OUR PATRIARCH

His Beatitude Patriarch Gregory III

Melkite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem
On November 29, 2000, the Most Reverend Archbishop Lutfy Laham, Patriarchal Vicar of Jerusalem was elected as the new Patriarch of Antioch and the entire East. He succeeded His Beatitude Patriarch Maximos V Hakim of blessed memory. The new Patriarch took a new name, as is the custom. He chose the name of Gregory III, following the famous Patriarch Gregory II Youssef, the great champion of Eastern traditions and of the rights of Patriarchs in the First Vatican Council (1870).
Patriarch Gregory III was born in Daraya, near Damascus, Syria, in 1933. His Beatitude entered the Seminary of the Basilian Salvatorian Orde, Lebanon in 1944 and took his solemn religious vows in 1954. He received his religious and philosophy education at the Order’s Seminary, Joun, Lebanon. He continued his Theological studies in Rome where he was ordained priest in 1959. He earned a Doctorate degree in Eastern Theology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.
In 1974, he was appointed Administrator of the Patriarchal Vicariate of Jerusalem. In 1981, he was ordained Archbishop and continued his work as Patriarchal Vicar of Jerusalem. He is well known throughout the Middle East and Europe as an Ecumenist, Liturgist and a Theologian.

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LEADER OF THE MELKITE CHURCH

IN AMERICA

ARCHBISHOP JOHN A. ELYA

As Eparch, Bishop Elya holds the highest office in the Melkite church in the U.S. Bishop Elya was born in Maghdousheh, South Lebanon and was ordained a priest at the age of 24. The Bishop received a Masters Degree in Sociology and a PhD in Higher Education.

One of Bishop Elya's most note worthy accomplishments is his committment to inter-faith activities. As a pioneer, he founded and directed the Ecumenical Institute or Religious Studies at St. Basil Seminary from 1964-1966. For the first time in the area, Catholic and Protestant scholars taught sacred scriptures together. He was a charter member of and became the first Executive Secretary of the Greater Lawrence Inter-Faith Institute.

Throughout his journey as a spiritual leader, Bishop Elya has held many esteemed positions such as teacher, editor-in-chief, director, chancellor, board member, auxiliary bishop, and since 1994, Eparch of the Melkite Greek Diocese of Newton.

Most Reverend Nicholas J. Samra

Auxiliary Bishop of Newton

Protosyncellus

Rt. Rev. Ibrahim Ibrahim, BSO
Melkite Eparch of Canada

Father lbrahim, the son of Michael lbrahim and Hanneh Mahfouz, was born on March 22, 1962 in the village of Jenesneya in South Lebanon. He is the third son from a large family of seven boys and one girl.
After finishing junior high school in August 1977, Father Ibrahim entered the Seminary of Saint Savior (Deir el Moukhaless) of the Basilian Salvatorian Order. On August 15, 1979, he moved to the novitiate as a novice, where he took his first religious vows on that very same date in 1980. He then moved to the city of Jeita (near Beirut) in order to start his college education.
He was sent to Rome in 1984 by the Order to continue with Philosophical and Theological studies. On November 3, 1985 he took his perpetual vows.
Father lbrahim returned to Lebanon to receive his Deaconal Ordination on July 9, 1987, followed by his Ordination to the Priesthood on July 18, 1987. He then returned to Rome once again to specialize in Moral Theology.
Father lbrahim has Bachelor Degrees in Philosophy, from the Holy Spirit University in Kaslik, Lebanon, and in Theology, from the Gregorian Jesuit University in Rome. He has a Masters Degree in Moral Theology from the Alphonsianum (Lateranum University).
Beginning in November 1989, Father lbrahim directed the Seminary of his Order in Lebanon. For two years he worked to educate future priests despite the difficulties of the war.
In August 1991, Father lbrahim was assigned as Pastor of Saint Elias Church in Cleveland. In September of 1994, Rt. Rev. Ibrahim was appointed Protopresbyter of the Midwest Region of the Melkite Diocese. In October of 1994, he was the recipient of the first Cleveland Community Leadership Award presented by AACCESS (Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services).
Rt. Rev. Ibrahim initiated a weekly religious radio broadcast program in February 1997. These half hour programs were designed to reach out to the Arabic community with religious teachings, news and music in Arabic and English. Through the actions and activities of Rt. Rev. Ibrahim, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland bestowed on St. Elias Church the 1997 Award for the promotion of Christian unity and inter-religious dialogue.

On Sunday, May 20, 2001, during the celebration of the Centenary of St. Elias Church, Patriarch Gregory III Laham elevated our Pastor Ibrahim Ibrahim to Archimandrite.
On May 21, 2002, Rt. Rev. Ibrahim organized the visit of his Beatitude, Gregory III Laham to address the National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Officers (NADEO) Catholic Program 2002 at the National Workshop on Christian Unity in Cleveland. The Patriarch celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Saint Elias Church. Close to 100 Catholic Clergy, Bishops and Priests, concelebrated. Following the Liturgy our Parish hosted a dinner for the Patriarch and the NADEO Members and parishioners.
On Wednesday, June 18, 2003, His Holiness Pope John Paul II named Rev. Ibrahim Ibrahim, B.S.O., as Bishop of the Holy Saviour Eparchy of Montreal for Greek-Melkite Catholics in Canada. The Eparchy has been without a Bishop since the death of Most Reverend Sleiman Hajjar in March 2002. At the age of 41 Bishop Ibrahim became the youngest Melkite bishop and the youngest eparchial bishop in the Catholic Church in the whole world.

Bishop John A. Elya has announced the appointment of Rev. Fr. Youssef Youssef, BSO, as pastor of Saint Elias Church to succeed Bishop-elect Ibrahim effective as of July 1, 2003.

Our former Pastor
Father Youssef Youssef, B.S.O.

Born in Egypt, he completed studies in Philosophy and Theology at the Coptic Seminary. In 1983, he was ordained a Coptic Monk at St. Macarius Monastery in Egypt. In 1986, he was ordained a priest in the Coptic Rite, serving in the communities of Rome and Milan in Italy, Austria, and Jordan. In 1989, Father Youssef spent a year in the company of Archbishop Saba Youakim, of Amman, Jordan and former Superior General of the Basilian Salvatorian Fathers. In 1990, he traveled to Montreal, Canada where he continued his association with the Salvatorian Fathers, prior to definitively joining them in February 1993 at St. Basil’s Seminary in Methuen, MA. From March to September of 1997, Father Youssef served as assistant pastor at St. John Chrysostom Melkite Church in Atlanta, GA and at St. Ann’s Melkite Church in West Paterson, NJ. In September of 1997, he was appointed administrator of St. Joseph’s Melkite Church in Lawrence, MA. On May 19, 1999 he made his final religious profession as a Basilian Salvatorian Monk before his Regional Superior, Archimandrite Gerasimos Murphy, B.S.O. On September 1, 1999 he became pastor of St. Joseph’s. Since becoming pastor, he has revived and formalized the awarding of scholarships. For the past three years, scholarships have been presented at the Annual Scholarship Banquet. Father Youssef has appointed committees to focus on the renovation and beautification of the Church and Rectory. To date, the roof, the sound system and the rectory flooring have been replaced. A room in the Rectory has been converted to extend the Sacristy. Other renovation plans and a fund raising drive are in the final stages of implementation. In the past two years of his pastoral administration, the parish has been blessed with the visitation of His Beatitude Patriarch Gregory III Laham, in May of 2001 and 2002. Bishop John A. Elya appointed Rev. Fr. Youssef Youssef, BSO, as pastor of Saint Elias Church in Cleveland to succeed Bishop-elect Ibrahim Ibrahim, the new Eparch of the Melkite Church in all of Canada. The appointment is effective as of July 1st, 2003.

IN MEMORY

Father Basilios Marsha, BSO

Touma Marsha, originally from Zahle, made his religious vows on September 24, 1874, taking the name of Basilios. He was ordained to the deaconate on March 24, 1882 with the imposition of the hands of Most Rev. Basilios Hajjar, then to the priesthood on September 17, 1882 by the hands of the Most Reverend Ignatius, Archbishop of Furzol and Zahle. He started his pastoral work in Cleveland on December 14, 1901 by celebrating the Holy sacraments (see Fr. Elias Kwaiter's Book: Melkite Parish page 41.) Fr. Basilios returned to Zahle in the year 1922.
May his memory be eternal!

Father Malatios Mufleh, BSO

He was born in Khirbet Anafar (Bekaa). He was professed on February 2, 1909, and was ordained a priest on July 26, 1914. He started his priestly work in the Seminary, after which he was assigned to his home village, and later to Rashaya-al-Wadi. In 1920, he went to Ottawa, Canada to visit his parents and relatives, who begged him to stay in the Capital to serve the various Oriental Catholics. He served there for a while, but after having contacted Father Basil Marsha, pastor of Cleveland, who was very old, he went to replace him instead. There he worked with energy for the good of the community and for the immigrants. He started the work of repairing and decorating the church.
In 1953, Father Ignatius Ghattas was sent to assist him. Father Mufleh profited from this opportunity in 1959 to return to Lebanon for recovery and rest, but at the death of Father Basil Shaheen, Pastor of Saint Ann in New London, Connecticut, he was sent to replace him for a short period.
He spent his last days in Cleveland, where he died in the Lord in 1964. He was a virtuous and zealous priest. He loved his mother, the Order, and helped her financially, especially in the foundation of Saint Basil's Seminary in Methuen, Massachusetts.
May his memory be eternal!

Archbishop Ignatius Ghattas, BSO

Ignatius Ghattas was born in the village of Maaloul in Palestine on December 25, 1920, and was brought up in a deeply Christian home. He followed the example of many from his district who had preceded him to Saint Savior's and entered the monastery on November 5, 1933. He took his first vows on August 15, 1939, and his final ones on June 13, 1943. He was ordained priest in the church of Saint Savior on July 7, 1946. During the first two years of his priesthood the future bishop taught the young seminarians and gave the novices a grounding in the piety and virtues of the religious state. He also played a part in the founding of the Salvatorian Missionary Sisters, teaching the postulants and novices languages and liturgical chant. He helped produce The Salvatorian Letter and The Bee, in which we find two contributions from him, The Suez Canal (1952) and The Family and Life (1953), and the translation into Arabic of the story The Christmas Angel (1946). He was appointed confidential secretary to the superior general and after this to Saint Elias in Cleveland, Ohio, first of all as assistant to Father Malatios Mufleh, and then as parish priest from 1954.
His arrival in 1952 meant a second birth for the parish. Father Ignatius, his heart aflame like that of
his patron saint, began his service by founding a choir followed by a branch of the Society of the Holy Redeemer in 1953 and a section of the Catholic Workers' Association in 1955. It was this activity of his which decided the Archbishop of Cleveland to appoint Father Ghattas officially as Melkite parish priest on February 19, 1955. The fervor of the parish was amply demonstrated at its magnificent reception of Patriarch Maximos Saigh when he passed through Cleveland on October 7, 1955. Subsequently on June 13, 14 and 15, 1958, the Melkite General Assembly was held in the parish, presenting a most opportune occasion for establishing cooperation and giving proof of a fraternal spirit. The star of this reunion was certainly Danny Thomas, who used the occasion to announce plans for a hospital for paralytic children in California. This Assembly was the first obviously successful one of some forty that have been held, and led up to the founding of the Melkite Catholic diocese of the United States.
Father Ghattas followed up this triumph with the construction of a church that was thoroughly
Byzantine, with splendid iconography, the work of the Italian architect Pierotti, the whole being completed and consecrated on August 30, 1964. On May 6, 1978, this church was the scene of the celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the parish of Saint Elias in Cleveland, and the silver jubilee of Father Ghattas's labors there. This was followed by work on a parochial complex to satisfy the many demands and needs of the people. It contains halls and rooms to serve the faithful and particularly the youth. This great achievement brought fame to Father Ghattas, and his superiors recalled the words of Saint Paul: "The elders who do their work well while they are in charge are to be given double consideration, especially those who are assiduous in preaching and teaching" I Timothy V, 17. So when Archbishop Youssef Tawil presented his resignation on reaching the canonical age for retirement at 75, the synod meeting at Rabweh, Lebanon, in July of 1989 proposed Archimandrite Ignatius Ghattas to be bishop of the Melkites of the United States, and the Holy See gave its consent on December 11 of the same year. He was consecrated in the church which he had built in his parish of Cleveland, with Patriarch Maximos Hakim coming specially for the occasion and laying on his hands. The ceremony was carried out with splendor and to perfection in the presence of cardinals, bishops, priests, regular clergy, nuns, and a vast multitude of the faithful. In fact it so impressive that it was televised a number of times by various American stations.
The new bishop set to work for the larger flock that he now had; he began repairs to the episcopal
residence at Newton, which had been ravaged by a fire, started to put the diocese on a firm financial footing, and made many journeys to see how clergy and people were faring. He took part in the synods of 1990 and 1991, but death was approaching with the spread of cancer throughout his system. On 11 October 1992, Bishop Ignatius Ghattas passed away at the age of 72, little more than two years after his consecration. He was a brilliant meteor in the skies of the Melkite Church in the United States, which lost a solid pillar while his Order lost a faithful son.
May his memory be eternal!