The Repose of Elder Elias (Morcos) of Saint George Monastery, Deir Al Harf

Christ Is Risen !!! Truly He Is Risen!!!

On the afternoon of Wednesday, February 23, 2011, Abouna Elias rested peacefully in his beloved Convent as he has always desired. He is now in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was the love of his life.

Abouna Elias will remain the Elder Geronda , Teacher, Educator and Saint, that star that enlightened this world, pointing out the way of the Liberating Joy, he will always be a Living Icon of the Lord.

In 1957, with the blessing of the bishop of Mount Lebanon Elias (Karam), a monastic community for men was founded at Deir el-Harf. The first two monks arrived in November 1957: Chafic Mansour (the current Metropolitan of Lattakia) and Elias Yacoub. They were soon followed by Habib Fahdeh and Marcel Morcos, (Archimandrite Elias Morcos). It was during the service of vespers on August 28^th, 1959, the Feast of the Decapitation of St. John the Baptist, that brothers Chafic, Marcel, and Ibrahim took the monastic habit in the presence of Metropolitans Elias (Karam) of Mount Lebanon and Elias (Mouawad) of Aleppo, the future Patriarch Elias IV of Antioch.

Starting 1961, Archimandrite Elias (Morcos) was confided with the spiritual direction of the monastery. Under his direction, the monastic community has developed and blossomed and become the spiritual emblem of the monastic renaissance at the heart of the Patriarchate of Antioch during the second half of the 20^thcentury.

The Funeral service will be held on Friday, February 25^th, at the Monastery of Saint George, Deir El Harf, at 3pm.

Who is Tripoli's new Archbishop?

Elder Ephraim (Kyriakos) is the abbot of the Monastery of St. Michael, which is located on a hill overlooking the village of Biq’ata in the Archdiocese of Mount Lebanon. It is around forty kilometers to the east of Beirut. Its history goes back to the year 1856 and five monks lived there in the beginning of the twentieth century. After that, it became an elementary school until the sixties. On the 5 of March, 1984 the monastic life returned to this monastery when monks settled there. New chambers were added to the original monastery and the church was enlarged, the earth was sowed, and a hermitage was built in the forest near the monastery to be a place of calm for the monks. Many spiritual children now seek the monastery out.

Metropolitan Ephrem Kyriakos, pastor of the Archdiocese of Tripoli, Koura and their dependencies, was born in Beirut on April 15 1943. He is the son of Jamil Kyriakos and Elise Mansa. He lived with his family in Achrafiyeh [East Beirut] until he entered the Theological Institute.

-He studied at International College in Beirut, then at the faculty of engineering at l’Université Saint Joseph, then he specialized in Paris in electronics and communications and worked in this field, taking part in the building of a subway station.

-He taught at the Jesuit University [i.e. St. Joseph’s], the technical institute in Dekwaneh, and the National Orthodox High School (Mar Elias)- al-Mina in Tripoli.

-He was the head of the Beirut center for the Orthodox Youth Movement.

-He speaks Arabic, French, English, and Greek fluently.

-He entered the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at Balamand University in 1972 and graduated with a degree in theology.

-He was in charge of the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology in 1977-1978.

-He was ordained a deacon on August 15, 1974 a priest on October 15, 1978, and an archimandrite on November 8, 1991 by +Georges Khodr.

-He became a monk in the Monastery of Saint Paul on Mount Athos in Greece on October 16, 1983.

-He established the monastic community at the Monastery of Saint Michael in 1984.

-Among his writings: “Words from the Fathers”, “St. Ephrem the Syrian”, “The Gospel of Mark”, books about Sts. Gregory Palamas, John Climacus, Mary of Egypt, Jacob Brother of the Lord, Katrina, Barbara, and others, in addition to his writings in the yearly publication of the Monastery of St. Michael.

New Metropolitan on the See of Tripoli and Kura

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The Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch, united on Tuesday, October 6th 2009, elected Archimandrite Ephraim (Kyriakos), abbot of the Archangel Michael -

Baskinta, as the new Metropolitan on the See of Tripoli and Kura, Lebanon.

Father Ephraim was born in Beirut, Lebanon, has a diploma in telecommunications from the Saint Joseph University (Beirut). He studied Theology first at the Saint John of Damascus school of Theology and completed them in the Academy of Theology of Thessaloniki, Greece. He stayed for many years in Mount Athos at the Saint Paul monastery where he received the Great Schema by the Abbot of the monastery Elder Parthenios giving him the name of Saint Ephraim the Syriac.

The late Antiochian Patriarch Elias IV asked him to return to Lebanon to re-inaugurate the Faculty of Theology of Saint John of Damascus in Balamand (which was closed during the Lebanese civil war) and was Dean from 1978 till 1981.

Then he started monastic life in the monastery of the Archangel Michael in Baskinta becoming a Spiritual Father of may monasteries, and lay people.

He also wrote and translated many orthodox spiritual books.

MAY HIS YEARS BE MANY O LORD

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Inauguration of the "Nourieh" Chapel

On the 14th of August, 2009, Metropolitan Elias (Audi) of Beirut, inaugurated the re-opening of the "Nourieh" Chapel, dedicated the the Most Holy Theotokos, in Down-Town Beirut near the St. George Orthodox Cathedral.

The Miraculous Icon of the "Mother of God Hope of Christian" was brought back home after being stolen during the Lebanese war.

Elder Joseph the Vatopedian

Less than a month ago, August 1st 2009 to be exact, the Funeral of Elder Joseph the Vatopedian, was held in the Vatopedi monastery in the Holy Mountain.

The Elder had a Smile on his face.

The Smile from Eternity...

As an assurance for everyone that he is at the right side of God.

Holy Relics visit Lebanon

The God-bearing Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod confirmed that: "Our Lord Jesus Christ granted to us the relics of Saints as a salvation-bearing source which pours forth varied benefits on the infirm. Consequently, those who presume to abandon the relics of the Martyrs: if they be hierarchs, let them be deposed; if however monastics or laymen, let them merely be excommunicated."

From the 15th till the 21st of July 2009, Lebanon is blessed by the visit of the Holy Relics to his land from the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. Actually, they are Relics of Holy Megalo-Martyr Catherine of Alexandria, Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, and Saint Basil the Great one of the Three Holy Hierarchs. This visit was timed in the commemoration of the feast of the prophete Elijah. The Holy Relics are currently placed in the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Elias, Beit Meri, Lebanon where special prayers and meetings are scheduled for the event.

The synaxary of Hieromartyr Jacob of Hamatoura

Here is the hagiography of Saint Jacob of Hamatoura, copied from the website of the Theotokos monastery Hamatoura.

Late in the 13th century, at Our Lady Monastery in Hamatoura, Saint Jacob began his ascetic life. Later, when the monastery was destroyed by the Mamelukes*, he reestablished monasticism along the perimeter of the ruined monastery. In time, he rebuilt the monastery, regenerating and giving renewed vigor to monastic life in the area. His spiritual briskness, vivacity, and popularity among believers drew the attention of the Mamelukes who set their minds to stop his verve and determination and force him to convert to Islam. He stubbornly refused their relentless pressures. When the Mamelukes' horrible coercive attempts failed, they dragged Saint Jacob, along with a number of monks and laymen, from Saint Georges Monastery, situated atop Mount Hamatoura, to Tripoli City (the capital of Northern Lebanon) and handed him to the wali (ruler).

For almost a year, he endured tremendous tortures. Nevertheless, he did not give in or renounce his faith despite receiving both adulations and threats from the Mamelukes. Although intimidated by Saint Jacob's stubbornness and persistence, finally, as was their custom in punishing their enemies, on October 13th, Saint Jacob was beheaded. In addition, the Mamelukes burned his body to ensure the Church will not give him an honorable burial as a martyr, a burial befitting a saint.

Not long after his death, seeing his sufferings and steadfast faith, our Lord bestowed on him everlasting crowns and graces and today he shines as a martyr as much as he was a beacon during his earthly life; at this time the Church announced Saint Jacob's holiness and added him to her list of honored Martyr Saints and prayed for his intercession.

Our Saint was almost forgotten in the course of history. This was due to the severe sufferings of the Church under various Moslem sultanates that both weakened Christian spiritual life and resulted in a noticeable drop of Christian literacy. Additionally, all manuscripts and data that could have been sent and translated abroad were either forgotten, lost, or destroyed.

However, recorded encounters by the Monastery's pilgrims, upon seeing visions of Saint Jacob, and many others, who sensed his presence, affirmed and authenticated his sainthood. Glorifying the name of Lord, Saint Jacob also healed many.

We have recently discovered a clear mention of Saint Jacob in a manuscript preserved at the Balamand Monastery in a Gerontikon, a hagiography or compilation of biographical short stories of the lives of holy saints. In a Balamand archival manuscript, numbered 149, it clearly indicates that the Church commemorates his memory on October 13th.

The Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos - Kousba, Hamatoura, in Lebanon, commemorated his memory, for the first time, on October 13th, 2002, in an all-night prayer vigil (agrypnia). A number of priests, deacons, and believers participated in that memorable day, as the attendees chanted Saint Jacob's troparion and Akolouthia, prepared and edited by the

monastery's monks.

Today, believers and pilgrims are constantly reporting his apparitions, miraculous healings and other Grace-filled deeds. All of this kindled the spiritual fervorness to celebrate the memory of this Saint and give Praise to the Lord, while honoring Saint Jacob of Hamatoura who is still living among us in his monastery performing miraculous deeds, calls, and visitations to believers.

*Mamelukes: are members of a Moslem sultanate, virtual rulers of Egypt (1250-1517). They were defeated by Napoleon in the Battle of the Pyramids (1798), and destroyed by Mohammad Ali (1811). The Mamelukes were originally a mounted military force, recruited from Circassian or Turkish slaves who converted to Islam, and brought up in the courts of Moslem rulers

or caliphs.