Web site: http://catedralsanjorge.tripod.com/
Rev. Padre : Amin Roumieh (Administrador en Caracas)
E-mail: abounaamin@cantv.net
Rev. Padre : Nakhleh Zakham
E-mail: nzakhm@hotmail.com
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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 |
