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�The Word
Volume 20
December, 1976
Suffering Churches ...
Number 10
COVER
In This Issue
.
His Holiness, Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and all Ru~sia blesses the
congregation participating in the liturgy on the f~ast of ~~- ~e~gms at the TrinitySergius Monastery in Zagorsk, USSR. Metropohtan Phthp ts m the background.
1
EDITORIAL
George S. Corey
3
PILGRIMAGE TO RUSSIA-PART
Thomas Hopko
9
AMERICA: BABYLON AND JERUSALEM
11
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND
THE ORTHODOX PARISH
Gene Attal
I
Metropolitan Philip leads a delegation to visit the Church and land that produced
many great saints.
Another Bicentennial article on the spiritual dimensions of our life style.
A practical guideline for our parishes.
James Kenna
12
ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE
14
WHO ARE "THE OTHERS"?
A study in Comparative Religion: Roman Catholicism and the Eastern Rites.
James C. Meena
15
AOCWNA
16
DEPARTMENT OF SACRED MUSIC
17
18
DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
DIALOGUE ...
19
LIFESTYLES X
20
Questions to Father Buben.
When do you celebrate Christmas?
SOYO DIGEST
News and Views of our Youth Movement.
22
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
T~s mont? we ~ear from Canton, Ohio; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Tuscon
Arizona; Sioux City, Iowa; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and the Ohio Deanery.
26
REVIEW
27
DAILY DEVOTIONS
28
THE PEOPLE SPEAK
From September_ 29 to O~tober 10 of this year, Metropolitan
of pr,ests from our Archdiocese travelled
to parts of Russia on a good-will tour as guests of the Patriarchate
of Moscow. The feature article of this month's issue of THE WORD
begins a day by day account of that pilgrimage.
It was truly an
inspiration, praying in the great cathedrals of Moscow, Leningrad
and Zagorsk as well as some village churches around Moscow.
We saw and experienced
much, to say the least!
PHILIPand a delegation
On my return, many people asked me about the condition of
our Church there, and as I had time to reflect, this was my
conclusion. The Church in Russia is indeed suffering. There is no
religious freedom nor is there political freedom. The government
(which is atheistic)
controls and owns everything,
including the
churches. There are definite restrictions placed on all believers;
Orthodox, Romans, Baptists, Jews and Mos/ems. Clergy are permitted to minister
to the faithful within the four walls of the
church building, but no other place-not
in the homes, hospitals or
anywhere in public. Bibles and religious books, icons, crosses, etc.,
are not sold in local stores. No one religious group is restricted
any more than the others. All. believers are indeed suffering I
When any religious
group asks for more than the government
allows ( such as bible study in the homes, immigration
to another
country, etc.), the persecution
begins anew and the government
clamps down hard on its citizens. Consequently
the churches,
synagogues and mosques are filled, even beyond capacity. There
was no All Night Vigil that we attended where there were less
than one thousand participating.
liturgies
attracted
three thousand faithful.
On the feast of St. Sergius in Zagorsk, as many as
twenty to twenty-five
thousand stood in the cold and ~ain for_ th_e
service. The faithful are deeply pious and the Church ,n Russia is
very much alive. The hierarchy
do indeed cooperate with the
State, but this is done in order to keep the churches open and the
liturgies celebrated.
The Church in Russia is suffering, but from
without-from
a hostile, atheistic government.
Compare that to our Church in the West, whether it be in
Europe, Canada or the United States a~d o_ur observati'?ns are that
we too have a suffering Church! We live ,n a free soc,e~y, ~here
separation
of Church and State are part of our God-g1ver1 freedoms. The State cannot interfere in the affairs of the Church here.
And yet we too have a suffering Church! We are suffering fr_om
within. And that suffering
takes the form of apathy,. secu/ar,_sm
and materialism.
We lack that spirituality
that we saw ,n th_e fa,t~ful of Russia. What we take for granted in the West, the fa,thful ,n
Russia hold as most sacred. A small plastic cross or medal meant
so much to them. Coming to church for liturgy was a t:e_mendous
blessing to them. Standing for hours at an All Night V,g,/ broug~t
them much happiness. Listening to as many as three sermons in
each service brought tears to their eyes.
..I
C
a=
0
tQ
II.I
�We complain because the liturgy goes. over the hour or be.
cause the priest preaches longer than_ five mmutes.
We aircondition our churches and put soft cus_h1ons ~n our.Pews so the
people will be comfortable wh7tn they s1_t~~d wat:h
the service.
Many of our faithful are busy downstairs
prepa_rmg goodies for
the coffee hour after church, and they have _n'! time for services.
Some of our parish leaders don't know what it is to partake of the
Sacraments, especially the Eucha~ist. We ha_ve so many distractions and events that vie for our time, especially on Sundays and
holy days. God help the church if that city has a winni~g football
or baseball team. It is usually the Church that comes ,n second.
You see, we too are suffering, but from within.
Pilgrimage
to Russia
PartI
by fr. george s. corey
Therefore we need to be praying much more fervently for the
Church in Russia and the Church in the West. We are both suffering Churches!
George S. Corey
Co-Editor
Several months ago Metropolitan
PHILIP
received an invitation from the Department of
External Affairs of the Patriarchate of Moscow to
make a goodwill tour of Russia, to visit and pray at
the holy churches and shrines within that Patriarchate which has come to be known as "Third Rome".
His Eminence accepted their invitation and set the
dates for his pilgrimage. The following is a day by
day account of that historic visit:
Wednesday, September 29, 1976
THEWOHD
official publication of
THE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA
The Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip Saliba, Primate
The Most Reverend Archbishop Michael Shaheen, Auxiliary
published monthly except July and August by the
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Metropolitan
PHILIP
called
the official
delegation and the office staff to the Chapel of St.
John Chrysostom in the Archdiocese headquarters to
offer prayers on the occasion of their departure to
Russia.
On hand at the airport to wish the delegation well
were His Grace, Bishop Elia; Archimandrite
Gregory Abboud of St. Nicholas Antiochian
Cathedral of Brooklyn; Archpriest Arkady Tyshchuk, representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and
All Russia in New York; Fr. John Kassatkin of St.
Nicholas Russian Cathedral of New York; Mr.
Theodore Mackoul, trustee of the Archdiocese, and
Mrs. Mackoul; Miss Kathy Meyer and Mr. William
Essey of the Archdiocesan staff.
Thursday, September 30, 1976
Founded in Arabic as AL KALIMA T, January 1905, by Bishop Raphael Haw a weeny
Founded in English as THE WORD, January 1957, by Metropolitan Antony Bashir
Associate Editors:
The Very Rev. George S. Corey
The Rev. Fr. Joseph Allen
Editorial Board:
Archimandrite Antoun Khouri; Archpriests Stephen Upson, James C. Meena, John Estephan, Michael Buben; Priests Gerasimos Murphy, James Ken~a;
Dr. John Boojamra, Dr. John Dalack, William Essey, RaymonJ George, Ronald Nicola, Kathy Meyer and the Public Relations officers of the Antiochtan
Orthodox Christian Women of North America, NAC SOYO and Teen SOYO.
Technical Staff:
George Nassor, Beatrice Davis, Eve Meyer
Publications Office:
3400 Dawson Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
ISSN 0043-7964
THE WORD, published monthly except July and August, by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America at Pittsburgh, Penn·
sylvania, Business office, 377 McKee Place, P.O. Box 7135, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213; Publication office, 3400 Dawson Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213. Entered
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The official delegation at the in itation of Hi
Holiness, Patriarch Pimen, were Metropolitan
PHILIP,
Archimandrite
Antoun
Khouri
of
Englewood, Archimandrite John Namie of Hou ton,
and Archpriest George S. Corey of Pittsburgh.
Departure was from Kennedy Airport in ew York
for Moscow, via London, on Aeroflot, Soviet
Airlines.
In the Department of External Affairs Fr. Antoun, Bishop Chrysostom, Metropolitan Philip, Fr.
Makarios Tayyar, Fr. Jacob Ilyich.
December 1976
We arrived at the Sheremetyevo Airport in
Moscow very tired after a long twelve hour flight.
Because we were an official delegation, we were able
to get through customs without any 1:13ajor~ncidents
and were officially met by the followmg: His Grace,
Bishop Chrysosto1n, Vice-Chairman of External
Affairs of the Palriarchate of Moscow and the
Bishop of Kursk and Belog~rod_; Archi_mandrite
Makarios Tayyar, representative m Russia of the
Patriarchate of Antioch and lifetime friend of
Metropolitan PHILIP; Archpriest Jacob Ilyich,
Deputy and representative
of the. Moscow
Patriarchate in the Antiochian Church; Miss atasha
Gorin a, our official interpreter.
During an interesting motorcade to the Hotel
Rousha (Russia) in downtown Moscow, ':'e were
given a brief history of "Holy Russia" b~ His Grae~,
Bishop Chrysostom, a yo~ng and dynamic prelate m
his early forties. Also durmg the motorcade we were
Page 3
�able to get our very first impressions of this historic
city. We all sensed that we had a most interesting
twelve days ahead of us. We settled down in our
hotel rooms that overlooked a large square that
contained six magnificently decorated Orthodox
churches that had been converted into museums or
storehouses by the Communist government.
At 6:30 p.m. we were taken to dinner in the hotel
restaurant by Archpriest Jacob and our official
interpreter Natasha. They did everything to make us
feel comfortable on our first day - even placing a
small American flag at the head of our table.
Obviously we were most conspicuous, being both
Americans as well as clergymen wearing black suits,
white collars and pectoral crosses. We were the topic
of conversation in the restaurant that evening! Our
meal that evening and throughout the visit was
typically Russian: Mineral water, apple-flavored
water, red and white wine, vodka, cognac, caviar,
black bread, smoked fish, fresh vegetables, fish soup,
meat and potatoes, ice cream, hot tea and occasionally expresso coffee.
(The ice cream was the best we have ever eaten and
is a favorite dessert of the Russian people).
Metropolitan PHILIP and Father Antoun retired
to their rooms for a quiet evening with their friend
and classmate, Father Makarios. Father John and I
took a walk through Red Square which was only a
few blocks from our hotel. We saw part of the exterior of the Kremlin, Lenin's Tomb, St. Basil's
Cathedral and Gum's, the largest department store in
the world. While on Red Square where automobiles
are never allowed, we and all the citizens on the
Square were literally brought to a halt by the sound
of police whistles while an official limousine was
being driven through the main entrance of the
Kremlin. We wanted to think that it was either
Leonid Brezhnev or Alexei Kosygin but we dared not
chu~ches used as museums were re pected b
tourists as places of worship and people ere
praying in front of icons to be found there. On Id
woman in a babushka, employed by the tate a a
guardian in one of the church-museum , approach d
one of our delegation and in Russian chided him f r
wearing his hat while touring the mu eum chur h.
The rebuke was well noted! Metropolitan PHILIP
was overcome by the experience and in tear pra ed
for the people of Russia who were denied man
religious freedoms that we in North America and
the West take for granted.
Holy Transfiguration Cathedral In Leningrad for All Night
Vigil.
ask. As we walked toward Gum's, Father John and I
observed how immaculate the streets and sidewalks
were, how simple and yet practical everything
around us seemed to be and how safe it was to walk
the streets late at night. We even saw women
sweeping and washing the streets and sidewalks of
Moscow close to the midnight hour. How different
this is from our conditions in the United States.
After a brief walk through Gum's department
store, observing Ivan Ivanovich in his familiar
surroundings, we walked back to our hotel, passing
once again the beautifully
decorated,
closed
Orthodox churches along the way. As we passed, we
walked in silence for our hearts were heavy, knowing
that these consecrated temples of worship had been
desecrated by unbelievers and converted into public
houses of some sort.
The reaction of the people toward us at the end
of our first day was mixed. Some looked at us with
curiosity, others smiled, some were downright
unfriendly. After all we represented two major
threats: the Church and the West! What else could
we expect so soon on our trip? We went to our individual rooms for a much needed rest after a full
day, thanking God that we had this opportunity to
set foot on this historic land.
Friday, October 1, 1976
Favorite Icons found In the churches of Russia.
Page 4
I awoke at 3:30 a.m. and couldn't sleep. Maybe it
was the excitement of the trip or maybe just the time
change. At any rate, I sat down and wrote our experiences thus far. Also there were letters and
postcards to send home (all of these letters and
postcards were sent airmail but didn't arrive in the
States until three to four weeks later). I tried to
The Word
Metropolitan Phlllp and Bishop Cyrll, rector of the
Leningrad Seminary.
remember our schedule for that day. Father Jacob
had told us that we would be attending a reception
with Metropolitan
Juvenaly at the Patriarchal
Department of External Affairs, a tour of some
churches, an evening at the opera and a midnight
train to Leningrad (St. Petersburg).
At 10:00 a.m. we arrived at the Department of
External Affairs and were sadly disappointed that we
were unable to see Metropolitan Juvenaly who was
ill. In his name, Bishop Chrysostom once again
welcomed us and gave us our itinerary for the next
ten days. We were to spend our time in Moscow,
Leningrad and Zagorsk. Kiev and Odessa were part
of our itinerary, but were later omitted sin~e it would
have been too strenuous on Metropolitan PHILIP.
Gifts were exchanged between the two hierarchs,
before our departure from the department. Two
automobiles were placed at our disposal for the
entire visit in Russia. Father Jacob remained with us
throughout the pilgrimage and our interpreter was
there on official occasions and tours.
We then proceeded to visit several of the
churches in Moscow, those in full use as temples of
worship and those converted by the government into
museums. It must be noted however, that even those
After lunch we had some free time to hop and
observe the lifestyle of the seven and one half million
citizens of Moscow. We found them to be typical f
urban Americans - often aloof, slightly eriou and
dutifully bent on accomplishing their daily chore
and employment. The average Russian citizen
do not smile until Friday e ening when
they seem to come to life in an air of relaxation, expressed by a spirit of festivities, dancing, eating and drinking. Russians from the many
National Republics joined together in the fe tive spirit that prevailed throughout the weekend.
For the believers, their smiles turned into tears on
Sunday morning during the Holy Liturgy. We witnessed thousands crying during each liturgy we
attended, and yet each sermon we heard by a
Russian priest or bishop was on the eternal hope and
promise of the Resurrection. Reading in between the
lines of each sermon, the message always was "do
not give up hope."
The Metropolitan In private audience with Patriarch
Pimen.
Page 5
December 1976
�Sunday, October 3, 1976
In the evening we were guests of the Patriarchate
at a concert in the Kremlin (Hall of Congresses
where the Communist Party meets every four years).
In a special tribute called ·"A Salme to Music",. we
heard the secular music of Tchaikovsky, Bortmansky, Rimsky-Korsikof and others sung by membe~s
of the Soviet Opera and dancers of the B?lsho1.
Without a doubt it was one of the finest evenmgs of
the trip. We were surprised to see ~any young
people at this concert which attracted six thousand
people in the spacious and beautifullf decorated
Hall which is one of Moscow's newest bmlt.
We awoke on Sunday to find the most beautiful
day of the pilgrimage, whereas the weather had b n
previously cold and damp, Sunday wa most plea ant
and as it turned out, a glorious Lord's Day.
At midnight we boarded our train to Leningra?.
The overnight trip reminded all of us of the scemc
train ride in "Dr. Zhivago". This writer arose at dawn
to observe the countryside and the villages along the
way and the people doing their early morning
chores. It was a sight to behold - men, women ~nd
children - many of them dressed in peasant outfits,
looking as if they had just stepped out of the period
of Czarist Russia.
The Holy Doors of a chapel in Zagonk.
Saturday, October 2, 1976
We arrived in Leningrad at 8:30 a.m. and were
met, amidst loud military music, by His Grace,
Bishop Cyril, Rector of the Holy Trinity Ac~demy
and Seminary of Leningrad and Bishop of Viborg,
and his official delegation of clergy and laity. His
Grace, who speaks English well, is the youngest
bishop within the Patriarchate.
We were taken to the Hotel Europeyskaya
(Europe) in downtown Leningrad, where we were
given the most beautiful and quaint rooms during
our entire visit. At breakfast, His Grace gave us the
itinerary of our Leningrad stay. During the afternoon
Father John and I toured the business district of
Leningrad. There we had the opportunity to discuss
Commemorations are made in the preparation of the holy
Gifts.
Page 6
The Metropolitan blesses with the trikiri and dildri. Notice
the enormous iconostasis.
with several Russian citizens life in the Soviet Union
as compared to life in the United States. We had
coffee with several Leningraders that afternoon and
found many of them to be believers.
At 6:00 our delegation was taken to the Holy
Transfiguration Cathedral, whose pastor is Father
Jacob, our official guide. There, Metropolitan
PHILIP and Bishop Cyril presided at the All Night
Vigil. This was one of the most stirring moments in
our visit. Two thousand faithful stood for almost
three hours while the prayers and the hymns of the
Church were chanted in Slavonic, Arabic and
English. During the service we watched as women
shed tears at the' words of Metropolitan PHILIP who
spoke on the oneness of our faith and witness, "in
spite of the oceans that separate us, in spite of our
languages and cultures, and in spite of our different
political systems". At the conclusion of Metropolitan
PHILIP's
sermon
the
congregation
shouted
"spahsseeba vas Ghospodi" (may God save you). The
two hierarchs were assisted by fifteen priests, six
The Word
deacons, and four sub deacons. Fathers Antoun and
John were granted the privilege of wearing the mitre
during the services and I was allowed to wear the
purple kamalavkee, granted to archpriests. Since this
is a Russian tradition and not an Antiochian one, we
all found this to be "different", to say the least. And
remembering the choir - well, what does one say? It
met every expectation. I was personally surprised to
see young as well as old in the choir that was directed
by an elderly professor who sang in that same choir
during the glorious days of Czar Nicholas. No~ was
the congregation without the young and middle
aged, although the vast majority we~e.older w~men.
During every other verse of the V1gtl, they signed
themselves with the Cross. Approximately six times
during the service, they joined the choir in singing
the hymns by memory. How ~ouching it was, to u~,
more like a dream than reality. We couldn t wait
until Sunday's hierarchical liturgy. The remainder of
the evening was spent at the hotel in preparation for
that Holy Liturgy.
We arrived at St. Nicholas Cathedral of
Leningrad at 9:55 a.m., amidst the ringing of the
church's seventeen bells. The Dean of the Cathedral
and sub deacons met us at the main le el of the
Cathedral and escorted His Eminence and our
delegation to the upper church for the Hierarchical
Liturgy, sung by the magnificent Cathedral Choir. A
we passed the lower level church we could ee and
hear the liturgy already in progress there and the
approximately one thousand faithful, participating.
As we entered the upper church we were met b Hi
Grace, Bishop Cyril, twelve priests, six deacons and
six sub deacons. The three thousand people in at-
Following the Ru.ssfancustom, our two Archlmandrltes
wear a crown.
tendance moved to open a passage that we might
enter. The Mantia (episcopal cape) was placed ~n
His Eminence in the vestibule and we entere? m
procession to the nave ?f the church for the ~a1ron
and vesting prayers while the Cathedral Chmr s~ng
some of the most beautiful hymns of the Russian
Church. The Archdeacon was meticulou~ and moved
about with much precision as Metropohtan PHI~IP
walked from icon to icon, praying and rev~rencmg
each. Shortly after the vesting of the two hierarchs,
the Holy Liturgy began.
The faithful gathered at the Antiochian Church of the
Archangel Gabriel in Moscow.
What seemed only an hour liturgy, turned out to
be three hours long. We knew we may never ha e
such an experience again, so we filmed and taped as
much as possible. Fathers Antoun and !ohn ser ed
with the other clergy at the Altar, whtle I mo ed
about recording on film and tape what I had already
recorded in my memory.
Page 7
December 1976
�casion of the Leave-taking of the Feast of th
Exaltation of. the _H~ly Cros~ (accor?ing to the 01~
Calendar which is m use m Russia). The enti
congregation knelt as the clergy, choir and lai~e
chanted, "Before Thy Cross, we bow down i~
worship O Lord, and Thy Holy Resurrection, w
glorify". This hymn has now taken on a new an~
deeper meaning for members of our delegation.
The Monastery CathedralIn Zagorsk has room for 10,000
worshippers.
The liturgy was served in Slavonic, Arabic and
English, and the choir and deacons never missed one
cue nor left out one iota! The service flowed
magnificently to its glorious conclusion, recalling in
my mind the words of the emissaries of Prince
Vladimir in describing the Orthodox liturgy to him,
"we thought we had entered Heaven itself". We
knew now that the words of Metropolitan PHILIP a
few days earlier could never have been truer: "It is
the liturgy that has kept the Church of Russia alive in
spite of her sufferings and restrictions. So long as She
is able to celebrate the liturgy, the Church in Russia
will never die."
After the service we proceeded to the lower level
church to venerate the miraculous Icon of St.
Nicholas the Wonderworker,
patron
of the
Cathedral. While there. we wit_nessed priests baptizing some twenty-five
chtldren
( of young
parents) and we were told that later in the day
another twenty-five would be baptized. My immediate reaction was the sign of the cross and I
uttered in Russian to our interpreter "Slava Isusu
Christu" (Glory be to Jesus Christ).
(continued in next issue)
During his sermon, Metropolitan
PHILIP
thanked the Russian Church for the following:.
A. Establishing Orthodoxy in North America
through the efforts of missionaries in Alaska.
B. Giving us our first Orthodox saint in the New
World - St. Herman of Alaska.
C. Caring for the needs of the Antiochian faithful in
North America in the early 1900's through the
Syrian Mission of the Russian Archdiocese and
the efforts of the late Bishop Raphael
Hawaweeny.
D. The far-sightedness of the Russian Patriarch and
the Holy Synod in granting autocephaly to the
Russian Metropolia in North America and our
desire that it be recognized by the other
Orthodox Patriarchates in the world as the
beginning of Orthodox administrative unity in
North America.
Page 8
BABYLONAND JERUSALEM
by thomas hopko
When reflecting on the state of the nation during
this bieentennial year, the following story comes to
mind. Several years ago •a learned monk from
Europe visited the United States. He was a cultured
man, rooted in the Tradition of the Church, knowing
theology, familiar with modern thought, well-read in
the classics of literature and philosophy, being
himself soberly spiritual in the simple way that only a
person can be who comes to maturity in Christ
through his own personal spiritual and intellectual
experience. This man visited our country, travelling
from coast to coast. He listened and watched in the
urban centers, the provincial towns, the middleAmerican suburbs, the plains and the mountains;
observing with the "single eye" of one not easily
impressed, yet not prejudicially leaping to facile and
superficial conclusions. When it was time for him to
return to his homeland, he was asked by an
American friend: "And what do think, Father, of our
United States of America?" Immediately the priest
devoid of an "upper story", as wholly lacking an
opening to the world of the Spirit.
"It is Babylon," the priest said, and then h
continued, this time with a very definite expre ion
of hope and delight in his eyes and his voice: "And it
is also Jerusalem."
This answer of the priest startled his friend who e
immediate reaction was that the monk was copping
out of the question, or else was lapsing into one of
those pseudo-profound paradoxes which one expects
from the superficial, but which are always terribly
disappointing when coming from someone who is
respected as being a "real person." "What do you
mean?" came the reply. "How is it that America is at
the same time both Babylon and Jerusalem? Isn't
that a contradiction?"
"What I mean to say is something very simple"
a society which might be characterizedto use an expression found in a novel of
Alexander Solzhenitsyn - as completely devoid of an "upper story," as wholly lacking
an opening to the world of the Spirit.
answered, without scorn or sarcasm of any kind, but
in a simple statement of fact: ''It is Babylon," he said,
"Your America is Babylon."
We all know that Babylon is the biblical symbol
for a society which is wholly carnal; a society whose
being is exhausted in the satisfaction of the flesh by
every possible means; a society '":hich migh~ be
characterized - to use an expression found m a
novel of Alexander Solzhenitsyn - as completely
To this and to His Eminence's other inspiring
words the entire congregation (along with us)
shouted, "spahsseeba vas Ghospodi".
After the inspiring liturgy, in which hundreds
partook from one of the three chalices offered
Bishop Cyril led us in procession and prayers to th~
Ambon where a short service was given on the oc-
AMERICA:
The central icon behind the Altar In each church Is the
Resunectlon - the hope of all Orthodox Christians.
The Word
Father Thomas Hopko is pastor of St. Gregory~s
Orthodox Church of Wappingers Falls, N. Y. a~d. ',s
professor of Pastoral Education at St. Vlad1m1rs
Orthodox Seminary.
the priest-monk replied. "It seems to me that ne er
in human history have so many people, indeed the
great majority of people in a given society had such
opportunities
and freedom to indulge their
carnal senses and appetites as in America today.
And how many do! It is certainly the way
of life for many Americans to live for the
acquisition of physical pleasure and comfort. It
seems to be almost the 'American religion' if we
take 'religion' to mean what people really love and
live by and adore and work for. And look at the
'official religibns.' Even they seem to ha e a
strangely Babylonian aspect._What people app~~r to
be seeking in the churches ts some sort of spmtual
pleasure. They want to have 'peace' and 'comfort' of
spirit; they want to be 'turned on' and to be 'sucDecenrber 1976- Page 9
�cessful' and 'fulfilled'. Even 'official religion' in the
USA looks like a thoroughly hedonistic enterprise
based on the pleasure-principle, with the preachers
providing the keys to happiness and prosperity in this
world, while the name of God is being invoked and
Jesus is proclaimed as the Lord to be praised!
The Orthodox!
"And look at the Orthodox, with their gilded
temples, padded pews, carpeted corridors and wellstocked and supplied social halls . . . with the
worship services carefully calculated by the clock to
be minimally demanding, since, of course, 'this is not
the old country', as I have been repeatedly reminded
in my travels throughout the land.
"And the preaching in the churches. It is
strangely demanding in terms of the support of the
today. He said that the gospel has not yet been
preached to the great masses of Russian people. B
this he meant to say that the great majority of mey
and women in the old c??nt~ies we~e Christian b;
custom, by cultural condttlomng, by mheritance b
belonging to a Christian society imposed on the~ by
their national leaders. Now ~hi~ is not bad, for it i~
certainly better . to b~ _Chnstla~
custom and
tradition and social trammg than 1t 1s to be heathen
or 'communist.' B~t still t~~ point is that the inne;
freedom of conscious spmtual self-determination
and development in graci~us cooperation with the
Spirit of God was never available to the vast majority
of people, at least not to the extent that it is available
to the people of America today. In other words
never have so many been so enabled with such
abundant possibilities and resources to do good and
?Y
This is why I see America as also Jerusalem. There is a freedom to be holy here for
more people than anywhere else, in past and present. It all depends what one wills
and desires.
local parish community and in the retention of the
religious exercises of the people by means of attendance and financial support, but almost totally
lacking in any ascetic requirements and purely
spiritual demands. The sermons in the churches
mostly cater to popular customs and sociallyacceptable proprieties, while inviting the people to a
kind of 'escape' from real life into the comfortable
and familiar world of the cultural past, even the past
of one's cozy childhood in the good old days of the
neighborhood, ethnic parish . . . a style of life which
in fact hardly exists anymore in mobile, suburbanized America."
THE FREEDOMTO BE JERUSALEM!
At this point the friend of the priest interrupted
and said, "All right, I see y<;mrpoint. But what about
Jerusalem? There hardly seems to be any place for
the 'heavenly city' in the picture that you are
painting of the American spirit."
"I would put it this way," the monk responded,
"the same opportunities and freedoms which allow
for a Babylonian existence for the great masses of
the people in America also make it possible for life in
this land to be the life of the Kingdom of God, if
people would only see it and love it and choose to
live by it. When we look backward in history we see
that the great masses of people in any country never
rea~ly had the chance for a free and profound expenence and knowledge of the Christian faith. This
was always reserved for the few. What Professor
F~dotov is said to have ~itten about Russia is apphcable to every past society, and to most societies
Page 10
to grow up in God as right now in the United States.
The least person in America today, it seems to me,
has spiritual opportunities which previously only a
small minority of people enjoyed. Education is freelv
available. There are masses of books. There ar~
limitless sources of spiritual materials There are
abundant sources of material goods which can be
used for good, for the poor, for the propagation of
the gospel, for the building of the 'city of God' within
the conditions of this fallen world. And most important of all, there is freedom; not only external
political freedom, but inner spiritual freedom,
freedom from the burdens of the past, freedom for
actions and decisions about what one wishes to be
and what one wishes to do. This is why I see America
as also Jerusalem. There is a freedom to be holy here
for more people than anywhere else, in past and
present. It all depends what one wills and desires. It
all depends on how one responds to the fundamental
choice which God offered to Moses long ago:
PUBLIC RELATIONS
AND
THE ORTHODOXPARISH
by gene a tta I
To many people, the term "Public Relations" is
synonymous with "publicity." While publicizing
events and activities is an important aspect of public
relations, the entire P.R SPECTRUM INVOLVES
MUCH, MUCH MORE.
Looking at public relations in a larger sense and
how it app_lie~ in Jhe parish setting, you can get a
whole new ms1ght mto how to present your parish to
the community more successfully.
A simple way to defin~ public relations in this
broader sense is "how you communicate."
It is, of course, how you tell your story to the
people in your city through the news media. It is how
well_you inform your own parishioners about upcommg events and activities. But it is also how well
you communicate your image to:
(1) Visitors who come to your church;
(2) People who attend public functions your
parish sponsors;
(3) Those people in the community-at-large who
may only walk by or drive by your church building
on their way to work or as they're driving home in
the evening.
What experience do these people have when they
come in contact with your parish? What kind of
image are you projecting to them? What messages
are you communicating?
One of the best ways to determine how to project
a positive image is by "putting yourself in their
shoes."
I call heaven and earth to witness against you
this day, that I have set before you life and
death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life,
that you and your children may live, loving the
Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving
to him ... (Deuteronomy 30: 19)
THE VISITOR TO THE CHURCH
Imagine you're a non-orthodox person who
decides to attend Liturgy in your parish. You might
even try literally walking the steps a visitor takes into
your church. The trick is to pinpoint the things
The sharpness of this fundamental choice is clearer
and more acute nowhere on earth than in America
today. It can be the curse and death of Babylon. Or
the bl~ssing and life of Jerusalem. God grant that in
Amenca today the people will resolve to "choose
life."
Gene Attal is Public Relations Chairman of the Southwest
Region of SO YO. He is a member of St. Elias Church in
Austin, Texas, and is Manager of Public Relations at
Seton Medical Center in Austin. He holds journalism
degrees from the University of Texas and Columbia
University.
The Word
December 1976
which are confusing or even unattractive to that
visitor.
Here are some areas to consider.
THE EXTERIOROF YOUR CHURCH
Is your church's lawn trim and clean? Is the
shrubbery well-clipped? Do you have an attracti e
easy-to-read sign listing accurate service times and
the phone numbers of the church and the Pastor? At
night is your building well-lighted? Are the painted
portions of your building in good order--or are they
peeling? Does the exterior of your structure communicate a sense of pride and love?
WALKING INSIDEYOUR CHURCH
Is the entrance to your church attractive? Or is
it cluttered with posters and stacks of old bulletins?
Simplicity is usually the best rule to follow in this
area. Do you have a tract rack that is well-stocked
with Orthodox publications? Most of all, is the
narthex and the rest of your edifice clean-immaculately clean? Does the interior of your church
building communicate a sense of pride and love?
PEOPLETO PEOPLE
How well do your parishioners communicate
with the visitor once he or she is inside your doors? Is
someone designated to greet "new faces"? Are your
ushers well-trained? Is a feeling or warmth and
welcome transmitted? Is a service book offered? Is
an explanation of the Liturgy available? Have you
prepared literature on your parish for families
desiring further information on how to get involved?
Is an attempt made to get visitors' names and their
addresses for your parish mailing list? Do your
people immediately communicate a sense a pride
andlove?
AFTERTHE LITURGY
Does your pastor welcome visitors through an
announcement from the pulpit? Do you have a
welcome committee designated to seek out and
(continued on page 13)
Page 11
�Archdiocese
Architectural Commission
ARCHDIOCESAN
OFFICE
ORDAINED:
T ARAZI, Paul N. to the Holy Diaconate by Bishop ELIA
at St. Mary in Johnstown, PA, September 26, 1976; to the
Holy Priesthood by Bishop ELIA at St. Nicholas Cathedral
in Brooklyn, NY, October 3.
TRANSFERRED:
BITAR, Rev. Athanasios from the pastorate at St. George,
Danbury, Connecticut, to the assistant pastorate at St.
George, Detroit, MI.
SAKKAB, Rev. Hanna from the assistant pastorate at St.
George, Detroit, MI, to the pastorate at St. Elias,
Syracuse, NY.
ASSIGNED:
TARAZI, Rev. Paul N. to the pastorate at St. George,
Danbury, Connecticut.
ELEVATED:
EMMERT, Rev. Athanasios, pastor of St. George, Oak
Park, Illinois, to the rank of Archimandrite.
ANTONIAN MEDAL PRESENTED:
To Albert Joseph of St. George, Oak Park, Illinois. (silver)
To Frank Kafoure of St. George, Indianapolis, Indiana.
(silver)
DECEASED:
Antoun Mudarri, Honorary Archdiocesan Trustee, on
Friday, September 17. Burial on Tuesday, September 21
from St. John of Damascus, Boston, MA.
NEW PUBLICATIONS:
The Sunday Matins in the Eight Tones, Phase II of the
"Byzantine Project" of the Department of Sacred Music.
$10.00.
The Icon Book for children and adults, published by the
Department of Christian Education. $3.00.
SEMINARIANS:
The following students
academic year.
are registered
for the 1976-77
St. Vladimir's Seminary:
ABDALAH, John - St. George in Boston, MA
ATTY, David- St. George in Allentown, PA
BLANKENSTEIN, Deacon Paul- St. George in Houston
TX
DEL VITTO, Jason -St. Michael in Greensburg, PA
DAHDAL, Suheil - foreign student
EL-HAYEK, Deacon Hans - foreign student
GEHA, Gary - St. George in Detroit, MI
KOBBS, Nicholas- St. Thomas in Sioux City, IA
GANIM, Gary- St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY
NASR, Elias- St. Nicholas in Beckley, WV
PERPURA, Joseph- St. George in Norwood, MA
YATSKO, BernardSt. Michael in Louisville, KY
Holy Cross Theological School:
KHOURI, Rev. Dimitri-St.
George in Boston, MA
ROMLEY, George - St. Nicholas in San Francisco
ZBEEB, Deacon Andrew - St. George in Boston, MA
Christ the Saviour Seminary:
SHARDA, Rev. Joseph-St.
Mary in Johnstown, PA
by Louis J. Courey
. We have a tenden_cy as time goes by to forget those
things that are not of mterest when we hear or read of it.
That bas been the case with the Architectural Commission
judging from t~e ?1any questions received lately.
The Co1!1m1ss10nhas been active now for over six years
and has assisted many parishes. In that time many changes
have taken place in local parishes: there are new Council
members, new parish members, and in many cases new
priests have been assigned. Therefore, many are unaware
of the commissions purpose.
Primarily, the Commission is available to all parishes
to assist in all aspects of planning and design of various
building programs as herein outlined.
Programming consists of determining how many
rooms, what size and uses, budgeting, how much can you
really afford, and what will it cost.
Planning, where we build, when, on the present site or
a new site, what size should the property be, what will it
cost.
How do you go about setting up a Building Committee
and what is its exact function? How do you set up a
building fund campaign?
It is impossible to outline in this report all of this information, as parish situations differ. Most of this information can be determined by the Architect, in a single
meeting with your parish council and building committee,
and after completion of the Data form available thru this
commission.
THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ARCHDIOCESE
Any Parish contemplating new construction or a major
addition shall submit Construction Documents to the
Archdiocese Architectural Commission for approval.
Construction Documents shall include:
A-Preliminary Drawings, consisting of floor plans and
building elevations. (rendering if available)
B-Plot Plan, showing location of proposed building,
parking and other buildings or obstructions on the site.
C-Outline specifications giving a general indication of
materials to be used, and description of structural and
mechanical systems.
D-Proposed building costs estimate and method of
financing. (Indicate the number of active families and
present operating budget.)
PUBLIC RELATIONS
(continued from page 11,
invite visitors to come back soon? Do ou pon or a
coffee hour after Liturgy? Is there a follo -up
program to contact visitors later in the week? Does
the visitor have that sense of pride and love communicated to him or her from the time of arrival at
your church until the time of departure?
LOST AND FOUND
A related communication que tion i how
l?cate your parish in the first place. Thi i particularly true for Orthodox familie
ho mo e to
your town, or who are temporarily in our area
through the Armed Forces, college tudie , bu in
trips or vacations. It is also a question to con ider f r
non-Orthodox who are interested in our Faith.
Here are some simple, but sometime o erlook d
media to use to communicate your exi tence in the
community:
(1) The telephone directory (white and yellow
pages);
(2) Hotel lobby Church Directory Boards;
(3) Church pages in the local newspaper often
these listings are free);
(4) Contact with chaplain offices at college and
armed forces installations;
(5) Contact with chaplains at local hospitals;
(6) Membership in local Conference of Churche
Communication is an essential element in toda '
Western Society. The tools of the trade are available
and waiting to be utilized-most
at only limited
expense to your parish. When these ba ics are
mastered, you can branch out with more flamboyant
efforts-exhibits,
concerts, publications . . . and
much more. One thing is certain-the
benefits of
good communication are limitless!
... A good reference book to obtain which covers these
and other public relations areas is Promotion and
Publicity for Churches by W. David Crockett. This
inexpensive booklet is available from the MorehouseBarlow Co., Inc., 14 East 41st Street, New York, NY
10017.
Give The Word For Christmas
D $8.00for UnitedStates& Canada□ Three Years-$21.00
0$10.00 for ForeignCountries
□ Three Years-$27.00
ONew Subscription
□ Renewal
Name_________________________
Address----------------=----City________________
S.tate
_____
Gin SUBSCRIPTIONS
Archdiocesan Trustee Albert Joseph of Chicago receives
Antonlan Medal (silver) from the Metropolitan.
Page 12
_
Zip_
Fr, Athanaslos Emmert of Chicago ls elevated to the
rank of Archlmandrlte.
The Word
December 1976
Page 13
�WHO ARE "THE OTHERS"?
l\ntincQian ®rtQnhnx<!rQristian
llnmen
of NnrtQ America
A Study in Comparative Religion
by james henna
Ronian Catholicism and The Eastern Rites
A very small number of Roman Catholics-compared
with the millions of Latin Rite Catholics-are generally
divided into the Oriental and Slavic Rites. As a group,
they are known as Byzantine Rite Catholics or Uniates.
Rome finds them presently very important to show the
world that she is not totally Western in either rite or
customs. These groups maintain their own languages,
liturgical rites (services) and canons which are i_na~cord
with their union with the Papacy. Because of thetr Middle
Eastern origin, we are most familiar with the Maronites,
Melchites, Copts, Chaldeans and Armenians. We refer !o
these bodies only in respect to their numbers who are m
union with Rome and not (with the exception of the
Maronites) those who have the same identifying title,
though are Orthodox in faith and practice.
These groups come from a very sad chapter in the
history of Roman Catholicism after the separation from
Eastern Orthodoxy at the Great Schism in 1054 A.O. The
earliest group to emerge, historically, were the Maronites
in East Syria (now Lebanon). They are the spiritual
descendants of John Maron (Maroon), a heretical
Patriarch of Antioch in the 8th Century. They rejected
their heresy in the 12th Century and were led into "Unia"
with the Papacy in 1182 A.O., by Aymeric, the Latin
Patriarch of Antioch. (This has nothing to do with our
ancient Patriarch of Antioch and all the East.)
In 1724, a group of dissidents in Syria and Egypt were
also joined to the Papacy in a "Unia". They were called
Melchites. This term had an honorable history. In the 5th
Century it was applied to all of the Orthodox faithful who
rejected heresy. It is an unfortunate usage and un... Fr. James Kenna is pastor of St. Philip's Church in Ft. I.Auderdale,
Rorida.
doubtedly has been misunderstood by many uneducated
Orthodox faithful in the Middle East since that time.
Recently there has been much said within this community
about its' Orthodox origins and how they should be united
with Orthodoxy again. May the Holy Spirit prevail!
In 1198, a group of Armenian Apostolic Christians
accepted the "Unia". This, however, did not become
permanent until the 18th Century. After the benign
neglect of four centuries, the Papacy began reaching into
Orthodox lands again. The Chaldean Nestorians of Persia
and Iraq accepted the "U nia". They were followed in the
18th Century by some of the Syrian J acobites and the
Copts of Egypt.
In the 19th Century the Ethiopean
Copts produced the Abbysinian Coptic Catholics, and the
Malankarese Catholics in India in the 20th Century accepted the "U nia" too.
There are also Byzantine Rite Catholics among the
Slavs: Ruthenians (who are primarily Lithuanians, Poles,
and former residents of the Austro-Hungarian Empire),
Hungarians, Serbs, Carpathians, Romanians, Greeks (a
very small isolated group), Bulgarians, and a separate rite
of Halo-Albanians who have always been Papal Catholics
with an indigenous rite.
After arrival in this country, many of the Uniates
became very unhappy with their Papal Unia. They sought
the old faith of Orthodoxy. By God's Grace, first the
Carpatho-Russian diocese returned to Orthodoxy, then the
Ukranians, and some of the Romanians. Individual priests,
hierarchs and laity have also returned to embrace the faith
of their forefathers. The continuing existence of the
Eastern and Byzantine Rite Catholics, in addition to
theological and practical differences, remain as a stumbling block in an open road to Orthodox-Roman Catholic
dialogue.
WOMEN OF AOCWNA:
At our AOCWNA meetings held in San Francisco in
July, 1976 at our Archdiocese Convention, it was
unanimously agreed upon by all six regions represented
that our charity drive for 1976-77 will be the Balamand
Seminary.
Metropolitan Philip attended our meetings and explained in detail the needs of the Seminary. Due to the
collapse of the Lebanese economy and the unending war,
it is now closed and without our help, its doors may never
open! It is the only remaining Orthodox Seminary in the
Middle East! The need is there!
Ladies, let us unite and answer the call of our beloved
Metropolitan Philip for this fund. It will be called "the
Patriarch Elias IV Foundation" in honor of His Beatitude
and his coming visit this spring to our Archdiocese. The
Fund will be kept here in this Archdiocese and all the
interest derived from it will be used for the Balamand
Seminary. The more we raise, the more the Seminary will
realize in interest! Our organization's goal this year is
$25,000; with all your help, it will be realized.
Encourage all your members not only to be active for
their local churches but to also extend their ministry to
others who at the present time are unable to help
themselves, namely, the Balamand Seminary.
Your regional and national officers are willing to help
you attain your goal. The North American Executive
Committee is:
Elsie Kaleel - President (Youngstown, Ohio)
Ethel George - 1st Vice President (Cleveland, Ohio)
Gwena Haddad2nd Vice President (Charleston, W.
Va.)
Frieda Lewis Recording Secretary (Detroit,
Michigan)
Corresponding
Secretary
Laurice
Kaleel,
(Youngstown, Ohio)
Treasurer
Adele Abraham (Grand Rapids,
M~~m)
.
Public Relations - Ruth Meena (Cleveland, Oh10)
Spiritual Advisor - V. Rev. Fr. John Badeen (Detroit,
Michigan)
.
.
We pray jointly that the good Lord will extend ~1s
hand upon all our works so that we may be successful m
our Christian Leadership in our awareness and commitment to Him and His Church, to our sense of
Fellowship with you our beloved sisters in Christ, in our
expression of love and service t~ our be~oved
Metropolitan Philip, and above all else, m our charitable
deeds.
"We do realize that women have a definite ministry in
the life of the Church!" (Metropolitan Philip)
God bless you all!
Elsie Kaleel, Pres.
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bn·11g
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel (which
means - God with us)".
Matt. 1:23.
Greetings and best wishes for a most joyous and Holy
Feast Day of the Nativity of our Lord from your orth
American Officers to all the Ladies of our Archdioce e
and their families.
We are now in Advent in which the Church remind u
to prepare ourselves to receive the Christ Child. Let u et
aside some of the frustrations of festive preparations and
do as the Church advises. Let us, through gatherings with
friends and relatives, take the time to experience the true
meaning of the Holy Season. How much more meaningful
the holiday is when we prepare ourselves for the coming
of Christ by attending church, by fasting and prayer, and
by reading the Scriptures - especially the chapters from
Matthew and Luke. How much more satisfying to all
Christians to celebrate in such a manner. How wonderful
this would be if we, the women, would only give this a
serious thought, and then - do something about it! For it
is the women who nurture the home with love, faith and
understanding. His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP, also
reminds us to "focus our attention first and foremost on
the source of love and goodness - our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ."
" ..... for to you is born this day in the city of David, a
Sa vi our, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11.
MAY YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON AND THE COMI G
YEAR BE FILLED WITH HEALTH, HAPPINESS,
PEACE AND GOODWILL! AND MAY THE
MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF CHRIST EVER BE A
INSPIRATION TO ALL!
Elsie Kaleel, President
A.O.C.W .. A.
Ruth Meena, Public Relations
A meeting of the Holy Synod under the late Maxlmos IV, Patriarch of the Melchltes.
Page 14
Christmas
Messag
Page 15
The Word
December 1976
�Department of ChristianEducation
DEPARTMENT
OFSACRED
MUSIC
REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES FOR CHOIRS
To be a qualified, learned Choir Master the task of
running relevant and expedient rehearsals is a matter of
profession. The music teacher of an area high school or
college choir who also directs the Church choir will find
that this is relatively useless to him/ her, for he/ she has
his/ her own style of running rehearsals, and is aware of
the steps to be taken to achieve musical excellence.
Therefore, this is directed to the beginning choir director
who one day finds himself/ herself a singer in the Choir,
and the next day its Director.
Your first concern as a new director is the scheduling
of rehearsals. A close examination of the finest choral
groups in the country, whether church oriented or
professional, will tell you that rehearsals are not a luxury,
but a necessity which any choral group desiring to improve itself must have. Meet with your choir members and
decide the day and time of rehearsals, and specify that
time as your weekly rehearsal time. Rehearsals must be
meaningful to your singers, and should never become a
drudgery. Rehearsals become superfluous to a singer
when he / she is not challenged, and feels that missing a
week or two will not matter.
The endurance time for a rehearsal should depend on
the music which is being prepared. A troparion for a
particular feast day should not need two hours of
rehearsal; if it does then you are either over-rehearsing it,
or your method of teaching is faulty and should be selfanalyzed. Never rehearse only one piece of music at a
rehearsal. Keep rehearsal music varied with the thought of
holding interest and maintaining the challenge. Always
ha~e 20 / 20 foresight and hindsight; know where you are
gomg and where you have been with a piece of music.
Before any rehearsal can be started your rehearsal
room should be equipped with the proper tools.
1. When available, use straight backed chairs instead
of folding chairs. The extra expense of these chairs is well
worth it, for a singer will find it awfully difficult to slouch
while sitting and singing in a straight backed chair while
folding chairs are designed, theoretically at lea~t for
k~ure.
'
2. You should have an adjustable music stand; not a
lectern. These can be purchased from any music store for
approximately $15.00 to $20.00
3. Your music should be ready for distribution at the
beginning of the rehearsal.
4. .Have an adequate number of pencils ready, so that
y~mr ~mge.rs can. mark their music according to your
directions 1mmed1ately, and not waste valuable rehearsal
time searching for a pencil.
5. ~l!hough the. use of a keyboard instrument
be as mm1mal as possible, one should be in the rehearsal
room. If this is only possible by rehearsing in the choir
loft. then by all means do so.
WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
Always have enough music to go around. Two sing
can easily share music, while three or four on one cop e~s
difficult and will only detract from your rehearsal. 99 ~ ts
cen! of the music ~ou will use as an Orthodox churi~
choir can be obtamed from the organization whi h
published it. It is suggested that whenever possible yoc
. music
• rat h ~r t h an photocopying ur
choir. yurc h ase its
it.
Copynght laws are frequently v10lated by choir director .
and it. should be pointe~ out that.a co.mposer or arrang:;
of a piece of music receives very httle m royalties from hi
published music, and each illegitimate copy that is mad;
can cut into his pocket. It would, therefore, seem highly
unethical to reproduce
music callously. However
reproducing music to save time would not be unethical if
that mu~ic was ~estroy~d when actual published copies
are received. Ethics are important to a professional· and it
is assumed that all choir directors of the Orthodox Church
strive for professional results,
The key to well run, expedient rehearsals is
preparedness on the part of the director. So often a
director will walk into a rehearsal with no idea of what
music is to be covered, let alone the musical goals and the
steps toward achieving those goals.
1. Select music to be performed well in advance;
always giving yourself time to look for alternative settings.
2. Acquaint yourself with the text of the piece to be
learned. The more you know about the elements which
inspired the composition of a piece of music the better
prepared you will be to teach it. When using Orthodox
Church music which has been published commercially, a
comparison between the text appearing in the music and
that of the Orthodox Prayer Book could be vital to the
authenticity and usability of that composition.
For example: The "Ave Maria" from the Vesper Service
set by S. Rachmaninoff, published by J.Fischer & Bros.,
wa~ translated and edited by Canon Winfred Douglas.
Bemg a.n advocate of Russian Orthodox music, Douglas'
translations and adaptations are fairly accurate. However,
a close look and comparison between the commercial text
an_dthat ~et out by the Orthodox Prayer Book reveals that
th~s text 1s not suitable for use in an actual Vesper Service.
Shght changes in the text should be made to render it
usuable;, such as the phrase "Hail O Virgin Mother bearer
of God should be changed to "Hail O Virgin Mother,
Theoto~os" thereby making this piece that much more
appropriate for the Vesper Service.
3. Study the individual parts as well as the piece as a
~ho_le. In that our Orthodox tradition stresses a capella
smgmg during the services it is recommended that it be
utilized as much as possible while learning music. The
(continued on page 17)
Page 16
The Word
by donna bobin
That parents are entrusted with the religious education
of their children is made clear in the Bible. For instance,
in the Old Testament, parents are given the following
instructions: "And these words, which I command thee
this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them
diligently to thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou
sittest in thine houses, and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down and when thou risest up."
Deuteronomy 6:6-7. These verses from the Bible not only
assign the responsibility for the religious education of
children to their parents but also teach parents how to
educate their children. What is to be taught comes from
God, bu_tthe words must first find a place in the hearts of
the parents. To teach, parents must first know and believe.
And they must surround their lives and the lives .of their
children with the words of God until they become part of
their everyday lives; for parents, we are told, should talk
about these words sitting in their houses and walking by
the way, when they lie down and when they rise up.
Notice that parents are told to teach diligently as they
sit in their houses. That seems to be the place where
modern religious education falters. Parents today often
think that the place for religious education is In the church
school, not In the home. Religion, many think, is too
complicated for parents to teach; it is best left to someone
trained in religious education. But the truth of the matter
is that no matter how skilled the church school teacher,
children need religious education in the home to reaHy
show any signs of religious development.
Four Facton For Effectiveness
One study of religious development in children, for
example, evaluated four factors for their effectiveness in
educating children. The factors were: (1) church-school
attendance, (2) church-school teachers' adaptation of
lesson material to the life situation of students, (3)
reinforcement of church school lessons by parents in the
home, and (4) parents' adaptation of lesson material to the
life situation of children.
The results of the study shows there was no observable
religious growth in children with high percentages of
church-school attendance but low percentages in the
other three factors. There was ordinary growth in children
with high church-school attendance and high instances of
home reinforcement of lessons by parents. The highest
level of growth was observed in children with high per-
centages in church-school attendance, home reinforce~ent of lessons, and adaptation of the le on
matenal to the life situation of children by parents.
Religious _education in the home isn't ju t an extra; it
means the difference between no growth and ordinary
growth and between ordinary growth and high le els of
religious development.
What can parents do? They can commit them el e to
taking an active part in the religious education of their
children. They can commit themselves to taking an acti e
part in their own religious development so they can teach
their children. They (Parents!) can start their home
religious educadon program off simply-by placing icon
In each room In their homes, by saying grace before meals
by attending Church services regularly and pardcipating
regularly In the sacramental life of the Church. Parents
can visit with their childrens' church-school teachers and
ask how they can reinforce lessons at home. The can
keep feasts and fasts. They can focus their attention on
each church-school lesson for one week and try to find
ways of making ideas from the lessons live in their
lives-whether the lesson is on sharing or forgiveness or
loyalty to God. And most of all, parents can love-love
God, love each other, love their children, love their neighbors-and show by their actions that they are, indeed,
Christians.
Department of Sacred Music
(continued from page 16)
better you know the individual parts the better you will be
able to teach them without a keyboard.
4. Re-acquaint yourself with your music as often as
you can. Relearning a piece which you have been performing for months, or even years, yourself may yield new
insight into its performance (20 / 20 hindsight).
The final and most important key to successful
rehearsals is professionalism. A professional cares about
his/ her work and is concerned about the success of each
and every rehearsal as well as the overall health and
welfare of his/ her choir. A degree in music will not
produce professionalism· nor will twenty years of music
experience. Profes~ionalism is not taught, but comes from
a desire for perfection which in turn comes from
professionalism; the two go hand in hand.
-James E. Meena 11
Donna Bobin of Blessed Memory was a leading Contrjbutor_ of (!rthodox Christian Education. A member of St. Georges Antioch,an
Orthodox Church, of Pittsburgh, Donna tragically died in an automobile
accident during Holy Week, 1976. This article shows her keen awareness
of the true Orthodox educational challenge in America.
December 1976 - Page 17
�DIALOGUE
LIFESTYLES X
• • •
questions to father buben
homily by father james c. meena
QUESTION: '1 am the third wife of my beloved husband.
I am concerned about the afterlzfe. How may I be sure
he does not leave me for one of his other wives for all
eternity?"
ANSWER: The Bible tells us that our Lord was tempted
with a question similar to yours. A sardonic question
was put to Christ by a group of Sadducees who did ~ot
believe in the resurrection of the body. The case mvolved a woman who had had seven husbands. The
question: 'Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife
shall she be of the seven, for they all had her?'
And Jesus answered:
' ...
in the resurrection they neither marry nor are
given in marriage, but are as the angels in heaven . ...
(Matthew 22, 30).
QUESTION: "In the 'lzfe of the world to come,' will we
know ourselves as we were upon earth? Will we
recognize others as we knew them on earth? Do those
in heaven know what those on earth are doing?
ANSWER: Not only will we recognize others in heaven,
and know ourselves and remember our time on earth,
but every conscious intellectual and spiritual faculty
will be heightened to a fuller capacity, which we could
never attain before:
''For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face
to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even
as I am known."
(I Corinthians 13, 12).
We will not be sleeping or dreaming on the other side
of death. We will understand things and remember
things as never before. We will be able to love others
and think about things not for just an hour, not for just
a day - but always. Time will not exist. We can plan a
picnic or a lecture or a speech or teach for years and
take a century in willing or doing something. A kiss
could last for a year. A song could be sung as long as
we desire singing, and everyone would always be in
harmony. Nothing would be boring.
In the parable about Lazarus and the rich-man, we
learn that both men remember their earthly life, and
that they have a conscious life in the afterworld
without any break or interruption.
Jesus speaks to the thief on the Cross . . .
"And he (one of the thieves who was being crucified)
said unto Jesus, ''Lord, remember when when thou
comest into thy Kingdom."
"And Jesus said unto him, 'Verily, I say unto thee,
today shalt thou be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:4243).
Christ's words would have no meaning, if they did not
mean that He and the thief would meet in Paradise on
that same day, and remember their suffering on
crosses. They would recognize each other. From this
we draw a conclusion that those in heaven do
remember their earthly lives and recognize those
whom they knew on earth.
Recognizing each other implies a body. We will have a
Page 18
spiritual body and the same appearance as we had on
earth, except that there will be no_deformity. Everyone
will be as handsome or as beautiful as they imagined
they were on earth. No imperfections will exist. Even
amputated limbs will be restored, etc.
The Bible says ... "There is a natural body, and there
is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:44). Also, "It (the
body) is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory:
it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power" . . .
(I Corinthians 15:42-44).
Our spiritual bodies will transcend time and space and
other types of barriers:
"On the evening of that first day - the first day of the
week - though the disciples had gathered within
closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus entered and
stood among them saying, 'Peace be with you!'
"So saying He showed them His hands and His side;
and when the disciples saw the Lord, they rejoiced
. . . (John 20:19-20).
There were many reappearances of Our Lord: "After
that He was seen of above five hundred brethren at
once; of whom the greater part remain unto this
present, but some are fallen asleep ... (1 Corinthians
15:5-6).
QUESTION: "The Episcopalians will now ordain women
priests. This is the wave of the future and ideas like
yours are a thing of the past. Why don't you use
common sense? It's time women had their place in the
sun. How could you try stopping us in this day and age?
ERA
ANSWER: First of all it seems to me that some ladies who
push the ERA have no sense of humor. Some, not all,
take their movement too seriously, and I'd hate to see
them gain control of the freedom we enjoy to tease
one another . . . in a friendly fashion.
If the Episcopalians ordain women, they'll split
themselves completely from any further dialogue of
unity with us Orthodox. It seems to me, that Episcopal
women have gained control of convention delegate
votes. This could never happen with us. I don't think
our women would transgress the traditions of their
forefathers. We love our women and wish to spare
them the cross and burden of the priesthood. It takes a
man to carry the awesome burden and emotions of the
sacred office of priest.
Orthodox women are not only equal to the men, they
are placed on a high pedestal by us and loved and
admired and adored. No problem exists when women
are equal but separate from men in understanding
certain duties and obligations which come naturally
from creative differences. The problem comes when
some women try to be like men.
WRITE your questions to: V. REV. MICHAEL
BUBEN, 103 Pleasant Street, METHUEN, MA.
01844.
The Word
"MERRY CHRISTMAS-LATER NOT SOONER"
When I was a Iittle boy, as with all children, I used to
anticipate the coming of Christmas weeks in advance. I'd
get excited and start thinking about the good food that
was going to be shared and the gifts that would be forthcoming, decorating the Christmas tree, putting lights in
the window, presents under the tree, waiting for Santa. I
used to wonder for weeks what I was going to get for
Christmas and I would go scrounging around the house in
all of the cupboards and the closets looking for anything
; that looked like a Christmas _present and surreptitiously I
would find these gifts and I would play with the toys that
had been purchased explicitly for gift-giving at Christmas
time. Then when Christmas day actually came and the
gifts were given to me and I had to open them, I had to
pretend to be so excited and surprised because I didn't
want anybody to know that I had been celebrating
Christmas before Christmas came.
Now that was a practice of a child and our society is
very much like that child, even though our society does
not recognize, to a great extend, the religious significance,
the spiritual value of this Holy Season. It has gotten into
the habit of celebrating a secular Christmas by anticipation. The commercial segment of our society begins
readying itself to this holiday, even before Thanksgiving is
over. I am still stunned to see Christmas decorations in the
middle of the streets and in store fronts and everyplace
where we can look so early in the year. The signs of the
secular Christmas. parties at school, office parties, club
parties have become a natural thing for our society in
anticipation of Christmas. I have tried to evaluate this and
I wondered whether it's because people really are so filled
with the joy of the season that they just can't wait to
celebrate, or that this Holy Feast has no real meaning for
them at all and that they will take advantage of any excuse
to escape the hum-drum routine of their daily way of
living.
I'm afraid that based on an evaluation of many years, I
must come to the conclusion that the latter is true. The
reason that I make these comments to you is that we have
become infected by the maladies of society. We of the
Church also celebrate Christmas by anticipation. We
celebrate the coming of our Lord before Ht has come.
When we should be fasting, we are feasting, and when we
should be feasting, we are so overstuffed from our anticipatory celebrations that we fast involuntarily. Isn't _that
ironic? Many of us have taken for ourselves the societal
custom of inviting friends and family to our homes to feast
on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, when we should be
fasting and preparing ourselves spiritually for the
December 1976
Liturgical Celebration of the Birth of our Lord. when we
should be meditating and contemplating our lives o that
we can present them at the altar with the newborn Christ
and partake of the Chalice which He has gi en to u in
order that we might be born again with Him. Manv of u
have neglectfully lapsed into the traps which oci;t ha
laid for us. Christmas becomes a social time of the year to
be celebrated from late November until December 25th
and then to be forgotten about immediately and as quickly
as possible. How many of us have said, "I'm so glad it'
over" when it really has only begun.
Once one of our brothers in Christ picked up the
telephone when I called his home, and said "Happy . ~ ew
Year", and I said, "No, Merry Christmas", becau e
Christmas is not ended. It is the· sacred tradiuon of the
Church that the Nativity of Christ be obsen,ed as a festal
time until we celebrate His Theophany, His Baptism on
the sixth of January. You've all heard the carol. 'The
Twelve Days of Christmas". Well the Twelve Da s of
Christmas are a Spimual and Liturgical realit~' to the
practicing Orthodox Christian. Of course we don't worry
about gold rings, and partridges and pear trees but
everyday of the Twelve Days of Christmas is a celebration
of something concerning the Birth of Christ. The day after
Christmas is the celebration of the Feast of the Theotoko .
We honor Mary, who was the temple through which Chnst
was born into the world. And the following days we
commemorate such personages as David the ancestor of
Christ, and Joseph His step-father, and events such as
Christ's Circumcision.
We remember 40,000 faithful Christians who died for
the faith and the 14,000 infants who were slain at the
command of Herod because he didn't want this Christ
Child to grow into manhood. Everyday for the Twel e
Days of Christmas until we celebrate the Baptism of our
Lord, is a Celebration of the Nativity of Christ, therefore,
it is a contradiction of terms for us, like that little child
that I described at the onset of this sermon, to look for the
toys and the pleasures of Christmas in anticipation of the
Birth of Christ. For us, as Christians, those six weeks
before the actual day of the Nativity, is supposed to be a
period of introspection, of self-study, of meditation, so
that we might transcend ourselv~s. Talk abou~ _tra~scendental meditation, Christians have been pract1cmg 1t
for hundreds of years. It is not a time for us to participate in secular celebration. Th~ true Orthodox
Christian will refuse to celebrate Christmas before the
(continued on page 21)
Page 19
�North American Council
EASTERN REGION SOVO
SOYO
Digest
News and Views ...
NACTeen SOYO offlcen with Metropolitan Phlllp: Vice
president Cyndi Day, Secretary Carol Laham, President
Tommy Hier, Treasurer Gregory Dalack.
6
.iSOYO Parish Life Conferences-Who
Why do we have Parish Life Conferences? Is it a time
to get away from home? Or, is it for a good time? Or, is it a
time for personal recognition? Or, is it a time for.business?
Or, is it a time to plan for tomorrow? Or, is it a time to
renew friendships? Or, is it a time for a spiritual uplifting
and rejuvenation in seeking total involvement with Christ?
Well, it should be clear that all aspects apply in varying
degrees. But, the mixture of these ingredients which
comprise the finished product known as a Parish Life
Conference should be examined and possibly the em phasis on each portion re-evaluated. The basic recipe calls
Said They're Effective for Christ?"
for a main base of spiritual awareness of and commitment
to Christ through personal involvement. The secondary
ingredients are then added to properly highlight the
product. Because of human ireperfections when interpreting the written word, the intent is not always
fulfilled. Could it be that in efforts to spice up the Parish
Life Conference, that the real flavor has been altered?
Gary G. Younes
President
NACSOYO
uwE WORSHIP
GOD IN CHURCH"
by Robert Nader, Jr.
We worship God in church by taking part in the third
Sacrament, Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion. Jesus
Christ ·broke bread and offered wine to His disciples at the
Last Supper. We re-live this by taking part of the body of
Jesus (bread) and blood of Jesus (wine) in our Holy
Communion. By asking God to forgive us for our wrong
doings, we must ask forgiveness which is the fourth
Sacrament, Penance or Confession. Through confession,
our heart becomes pure and our sins are forgiven. We
prepare for confession and communion by fasting, by
saying many prayers and doing good deeds.
We must pray for the needs of the church by loving
one another and attending church every Sunday. We can
thank God for everything He has given us by coming to
visit His house, which is the church. By having more
prayer and religion in the world, there will be less crime
and hatred among the people. This is the reason why it is
so very important for us to worship God in church.
Jim Meena of Cleveland .receives Archdiocese
Meritorious A ward for his efforts In the field of sacred
music In the Midwest Region of SOYO, and In the
Cleveland parish.
Page 20-
ROBERT NADER, JR. is in the 3rd grade at St. George
Church in Detroit, Michigan. He won first place in the
Midwest Region Creative Writing Contest.
The Word
uThe Bible Lives in the Church"
by Craig Abraham
The Bible is God for it is the word of God. God
teaches us about Himself through the Bible, but He shows
us His love, His goodness, wisdom and power everyday.
The Bible begins with a beautiful story of the beginning of the world. God gives and shows us love and beauty
through the story of the creation. He created the heaven,
earth, and all things. We see His love by looking at the
blue sky, the flowers, the trees, or a baby. We learn about
our Maker tliat He is powerful and wise.
The story of how God created the world tells of God's
reasons. He created man in His own image and likeness to
take care of the good and happy world. God gave man
laws to follow and through Moses he gave us the Ten
Commandments.
God shows us His love through His only Son Jesus
Christ, by letting Him die on the cross for our sins. But
before Jesus died he said, "I'll rise again in three days."
Through the resurrection, God shows and gives us life
eternal and an everlasting life to those who believe.
As an altar boy serving God, I am reminded of God's
love by every act the Priest performs. When I carry the
candle, I know it is the light of the Spirit of God which fills
the church with happiness. I know by reading the Bible
that for as long as we have faith, we will never live in
darkness, for He is the light of the world.
The Bible teaches me all these things and more about
God. Because of God's greatness I want my day to be
God's day, for I walk in God's path. Without Him there is
no life.
CRAIG ABRAHAM is in the 4th grade at St. George
Church in Wichita, Kansas. He won first place in the
Southwest Region Creative Writing Contest.
The Eastern Region of SOYO' Regional onfer nee
was hosted by St. George of Philadelphia, during th
four_t~ of July weekend. This tiny parish of about 0
f:1m1heslabored diligently to provide an excellent famil
life_ con~erence, and we again congratulate them. Our
registrati~n _of 760 was approximately 30 percent belo
last years figure; we attribute that decrea e to the bad
publicity eminating from officials of th Cit of
Ph~ladelph~a. Pe_ople _were just fearful of coming to
P~iladelphia dunng this weekend, and e pecially in thi
Bicentennial Year.
The workshops were generally well-recei ed, but
attendance was a bit disappointing. In the Oratorical
~ont~st, we had six participants in the junior di i ion and
f~v~ i~ th~ senio~ d~vision. We had se en team partlcipatmg m the Jumor division and fi e in the enior
division of the Catechism Bowl. The Choir Fe ti al wa
one of the best yet with area choirs combining for both
liturgical and secular singing; it was entertainment at it
best.
Eastern Region SOYO celebrated its 25th Birthday at a
party on Friday evening; several chapters honored their
most active members. On "Philadelphia Night" we were
entertained by various e_thnicdancing and singing group .
The famous and colorful Mummers were a special treat.
The family "Enliven to Christ" Sessions on Saturday
were again a resounding success with good participation.
Fortunately, these sessions have become a permanent and
important feature of our Regional Conference.
LIFESTYLES X
(continued from page 19)
Lord has been born, and will insist that the Twelve Days of
Christmas be the time when he celebrates. Every day
should be a Christmas Party from the 25th of December
till the 5th of January. Every day is an excuse for feasting
and rejoicing because Christ ls Born and we are called
upon to Glorlly Him.
It is for this reason that we, as your spiritual Fathers,
have asked all of the or_ganizations of our churches to
celebrate the Birth of the Lord after Christmas and not
during the Christmas Fast. It's not because we're such
disciplinarians, it's just that we like to put things in their
proper order. We will continue calling upon each of you
to prepare yourselves for the Coming of our Lord by
imposing upon yourselves the proper spiritual disciplines
of prayer, repentence, and fasting. We will continue to
urge you to stand up like adult men and women in the eres
of God to sing His praises in the midst of the congregation
as those who are worthy of His blessings and of the love
which He showers upon us. Let us not be victimized by the
pleasures and temptations of the societr which has ~een
condemned by the words of Christ as bemg the domam of
the prince of this world, who is the prince of _Darkness.Let
us, rather, as citizens of His Kingdom man~est the glory
and the beauty of righteousness and piety that are
exemplified in His Birth, in His Mi~stry, in His Tea,7hings,
and in His Example. Then we can bid each other a Merry
Christmas".
December 1976- Page 21
�Communities In Action
HOLY CROSS CHURCH
CANTON, OHIO
The Celebration of the Elevation of ihe Life-Giving
Cross, the name day of our parish, Holy Cross Church of
Canton, Ohio, is an annual feast of celebration and
spiritual contemplation.
This year we were blessed by the archpastoral visit of
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip
and several visiting clergymen. On Saturday, September 4, 1976, the events began with the arrival of His
Eminence to the Canton-Akron airport where he was
greeted by clergy, church council members and
representatives of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees.
Following His Eminence's arrival, our Church Council
Members and their lovely wives hosted a dinner at the
Sheraton Inn in honor of His Eminence, visiting clergy
and dignitaries. Great Vesper Service was held at 7 :30
P.M., presided by His Eminence and assisted by visiting
clergy of our Archdiocese and local Orthodox Clergymen.
A combined choir consisting of members from both Holy
Cross and St. George Churches of Canton sang the
responses during the service. Following the Great Vesper
Service, a Vesper Tea Hour and discussion was held in the
church hall in honor of His Eminence, hosted by our
gracious Ladies' Society.
Sunday, September 5, 1976, the Hierarchical Divine
Liturgy was the highlight of the weekend's events,
presided by His Eminence and the following clergymen:
Right Reverend Ellis Khouri, Protosyngelos; Right
Reverend Antoun Khouri; Rt. Reverend Gabriel Samne·
V. Rev. James C. Meena; Reverend Joseph Shaheen of
Montreal, Ca?ada; Reverend Louis Mahshie; host pastor
Revere~d Nicodeme Joseph. The traditional great
Procession of the Holy Cross decorated with flowers took
place. Responses were- sung by the combined choirs of
our Antiochian parishes of Canton. The services were
concluded when His Eminence delivered one of the most
inspiring sermons in which he explained the meaning of
the Cross to the Christian believers, the unity of the
Antiochian people in this sphere, and he challenged the
Antiochian people of Canton to heed and take the unity as
an ex~mple t~ their own lives. "It is imperative to
recognize that m Canton we have two communities but
one church and we expect our priests to fully cooperate in
all church aspects of life."
The festivities of the weekend ended with a grand
banquet and hafli in honor of His Eminence and was
at~ende~ by over t~o hundred people. During the banquet
His Emmence received a key to the City of Canton and a
certificate of Acclaimation. from the Mayor of Canton,
The Honorable Stanley Crnich. Guest speakers included
Right Reverend Ellis Khouri, Very Reverend James
Meena, and Mr. Rudy George, representing the Arch·
diocese Board of Trustees.
Page 22
J?uring the banquet our
parish honored the most
devout Servant of God M
Masid Shaheen, Sr., (wh:
has served his church for
over ?O years) with the
Archdiocese Certificate of
~eritorious
A ward, along
with
an Icon bestowed
upon him by His Eminence
Masfd Shaheen
Me~ropolitan
Philip. Hi~
Eminence
stated, "Our
Orthodox Church has been blessed with dedicated people
such as Masid and his faithful family . . . what greater
love for a person to give than to offer his own son and
Fa~her J os~ph_ Shaheen i~ a clear i~dication of the good
frmt of this fme and faithful family . . . He is indeed
worthy." A local recognition award was also presented to
Mrs. Rachel Blair for her services to her church
especially to our church school, by Father Nicodem~
along with a Holy Bible. A hafli featuring Amer Khadaj
and Ensemble ended the weekend's festivities.
e wou~d like to acknowle?ge and thank the following
chairmen tor the weekends
celebration
and their
respective committees:
Mr. Mike Khoury, General
Chairman; Mrs. Richard Kelly, Vesper Tea Chairman;
Mrs. Rudy Kager, Banquet; Mr. John Betros, Master of
Ceremonies; Mr. Mike Caley and Mr. Jim Kannam, hafli;
and Mr. Frederick Shaheen, program book.
The weekend's celebration shall remain as a great
inspiration printed in the hearts and minds of our faithful
people. May the glory of our Heavenly Father fulfill our
inspiration of Unity and Oneness in Christ.
Father Nicodeme Joseph
yv
ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Can it be? Twenty five years ago on January 28, 1951 a
few of the young women met at the home of Fr. Ellis
Khouri telling him of their desire to organize a Guild that
would help the Sunday School and the Church. Mrs. Mary
Henry was elected President; Mrs. Marie Assaley, VicePresident; Mrs. Dorothy Salhaney, Secretary and Mrs.
Adele Abraham, Treasurer. On September 19, 1976, the
St. Nicholas Guild celebrated their 25th Anniversary at a
lovely dinner with the parishioners of the church. Charter
members seated at the table with Fr. George Alberts were
Mrs. A. Abraham, Mrs. Georgette Abraham, Mrs.
Dolores Bander, Mrs. Minerva Bashara, Mrs. M.Henry,
M~s. Rose Nicola, Mrs. Hazel Salhaney, and Mrs.
Elizabeth Sarafis. Absent charter members were Mrs.
Assaley, Mrs. Bea Hiemstra, Mrs. Louise Khouri, Mrs. D.
Salhaney, and Mrs. Helen Wawee and Miss Margaret
Khouri now deceased.
'
The Word
Fr. George Alberts and Nicholas Salhaney presenting a
toast and plaque to the St. Nicholas Guild members, Julie
Ayoub, Dolores Bander and Mary Henry.
Mrs. Dolores Bander served as Toastmistress and took
everyone present down "Memory Lane" to reminisce
about the glorious years of the Guild's past to present
accomplishments. The years of diligent effort and hard
work for the Sunday School and the Church are exemplified in the beautiful stained glass windows that adorn the
church that are truly a labor of love. Past Presidents of the
Guild are Mrs. Henry, 1951; Mrs. Bander, 1952; Mrs.
Hiemstra, 1953 and 1963; Mrs. D. Salhaney, 1954-1964;
Mrs. Louise Khouri,1955; Mrs. A.Abraham, 1956-1972-73;
Mrs. Bernice Azkoul, 1957; Mrs. Josephine Wawee
(deceased) 1958-59; Mrs. Virginia Bander, 1960 and
1969; Mrs. Mary Ann Yared, 1961-65-66; Mrs. Margaret
Salhaney, 1962; Mrs. Nora Corey, 1967-68; Mrs. Eleanor
Heibel, 1970; Mrs. Nicola, 1971; Mrs. Bashara, 1974-75;
and Mrs. Julie Ayoub in this Bicentennial year.
Mrs. Ayoub presented a gift to the past presidents
present:Mrs. Yared, Mrs. Heibel, Mrs. Salhaney and Mrs.
Corey. Charter members present were each given an icon
of the Blessed Theotokos. A tribute was _given for the
memory of Mrs. Saleme Ayoub, Ms. Margaret Khouri,
Mrs. Mary Safi, Mrs. Julia Sickrey, and Mrs. Josephine
W a wee all faithful members that are now deceased.
Mrs. Bander also remembered the dear ladies that
always give a helping hand in all the "Food Projects" of
the Guild. Mrs. Mary Maloley is the oldest member of the
St. Nicholas Parish; also Mrs. Mary David, Mrs. Minnie
Bendekgey, Mrs. Minnie Mallick, Mrs. Sadie Samra, Mrs.
Marie Azkoul, Ms. Ramsey Salhaney, Khouria John
Mickel, Mrs. Zahia Abraham, and Mrs. Seebie Gantos.
Our other Ex-Officio member and Sunday School
Superintendent R. George Mickel gives a helping hand
with beautiful decorations for all the "special" occasions.
Nicholas Salhaney, chairman of the Parish Council,
presented Mrs. Ayoub with a beautiful plaque commemorating the years of service the Guild has given to the
Church. Mary Henry, as the first and Julie Ayoub as the
present presidents cut a beautiful cake as everyone sang
the Anniversary song.
Mrs. Elizabeth Hanna, Mrs. Marcella David, Mrs.
Virginia Salhaney, Mrs. Jean Laramy, Mrs. Irene Mi~kel,
Mrs. Barbara Thomas and Mrs. Jeanette Jazzar were given
December 1976
a well deserved round of applause for the beautiful luncheon they had prepared for us.
Fr. Geor_ge Al?.erts happily reminded all tho pre ent
that he was Just a two year old kid" wheu the t. ichola
Guild was organized. He also prai ed the ladie for th
great help they have given to the Church ch ol.
beautiful wire was read from Rt. Re . Fr. Ellis Khouri wh
was unable to be present.
The parish of t. ichola
was sad~ened ?Y th~ sudden pa sing awa of our g d
brother m Chnst Mitchell Salhaney (49), a lifelong and
devoted member.
. Mitchell _wasserving on our present Pari h Council, a
fa_1thfulch01r member and a past pre ident of the t.
Nicholas Club. SOYO will always be a reminder of itchell, for he designed the emblem of our Midwe t
Orthodox Youth_ movement which was later adopted b
N~C fo~ all regions of SOYO was a la ting tribute of
Mitchell s talents. He shall be missed. Our condolence to
all members of his family.
The Parish Council and all members of the t. ichola
Parish are busy preparing for a dinner open to the publi .
Mitchell Salhaney was chairman of the event o good
members of the Parish Council and Mrs. James alhaney
and Mrs. Abe. Abraham are carrying on. We wish them
tremendous success.
Helen J. Malo la
ST. PHILIP'S PARISH
FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA.
St. Philip's Parish has added another dimension to it
staff in the person of Subdeacon Damian Criscella. He and
his wife, Julie, and their three young sons have moved to
Ft. Lauderdale from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He will
assist Father James Kenna at the altar and in all function
of the parish.
Schooled
in St. Francis Seminary, Lowell,
Massachusetts, Damian converted to Orthodoxy in 1974.
He was ordained a Subdeacon in Orlando, Florida by
Archbishop Michael Shaheen. He had served there under
Father John Hamatie.
In a local half-hour program on NBC-TV, "Horizons of
Faith", Father James Kenna expounded on the history and
dogma of the Eastern Orthodox Church, displaying
various artifacts used in the Church. He was assisted by
Subdeacon Damian; Mrs. Jean Arcos and Elaine Azar
appeared as interrogators.
Father James has instituted a very fine practice at St.
Philip's. The preparation of the antidoron for the altar
rotates among parish families each Sunday. On respecti e
Sundays, these family members are remembered in
prayers; they also host the coffee hour.
.
The entire congregation witnessed the renewmg of
vows by Mary and George Ajay on their sixtieth wedding
anniversary, as they were blessed with the crowns. As the
elders of this parish, they are extremely dedicated and
generous and much loved by all. God grant them many
years.
Leaders of the various organizations elected for the
ensuing year are: George N. Azar, Council Chairman;
Anne Thomas, Ladies President; Sam McLoota, Sr.
SOYO President; Gabhan Kenna, Jr. SOYO President.
Elaine L. Azar
Page 23
�ST. THOMAS ORTHODOX CHURCH
SIOUX CITY, IOWA
The weekend of September 4, 5, and 6, 1976 not only
marked the 60th anniversary of St. Thomas Orthodox
Church in Sioux City, Iowa, but also the dedication of the
new church addition, and a "homecoming", or reunion, of
former members of St. Thomas.
The Divine Liturgy Sunday morning was celebrated by
Very Rev. Nicholas Kobbs, priest at St. Thomas, assisted
by Rev. Jehad Michael of Omaha, Nebraska; Rev. Essa
Kanavati of St. Paul, Minnesota; Rev. Thomas Skaff of
Houston, Texas ( a native Sioux Cityan); Rev. Dean
Martin of the Greek Orthodox Church in Sioux City, and
Sub-Deacon Mark David of Omaha, Nebraska (also a
native Sioux Cityan).
The festivities began Saturday with registration and a
hafli in the evening with Lebanese entertainment from
Cleveland, Ohio. All festivities were held at the Hilton
Hotel.
The dedication service of the new addition followed
the Divine Liturgy Sunday morning, with the parishioners
touring the addition, and then enjoying a breakfast served
by the Ladies Society of the church.
The guest speaker at the Sunday evening banquet was
Raymond E. Weiss, Chaplain of Northwestern College in
Orange City, Iowa. He and his family served for a number
of years in the Middle East, and both he and his wife
served on the staff of Beirut College for Women for 2½
years before going to Bahrain for 6 ½ years. Before
returning to the United States, and Orange City, they
adopted a Lebanese boy, who is now 7 years of age. Mrs.
Lester Ellis, who had served as Sunday School teacher and
superintendent for 46 years, but now retired, was mistress
of ceremonies for the banquet. Congratulations were also
extended to Father Kobbs, when it was learned he was
observing the 35th anniversary of his ordination as a
priest.
"This week end you have met those who represent the
past, the present, and the future. Those who were th
founders worked together with faith. The past is no longe:
before us, but we can turn bac~ the pages of time and
review with pride the acco~phshment~
of our church
during the past 60 years. A firm foundation has been laid
for those of the present and they will, I know, make it
more firm and solid for the future generations of our
church, until they, too, become the generation of the
past."
Mrs. Lester Ellis
HOLY RESURRECTION
CHURCH
IN TUSCON, ARIZONA
Ohio Deanery Teachers Encounter
Where, in the Bible, it says "All things are possible
with God," it certainly is true. This very small parish of
only 35 families in Tuscon. Arizona held a "Halfli; to raise
much needed funds for the Church. Response from the
local Syrian and Lebanese people was gratifying, to the
tune of a minimum of $4,199.33 net profit at this writing
and still money coming in.
Spearheading this successful event was the delightful,
gracious lady of Tuscon by the name of Mrs. Al Thomas
(Louise we call her).
The affair was held at the Hilton Inn on October 2nd
of this year.
'
Louise chose as her theme "The Cultures of the Middle
East".
She was assisted by two chairpersons
and approximately ten church women who prepared all of the
delicacies of Arabic origin, such as Kibbee, Grape leaves,
Hommis, Arabic Bread, Pastries, etc. Much of the hand
work and supplies were donated by the wonderful women
of the church.
Mrs. Thomas and her committee budgeted for 400
people to attend, and so they did, for an advanced sell-out
crowd.
Among the speakers at the banquet were Rev. Constantine Nasr of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dean of the Iowa
Deanery of the Archdiocese, bringing greetings from His
Eminence Metropolitan Philip.
They published a program book and raffled an oriental
rug and a television set.
The Grand Ball and hafli followed the banquet, and
the festivities concluded with a brunch Monday at the
Hilton Hotel.
The public relations was handled extremely well,
drawing many Arabic students from the University of
Arizona.
The three remaining charter members of the church,
John David, George Ellis, and Mike Gebran were honored
at the banquet. Mr. David has chanted the Matin service
~or all ?O~ears of the church's history, and at the age of 88,
1scontmumg at the chanter's lectern.
The first annual "Hafli" netted the Church
$1500.00 last year, and with that in mind
decided to upgrade the "Hafli" to include
Music, in conjunction with the famous Hanna
and Steve Stepanian, on the violin.
Co-chairmen of the event were Abe Skaff, chairman of
the P~rish Council, and. Tom Bashara with the following
com_mittee: Mr~. Genevieve Johnson, Ferris Corey, John
David, Toy David, Dean Lockwood, Ronald Carlson, Miss
Sophie Skaff, Gerald Stevens, Mrs. Barbara Lammers
Mrs. Ayette Kivlighn, and Bill Harling.
'
The featured vocalist was none other than the great Mrs.
Leah Farah, who, after major surgery only one week prior
to the affair, performed magnificently.
This type of success in a small parish of 35 families,
~roves one thing "All things are possible with God", if we
smcerely . exert
the effort.
Congratulations
Holy
Resurrection of Tuscon and your wonderful Priest Father
Andrew Kish and parishioners.
George Ghiz
We would like to conclude this article with the closing
words of the mistress of ceremonies at the banquet:
Page 24
a profit of
the ladies
American
Brothers,
The Word
OHIO DEANERY
The Ohio Deanary started its activities for this year
with a Sunday School Teachers Encounter held in
Cleveland, Ohio on September 11th, 1976. Five churches
were represented.
Over twenty-five Sunday School
Teachers were in attendance. The Encounter began with a
Thanksgiving prayer service. Fr. Gabriel Barrow
presented the first paper, "Sunday School Burial and
Resurrection". He explained the importance of religious
education and the concept of Sunday School in America.
He said, "The Sunday School we know of in America is far
from the tradition of the Orthodox Church. In the early
history of Christianity, the Church as well as the homes
were involved in the religious education of the.ir children.
But under the influence of the pluralistic society, the
Protesta~t methods of Sunday School were, and still are,
followed • Thus Sunday School is definitely needed In the
C?rth?d~x idea, i_tmust start at HOME. Our Church.is very
~chm its teachmg, thus we need to "bury the Protestant
idea of our Sunday Schools and to resurrect it with the
Orthodox teachings."
Aft_erFr. Barrow's presentation, discussion took place
regar~mg t?e ways and m~~ns of the change. Following
the discuss10n all the participants were invited to a luncheon prepared by the Sunday School staff of St. George
of Cleveland.
Fr. Nicodeme !oseph, pastor of the Holy Cross Church
of Canton, Oh10, led the second session
' elf
Motivation". He ident~ie~ self-motivation as "a pr~cess of
self. awareness, exammation and commitment. It is self
desrre for change of values, image and purpose in life". He
stated that as a Sunday School Teacher, one must li e
what he teaches. Thus the "self knowledge" is very important even though it is difficult. As teachers we must
motivate ourselves to be "Christ-like", have Him as our
example and try to be like Him. To do that one must be
very objective in examining himself in relation to Christ.
Fr. James Meena, the Dean, and pastor of St. George
of Cleveland Ohio, led the third discussion, "Student
Motivation". At the conclusion of this session, a tour
throughout St. George Church and the educational
building took place, followed by Great Vespers.
As a first Encounter done on the Deanery level; we felt
that it was very successful. The teachers as well as the
clergy saw in that Encounter a way for motivation and we
were asked to have more encounters of that kind in the
future. Plans are being made for a future family retreat for
our faithful.
Father John Elias
14 CHURCHES PLANNING TO SEND DELEGATES
TO GREAT SYNOD OF EASTERN ORTHODOXY
By Religious News Service
CHAMBESY, Switzerland Delegates from 14
Eastern Orthodox Churches have assembled at the
Orthodox Center here for a 10-day pre-synodal (planning)
conference
for the first Great Synod of Eastern
Orthodoxy since the eighth century.
At a press briefing in advance of the conference (Nov.
21-30), Metropolitan Meliton, dean of the Holy Synod of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate, host of the conference, said
the meeting would discuss "concrete questions concerning
the whole Orthodox Church," and not political issues.
The planning conference is part of the procedure
necessary to fix date, place, and agenda for the Great
Synod. Likely topics for the Synod agenda are the date of
Easter,
marriage
rules for priests, fasting rules,
ecumenical
and intra-Orthodox
relationships,
the
situation of Orthodoxy where it is a Christian minority,
and procedures for granting autocephaly (self-governing
status) to Orthodox bodies.
In explaining the absence of political discussions at the
conference, Metropolitan Meliton said each Orthodox
Church is "faithful to its country, to its laws, and works for
the well being of its people."
He noted also that the conference would not discuss
the formulation of Orthodox doctrine or dogma.
December 1g76
The Orthodox prelate doubted that the question of
abortion would be raised since a "problem concerning the
unique personality of man cannot be the subject of a rule.
We leave it to each individual to resolve this problem in
confession with his spiritual father, because one can never
know the whole biological context, personal circumstances, etc."
The position of women in the Orthodox Church would
not be considered either. "For the Orthodox Churches
there is no problem about the participation of lay people
in the Church. The people have always participated in all
aspects of the life of the Church . . . including our sisters,
our mothers, our wives. They too participate in the life of
the Church."
On admitting women to the priesthood, the
metropolitan's reply came fast and sharp: "No participation in the priesthood. Mission.aries, yes, the same as
their participation in good works."
.
The Patriarchates and Churches of Constantmople
(Istanbul), Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, _Moscow,
Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia (a repubhc of t~e
Soviet Union), Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Czechoslovakia,
and Finland were scheduled to send delegations to the
conference.
Page 25
�re
view
The Mankato Symposium on Religion In the USSR (A
Symposium held at Mankato University, Minnesota),
Chilliwack, British Columbia: Synaxis Press, 1975. (St.
Nectarios Press, P. 0. Box 396, Medinfl.. Washington
98039) Pp. ii + 55. Paper.
Who speaks for the persecuted millio~s of t~e Russia_n
Orthodox Christian Church of the Sovtet Umon? It 1s
indeed ironic and sad that a West that rises up in anger
against mistreatment of a minority of Jews in Russia raises
not a whisper about the plight of the majority of Orthodox
Christians behind the Iron Curtain who have suffered
barbaric persecution at the hands of those who~e ultim~te
goal is the destruction of the Church m all its
manifestations-a
goal that has been mercilessly pursued
since the Communist Revolution. From 50,000 churches
that were functioning in 1950 in Russia it is now estimated
that only 6,000 are functioning today; from 192 mi~ion
Orthodox Christians (Russians, Ukrainians, Byeloruss1ans,
Georgians, Moldavians, etc), only 70 million still maintain
a relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church today.
No religious schools are permitted to function, the
atheistic government controls the education of clergy and
officially owns the buildings in which religious ritual takes
place. It is the governmental authorities who issue permission for religious services of all kinds to be performed
(or, as is more likely, deny permission for such services
and regularly authorize the destruction of church
buildings for secular purposes). In a Communist state all
property, including Church property, belongs to the State,
though local or central state authorities may by special
decrees give over such properties for religious use to
authorized persons. The Soviet Constitution of 1936, still
in force, declares that there is "Freedom of activity for
religious cults and freedom of anti-religious propaganda."
The big difference is, of course, that anti-religious
propaganda is backed up by all the forces at the command
of the Soviet government and the Communist Party,
whereas the Church is prohibited from any effort whatsoever to propagate the Christian faith under threat of the
most dire consequences. In effect, the Church in Russia
continues to be under active persecution and only its
spiritual strength and the faith of its believers have
allowed it to survive, with virtually no encouragement
whatever from the "free West," certainly no official help
from those who wield the real power in the West.
The Mankato Symposium on Religion In the USSR
tries to arouse the conscience of North Americans to a
real problem of massive repression and religious persecution in the Soviet Union. The original symposium at
Mankato State University has been repeated at other
American and Canadian universities and was "designed to
Page 26
DAILYDEVOTIONS
compiled by fr. gerasimos murphy
an attempt to encourage our faithful to study
Holy Scripture through daily liturgical readingspresent information on the conditions of religion in the
U.S.S.R. from Orthodox
Christian
sources, and
augmented by sociological and geo-political information"
(p. i). Rightly, it is argued that "Too often in the past,
various talks and lectures have been given on this subject
by representatives of minority religious groups in the
USSR, exclusive of material from the Orthodox Church,
and many of these talks have been emotional representations made by people who have no roots in Russia"
(Ibid.). Orthodox Christianity still represents close to 85
per cent of the believing Russian population and it
deserves to be honestly and fairly represented. Aimed
particularly at the universities, this symposiatic collection
is intended to fill a felt need. The collection contains five
papers and two appendices (on~ is an _interesting
enumeration of Orthodox Churches m Eparch1al Centers
in the U.S.S.R.; the other a select bibliography). The fiv~
articles give a general overview of the Russian Christian
situation in the Soviet Union but do not exhaust the
situation. Dr. Branco Colakovic, Professor of Geography
at Mankato State University, provides a fascinating survey
of "Ethnic and Religious Groups in the Soviet Union" (112), while Dr. James Goff, Professor of Geography at
Mankato State University, revealingly discusses "Soviet
and Communist Methods of Controlling the People" (1317). Dr. W assilij Alexeev, Professor of Slavic Studies at
the University of Minnesota, offers a compelling study of
"Soviet Religious Law and the Persecution of Religion"
(18-26) and Valentin Scheglovski, Church youth educator
of the Russian Orthodox Church in Minneapolis writes
forcefully of "The Underground Church in the Soviet
Union" (28-38). Father Lev Puhalo, Director of Sts. Kyril
and Methody Orthodox Christian Educational Society of
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, concludes the
series optimistically with "Religious Phenomena in Russia
Today: An Orthodox Understanding" (39-45).
Though simply produced in inexpensive format, The
Mankato Symposium on Religion In the USSR is a serious
attempt to break the barrier of ignorance that exists in
North America about the status of Orthodox Christianity
in the Soviet Union today and to arouse the conscience of
the West to a thoroughly reprehensible situation that
continues even in a period of so-called detente. It is hoped
that this will be only the beginning in a series of well
thought out discussions of a chilling issue of vital concern
to civilized peoples everywhere, for repressive societies
can only exist as long as free societies are willing to look
the other way and ignore the inhumanity of their fellow
man to man.
Week of December S
Sun. -Eph. 6:10-17
Luke 13:10-17
Mon. - Heb. 13:17-21
Luke 6: 17-23
Tue. -Heb. 4:1-13
Luke 21:12-19
Wed.-Heb.
5:11-6:8
Luke 21:5-7, 10-11,20-24
Thu. - Conception of St. Anne
Gal. 4:22-27
Luke 8: 16-21
Fri.- Heh. 7:18-25
Luke 21 :37-22:8
Sat. - Eph. 2:11-13
Luke 13:18-29
Week-of December·-19-
Sun. - Heb. 11:9-10, 17-23,
32-40
Math.1:1-25
Mon. - Heb. 11: 17-23, 2731
Mark 9:42-10: 1
Tue. Heb. 12:25-26;
13:22-25
Mark 10:2-12
Wed. -James 1:1-18
Mark 10: 11-16
Thu. -James 1:19-27
Mark 10:17-27
Fri. -Heb.1:1-12
Luke 2:1-20
Sat. NATIVITY OF
CHRIST
Gal. 4:4-7
Math 2:1-12
John E. Rexine
Colgate University
The Word
December 1976
Week of December 12
Sun. - Col. 3:4-11
Luke 14:16-24
Mon. -Heb.
:7-13
Mark 8:11-21
Tue. - Heb. 9: -10, 1 -22
Mark 8:22-26
Wed. - t. Kleu theri u
Thu. - Heb. 10:35-11:7
Mark 9:10-16
Fri.-Heb.11:8,
11-1
Mark 9:23-41
Sat. - Eph. 5:1-8
Luke 2: 1-20
WEEK OF DECEMBER26
Sun. -Heb. 2:11-18 Syn. Theotokos
Math. 2: 13-23
Mon. - Ac. 6:8-15; 7:1-5, 17-60 Ap-M.
Stephan
Mt. 21:33-42
Tue. - James 3: 1-10
Mark 11: 11-23
Wed. -James 3:11-4:6
Mark 11:23-26
Thus. -James 4:7-5:9
Mark 11:27-33
Fri. - I Pet 1:1-2, 10-12:2:6-10
Mark 12:1-12
Sat. - St. Basil the Great
The Circumcision
Co. 2:8-12
Luke 2:20-21, 40-end
WEEK OF JANUARY 2
Sun. -II Tim. 4:5-8
Mark 1:1-8
Mon. - Heb. 11:17-23,27-31
Mark 9:42-10: 1
Tue. - Heb. 12:25-26; 13:22-25
Mark 10:2-12
Wed. - I Cor. 9:19-27 (Fast Day)
Luke 3:1-18
Thu. -Tit. 2:11-14; 3:4-7 (Holy Theophany)
Math. 3: 13-17
Fri. - Acts 19: 1-8 John 1:29-34
Sat. - Eph. 6: 10-17
Ma th. 4: 1-11
Page 27
�The People Speak
The Word
Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese
358 Mountain Road
Englewood, NJ. 07631
Dear Sirs:
We wish to inform you that during the course of the
1976 camping season at the Ionian Village, we had 5
participants that are members of the Antiochian Orthodox
parishes and another 7 or 8 children who are members at a
Greek Orthodox parish, whose mother or father are of
Syrian background. We were indeed very pleased to have
them with us, as part of our Holy Orthodox faith and the
exposure we attempt to give all the participants of our
programs here in Greece.
In past seasons, we have had 3 or 4 participants from
Antiochian parishes, but the number grew this year. This
is apparently due to your publicity in the Word in the early
spring concerning the various camping programs sponsored by the various Orthodox jurisdictions. We thank
you for including us in your listing and we hope you will
carry our summer closing News Release which is enclosed.
Note that Miss Ionian Village of Travel Camp No. 2 is
Maria Karram, whose heritage is both Syrian and Greek.
We thank you for your attention to this matter, and we
thank you once again for your past coverage of our
mission here for the cultural and religious growth of our
Orthodox Young people.
In His Service,
Andrew George,
Ionian Village
Assistant Director
Dear Sir:
Allow me to introduce myself and thank and compliment you on your most informative and delightful
articles in the September Word about the Russy-Antachy
era of our North American Church.
I am Bishop Emmanuel Abohatab's orphaned niece whom he brought up - and I lived with him until his
untimely death in 1933. I need not tell you of the trials and
tribulations that Bishops Hawaweeny, Aftimios, Bishara
and the early clergy went through with the politics that
took place.
. For years I have been asking that something should be
written about the early church. I myself have written
seve_ral article~ calling them re~ollections and giving them
to different pri~sts who have said that they are writing the
e~rly Churc~ histo_ry. Mf latest documented writing was
given to a priest this April, a copy of which I can send you
at a later date.
After Metropolitan Bashir became bishop I gave him
many of Uncle's documents one of which consisted of the
release of the Church from under Russian jurisdiction to
the Antiochian jurisdiction that he was instrumental in
getting while on his deathbed.
Page 28
• • •
I always say that if one does not have roots in the past
he has no present and no future.
Sincerely
Georgette Abohatab
Dear Rev. Father:
It was with great interest that I read the September
issue of "The Word", particularly the timely essay on the
tacky (with all due respect) article "The Antacky-Russy
Dilemma". This nearly half-century· old divisive issue of
Russian, vs. Antiochian jurisdiction ultimately rent the
canonically-established
Russian Brooklyn diocese into
three factions: The Russian faction headed by Bishop
Hawaweeny, who was succeeded by Bishop Ofiesh, and
the Antiochian factions led by Bishop Germanos and
Bishop AbuAssaly, respectively.
.
'
I am confident you will agree that the subject deserves
to be treated with utmost candor and disclosure of the
irrefutable facts of the matter, especially since the diocese
is now peacefully united under the Antiochian Patriarchal
jurisdiction, unchallenged and unthreatened.
Because of the superficiality of the context of the
above-mentioned essay, which is painfully fraught with
inaccuracies and erroneous premises, I am led to believe
that the writer either (1) is not properly conversant with
the actual facts surrounding the issue, of (2) that a
deliberate distortion and misrepresentation was made of
the facts. Substitution of historically
documented,
unimpeachable facts misinforms the reader and badly
misleads. Surely such is not the intent of "The Word"?
As you know, the Orthodox Church canons clearly}
and specifically defines canonical jurisdiction as indisputably belonging to that branch of the Church which
first evangelized and established a mission therein.
Accordingly, the Russian Patriarchal Church exercised
unquestioned authority over all Orthodox faithful, of
whatever ethnic group in North America, many years.
The canons further state that visiting clergy from
anywhere, must secure the prior permission of said
canonical authority. In accordance therewith, prior to the
Russian revolution, Bishop Germanos Shehadi asked and
received the joint permission of the Russian Patriarch and
Bishop Raphael for a limited visit to America for the
alleged purpose of raising funds to found an agricultural
school in his home diocese.
Bishop Raphael's hospitality to Bishop Germanos was
rewarded by the latter's sowing of seeds of dissention in
every parish he visited, by appealing to feelings of national
patriotism, church canons notwithstanding. The interparochial and diocesan schism and litigations which
ensued were a major factor in precipitating the mortal
illness of Bishop Raphael.
During the lapse of 2 & 1 / 4 years between Bishop
Raphael's death and the consecration of his canonically
elected and consecrated successor, Bishop Aftimios,
The Word
Bishop Germanos further entrenched himself with his
subverted followers.
Bishop Germa~os, continuing his incendiary activities,
chose to utterly disregard his Patriarch's belated orders
recalling him to ?is native diocese. Extending his stay, he
wrought more mischief by splitting the Antiochian faction
he had engendered, of which a sizable segment shifted
their loyalty to the Patriarch's more recent envoy, Bishop
G. Messara. Now there were three warring factions in the
Syrian Orthodox fold in America, which compounded the
sorely trying difficulties of Bishop Aftimios - creating the
"te~rific odds" mention~d in ~he above-mentioned essay,
which confronted the mdomitable successor to Bishop
Raphael.
The glibly glossed over, glaringly inadequate account
of ~ftimios' unique ~ervices during his life of outstanding
achievements
despite the extraordinary
trials and
tribulations he nobly endured is a discredit to "The Word"
and a disservice to its better-deserving readers, which it is
hoped you will justly rectify.
Sincerely yours,
Mariam Ofiesh (Mrs.)
Mrs. Aftimios Ofiesh
... The Editors invite Mrs. Ofiesh to share whatever
documents she might have of that period of our history
with the readers of The Word. The author of the article,
William Essey, would be the first to welcome such
documentation.
Dear Sirs:
I have been disturbed for quite a while concerning
false advertisitng. The Pittsburgh-based Uniat (Byzantinerite Catholic Church) has been misleading the public into
believing they are the true heirs of the title "Byzantine
Church" and "Byzantine culture" including the arts, architecture, music etc. A recent advertisement in the
Byzantine Catholic World ran for tee-shirts announcing "I
am proud to be Byzantine".
Any educated person knows that the Eastern Orthodox Church was the Byzantine Church and that the
culture lies in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Greeks
do not hep the situation by using the word "Hellenic;;
frequently such as Hellenic College or Hellenic cultural
centers. Any educated person knows the Hellenic culture
of Greece was non-Christian while the Byzantine period
was Orthodox Christian. Why do they permit a word to be
used falsely when they should claim it. Even the Melkites
use the word Byzantine. And yet recent articles in the
newspaper, Byzantine Catholic World depict the Orthodox Church as evil and equated with Communisim.
Rome may be their foster parents, but how can they deny
their true parents, the Orthodox Church and at the same
time lay false claim to one of the Great Ages of Mankind,
Byzantium?
I wish someone could correct in a diplomatic fashion
perhaps this trite error.
And even more so, I am upset that many Orthodox
members are believing the error and equate the word
Byzantine with Uniat and therefore, anything Byzantine is
wrong and bad instead of realizing the greatness that is
theirs.
Name withheld upon request
Editor's Note:
· ·•The budget in the November 1976 issue of H
WORD was not printed correctly. The following then is
the corrected one.
ANTIOCHIAN
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE
of North America
PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JANUARY 31
1978
'
I. Budgeted Expenditures
A. Theological Education
(1) Seminarians -Tuition, Room Board & Allowance SJ0,000.00
(2) St. Vladimir's Seminary - Annual Grant
10,000.00
(3) Balamand Theological Academy - Annual Grant
10,000.00
Total Theological Education
S50,000.00
B. Other Contributions
(1) Clergy Insurance & Retirement Fund
25,000.00
(2) Charities and Other Assistance for the Patriarchate 10,000.00
(3) Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops Pan
3,000.00
Orthodox Comm.
(4) NACSOYO
3,000.00
5,000.00
(5) Other Charities
$46,000.00
Total Other Contributions
C. Archdiocese Departments & Standings Committees
20,000.00
( 1) Department of Youth Activities
,000.00
(2) Department of Christian Education
6,000.00
(3) Department of Sacred Music
(4) Department of Missionary Activities and Parish
Dev,,.lopment
4,000.00
(5) Department of Information and Press Relations
4,000.00
(6) Department of Orthodox Books and Publications
25,000.00
(7) Department of the WORD
1 ,000.00
(8) Department of Credentials and Convention Planning 1,000.00
(9) Department of Continuing Pastoral Education &
4,000.00
Spiritual Vocations
1,000.00
(10) Other Departments and Standing Committees
$91,000.00
Total Departments and StandJngCommittees
60,000.00
D. Maintenance of Archdiocese Headquarters
24,000.00
E. Metropolitan's Allowance and Office
15,000.00
F. Archbishop Michael's Allowance
G. Archdiocese Headquarters, Toledo,
12,000.00
Ohio-Maintenance & Operation
H. Estimated cost of Patriarch Elias IV and his entourage 50,000.00
5,000.00
I. Miscellaneous & Contingencies
S353,000.00
Total Budgeted Expenditures
II. Budgeted Sources of receipts
Sl4 ,000.00
1. Parish Assessments
30,000.00
2. Contributions from individuals
15,000.00
3. Archdiocese Convention
50,000.00
4. Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch
25,000.00
5. Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of A
15,000.00
6. SOYO Parish Life Conferences
10,000.00
7. Archdiocese Seminarian Fund (Orthodox Sunday)
10,000.00
8. St. Vladimir's Seminary Fund (October Month)
9. Patriarchate Fund (Palm Sunday & Other Contribution ) 10,000.00
15,000.00
10. Subscriptions to the WORD
25,000.00
11. Orthodox Christian Books and Publications
5,000.00
12. Miscellaneous Receipts
$358,000.00
Total
25,000.00
Less A.O.C.W.N.A. - For Patriarch Elias IV Foundation
333,000.00
Total Budgeted Sources of Receipts
(S20,000.00)
Budgeted Deficit
Footnote: (H) Travel, etc. from Patriarchate to .S.A. and Canada and
return to the Patriarchate.
Page 29
December 1976
�Antiochian Orthodox Christian W Olilen
of North America
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1976-1977
BALAMAND
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GOALS
100% MEMBERSHIP
AWARENESS & COMMITMENT
SUCCESSFUL FUND RAISING
��BX738.A5
W67 v.20 pt. l c.2
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Newspaper Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Newspapers--United States
Arabic Periodicals
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
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Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1905-2013
Language
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Arabic
English
Identifier
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NS 0021
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For a list of all the volumes and issues of Al-Kalemat held by the Khayrallah Center please see <a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/uploads/NS0021/Inventory_of_Al-Kalemat_Issues.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here.</a>
Rights Holder
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Antiochian Heritage Library and Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
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Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Processed by Celine Shay, Laura Lethers, Allison Hall, and Anna Maria Hester, 2022 November-2023 April. Collection Guide written by Laura Lethers and Allison Hall, 2023 April.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to make these materials available for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials. <br /><br />These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/historical note</h4>
<p>The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCA), headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey, oversees seven dioceses with over 250 parishes in the United States and Canada. </p>
<p>The AOCA is one of 24 archdioceses of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East across the world. The editorial office for their publication <em>The Word</em> is in Brooklyn, New York. AOCA founded the periodical as an Arabic language publication in 1905, which ran for 16 volumes. The final issue of the Arabic <em>Al-Kalemat</em> appeared in 1933, and the English iteration <em>The Word</em> began anew in 1957.</p>
<p>The original copies of the periodical are housed at the Antiochian Heritage Library in Bolivar, Pennsylvania. The Antiochian Heritage Library was founded in 1987, and its collections focus on information about early Christianity, the theology of the Orthodox Church, and religious and cultural themes in Middle Eastern history. </p>
<h4>Scope/content note</h4>
<p>The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Newspaper Collection includes both Arabic-language volumes of Al-Kalemat and English-language volumes of <em>The Word</em> (also called Al-Kalemat, Al Kalimat, Al Kalimah, and الكلمة), covering the years 1905-1993. The periodical focuses on current events and debates from an Antiochian Orthodox perspective. </p>
<p>The periodical is written and published by The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and continues to be published monthly excluding July and August. Some years and issues are not included in the collection, and there are some years that the publication did not run.<br /><br />The collection also includes various parish commemorative booklets from Antiochian Orthodox churches in different regions of the United States, including but not limited to, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and New York.</p>
<p>The English-language volumes are located here on the KCLDS Archive's website. The Arabic-language volumes are located on the Khayrallah Center’s <a href="https://arabicsearch.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arabic Newspapers database</a>.</p>
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kalemat_19761201_20_10
Title
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The Word [Al-Kalemat, الكلمة] Volume 20, Issue 10
Alternative Title
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Al-Kalemat
Al Kalimat
Al Kalimah
الكلمة
Description
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Volume 20, Issue 10 of The Word [Al-Kalemat, الكلمة], dated December 1976.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1976 Dec
Creator
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Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Subject
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Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Newspapers--United States
Language
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English
Type
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Text
Format
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Text/pdf
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3400 Dawson Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Publisher
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Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Antiochian Heritage Library and Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
1970s
Antiochian Orthodox Church
Newspapers
Pennsylvania
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/04b588c368647735b1849e81ee3d6126.pdf
adc23b52d6f22205887750182efcee88
PDF Text
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JANUARY, 1977
1977
Antiothian
HolyYtar
�The Word
Volume 21
January, 1977
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Number 1
OF NORTH
358
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201
In This Issue
Maximos Aghiorgoussis
1977
ANTIOCHIAN HOLY YEAR
Cover
1977 has been declared by Metropolitan PHILIP as "Antiochian Holy Year" in
our Archdiocese. The official seal is an icon print of the founders of the Church of
Antioch, Sts. Peter and Paul, and a verse from the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter
11, Verse 26: "The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
1
Archpastoral
Proclamation
3
Why We Do Not Have Women
5
Bishop Raphael
12
Pilgrimage
To Russia-Part
Priests
II
Pastoral Letter of 1912
"As Valid Today as Then"
15
Parishes
Of The Archdiocese
St. Michael Church of Van Nuys, California is featured.
16
James C. Meena
18
Archdiocesan
Lifestyles
Office
X
Homily on abortion.
19
Daily Devotions
Scripture readings compiled by Father Murphy.
20
SOYO Digest
News and views of our youth movement.
22
AOCWNA
23
Communities
27
In Action
07631
• 871-135!5
1977
Honoring
His Beatitude, Patriarch ELIAS IV
ARCHPASTORAL
PROCLAMATION
We greet you in the Name of our Redeeming Christ wishing you and your children
peace, health and prosperity in the New Year.
At the Fall Meeting of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees, held in Montreal, Canada,
November 1, 1975, it was unanimously resolved to extend an invitation to our Father-inChrist, His Beatitude, ELIAS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East to visit our Archdiocese in the year, 1977. The invitation was cordially extended and graciously accepted.
His Beatitude will arrive in New York in May and will preside over the SOYO Parish Life
Conferences in Montreal, Canada; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Boston, Massachusetts;
Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; Seven Springs, Pennsylvania and over the Archdiocese Convention in Washington, D .C.
Our generation is very fortunate that for the first time in the history of Christianity, the
Patriarch of Antioch will bless us and this continent by his presence. Patriarch ELIAS
represents two thousand years of spirituality. We will see in him the faith of Peter, the zeal of
Paul, the sacrificial spirit of Ignatius, the eloquence of John Chrysostom and the brilliance
of John of Damascus.
In honor, therefore, of this most historic visit, we do hereby officially proclaim 1977
"Antiochian Holy Year." We ask our beloved clergy and laity to reflect with gratitude on our
glorious past and to emphasize in their sermons, discussions and seminars the significance of
Antiochian history and spirituality. Time is a precious gift from God, thus, lest the word
"Holy Year" remains an empty slogan, we ask you, beloved children, to sanctify the days and
months of this year by your words and deeds.
In appreciation of His Beatitude's visit, we have appealed to you to help us raise a half
million dollars in order to establish in this country "The Patriarch ELIAS IV Foundation,"
for the benefit of the Balamand Theological Academy which is the only school of theology
left in the entire Middle East. Because of economic and security reasons, this reknown
school has been closed for the past two years. Your generous contribution will make it
possible for this institution to resume its spiritual mission to all the ancient patriarchates of
the Middle East.
Thanking you in advance for your cooperation, we pray that the Antiochian Holy Year
will be a source of joy and spiritual renewal to all of us.
Paternally yours in Christ,
Pawtucket, Rhode Island; Garden Grove, California; Vicksburg, Mississippi;
Louisville, Kentucky; Johnstown, Pa.; and Bridgeport, Conn. are featured this
month.
Metropolitan PHILIP
Primate
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
The Orthodox World
Issued at our Headquarters
this first day of January, 1977.
Commentaries of the Religious News Service.
ROAD
NEW JERSEY
Beloved Faithful of our Archdiocese:
An answer to the Episcopalians and others who question Apostolic Tradition.
George S. Corey
AMERICA
MOUNTAIN
January, 1977
Page 1
�WHY WE DO NOT HAVE
WOMEN PRIESTS
Feastof the Month
Tht HolyThtophanyof OurLordand God
andSaviourJesusChrist(January<,)
This feast is one of the greatest of the Christian Year,
and is in a class with Easter and Christmas. In some parts
of the world it is kept with greater solemnity than
Christmas itself. In English we are accustomed. to
hearing this Feast called "The Epiphany," a word which
means "manifestation." On this day the Orthodox
Church celebrates the remembrance of the Baptism of
Christ in the River Jordan at the hands of St. John the
Baptist. Because of the importance of the Feast, the day
before is kept as a vigil, with a strict fast.
.
It is customary to hold the Service of the Blessmg of
the Waters on this day. In ancient times, there were two
blessings: one of the water intended for the baptism of
those who were about to be received into the Church,
and the other a solemn outdoor blessing of the rivers,
lakes, and other bodies of water. This latter blessing was
an imitation of the custom of the Christians of Jerusalem
who went to the Jordan to celebrate the festival, and in
memory of the consecration of the waters of the Jordan
at the time Christ was baptized therein. There is an old
tradition that upon the eve of the Epiphany and
throughout the days closely following all the waters of
the earth are especially sacred, because of their part in
the baptism of the Lord.
Present practice in this country is to bless the waters
at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Among the
prayers said are some of those used in the administration
of the Sacrament of Baptism. The Priest prays that God
will grant sanctification, blessings, purification, and
THE
maximos aghiorgoussis
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
~
'
~~~4~
bodily health to those who partake of the water or are
anointed or sprinkled therewith. After the Service he
sprinkles all present, and those who wish take some of
the water home with them.
In the days following the Epiphany, the Priest goes
about blessing the homes of the faithful and praying for
their spiritual and material welfare throughout th~ year
to come. It is the business of the Church to sanctify the
lives of its faithful, to make them holy, and to insure their
salvation by every means at her command.
The Very Rev. Stephen Upson
WORD
official publication of
THE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA
The Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip Saliba, Primate
The Most Reverend Archbishop Michael Shaheen, Auxiliary
published monthly except July and August by the
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Founded in Arabic as AL KALIMAT, January 1905, by Bishop Raphael Hawaweeny
Founded in English as THE WORD, January 1957, by Metropolitan Antony Bashir
Associate Editors:
The Very Rev. George S. Corey
The Rev. Fr. Joseph Allen
Editorial Board:
Archimandrite Antoun Khouri; Archpriests Stephen Upson, James C. Meena, John Estephan, Michael Buben; Priests Gerasimos Murphy, James ~en~
Dr. John Boojamra, Dr. John Dalack, William Essey, Raymond George, Ronald Nicola, Kathy Meyer and the Public Relations officers of the Antiochi
Orthodox Christian Women of North America, NAC SOYO and Teen SOYO.
Technical Staff:
George Nassor, Beatrice Davis, Eve Meyer
Publications Office:
3400 Dawson Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
ISSN 0043-7964
The recent decision of the Episcopal Church in
the United States to ordain women to the priesthood
has appalled all Christians of various traditions who,
on the one hand, are sincerely interested in the
preservation of the revealed truth and, on the other
hand, in the restoration of the unity among the
disciples of Christ. The Episcopal Church in the
United States can no longer be considered as a
community of "Catholic" tradition. With the above
decision, the Episcopal Church proved itself to be as
liberal as all those liberal Protestant communities,
which do not have the traditional priesthood with
apostolic succession, and which thus feel free to
appoint women as ministers. As an Eastern Orthodox,
I cannot but condemn this uncharitable act perpetrated not only against people who do not accept
this decision within the Anglican communion, but
also against the Churches of apostolic tradition, and
especially the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Those who voted for the ordination of women in
the Episcopal Church in the United States may
believe that "now the whole Church has come into the
20th century!" Actually, it seems to me that it is not
the whole church, but only one of the communities
which calls itself a Christian Church and which has
followed other such communities in betraying the
Gospel and the great apostolic tradition of the
Church. This has been done in order to accommodate the world - in this case the so-called
women's liberation movement.
The Symbolic Correspondence: Christ and Priest
As far as the Orthodox are concerned, both the
teachings of the Holy Scripture and the great
apostolic tradition of the Church exclude the ordination of women to the Christian priesthood. As pointed
out by both Orthodox and Roman Catholic theologians, it is the common understanding of both the
THE WORD, published monthly except July and August, by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America at Pittsburgh, Per
Father Maximos, Systematic Theology professor at Holy Cross Greek
sylvania, Business office, 377 McKee Place, P.O. Box 7135, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213; Publication office, 3400 Dawson Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213. Enter
Orthodox School of Theology, reflects for our readers upon the imas second class matter and postage paid at the Post Office at Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219.
portant implications of the Episcopal Church's recent decision, as
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $8.00 a year in the United States and Canada, $10.00 a year in foreign countries.
Orthodoxy sees it.
ADDRESS ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS TO: THE WORD, 358 Mountain Road, Englewood, New Jersey 07631.
January, 1977
1
The Wo
Page 2
Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches that "the
priest represents Christ directly and not because he
represents the faith of the Church. Thus, the candidates for the priesthood will have to be male to
preserve the symbolic correspondence bct;veen the
minister and Christ; for this and for other theological
reasons, ordination of women to the priesthood seems
entirely excluded in the Orthodox Church" (Maximos
Aghiorgoussis - Edward J. Kilmartin, "OrthodoxCatholic Dialogue", in The Journal of Ecumenical
Studies, 1976).
An Orthodox View of Women Priests
To support this view, I would like to share with the
reader a statement representing the Orthodox view
on the ordination of women, presented to the Orthodox-Catholic
consultation
fast January.
The
statement reads:
"In some Wes tern circles the question of the ordination of women is of particular relevance. Nontheological reasons are given by them as the only·
reasons against the ordination of women. This means
for them that the question is open, and that it is ultimately possible for women to be ordained if the
sociological reasons against their ordination cease to
exist. In my estimation, from an Eastern Orthodox
point of view it is completely the opposite. The only
reasons against the ordination of women are theological."
The Fatherly Role
"For the Eastern Orthodox, it is imperative to
preserve the symbolic correspondence
between
Christ as a male and the ordained priest. For this
reason, only certain male persons are called to
represent Christ in the capacity of ordained priests.
From a theological point of view, the fatherly role of a
priest in the Church reflects the Father's role in the
All-Holy Trinity. This cannot be interchanged with
the motherly role of a female person in the Christian
family and comm unity. The latter role has its prototype in the Holy Spirit, the source of love and of
Page 3
�harmony in the life of the Church, and is embodied in
the All-Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
The Theotokos
"Both male and female roles in the Church are
very important, yet not interchangeable. One female
person is closer to God than any other human being:
the All-Holy Virgin Mary. A female person - not a
male - gave birth to God according to the flesh. On
the other hand, Christ's coming on this earth as a male
is not a mere accident. It has its symbolic significance,
which cannot be neglected throughout our Christian
tradition, both in the East and the West until our own
days.
Non-Theological Reasons
"It is only recently that in some theological circles
in the West non theological reasons have prevailed
against solid traditional theology, doctrine, and
practice. As far as the Orthodox are concerned, one
cannot but deplore this kind of development in the
West. It is true that women in the secular world, and
perhaps in some ecclesiastical circles as well, have
been victimized by male suppression. But the correct
way of combatting anti-feminism is not by destroying
the proper charismas of woman by making her interchangeable with man. It is also true that female
persons have the same rights as male persons. It is
specifically so in Christianity, where on the basis of
Christian baptism 'in Christ there is no male and
female' (Gal. 3:28), but only one communion of
persons equal among themselves in personal dignity.
Yet, even in Christianity not everything is interchangeable between male and female persons, as
between any persons. Each of these persons has
personal, unrepeated, incommunicable charismas,
given to this person by the Holy Spirit of God to the
benefit of the Christian community. Malehood and
femalehood are part of these personal charismas.
They are part of these 'varying charismas' (I Cor. 12:431) given to the Christian community by the Holy
Spirit of God, so that peace and harmony reigns
within this comm unity.
The Iconic Representation of Christ
"Even from a sociological point of view, male and
female persons can, and at times should share in each
other's functions. But they cannot interchange their
roles. In a family, the father can function as the
mother, and the mother can function as the father if
there is a need for this. But one cannot be the oth;r:
one cannot play the role of another. So it is with the
Christian community. Male and female persons can
share in the priestly function of Christ; moreover,
they s~ould do so, on the basis of their baptism. They
share m the one common Christian nature and its
common energies, among which is that of 'mediation
for the world,' a priestly function. Yet there is a
special gift given by the Holy Spirit of God to only a
Page 4
few chosen persons. It is the gift of iconic representation of Christ, the Groom of the Bride - not the
Bride of the Bride - and also of iconic representation
of God the Father, the gift of the ordained priesthood.
This gift is given to only a few male persons, for these
persons alone have been chosen by God to play the
role of 'another Christ,' the Spouse of the Church, and
the role of the Father in the Christian community.
"As far as the Orthodox are concerned, the ordination of women to the Holy Priesthood is untenable since it would disregard the symbolic and iconic
value of male priesthood, both as representing
Christ's malehood and the fatherly role of the Father
in the Trinity by allowing female persons to interchange with male persons a role which cannot be
interchanged
(Maximos
Aghiorgoussis,
"The
Ordained Priesthood:
Historical Interpretation,
Theological Dimensions, and Contemporary Issues
From an Orthodox Point of View," unpublished pa per
presented to the Orthodox-Catholic Consultation in
the United States in its session in January 23-24, 1976,
in Garrison, New York.)
The Great Tradition and New Divisions
I am confident that the above statement reflects
the doctrine of the apostolic tradition and Church. I
have no doubts that it also reflects the feelings of all
those Christians who are attached to this tradition,
and who are not willing to accept any other Gospel
but that given to them by this great Tradition of the
Holy Spirit. I am also confident that this great Tradition of the Holy Spirit will prove false such 'prophecies' as that according to which the uncharitable decision of ordaining women to the priesthood in the
Episcopal Church in the United States will "enrich the
ministry, work and life of the diocese beyond
measure," and also that 'prophecy' according to
which the Episcopal Church through its decision has
found the opportunity "to provide a model, especially
for our sisters and brothers in the Roman Catholic
Church" (Ben Kaufman, "Episcopal Church Ok's
Priesthood for Women," in The Boston Globe, 210.79
(Sept. 17, 1976), pp. 1 and 8.)
On the contrary, it seems that the prophecy of all
those conscientious and concerned Christians both
from the Episcopal Church in the United States and
from all other Christian Churches and communities
will be proven true; according to this prophecy, the
decision to ordain women to the priesthood in the
Episcopal Church will only create more division and
more schism within this same communion, along with
scandal and grievance for all those Christians who are
genuinely concerned about what happens with their
Christian brothers and their communities. As far as
the Orthodox are concerned, their "dialogue of the
deaf" with the Episcopal communion in the United
States does not seem to be promising any longer;
moreover, it has been totally jeopardized.
The Word
His ~oliness Pimen.' Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, memben of the Holy Synod and guests at the Trinity~ergms ~onastery m Zagorsk, USSR, October, 1976. Metropolitan Philip is seated at the right. Our delegation
1sat top nght center.
PILGRIMAGE
TORUSSIA-Part
II
by fr. george s. corey
(continued from last issue)
Sunday, October 3, 1976
After the Holy Liturgy at the St. Nicholas
Cathedral of Leningrad, we were invited to have
lunch with Bishop Cyril, Rector of the Leningrad
Seminary. We departed from the Cathedral to the
outside courtyard amidst the ringing of the church
bells. The bishops moved on ahead of us to their car
and left for the residence of Bishop Cyril. I handed Fr.
J~hn_Namie my camera bag so that I would be able to
distribute to the faithful the religious items I brought
from my parish in Pittsburgh (crosses, medals and
January, 1977
icon prints). Believe me when I tell you, I have never
had such an experience! I was immediately
surrounded by hundreds of pious souls who were
shouting in Russian, "please, a cross as a blessing".
What we in the West take for granted, these deeply
spiritual persons crave as a blessing. As I handed the
gifts to each, the crowds pushed and shoved just to get
a small plastic cross. Young and old alike moved me
from one side of the courtyard to the other in just
seconds. My feet were not touching the ground. I
tried in vain to place my back against the church
Page 5
�and abuses of religion". When the management saw
us enter (as clergymen), they were delighted to give us
a personally guided tour by a party member who gave
us the full party line. She did her best to tell us how
Communism could save us from all these evils of religion. We we~e told that that part of the museum
which dealt with Orthodoxy, Protestantism and other
world religions, was closed for "refurbishing and
updating" and that only the Roman Catholic section
was now open. It was a welcome relief to know that
"our" section would take a year and a half to complete. They must be having trouble getting enough
material to expose. We were taken through aisles and
aisles of "evils of the Roman Catholic hierarchy" upon
the faithful. Each section carried a message from
some "good Communist" about how Communism
could save you from all this nonsense. Since religion is
"the opium of the people" for Communists, what
better way to "expose" religion than to do it in one of
Orthodoxy's finest and at one time most sacred
temples of worship. We wondered how many people
who were exposed to this negative presentation of
religion were possibly led positively to religion. Fr.
John Namie expressed it for all of us as we thanked
our guide and departed: "May this same God Whom
you condemn, save you".
building or just to get to the cars carrying our delegation. The people kept coming and as long as the
gifts lasted, there was no let-up. People fell and others
fell over them. Several times I felt my knees giving
way. Fr. Antoun Khouri called for help, but again to
no avail. Six Russian policemen stood at a distance
watching and waiting. Fr. John said my face became
pale with fright. I was deeply moved and emotionally
overcome by the experience. As the box emptied, I
was afraid my pectoral cross and even my jibbie
would be next. Rather the men and women began to
kiss my hands and robe, repeating over and over
again, "spahsseebah" (thank you). When I finally got
to the car, I was numb by the experience and couldn't
hear one word of Fr. Antoun's scolding. I was thankful that Metropolitan PHILIP and Bishop Cyril had
not witnessed the incident since they left seconds
before in another car. I was able to finally pacify Fr.
Antoun, Fr. John and our interpreter. After all, how
did I know I had been breaking the law? But I can
truthfully say, I would do it again anytime! It was
beautiful!
We arrived (finally) at the famous Academy and
Seminary of Leningrad which is the home of some 250
theological students preparing for the Holy Priesthood, professorship in theology or both. There we
met several members of the faculty, exchanged gifts
and settled down to a delicious luncheon hosted by
Bishop Cyril. We found His Grace to be extremely
intelligent, deeply spiritual and beautifully sensitive
to the needs of his flock. We thank God that our
Church in Russia has at its helm such persons as
Bishop Cyril of Viborg.
We soon returned to the hotel for a short rest
before our evening schedule began. Our host and
guide, Father Jacob, informed. us that we would be
guests at the Leningrad opera. Scheduled for the
evening was Verdi's "La Traviata". It was beautifully
sung in Russian to a crowd of 2000 lovers of the
performing arts. How ironic it was that we were
hearing this Western opera in Leningrad-the
old St.
The Metropolitan with our interpreter, Natasha.
Page 6
Interior of one of the churches.
Petersburg, which was founded by Peter I and completely westernized according to European standards.
Even the iconography in the Orthodox Churches of
Leningrad were influenced by this westernization
started by Peter I, Tsar of Russia in the eighteenth
century. At any rate, another glorious day had ended.
Monday, October 4, 1976
On Monday, we were taken on a guided tour of
some of Leningrad's finest museums: the Russian
Museum of Art where there is an excellent collection
of icons by great Russian Masters; the St. Isaac Dal·
matian Cathedral, site of the most beautiful marble
columns in Russia; Sts. Peter and Paul Fortress and its
Cathedral, the personal chapel of the Royal Family
and the site of the burial place of Tsar Peter I and
other notables; and finally the Cathedral of our Lady
of Kazan, which has been converted into a museum of
atheistic propaganda. Our hearts were extremely
heavy at this last stop, for here, in what was once the
Cathedral that bore the famous and miraculous Icon
of our Lady of Kazan, was now the instrument by
which the Communist Government attempted to
expose to their people, especially the young, "the evils
The Word
Actually what we saw there came as no surprise
to us or to any student of history!
On Monday evening our hosts took us to the
Nevsky Palace of Culture where we were entertained
by the Kabardinka Dancing Ensemble from the Caucasian Region of the Soviet Union. Never have we
witnessed such precision dancing and ornate
costumes. It was indeed a heart-warming experience,
since much of their culture is similar to that found in
the Middle East.
Tuesday, October 5, 1976
We began our day by visiting The Hermitage,
formerly the Winter Palace of Peter the Great,
which ranks with the very finest of the world's art
museums. It is the largest and most splendid in the
The Holy Gifts are prepared. Notice the large cutting of the
Lamb for many communicants.
January, 1977
The faithful in line for the Eucharist.
Soviet Union and contains more than two and a half
million works of art, representing different ages,
countries and people. In the two hundred years since
its foundation, The Hermitage has been transformed
from a palace art collection, accessible only to a
narrow circle of the nobility, into a truly national
museum, whose treasures bring beauty to millions of
people who visit it. The Hermitage presently contains
such rare collections as Byzantine iconography and
the paintings and sculpture of Leonardo da Vinci,
Raphael, El Greco, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Goya,
Rubenx, Renoir, Tetsu, Gainsborough, Rastrelli,
Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse and others.
After several hours at this museum, our delegation
was taken to the famous St. Vladimir Church of
Leningrad which now houses the miraculous Icon of
our Lady of Kazan. There we prayed as pilgrims and
offered special prayers for our Archdiocese and
faithful in North America. How simple yet impressive were these experiences, not only here but in
several of the "small" churches we visited.
While Metropolitan PHILIP, Fr. Antoun and Fr.
Macarios planned our visit with the Patriarch later in
the week, Fr. John and I were driven with our interpreter to the outskirts of the city to visit the Church of
St. Seraphim of Sarov and to pray there over his relics.
We were graciously met by the parish priest, Archpriest Vladimir Piotek, who took us on a tour of the
cemetery church. In addition to the Icon of St. Seraphim, there were exceptionally good icons of the
Blessed Mother in this church. Gifts were exchanged
and icons presented by us to those in attendance.
We then proceeded to another village church, St.
Vladimir of Lisy Nos. There Vespers were in progress
with a woman's choir leading the congregation in
singing the beautiful hymns. Fr. John Namie preached
the evening sermon, reminding the faithful of our
oneness in the Faith in spite of the distance that
separates us. He elaborated on the steadfastness of
the early saints of Russia and how important it is that
Page 7
�worshippers on the occasion of this special feast day
in the life of the Russian Church.
and Novgorod. This gigantic cathedral has~ c~pacity
of 10,000 worshippers, and, we were told, ts filled to
capacity at every Sunday and feast day service. Of
special importance here ~sthe St. :-Alexande_rNevs~y
Lavra, a special shrine which contams the_rehcs of this
prince-saint, along with many other samts of H~ly
Russia. There we prayed and venerated the holy rehcs
as lasting memorials to the holy figures who had_fallen
asleep in the Lord. It too was an awesome experience!
From the cathedral, we proceeded to the famous
Piskariovskoye Memorial Cemetery, burial place of
the 650,000 victims of the Nazi siege of Leningrad
beginning in 1941 and lasting through 1942. We were
amazed to learn that the youth of the city had taken it
upon themselves to care for and decorate these burial
grounds. The entire acreage was kept in order by
volunteers, offering their services in memory of their
loved ones. Fresh flowers were placed daily on the
tombs of the unknown citizens and Soviet armies
fallen in defense of their city. It is a common sight to
see newlvweds come to the cemetery and burning
flame to pray or stand in silence in memory of their
grandparents or relatives buried there.
we imitate them no matter what our lot in life. On
behalf of Metropolitan PHILIP, we presented icon
prints of our Lady of Sitka, Alaska to all the faithful.
Again another day ended with many blessings to us.
We departed from the church while the faithful sang
"Many Years" to their new friends from America.
Newlyweds visit the cemetery in Leningrad.
Thursday, October 7, 1976
We were guests for breakfast of His Grace, Bishop
Cyril and His Grace, Bishop Meliton, Vicar Bishop of
Tikhvin. There we expressed our deepest gratitude to
our Leningrad hosts and then departed by plane for
Moscow.
Wednesday, October 6, 1976
This was to be our last full day in Leningrad. We
chose, therefore, to start the day by revisiting the
Leningrad Academy and Seminary. We were taken
on a grand tour which included a visit to the Seminary
Library where 250,000 volumes of theological books
are kept. There also can be found the first Bible ever
printed in Russian. The beautiful Chapel of the
Theological School, which was founded in 1809, was
also included on our tour. Then we were given the
honor of meeting the entire faculty. We exchanged
thoughts about the importance of theological education for our clergy and educators and possibly an
exchange of students between their seminary and
ours in America. It was an enriching experience for all
ofus.
Page 8
We bid farewell to our interpreter Natasha who
never left us during the entire tour. Her duties now
called for her to escort Mrs. Nelson Rockefeller, wife
of the Vice President of the United States, and
members of her family, to visit various Orthodox
churches and monasteries in the Moscow area.
Natasha will long be remembered by us as a true
friend and one who shared with us the great treasures
and faith of the Russian people and nation. She took
her leave after receiving the blessing of Metropolitan
PHILIP.
Metropolitan PHILIP led the delegation in the
Trisagion Prayers for the 650,000 and then placed
fresh flowers at the foot of the gigantic statue which
represented "Mother Russia" handing the wreath of
victory to the fallen victims. Soon after our prayers
were offered, a contingency of the Canadian Navy,
visiting Leningrad for the first time in history,
presented military salutes and taps. We left with
heavy hearts for our Russian brethren of all creeds,
who suffered great losses at the hands of the Nazis.
Statue of Mother Russia at Leningrad Cemetery.
We then drove to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, seat
of His Eminence, Metropolitan Nikodim of Leningrad
Before we departed this cathedral, considered one
of the most beautiful in all Moscow, we venerated the
tomb and relics of St. Alexis of Moscow, a famous
Metropolitan of the fourteenth century.
Metropolitan
650,000.
Philip places flowers in memory
of the
Upon our arrival to the city of seven and a half
million, we were taken to our residence for the next
few days left in Russia, the Hotel Ukrania. After
getting settled and resting for a short time, our delegation departed for the Epiphany Cathedral for the
All Night Vigil on the eve of the Feast of St. Sergius.
Accompanying us and con-celebrating the Vigil with
Metropolitan PHILIP was His Grace, Bishop Ireney,
newly appointed Vicar of the Moscow Patriarchate in
C_anada. Participating in the service with the t~o
hierarchs were ten priests, the Archdeacon and six
sub-deacons. Numerous
nuns could be found
throughout the cathedral, caring for the priests' v~stments, lighting candles, keeping order, etc. Durmg
t~e service, Metropolitan PHILIP anoi~ted the clergy
WIth Holy Oil, and the clergy in turn anointed the 3000
January, 1977
The Word
We were then called to the suite of Metropolitan
PHILIP, where our good friend, Father Macarios
Tayyar, presented each of us with a souvenir of our
visit to Russia, and we in turn, presented him with gifts
from America. How fortunate the Church of Antioch
is in having Fr. Macarios represent them in the
Patriarchate of Moscow. He is fully knowledgeable
on the state of affairs there and in the Middle East,
an asset for a person in his position. We hope and
pray that our newly found friends and old
acquaintances will visit us in North America, so that
we can demonstrate to them the spiritual life of
Orthodoxy in the New World.
Friday, October 8, 1976
We arose early (6:30A.M.)in order to travel to the
Trinity-Sergius Monastery in Zagorsk to celebrate the
Holy Liturgy with His Holiness, Patriarch Pimen on
the Feast of St. Sergius. This was the first day that we
encountered heavy rain and dense fog. In spite of the
Metropolitan Philip preaches in the presence of Bishops
Job and Ireney.
Page 9
�Metropolitan Philip speaks at private luncheon •
gloomy weather, we were anxiously awaiting this
experience which proved to be the highlight of our
pilgrimage. After a two hour drive from Moscow, we
arrived at Zagorsk and the famous Monastery there
which has been in existence since 1380. The bells in
the Great Belfry, constructed from 1740 to 1769,
began to ring out over the land, calling the faithful to
begin their prayers. In spite of the horrible weather, a
working and school day and the distance people had
to travel, it is estimated that there were twenty five to
thirty thousand in attendance for this particular
celebration.
We were immediately escorted to one of the main
buildings to vest for the procession that would bring
the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia into the
Trinity Cathedral for the three hour liturgy. Metropolitan PHILIP was given the unique privilege of
serving at the immediate right side of the Patriarch,
in spite of the fact there were a dozen other Metropolitans, Archbishops and Bishops concelebrating
(another dozen praying nearby). Eight priests served,
including Fathers Antoun and John (I was the photographer and recorder of events), and four deacons.
Twenty-six sub deacons and seminarians ministered
to the needs of the hierarchs. The choir of clergy and
laity was absolutely magnificent, surpassing some of
the best I've heard in Europe and North America.
Many delegations were present for this service,
among them the Catholicos - Patriarch of the
Syrian Orthodox Church of India (Malarbar), a
Roman Catholic bishop from Spain and a group of
American students from McCormick Theological
Seminary in Chicago.
After that glorious liturgy, a procession of
hierarchs, clergy and laity, moved from the cathedral
to the outside courtyard where a special service was
chanted in memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh,
founder of this monastic community, a major political
leader from among the clergy, very active in deterring
Page 10
. and then toasts the Patriarch.
the Tartar - Mongolian onslaught. The flower•
decorated Icon of St. Sergius had been placed in the
courtyard for the service. The twenty five to thirty
thousand faithful sang the troparion of the saint while
the bells from the Great Belfry rang out over the land
that since the 1917 Revolution has tried in vain to
suppress the religious convictions of its citizens.
Soon after the service, we were taken to have
lunch with the Patriarch, hierarchs and special guests.
Metropolitan PIDLIP spoke, expressing our thank·
fulness to His Holiness and the Russian Church for
their invitation and kindnesses extended to us. In the
presence of the Soviet Minister of Church Affairs
(representing the Soviet government), Metropolitan
PHILIP reminded the Patriarch and guests, of the
great witness the Russian people have made over the
centuries toward their Orthodox Christian Faith, their
sufferings and persecutions and their steadfastness to
truth and justice. In his remarks, the Soviet deputy
made no apology for the stance the State has taken
over religion and religious expressions in the Soviet
Union. It was again noticeable to us that there existed
a real tension between Church and State and that the
Church in Russia must "step lightly" just to exist, else
another great persecution, as in the time of Stalin1
might ensue.
After lunch, we were received in private audience
by His Holiness and members of the Holy Synod. The
Patriarch welcomed us as his guests and gave us his
blessing. Gifts were exchanged, as is the custom, and
we took our departure. A grand tour of the monastery
buildings, chapels and museums was next on our
itinerary. As we walked from place to place, the faith·
ful, standing in the rain, stopped the Metropolitan to
receive his blessing. ·Many tears were shed as we wit·
nessed the deeply pious devotions of the faithful. We
left Zagorsk with a renewed commitment to faith. We
had seen devotion elsewhere, in America and other
parts of the world, but never like this. We learned a
great deal about faith in Holy Russia.
The Word
Saturday, October 9, 1976
Bishop Job, former Patriarchal Vicar for Canada
and Bishop Ireney, newly appointed Patriarchal
Vicar for Canada, remained with us for the duration
of our visit in Russia. On Saturday morning, we toured
the Kremlin in Moscow, visiting the beautiful
churches within the Kremlin walls. How soft were the
frescoes there, "as soft as the tears of the Russian
people", commented Metropolitan PHILIP. Even
though these churches were now museums, in silence
we offered our prayers there. The tombs of many of
the royal family of Russia can be found in these
churches, as well as that of Boris Gudinov and St.
Germanos of Moscow. How unfortunate that the
Trisagion Service can no longer be conducted by the
Church hierarchy over these tombs. An empty silence
prevails within these churches, except for an occasional tear shed by a believer.
At a special farewell luncheon, hosted by the
Department of External Affairs of the Patriarchate, at
which time three Russian hierarchs and eight priests
came to bid us adieu, Metropolitan PHILIP prayed
that the great bells of the Kremlin churches would
one day ring again throughout the land, calling the
faithful to worship (these bells have not rung since the
Revolution of 1917). He encouraged his counterparts
to continue their witnessing to the person of Jesus
Christ "Who frees us from every political and social
system". His Eminence reminded us all that because
of this visit, a new relationship now exists between
Orthodox Christians of the Antiochian Church in
North America and the great Russian Church. We
thanked God for His many blessings upon us.
On Saturday evening, we celebrated the All Night
Vigil at the Antiochian Church of the Archangel.
Gabriel in Moscow whose dean is Archimandrite
Macarios Tayyar. Assisting His Eminence in the
Vespers-Matins were Bishop Job and Bishop Ireney,
six priests and two deacons. This parish belongs to the
Patriarchate of Antioch and its administrator is the
Gifts are exchanged with Patriarch Pimen.
January, 1977
Part of the crowd at the Monastery.
liaison between Moscow and Antioch. Other illustrious figures who served in this position in past years
were Raphael Hawaweeny (first bishop of our Church
in North America), Alexander Tahan (the late
Patriarch of Antioch) and Abdel Karim and Basilios
Samaha (present Metropolitans in the Church of
Antioch).
Metropolitan PHILIP hosted the dinner at the
residence of Father Macarios, in gratitude to our two
hierarchs who represented the Department
of
External Affiars of the Patriarchate. It was a typical
Russian meal, but with one exception- "tabooley"!
Sunday, October 1O,1976
As we arose to prepare for our departure from this
great land which produced many great saints, martyrs, confessors and ascetics, we could look from our
windows and see the skylines of Moscow with its
many churches and golden cupolas, a constant
reminder to us and to the Russian people that "there is
no history of the Russian Nation without the Holy
Orthodox Faith", as Metropolitan PHILIP stated so
eloquently to our hosts on several occasions.
Snow flurries began to fall as church bells tolled
their message of faith and love to the believers, calling
them to worship. Metropolitan PHILIP, Father
Antoun and Father John departed for New York via
Ireland. I took another flight to London where I met
my Khoureyee for a ten day vacation in London and
Paris, a vacation given to us by our lovely parishioners
at our Church of St. George in Pittsburgh. Soon we
would be home - America, our great America. The
events of this historic pilgrimage would become to us
a blessed memory. We had much to tell our people
about Church and State in the Soviet Union. We had
made new friends whose names and faces would be
added to our daily prayers. We arrived safely,
thanking the Lord Jesus for keeping us in His
abundant Grace and protection. May His Name be
blessed forevermore.
Amen.
Page 11
�"AsUalidTodagAsThtn• • •''
PASTORAL LETTER
In view of the recent pronouncements of the Anglican
(Episcopal) Church concerning ordination of women
to the priesthood, we present this Pastor~/ Letter of
Bishop Raphael, wn'tten in 1912, as valid today as
then . ..
To My Beloved Clergy and Laity of the Sy,:ian GreekOrthodox Catholic Church in North AmerzcaGreetings in Christ Jesus, Our Incarnate Lord and
God.
My Beloved Brethren:.
.
Two years ago, while I was a Vice-President and
member of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox
Churches Union, being moved with compassion for
my children in the Holy Orthodox faith "once and for
all delivered to the Saints" (St. Jude ver. 3) scattered
throughout the whole of North America and d~priv~d
of the ministration of the Church; and especially m
places far removed from Orthodox centres; and beii:ig
equally moved with a feeling that the Protestant Episcopalian (Anglican) Church possessed. largely the
Orthodox faith, as many of the promment clergy
professed the same to me before I studied deeply their
doctrinal authorities and their liturgy - the "Book of
Common Prayer" - I wrote a letter as the Bishop and
Head of the Syrian Catholic Mission in North
America, giving a permission, in which I said that in
extreme cases, where no Orthodox priest could be
called upon at short notice, the ministrations of the
Protestant Episcopalian (Anglican) clergy might be
kindly asked. However, I was most explicit in defining
when and how the ministrations should be accepted,
and also what exceptions should be made. In writing
that letter I hoped, on the one hand, to help my people
spiritually, and, on the other hand, to open the way
toward bringing the Anglicans into the communion of
the Holy Orthodox faith.
On hearing and in reading that my letter, perhaps
unintentionally, was misconstrued by some of the
Episcopalian (Anglican) Clergy, I wrote a second
letter in which I pointed out that my instructions and
exceptions had been either overlooked or ignored by
many, to wit:(a) They informed the Orthodox people that I
recognized
the
Anglican
Communion
(Protestant Episcopal Church) as being united
with the Holy Orthodox Church and their
ministry, that is holy orders, as valid.
(b) The Episcopal (Anglican) Clergy offered
their ministrations even when my Orthodox
Page 12
clergy were residing in the same towns and
parishes, as pastors.
And,
(c) Protestant Episcopalian clergy said that
there was no need of the Orthodox people
seeking the ministration~ of their own O:thodox priests, for thetr (the Anglican)
ministrations were all that were necessary.
I therefore felt bound by all the circumstances to
mak~ a thorou~h study of the Anglican Church's faith
and orders as well as of her discipline and ritual. After
serious consideration I realized that it was my honest
duty as a member of the College of Bishops of the
Hol; Orthodox Greek Apostolic C~urch, an~ Head of
the Syrian Mission in North Amenca, to r~sig~ from
the vice-presidency of and membership ~n the
Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches ~ mon_.At
the same time, I set forth, in my letter of resignation,
my reason for so doing.
I am convinced that the doctrinal teaching and
practices as well as the discipline of the whole
Anglican Church are inacceptable to the Holy O:thodox Church. I make this apology for the Anghcans
whom as Christian gentlemen I greatly revere, that
the loose teachings of a great many of the prominent
Anglican theologians are so hazy in their ~efinitio~ ~f
truths, and so inclined toward pet heresies that it is
hard to tell what they believe. The Anglican Church
as a whole has not spoken authoritatively on her
doctrine. Her Catholic-minded members can cull out
her doctrines from many views, but so nebulistic is her
pathway in the doctrinal world that those who would
extend a hand of both Christian and ecclesiastical
fellowship dare not, without distrust, grasp the hand
of her theologians, for while many are orthodox on
some points they are quite heterodox on others. I
speak, of course, from the Holy Orthodox Eastern
Catholic point of view. The Holy Orthodox Church
has never perceptibly changed from Apostolic times,
and, therefore, no one can go astray in finding out
what she teaches. Like her Lord and Master, though
at times surrounded with human malaria -which He
in mercy pardons - she is "the same yesterday, and
today, and forever" (Hebrews 8-8), the mother and
safe deposit of "the truth as it is in Jesus" (Eph. IV. 21.)
The Orthodox Church differs absolutely with the
Anglican Communion in reference to the number of
Sacraments and in reference to the doctrinal explanation of the same. The Anglicans say in their
Catechism concerning the Sacraments that there are
"two only as generally necessary to salvation, that is to
say, baptism and the Supper of the Lord." I am well
aware that, in her two books of homilies (which are
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not of a binding authority for the books were only
prepared in the reign of Edward VI and Queen
Elizabeth for priests who were not permitted to
preach their own sermons in England during times
both politically and ecclesiastically perilous), she says
that there are "five others commonly called
Sacraments" (see homily in each book on the
Sacraments), but long since she has repudiated in
different portions of her Comm union this very
teaching and absolutely disavows such definitions in
her "Articles on Religion" which are bound up in her
Book of Common Prayer or Liturgy as one of her
authorities.
The Orthodox Church has ever taught that there
are seven Sacraments. She may have called them
another name, yet in her definition of a Sacrament she
plainly points out the fact that each of the seven has
an outward and visible sign and an inward and spiritual grace, and that they are of gospel and apostolic
origin.
Again, the Orthodox Church has certain ceremonies and practices associated and necessary in the
administration of the Sacraments which neither time
nor circumstances must set aside where Churches are
organized. Yet the Anglicans entirely neglect these,
though they once taught and practiced the same in
more catholic days.
In the case of the administration of holy Baptism it
is the absolute rule of the Orthodox Church that the
candidate must be three times immersed (once in the
name of each person of the Blessed Trinity).
Immersion is not permissory in the Anglican
Communion, and pouring or sprinkling is the general
custom. The Anglicans do not use holy oil in the
administration, etc., and even in doctrinal teaching in
reference to this Sacrament they differ.
As to the doctrine concerning the Holy Communion the Anglican Communion has no settled
view. The Orthodox Church teaches the doctrine of
transubstantiation without going into any scientific or
Roman Catholic explanation. The technical word
which she uses for the sublime act of the priest by
Christ's authority to consecrate is "Transmuting"
(Liturgy of St. Chrysostom). She, as I have said, offers
no explanation, but she believes and confesses that
Christ, the Son of the Living God Who came into the
world to save sinners, is of a truth in His "all-pure
Body" and "precious Blood" (Liturgy of St.
Chrysostom) objectively present, and to be wo~shipped in that Sacrament as He was on earth and is
now in risen and glorified majesty in heaven; and that
"the precious and holy and life-giving Body and _Blood
of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Chnst are
imparted" (to each soul that comes to that Blessed
Sacrament) "Unto the remission of sins, and unto
everlasting life" (Liturgy of St. Chrysostom).
Confirmation or the laying on of hands, which the
Orthodox Church calls a Sacrament- "Chrismation"
- in the Anglican Church is merely the laying on of
January, 1977
hands of the Bishop accompanied by a set form of
prayers, without the use of Holy Chrism, which latter
has come down from Apostolic days as necessary.
Holy Matrimony is only regarded by the Anglican
Communion as a sacred rite which, even if performed
by a Justice of the Peace, is regarded as sufficient in
the sight of God and man.
Penance is not practiced excepting rarely in the
Anglican Comm union, and confession before the
reception of Holy Communion is not compulsory. She
has altogether set aside the Sacrament of Holy
Unction, that is anointing the sick as commanded by
St. James in his General Epistle (James V. 14). To her
priesthood she does not teach the true doctrine of the
grace of Holy Orders. Indeed she has two forms of
words for ordination, namely, one which gives the
power of absolution to the priest, and the alternative
form without the words of Our Lord, "whose sins ye
remit," etc. (St. John XX. 23). Thus she leaves every
Bishop to choose intention or non -intention in the act
of ordination as to the power and grace of her
priesthood (Ordination of Priests, Book of Common
Prayers.)
But besides all of this, the Anglican Communion
ignores the Orthodox Church's dogmas and
teachings, such as the invocation of saints, prayers for
the dead, special honour to the Blessed Virgin Mary
the Mother of God, and reverence for sacred relics,
holy pictures and ikons. She says of such teaching that
it is "a foul thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon
no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the
word of God" (Article of Religion, XXII).
There is a striking variance between her wording
of the Nicene Symbol and that of the Holy Orthodox
Church; but sadder still, it contains the heresy of the
"filioque."
I do not deem it necessary to mention all the
striking differences between the Holy Orthodox
Church and the Anglican Communion in reference to
the authority of holy tradition, the number of General
Councils, etc. Sufficient has already been said and
pointed out to show that the Anglican Com?1union
differs but little from all other Protestant bodies, and
therefore that there cannot be any intercommunion
until she ~eturns to the ancient holy Orthodox Faith
and practices, and rejects Protestant ommissions and
commissions.
Therefore, as the official head of the Syrian Holy
Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church in North
America and as one who must "give an account"
(Hebrews 13-17) before the judgment throne of the
"Shepherd and Bishop of Souls" (1 Peter II 25) that I
have fed the "flock of God" (1 Peter V 2), as I have
been commissioned by the Holy Orthodox Church,
and inasmuch
as the Anglican Communion
(Protestant Episcopal Church in the Unit~d States)
does not differ in things vital to the well bemg of the
Holy Orthodox Church from some of the most e:r~nt
Protestant sects; I direct all Orthodox people residmg
Page 13
�in any community not to seek to to accept the
ministrations of the Sacraments and rites from any
clergy excepting those of the Holy Orthodox Catholic
and Apostolic Church, for the Apostolic Canons
command that the Orthodox should not commune in
ecclesiastical matters with those who are not of "the
same household of the Faith" (Galatians VI, 10) to
wit: "Any Bishop, or presbyter or deacon who will
pray with heretics let him be anathematized; and if he
allows them as clergymen to perform any service let
him be deposed." (Apostolic Canon 45). "Any bishop,
or presbyter who accepts baptism or the Holy
Sacrifice from heretics, we order such to be deposed,
for 'what concord hath Christ with Belia!, or what part
hath he that believe th with an infidel?" (Aposolic
Canon 46).
As to members of the Holy Orthodox Church
living in districts beyond the reach of Orthodox
Catholic clergy I direct that the ancient custom of our
Holy Church be observed, namely, in cases of extreme necessity, that is, danger of death, children may
be baptized by some pious Orthodox layman, or even
by the parent of the child, (by immersion) three times
in the names of the (persons of the) Blessed Trinity,
and in case of death such baptism is valid: - but if the
child should live it must be brought to an Orthodox
priest for the Sacrament of Chrismation.
In the case of the death of an Orthodox person
where no priest of the Holy Orthodox Church can be
had, a pious layman may read over the corpse, for the
comfort of the relatives and the instruction of the
persons present, Psalm 90, "Whoso dwelleth under
the defence of the Most High," and Psalm 118,
"Blessed are those that are undefiled in the way and
walk in the law," etc., and add thereto the Trisagion
("Holy God, Holy Mighty," etc.) and all that
followeth. But be it noted that as soon as possible the
relative must notify some Orthodox bishop or priest
and request him to say the Liturgy and Requiem for
the repose of the soul of the departed in his Cathedral
or parish Church.
As to Holy Matrimony, if there be any parties
united in wedlock outside the pale of the Holy
Orthodox Church because of the remoteness of
Orthodox centres from their home, I direct that as
soon as possible they either invite an Orthodox priest
or go to where he resides and receive from his hands
the holy Sacrament of Matrimony; otherwise they
will be considered excommunicated
until they
submit unto the Orthodox Church's rule.
I further direct that Orthodox Christians should
not make it a practice to attend the services of other
religious bodies, so that there be no confusion as to
the teaching or doctrines. Instead, I order that the
head of each household, or a member, may read the
special prayers which can be found in the hours in the
Holy Orthodox Service Book, and such other devotional books as have been set forth by the authority of
the Holy Orthodox Church.
Commending our clergy and laity unto the safekeeping of Jesus Christ, and praying that the Holy
Spirit may keep us all in the truth and extend the
Borders of the Holy Orthodox Faith I remain,
Your affectionate Servant in Christ,
RAPHAEL,
Bishop of Brooklyn, Head of the
Syrian Greek Orthodox Catholic
Mission in North America
READ
THE
WORD
and give a gift subscription
to a friend or relative!
Parishes of the Archdiocese
ST. MICHAEL ORTHODOX CHURCH
VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA
The history of St. Michael Church began in October of
1968. A group of people living in the San Fernando Valley
began organizing plans for a mission parish. Because of the
size of metropolitan Los Angeles, it was felt that this
suburban area would be better served by a readily accessible church. This led us to the concept of a community
centered parish and ultimately to the feeling of an extended
family.
January 12, 1969 was the date set for the first Liturgy. It
would be held in rented facilities at our local Y .M.C.A. In
the time period from October to January, many things had
to be accomplished. Volunteers were organized to contact
families and gain their support and pledges to the new
mission. Those who wished to sing their praises to God
joined the choir; those who wished to teach the word of
God chose to become part of the Sunday School staff.
Arrangements were made for a part-time priest, Fr. John
Reinhold, and with the ground work laid, His Eminence,
Metropolitan Philip, gave us his blessing. These and many
more details were accomplished through the efforts of the
organizing committee along with the valuable assistance
and advice of Fr. Paul Romley, Dean of St. Nicholas
Cathedral, Fr. Gabriel Ashie, pastor of St. Luke's Church of
Garden Grove, who aided in establishing missions and
churches in the Archdiocese, and Fr. James Meena, then
Director of Sacred Music and Religious Education of the
Archdiocese. During this planning period, a Methodist
Church in the heart of the Valley was vacated and offered
for sale. It was as though God was guiding the destiny of St.
Michael Parish. Since the number of families pledging
support to the new charch had grown rapidly, it was felt
that we could afford the luxury of entering into the purchase of our own building. "With God, all things are
possible." With this phrase ringing in our ears, sixty families
forged ahead, and on January 12, 1969, with Fr. Paul
Romley officiating at the service, the first Divine Liturgy
was celebrated in our church.
The original property that was purchased consisted of
an "A" frame church building that would accommodate
250 persons, and a two story classroom building.
Downstairs we had a hall and a fully equipped kitchen.
The upstairs consisted of offices and classrooms for approximately 200 children. St. Michael Orthodox Church
grew from a mission to a church in a comparatively short
time. Soon after the first liturgy, a parish council was
elected and a constitution and by-laws were formulated.
The first officers were chairman, Dr. Edward Deeb; vicechairman, Mr. Louis Aboud; treasurer, Mr. Jacob
Thomas; secretary, Mrs. Adele Adams and two trustees at
large, Mr. Philip Nassief and Mr. Richard Bastron.
Completing the council were Mrs. Carrie Skaff, Mr. Don
Meena, Mr. Fred Sabbagh, Mr. Jack Malouf and Mr. Al
Homsy.
St. Michael's success can in no small measure be attributed to the wealth of talented and dedicated
parishioners and lay leaders. During the seven years that
followed, much growth was experienced. Property adjacent to the church was procured for future expansion.
The parish hall and kitchen were expanded and modernized. A choir loft was added to the church, and the church
was air-conditioned. All of this was made possible due to
very successful fund-raising activities and many generous
contributions of our parishioners and the many friends of
St. Michael throughout the larger Los Angeles community.
No story concerning St. Michael would be complete
without
touching
upon the many hard working
organizations. The Ladies Guild currently under the
leadership of Mrs. Toni Fayard is responsible for major
fund-raising events. These include two bake sales a year,
Easter and Thanksgiving; Mahrajans, Luaus, Art Auctions
and luncheons. Many affairs lend themselves to the
Southern California atmosphere, and are always an
elaborate production. They include a full show with exciting entertainment,
dancing and a lavish spread of
delicacies befitting the theme. Our guest always leave
awaiting news of the next affair.
The parish council, with its officers headed by Mr. Carl
Andrews, has provided capable leadership guiding the
church expansion and financial welfare. They are
(continued
on page 17)
DON'T BE BLIND IN THE FAITH
Send this form to
THE WORD, 358 Mountain Road, Englewood, N.J. 07631
$8.00 in the U.S. and Canada
$10.00 in foreign countries
----------------------------------------Name
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Address
City
Zip
Address
State
City ___________
,State
Zip
St. Michael in Van N uys
Page 14
The Word
January, 1977
Fr. John and Mrs. Reinhold
Page 15
�Metropolitan Philip
358 Mountain Road
Englewood, New Jersey07631
ARCHDIOCESAN
OFFICE
CLERGY TRANSFERRED:
COUREY, Rev. Michael from the assistant pastorate at St.
George in Cleveland, Ohio, to the pastorate at St. Mary in
Berkley, MI.
CHURCH DEDICATED:
St. George in Niagara Falls, NY on November 14 by
Metropolitan PHILIP.
ANTONIAN MEDAL PRESENTED:
To Edward Kassab of St. George in Detroit, Ml. (silver)
NEW PUBLICATIONS:
"The Balamand Theological Academy" (brochure) by the
Dept. of Press and Public Relations
"Patriarch Elias IV: A Biography" (brochure) by the Dept.
of Press and Public Relations
The Harvest of Antioch a selection of Lives of the Saints of
Antioch, by the Dept. of Christian Education. $1.50
Contemporary Reading and Library Guide for the
Orthodox Parish by the Dept. of Christian Education.
$2.50
your Eminence:
Please allow us to take a small amount of your time to
tell you how much we have enjoyed the past week with the
visits of Mr. Bill Essey and Dr. John Boojamra at our parish.
Both of these young men have talents, of which we can all
be proud as representatives
of the Archdiocese. your
Eminence is certainly to be complimented on your
selection of these men to work with the youth and
education of the Archdiocese.
NEW PUBLICATION
Each of these gentlemen are exceptionally versed in
Mr. Raymond George, Director of the Department of their fields and their formal speeches and informal talks
Sacred Music, announces the publication of the second with all of us at St. Michael's Parish will help us through the
volume of the "Byzantine Project". Sunday Matin Service many months and years to come. Dr. John Boojamra's and
(Orthros) is a chanter's manual which contains the com- Mr. Bill Essey's visits at St. Michael's Parish will be long
plete English text from the Oktoechos and is written in remembered and cherished. Thank you for allowing them
Western notation. Like the first volume in this "Byzantine to come.
Project", Saturday Great Vespers published in 1974
Sunday Matin Service is the work of Professor Basil Kazan,
Sincerely,
the noted Byzantine musicologist and chanter. Kazan hai
Demitri and Lynda George
successfully achieved to melodize all the hymns and write
Beaumont, Texas
them in music as close to the original Greek metre ai
possible. The Vesper and new Orthros volumes are
available from the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese - 358 Mountain Road - Englewood, NJ 07631
($10.00 each). Additional volumes in this "Byzantine
Project" will include the Festal Menaion, Triodion ano NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES TO TAKE
Pentecostarion.
ACTION ON MIDDLE EAST ISSUES
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ORDERS TWO DELA YEO
STUDIES TO BE IMPLEMENTED
Following a plea by Frank Maria, Chairman of the Dept.
of Near Eastern and Refugee Affairs for the Antiochian
Archdiocese of North America and a member of the
Governing Board of the National Council of Churches,
permanent end to the fighting and a return to political
N.C.C.'s Executive Committee voted to request that work
processes within a unified Le ban on.
finally begin on two studies which had been approved two
The theme
of your national
convention,
and three years ago. The first was a study of the violations
"Freedom to Believe" is most appropriate during
of human rights and international law by Israel within Israel
America's bicentennial year. Religious freedom has
and in the occupied territories, and the second was a study
always been one of the hallmarks of the American
of the detrimental
influence
of the unresolved
way of life, a fact which has contributed to the rich
Arab/ Israel conflict on church and society in the U.S.A.
diversity that is this nation's greatest strength. We
The Executive Committee assigned the study of
must continue
to encourage
and protect
inviolations of human rights in the Middle East to the Middle
dividuality.
East Committee, Division of Overseas Ministries; the topic
The wealth we have of culture, ethnic, religious
was enlarged to include besides Israel and the Israeli ocand racial traditions are valuable counterbalances to
cupied Arab territories, Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon
the overpowering sameness and subordination of
which border on Israel. The study of the detrimental effects
totalitarian societies.
on domestic relations in the U.S. of the unresolved
It is for this reason that your ethnic pride and the
Arab/ Israel conflict had already been assigned to the
fine family life, which is the hallmark of the Arabic
Division of Church and Society by the Governing Board's
speaking peoples everywhere, will be a part of your
Unit Committee on Church and Society, so the Executive
continuous dynamic contribution to the fabric of
Committee simply asked that DCS get going on this study.
American life.
In his remarks to the Executive Committee which met
I commend your dedication to church, nation and
~n connection with the Governing Board's fall conference
10 New York City recently,
family and as you begin your deliberations, I wish you
Frank Maria told of his
all a meaningful, productive and inspiring 31st
meetings with Arab Christian and Moslem leaders during
Annual Convention.
his recent visit to Jordan the West Bank and Israel and
th~ir repeated question, ,:How can Christian America do
this to us?". "They look to us in NCC to act on issues of
Gerald Ford
brotherhood, truth, justice and peace. If their human rights
President of the United States
have been and are being violated, we Christians in America
should speak out against this wrong."
1
PRESIDENT
FORD'S
MESSAGE
TO METROPOLITAN
PHILIP:
Your Eminence, Metropolitan Philip: Mrs. Ford
and I salute you on the occasion of your 10th anniversary as head of the Antiochian Orthodox
Christian Archdiocese of North America.
We remember very well your recent visit to the
White House. The plea that you made as the chairman of the Standing Conference of American Middle
Eastern Christian and Moslem leaders, on behalf of
the suffering people of Lebanon, made a profound
and lasting impression on all of us who are concerned
for a durable and just peace in Lebanon and the entire
Middle East.
As you know through our recent communications
with you, I have approved the transmittal to Congress
of the Lebanon relief act which authorized 20 million
dollars and the issuance of housing guarantees to
provide relief and rehabilitation assistance to the
Lebanese people.
This is only a small measure of the profound
concern and sympathy which I have for the Lebanese
people, whose past has given us such a fine example
of religious and cultural diversity and tolerance
within a single nation. We are keenly aware of your
special interest and are doing everything possible to
bring together all the parties involved in this recent
tragic chapter in Lebanon's history. We seek a
Page 16
The Wor, January, 1977
Parishes of the Archdiocese
St. Michael Orthodox Church
(continued from page 15)
responsible for the maintenance of the church and the
surrounding properties. This is no easy task, but the spirit of
fellowship always prevails as they spend many extra hours
during the week keeping the grounds of the church and
buildings clean and beautiful.
Our Sunday School Superintendent, Mr. Don Meena,
has a challenging task. He, of course, is in charge of overseeing the spiritual education of our youngsters. The school
encompasses children, ranging in age, from nursery to their
teens. He is aided by a very dedicated teaching staff
composed of young college students and experienced
parishioners who give so unselfishly of their precious time
preparing lessons. We have been delighted in that the
children have placed both in regional and national creative
writing and arts contests of the Archdiocese.
St. Michael is indeed fortunate to have its choir, under
the direction of Mr. Wladimir Worotko. He is young in
years, but rich in talent and experience. He, aside from
directing, has had the opportunity to sing with the Pan
Orthodox Choir, .the Orthodox Choir of Southern
California as well as the Roger Wagner Chorale.
St. Michael looks to youth to continue the progress of
its future. This SOYO group is kept busy under the watchful eye of their President, Mr. Steve Tobey. During these
past years, they have sponsored The Western Region
Family Conference, Turkey Raffles (at Thanksgiving),
luncheons and has held several retreats a year. As if this
wasn't enough, this energetic group conceived the idea of
holding a "Slave Sale". Members are auctioned to the
highest bidder and spend the day doing things for their
"masters of the day". All monies are given to the church
general fund.
These untiring young people are guided by their
sponsors Mr. Carl Andrews and Mr. Richard Bastron.
Many people praise our Ladies Society for all their fundraising efforts; however, these young people are extremely
dedicated to their church and to Orthodoxy. They are ever
present to lend their hands, to bring and take, serve and
clean up and with their bubbling personalities, keeping all
of us on our toes. How wonderful to be young bursting
with all that energy. God bless them.
We at St. Michael count our blessing ... and they are
many. But far above it all is the spiritual guidance provided
by our beloved Fr. John Reinhold. He and his charming
Khoureyee Leonida are not strangers to us. They have been
part of our community for 25 years. Fr. John had served as
an assistant pastor at St. Nicholas Cathedral before coming
to St. Michael. Since coming to our parish, he has provided
love and spiritual growth that have been a true inspiration
to each and everyone of us ... in essence all the qualities
needed to emulate the true Christian's life on earth. We are
young as a parish, and have not had the opportunity to
reach back into a. rich past as have so many of our sister
parishes in our Archdiocese. We are fortunate to be a-fforded the opportunity to be pioneers in establishing and
furthering the cause of Orthodoxy on the West Coast. We
have had many frustrations, but we have had many glorious
moments. As we gaze at the faces of our children, we know
that all these sacrifices will be rewarded.
Page 17
�DAILY DEVOTIONS
LIFESTYLES X
compiled by fr. gerasimos murphy
homily by father james c. meena
SOCIETY-CLASSLESS AND GODLESS???
Delivered at a Pro-Life Rally on the Anniversary
the Supreme Court Decision on Abortion
Let us recount some thoughts which, throughout
history, have torn at the unity of human thinking:
1. Is God?
2. If God is, then who and what is He?
3. Does God really care about His creation?
4. Has God intervened in History?
5. How many Angels can dance on the point of a
needle?
6. Was Jesus born of a Virgin? Did She remain evervirgin?
7. Was Jesus human or divine in nature and in will?
1
8. Can saints pray for us?
9. Is there a purgatory?
10. What about indulgences?
11. Is the Pope the Vicar of Christ?
12. Are we saved by grace, by works or faith?
Of course, the list is infinitely longer than this, but time
and interest forbid laboring the matter further.
The point of emphasis now is that we have a new
controversy, a moral issue which is being removed from the
theological arena and which, if we are to believe the advocates of "abortion on demand," should not even be
considered in a moral context.
The new controversy is the question of "ensoulment."
When does a human conception become a "human life?"
When does a fetus take on a soul?
The arguments range through the nation and the world.
Much sound and fury is heard throughout the land. The
advocates of liberal abortion insist that they can define
when "human" life begins and when that conception falls
under the direct jurisdiction of the fetus bearer.
Those of us who consider ourselves fully under the
conviction of God, whether Christian, Jew, Moslem or any
other, are convinced that we have no jurisdiction over that
which has been conceived except, perhaps in extreme cases
where choices are limited to one evil over another.
Those of us who believe in the sanctity of life, who are
being branded, cynically, as conservative "Pro-Lifers,"
shall never be convinced by those who trespass into areas
in which they have no real expertise; judges, people of
medicine, unwilling mothers, and even those who call
themselves believing people but who betray all the injuncPage 18
an attempt to encourage our faithful
to study Holy Scripture through
daily liturgical readings-
of
tions and statutes of scriptures in their liberal bent, that
anything else obtains.
God creates life. God alone has jurisdiction over life
and any time man intervenes to take a life, no matter the
cause, he transgresses against God Who shows us how to
support each other in living but not how to encourage each
other to die!
How far removed is abortion from euthanasia, the
elimination of the terminally ill and hopelessly deformed?
How far is euthanasia from "geracide," the elimination
of the aged who have outlived their usefulness?
How far removed are these from infanticide, the
"selective" elimination of the "problems" before the)
become problems?
For 200 years we have been trying to establish anc
maintain, in so far as possible, a "classless" society h
America. We struggle to overcome our historic failures sc
that that dream may become a reality ... a society when
every person is truly equal.
I propose to you that liberal abortion as it is now bein.
practiced in this nation is the first giant step toward ru
elitist society in which certain elements will eventuall)
usurp sufficient power to determine who shall live and whc
shall die.
In our struggle to have a society without classes, we
have clung to the concept of separation of Church am
State. It is basically a good concept, in my opinion, not
withstanding its many problems. But does that mean i
separation of the State from Godliness? A separation fron
any concept of morality which has historic consistency anc
efficacy?
I believe that we who are under the panoply of divine
guidance, wh_o believe that God really cares about us anc
our world, must be adamant in our posture regardin!
abortion. If we consider the intervention of our nation ir
the life-style of other nations immoral where human lifet'
concerned, and if we consider the withholding of essentia
aid which might save the lives of a starving people immoral
then how can we possibly consider the quasi-legal inter
vention by individuals in the natural process of birth moral'.
WE CANNOT! WE DARE NOT! WE MUST NOT! Wf
Wll.,LNOT!
WEEKOFJANUARY9
II
I...J ~r
'
lWI
ml
11:-d
:1
t
..-....
WEEK OF JANUARY 23
Sun. - Col. 3:4-11
Luke 17:12-19
Mon. -James 2:14-26
Mark 10:46-52
Mon. -Heb. 13: 17-21
Luke 6: 17-23
Tue. -James 2: 1-13
Mark 10:23-32
Tue. -James 3: 1-10
Mark 11: 11-23
Wed. -James 1:1-18
Mark 10:11-16
Wed.-James3:11-4:6
Mark 11:23-26
Thu. -James 4:7-5:9
Mark 11:27-33
Thu.-James4:7-17,
Mark 11:27-33
Fri.-Heb.10:32-36
Luke 12:32-40
Fri.-IPet.1:1-2,
Mark 12: 1-12
Sat. - Col. 1:3-6
Luke 16:10-15
Sat. -I Thess 5: 14-23
Luke 17:3-10
5:1-9
10-12;2:6-10
WEEK OF JANUARY 30
Sun.-ITim.4:9-15
Luke 19:1-10
Sun.-IITim.
3:10-15
Luke 18:10-14
Mon. -I Pet 2:21-3:9
Mark 12:13-17
Mon. -II Pet. 1:20; 2:9
Mark 13:9-13
Tues. - I Pet. 3: 10-22
Mark 12: 18-27
Tue. -II Pet. 2:9-22
Mark 13: 14-23
Wed. - I Pet. 4:1-11
Mark 12: 18-27
Wed. -Heb. 7:7-17 Meet. of Christ
Luke 2:22-40
Thu.-IPet.
4:12-5:5
Mark 12:38-44
Thu.-IJohn
1:8-2:6
Mark 13:31-14:2
Fri. - II Pet. 1 : 1-10
Mark 13:1-8
Fri.-II Tim. 3: 1-9
Luke 20:45-21 :4
Sat. -II Tim. 2:11-19
Luke 18:2-8
January, 1977
The Wore
•
WEEKOFJANUARY16
Sun.-Eph.
4:7-13
Math. 4: 12-17
Page 19
�North American Council
Be not opposed to His Church
As "event".
SOYO
Digtst
News and Views ...
To my beloved members of SOYO:
Love and blessings to all of you.
The most significant event of our ecclesiastical life this
year is the historic visit to North America of His Beatitude,
our Father, ELIAS N, Patriarch of Antioch and All the
East. In the traditional ecclesiastical language of the
Orthodox Church, our Patriarch is referred to as "The Saint
of Antioch", and "The Angel of Antioch," It is most appropriate therefore to proclaim 1977, the year of his visit,
"Holy Year."
The Patriarch of Antioch, third in rank in the Orthodox
world, symbolizes the history of twenty centuries of
Antiochian experience and theology. He represents those
Holy Apostles and Fathers like Peter and Paul, John
Chrysostom, John of Damascus, Ephriem the Syrian and
many other Holy Fathers and Patriarchs who, guided by the
Holy Spirit, gave us that great Antiochian inheritance.
Antioch in the course of the years, through its famous
"school of theology" and its renowned theologians, played
a tremendous role in the formation of our Orthodox
theology. The entire Orthodox world, in its theological and
traditional richness, is indebted to the Great Throne of
Antioch, to which we proudly belong. Our Archdiocese is
part of this Throne. Our Archdiocese through the
leadership of Metropolitan PHILIP has become the
gravitational center of this Throne. Consequently, SOYO,
in its great achievements, is considered the most active
youth movement in the Throne of Antioch.
Being aware of your tremendous role in the service of his
Throne, His Beatitude will be extremely delighted to bless
you as he presides over our Regional Conferences, as well
as the Archdiocese Convention. He will witness the great
progress of our Archdiocese, the real renaissance in all
aspects of spiritual and administrative life. He will be
surprised to see the youth so aware of our Orthodox Faith
and Tradition, so dedicated and committed to God and
Orthodoxy on this continent
where Church life is
challenged by this secularized and technological era.
This spiritual awakening, this real dedication to God and
His Church, in such a materialistic and complicated
society, is an indication of your attempts to climb the
ladder of perfection and to reach the possible level of
sanctity. His Beatitude will see in the life of our faithful the
real reflection of the holiness which he represents. He will
see the Orthodox Faith and Tradition
of Antioch
manifested in you, and the Holy Year of his visitation will
be a great link in the chain of your holy Orthodox life.
With continued prayers for your well-being, we remain
With love in Christ,
ELIA
Bishop of Salamia
SOYO'S CHALLENGE
.. Awareness and Commitment"
In the darkness of the night
Don't tell me that you suffer
or wail
or weep
For the injustices and afflictions
Of man
In this world
His poverty
hunger and thirst
For the Eucharist of Life
Because "Unto you a Saviour is born"
To pierce the darkness
With the morn.
Arise, go forth and spread the Light
Don't tell me that you care
or "feel"
or "think"
Page 20
by Janice Nicola
Los Angeles, Cal.
That war is opposition.
To that Prince of Peace
That the Church
Is irrelevant
Because as "institution" the Church is obscure
From the grievances of society
Man must endure.
Ah, my child, with wings take flight!
Don't tell me that the Church is stagnant
Show me, prove to me, demonstrate by your actions
That Man is not!
Then I will know
That when I see Man
I am seeing Christ manifest
In the world
Because I'm sure what it was Christ meant
Was that His Church as "institution"
The Word
Precious Orthodox youth, no longer forlorn
Show me what is right
That we are One
Family of God
That we, the Church
Pledge to embody Christ
In ourselves and actively bring Him
Into the World
by our example
by our lives.
That this awareness
May transform itself
Into Commitment.
SOYO! Religiously Adorn!
Show me Christ with all thy might
JESUS LIVED WITH THE PEOPLE
AND BLESSED THEM
In myself
retreats, campus conferences,
church school, missionary work
In humanity
praying for the desolate, clothing the naked,
feeding the hungry
In society
speaking out. active moral concern in a
nation's policies
Show me the
Good tidings of great joy
Which have so newly
Been proclaimed in our parishes.
Let us pray that the SOYO platform will become Life
itself
Because to "fight the good fight"
Means to see Christ, the bright and morning star
Through the darkness
Of the night.
WE SHARE IN GOD'S LIFE
THROUGH THE
HOLY SACRAMENTS
By Vikki Audi
Jesus lived with the people and blessed them. He
performed so many miracles that it would be impossible to
remember them all. The Gospel, according to Saint John
21 :25, the last one to be written, ends in these words, "But
there are also many other things which Jesus did, were
every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world
itself could not contain the books that would be written."
We also read in the Gospel, according to Saint Mark
6:5,6, that when Jesus came to preach in the part of the
country where He had grown up, He was met with disbelief:
"He could do no mighty work there except that He lay His
hands upon a few sick people and healed them and He
marveled because of their disbelief." There were some
miracles Jesus wouldn't perform. They were for the evil
ones. He wouldn't turn stones into bread or do any kind of
miracles as a kind of magic trick to prove His capability of
miracles.
Jesus Christ taught not with words alone, but by deeds,
meaning to bring back joyful and happy lives, like He intended them to be. He made the sick well, the blind to see
and the paralyzed walk. This work was very important to
Him and that showed He was sent by God and was, and still
is, the Son of God. When Jesus did these deeds, He felt
happy because He could save peoples lives and He continued to bless them.
The Gospel story was not just a record of what happened a long time ago, but has very much to do with the life
we live today. Were you ever in any kind of danger that you
really feared? Jesus showed us that courage has much to do
with our faith. There was a story of Peter walking on the
waves of the sea and becoming frightened and beginning to
sink. If our Faith and trust in God and Jesus are strong, we
can face any danger.
By David Joseph
We do everything in our Orthodox Church, according
to the Seven Holy Sacraments. A Sacrament is a special
service of the Church, by which we are blessed and receive
a special gift from God. There are two parts to a Sacrament,
the part you can see and the part you cannot see. The part
you can see is the Holy Service in Church. The part you
cannot see is the Holy Spirit within us. Only the Bishops and
the Priests can perform these Holy Services.
The Seven Holy Sacraments are:
BAPTISM: as a baby, you are Baptized by being placed
into Holy Water to cleanse away the bad spirit and become
a member of God's Church.
CHRISMA TION: This is done immediately after Baptism.
Here you are anointed with Holy Chrism and you receive
the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
COMMUNION: Jesus started this at the Last Supper,
where He told His disciples the wine is His Blood and the
bread is His Body. He gave His Blood and Body for us.
PENANCE: The sacrament of Penance is where we realize
and are sorry for our sins, confess them to God, are
forgiven by God and we promise to live a new life in Jesus
Christ.
MARRIAGE: This is when two people, a man and a
woman, love each other and are joined together by a Priest
in Church, never to be parted.
PRIESTHOOD: The Clergy are ordained by Apostolic
succession, the laying on of hands, traced back to Jesus'
Apostles.
HOLY UNCTION: This is a service of anointing the sick
with Holy Oil.
Our Church lives and grows through the Seven
Sacraments. The Sacraments are our life in the Church.
VIKKI AUDI is a 6th grader at St. Mary's Church in Johnstown, Pa. She
won first place in the Creative Writing Contest.
DAVID JOSEPH is a 5th grader at St. Mary '.sChurch in Johnstown, Pa. He
won first place in the Creative Writing Contest.
January, 1977
Page 21
�Communities In Action
l\ntinc~ian ®rt~nhnx or~ristian 31lllnmen
nf N nrt~ l\mtrica
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America:
Greetings and best wishes to all our members for the
New Year! January is the time for looking ahead with new
resolve for a more successful, a more dedicated and a more
fruitful year.
Once again Elsie Kaleel, President of the AOCWNA
Board, and all her officers call upon regional officers and
the faithful women of our parishes to commit themselves to
a successful charity drive in 1977 for the Balamand
Seminary. Our individual projects, raising the committed
$25,000 by all our local chapters will be most important.
These projects can be held at any time during the year.
We as an organization must not only be united in our
charity drives but in our worship also. On March 20, 1977,
we are asking all the faithful women to partake corporately
in the Body and Blood of our Lord, praying collectively for
success and guidance from our heavenly Father in all we
do.
Since March has been designated as AOCWNA month,
women should read the epistle, hold and attend retreats for
their members, hold their charity drive functions and just
continue to be a very important part of their local parishes.
Please remember t.hat:
1. Your local chapter dues were due January 1, 1977.
2. Your regional dues are due no later than February 1,
1977.
3. Your project funds are due no later than May 1,
1977.
ST. MARY'S CHURCH PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND
These dates are important so that all reports can be
prepared for the 1977 Conferences and the Archdiocese
Convention in Washington, D.C. with His Beatitude in
attendance.
All regions are reminded to please keep the North
American Officers and Standing Committee Chairmen
informed of their activities and that copies of all reports
and functions be sent to the corresponding secretary for the
Archives. The Standing Committee Officers are:
Projects: Mrs. Ethel George-6522
Tanglewood Lane,
Seven Hills, Ohio 44131.
Membership: Ms. Eleanor Howard - 3807 Virginia
Ave., Southeast, Charleston, W.Va. 25311.
Cultural: Mrs. Elsie Mansour - 5325 13th St., South·
west Apt. 1A, Canton, Ohio 44710.
Humanitarian: Mrs. Gwena Haddad - 4215 Venable
Ave., Southeast, Charleston, W.Va. 25304.
Finance: Mrs. Adele Abraham 150 Park Hills
Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506.
Archives: Mrs. Laurece Kaleel3816 Fairway Drive,
Canfield, Ohio 44406.
The Executive Officers of the AOCWNA ask for
continued cooperation and prayers by all Regions so that
our "Antiochian Holy Year" will long be remembered asa
successful, unified effort.
Your Sister in Christ,
RuthMeena
Public Relations AOCWNA
CONTEMPORARY READING AND LIBRARY GUIDE
FOR THE ORTHODOX PARISH
The Department of Christian Education now has
available a Contemporary Reading and Library Guide for
the Orthodox Parish. In response to numerous requests
from across the country the Department has compiled a
detailed
annotated
bibliography to contemporary
literature in the English language related both directly and
indirectly to the Orthodox Church and its faith. Although
the Guide is designed for use by individuals interested in
learning more about the Orthodox faith, it is also
presented as a guide for parents and teachers interested in
questions related to children, how they learn, and how
they grow and develop. The Guide is aimed at the
broadest possible parochial audience.
The Department has expanded on the original objective of offering a reading list and presents an introductory guide to the establishment of a parish reading
and reference library. For the convenience of both individual readers and those wishing to establish a library,
the Guide is divided up into some twenty different
Page 22
categories including the following: The Orthodox Church,
Church
History,
Patristics,
Theology,
Philosophy,
Spirituality, Liturgical Theology, Ecumenics, Bible and
Bible Aids, New Testament, Old Testament, Pastoral
Theology, Church Art and Architecture, Music, Religious
Education, Youth Ministry, Periodicals, and Audio·
Visuals.
No parish or Orthodox Christian can afford to be
without this convenient and detailed guide to con·
temporary reading material available in the English
language. The Guide may be ordered from the Depart·
ment of Christian Education @ $2.50 per copy. (Please
add 7 % to order for postage and handling.)
Address Orders to:
Department of Christian Education
358 Mountain Road
Englewood, New Jersey 07631
The Word
During the weekend of September 10, 11, and 12, 1976,
St. Mary's Antiochian Orthodox Church of Pawtucket,
Rhode Island celebrated the "Festival of the Nativity of
Saint Mary." The weekend of spiritual and social events
was made especially memorable by the presence of His
Eminence, Metropolitan Philip.
On Friday evening the celebration began with a Vesper
Service conducted by the Rt. Rev. Athanasius Saliba,
pastor of St. Mary's and the Rt. Rev. Antoun Khouri. The
parishioners of St. Mary's were proud to welcome The
Most Rev. Louis Gelineau, Bishop of the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, the Very Rev.
Charles Fletcher, Dean of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode
Island, the Hon. Dennis Lynch, Mayor of Pawtucket, and
various other local dignitaries as observers. Following the
Vespers, a reception was held in the church hall where
members of the reception committee served coffee and
Arabic pastry. On behalf of the parishioners of St. Mary's,
Fr. Saliba presented His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip
with a pendant to mark the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his consecration as Archbishop.
Saturday, September 11, was a busy day for everyone.
At 11:00 a.m., Metropolitan Philip and Fr. Saliba held a
press conference attended by reporters from the local
newspapers. The main topic of discussion was the current
situation in the Middle East.
Following the press conference, Teen SOYO hosted
Metropolitan Philip at a luncheon in the church hall, which
was decorated in a festive manner. At that time, the teens
presented Saidna Philip with a gift of their own to commemorate his anniversary. After lunch, a question and
answer session was held, with questions that ranged from
theological matters, such as life after death, to t~e issu~ ?f
the woman's role in today's Church. Metropohtan Phihp
answered the questions of the young people graciou_slyand
informatively and everyone present seemed to enJoy the
session.
The social highlight of the weekend was the ~inn~r
dance, held Saturday evening at the Chateau de Ville m
Warwick, Rhode Island. This affair was also attended by
local dignitaries and clergy. A delicious meal, good music
and the friendship of the many parishioners and friends
combined to make the evening a thoroughly enjoyable one.
On Sunday morning Metropolitan Philip celebrated the
Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, assisted by Fr. Saliba and Fr.
Khouri. The choir also participated in the service, and the
members were praised by His Eminence for their devotion.
Saidna's sermon, in which he preached about the role of
women in the history of our Church, and their role today,
reflected the theme of the weekend, which was a celebration of the birth of our Beloved Theotokos. Following
t~e sermon Metropolitan Philip awarded four par~shion~rs
with meritorious certificates in recognition of their service
to St. Mary's parish. Those who were so honored are: John
Gorab, Sophie Laffey, George Ma took, and Mary J • Sa~ra.
The activities of the weekend came to a close with a
January, 1977
Metropolitan Philip and Bishop Louis Geleneau
Providence, RI.
of
Hafli on Sunday afternoon, at which the featured entertainer was the vocalist Hanaan. Once again we were both
pleased and honored to welcome local clergymen and officials, the most notable of whom was the Governor of
Rhode Island, the Honorable Philip Noel. The Hafli was a
social success and everyone was sad to see it end, especially
since it brought with it the end of the excitement and activity of the entire weekend.
One particularly noteworthy aspect of the weekend was
the amount of news coverage we received. Portions of
Friday evening's Vesper Service were telecast on a local
television station later that night, and newspaper reporters
and photographers were present at every event which took
place during the three-day affair. The parishioners of St.
Mary's Church were indeed proud to receive such recognition by the local news media.
The planning for the Festival of the Nativity of St. Mary
had begun more than one year ago, and nearly every
parishioner was involved in some way with the arrangements. It would be impossible to publicly acknowledge
every committee person. However, those parishioners who
comprised the executive committee certainl~ deserve t_obe
commended for their efforts. The executive committee
included:
Ronald
Gauthier,
Chairman;
Rt. Rev.
Athanasius Saliba, Honorary Chairman; Dr. Joseph Samra,
Marlene Samra, Sophie Laffey; John Gorab; William A.
Catelli, Jr.; Elaine Gauthier; Matilda Josephs; George
Kilsey; Patricia Kilsey; Nicholas Hanna; John Bargoot;
Anne Siemon; and Virginia Trahan. We thank them and
praise them for their excellent work.
Joanne Josephs
Photographs by: William Fortier
Page 23
�ST. LUKE'S CHURCH
GARDEN GROVE, CALIF.
Two Ordinations were held at St. Luke's Orthodox
Church, during the recent visit of His Grace, Bishop Elia. A
convert to Orthodoxy, the Rev. John Powell was ordained
to the Holy Diaconate and to the Priesthood at impressive
services held at our church. During that same time, Robert
Hardie of our parish, also a convert to Orthodoxy, was
blessed as Subdeacon Stephen.
Father Powell came to us from Seattle, Washington,
where he has returned to establish a Wes tern Rite
Orthodox Parish. The new parish will be dedicated to Saint
Michael. Father Powell is a convert from the Episcopal
church which he served as a clergyman for many years. A
delegation from the Seattle area accompanied him to St.
Luke's.
Subdeacon Hardie, is advisor to the SOYO Groups at
St. Luke's, and his wife, Doris, is Secretary of our parish
office. He is also Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council, and
plans to study for the Holy Priesthood at St. Vladimir's
Seminary next year. They reside in Tustin, and have two
children. Subdeacon Stephen attends the Late Vocational
Orthodox Institute in Los Angeles.
On this same occasion, a member of the Archdiocese
Board of Trustees, Dr. George A. Dibs, of our parish, was
awarded the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Certificate
of Meritorious
Service, conferred
upon him by
Metropolitan Philip, and presented by Bishop Elia. George
has long been a faithful member of this Pan-Orthodox
parish, almost from it's beginning, and has served the
comm unity in many capacities. Along with being Assistant
Superintendent of the schools of the Walnut School
District, he has served on three different occasions as
Chairman of the Parish Council. He, together with Father
Gabriel,
began the successful Orthodox
Christian
Stewardship Program at St. Luke's, which was beneficial in
the building programs of the parish. He also served as
Superintendent of the Church School.
Our St. Luke's Parish also recently honored our Pastor,
Dr. George Dibs
the V. Rev. Gabriel M. Ashie, for his Ten Years at St
Luke's, with a Banquet. The event featured messages fro~
varied individuals in Orthodoxy who have known and
served with Fr. Ashie in his eighteen years as a Priest. Re
and his wife, Helen, were given a complete Two-Week trip
to Hawaii. The trip will feature side visits from the
mainland to the various Islands, and was given by all of the
parishioners of St. Luke's for this worthy Priest.
We are all grateful to now have the Rt. Rev. John p
Matthiesen, formerly of Wichita, Kansas, who has bee~
assigned by Metropolitan Philip to serve as Associate
Pastor of St. Luke's. He will assist Fr. Gabriel with pastoral
visits, the Church School and Youth Groups, and in other
capacities in our rapidly growing Pan-Orthodox parish. In
the future he will assist with a mission to be established
from within the parish in the Southern portion of Orange
County. Fr. Matthiesen has served the Antiochian Archdiocese for thirty years, and was ordained by Metropolitan
Antony Bashir, of blessed memory, in 1946. We know that
all of our parish, including the one-third who are converts
to the Faith will enjoy the efforts of this dedicated
Archimandrite.
ST. MICHAELCHURCH
LOUISVILLE,KENTUCKY
It was an evening of sorrow and happiness. On Wed
nesday evening, August 11, Saint Michael of Louisville bid
farewell to Reverend Father Antony M. Beauchamp and
his f~mily. Father Antony is being transferred to Saint
George's in Lowell, Mass. and has faithfully served Saint
Michael and its people for five wonderful and prosperom
years.
Mr. Eli Simon, Jr., Council Chairman, was master ol
ceremonies as we "launched" them to their new parish.
Also honored at the farewell banquet was his wonderful
wife Patti, their two sons, Michael and Chris, and hi!
mother, Mrs. Mary Beauchamp. Father Gregory Weinbact
of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption anc
Father Stephen Burke of Saint Barnabus Roman Catholic
Church were at the table of honor. Commonwealtl
Attorney Dave Armstrong presented Father Antony a
plaque proclaiming him the first and only honorary
chaplain to the Commonwealth Attorney's Office. Mr.
George Salem, Jr. made Father Antony an Honorable
Kentucky Colonel serving as our southern hospitality
representative to the New England area. The Parish
Council presented a beautif~l, engraved four hundred day
anniversary clock to the family.
With God's blessing many wonderful projects were
accomplished during Father Antony's stay in Louisville.
The new church of Saint Michael of Louisville opened its
doors on October 8, 1972 with Metropolitan Philip as our
most honored guest at this joyous celebration. The thirtieth
annual Antiochian
Orthodox
Christian Archdiocese
Convention was hosted in Louisville, Ky. by Saint Michael.
Under Father Antony's direction a scholarship fund was
established for deserving students of the church. On his last
Sunday Father Antony announced contributions were over
four thousand dollars. Father Antony and his wonderful
family will be missed by all of us. May God grant them
many years and much happiness.
Bruce Thomas
ST. MARY CHURCH
JOHNSTOWN,PA.
The Rt. Rev. Alexander Curry, Pastor Emeritus of St.
Mary's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Johnstown, Penna.
was honored at a banquet on Sunday, September 26. The
testimonial was held at St. Andrews Church Hall, Benscreek.
Fr. Curry had been pastor of the local church for 10
years before his retirement. His father, the late Very Rev.
Michael Curry, exarch priest had founded St. Mary's and
served as its first pastor.
His Grace, Bishop Elia was the main speaker at the
banquet as a representative of Metropolitan Philip, Pri-
Fr. Beauchamp's family is reassigned.
Archlmandrite Curry retires
Page 24
The Word
January, 1977
Ordination of Fr. Paul Tarazi to Diaconate.
mate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
of North America.
We at St. Mary's and all of Fr. Curry's friends from the
churches in the Western Pennsylvania Deanery were
saddened because of Fr. Curry's illness prior to the
banquet. Fr. George M. Corry of St. Michael's Church in
Greensburg, Penna. represented Fr. Alex at the banquet
and spoke in his behalf. Remarks were made by the Very
Rev. George S. Corey of Pittsburgh, who spoke on behalf of
the Western Pa. Deanery. Fr. Curry served as Dean of the
Deanery for several years. Mitchell Azar, President of St.
Mary's Church Council gave welcoming remarks. George
Dayoob was the toastmaster.
Fr. Curry was born in Johnstown. He was ordained into
the priesthood in 1952 and served as pastor of St. Elias
Church in New Castle for 14 years before returning here.
He also did mission work in Butler, Pa. and Youngstown,
Ohio.
Fr. Curry was elevated to the rank of archpriest in 1962.
During a pastoral visit to Johnstown in October, 1971
Metropolitan
Philip elevated him to the rank of
Archimandrite, since Fr. Curry's wife had since died.
Bishop Elia took part in several events during his weekend visit. He attended a luncheon with Teenage SOYO
(Society of Orthodox Youth Organizations) and celebrated
Vespers at St. Mary's, assisted by Fr. Joseph Shahda, newly
appointed pastor of St. Mary's.
After the services a dinner was held at Sunnehanna
Country Club for the bishop, church council and members
of the committee arranging the testimonial banquet.
During the Hierarchical Liturgy on Sunday morning
Bishop Elia ordained Nadim Tarasi of Lebanon as a subDeacon and also ordained him into the Holy Diaconate. He
took the name of "Paul."
After Liturgy Fr. Deacon Paul was honored at a breakfast and was presented with an Icon of the Blessed Virgin
on behalf of St. Mary's.
Page 25
�ORTHODOX CLERGY
The
Orthodox World
ASSOCIATION OF
GREATER BRIDGEPORT
In a revitalization effort, the Orthodox Clergy
Association of Greater Bridgeport recently conducted an
election of officers for the first time in many years. The
officers elected are: Rev. Father Constantine Eliades,
Pastor of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, as
President; Rt. Rev. Mitred Archpriest Basil M. Butchko,
Pastor of the Protection of St. Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox
Church, as Secretary; and the Rev. Father Richard Sc~tt,
Pastor of the St. John the Baptist Carpatho-Russian
Canonical Orthodox Church, Stratford, as Treasurer.
The Orthodox
Clergy Association
of Greater
Bridgeport is conducting Vesper Services,. Seminars and
Lectures in the fall of this year. So far, Services have been
held at St. George Albanian Orthodox Church,, speake~ ':as
Fr. James Gleason; Protection of St. Marys Ukraiman
Orthodox Church, speaker was Rev. Fr. Constantine
Eliades; St. Nicholas' Antiochian Orthodox Church,
speaker was Fr. Joel McEachen; Saint John the Baptist
Carpatho-Russian Canonical Orthodox Church, speaker
was Fr. Daniel Montgomery; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
Church, speaker was Fr. Stephen Feica; Saint John the
Baptist Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church, Mill Hill Ave.,
speaker was Fr. Richard Scott. Topics discusse_d were:
Doctrine & Faith; Bible & History; Worship; and
Th~nksgiving.
The Antiochian Orthodox Parish and its Pastor-Priest,
the Very Rev. Archpriest John Chromiak, have been very
active in this series of Services and Seminars, and also were
very active in the Holy Lenten Series that we had this past
spring before Pascha (Easter).
Rt. Rev. Mitred Archpriest Basil M. Butchko, Secretary
Children of Vicksburg present gift to the Metropolitan.
left to right, Angela Wright, Albert Habeeb, George
Habeeb, Andrew Olin, Sammy Habeeb
ST. GEORGE CHURCH
VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI
In August of this year St. George _Orthodox Churc~ o
Vicksburg, Mississippi, conducted its annual Vacattor
Bible School. Members of the Teen SOYO acted a
teachers. The theme for this year was "Walking in the
Footsteps of Christ." To dramatize the theme each chi!t
participated in the making and cutting of foot-shapet
cookies which were baked and served as refreshments eac,
day.
Original drawings were made by the childr~n and Teer
SOYO members using fabric crayons. These pictures wen
then transferred to fabric squares by using a hot iron; tht
squares were then assembled and quilted b! ladies_ ~f th
church. This quilt was sent to Metropohtan
Ph1hp tr
commemorate
his tenth
anniversary
year.
Thi
"togetherness" generated by this project has carried ove.
into almost every phase of church life at St. George.
Mary Jo Wrigh
THE HARVEST OF ANTIOCH:
A SELECTION OF SAINTS OF THE CHURCH OF ANTIOCH
The Harvest of Antioch has been prepared by the
Department of Christian Education in commemoration of
the Holy Year 1977 proclaimed by His Eminence
Metropolitan Philip Saliba. The book of approximately
forty pages is a two fold compilation. The Harvest begins
with an alphabetical listing of approximately 200 saints of
the Church of Antioch dating from the time of the New
Testament. The second list presents the same saints
chronologically according to their feast day within the
calendar year. In this listing each of the names is accompanied by a brief biographical sketch compiled by Mr.
Bill Essey of the Archdiocesan Youth Department. These
brief biographical
sketches are suitable for daily
devotions, commemoration, or meditation.
The purpose of the publication of The Harvest of
Antioch is to highlight the spiritual contribution made to
BULGARIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
RESUMES MOUNT ATHOS TIES
SOFIA - Contact has been resumed between the
Orthodox Church of Bulgaria and Zographou,
the
Bulgarian enclave in the Mount Athos monastery complex
in Greece.
Bulgarian radio reported here that Pa~riarch Mak~im,
head of the Bulgarian Church, said this was possible
because of improved relations between the Greek and
Bulgarian governments. The patriarch also spoke of better
relationships between his Church and the (Orthodox)
Church of Greece.
The radio reported the patriarch s~id the Bulgari~n
Church "has a solid institutional position m our democratic
state."
the Universal Church by the Church of Antioch and the
numerous leaders and devoted Christians whom sht
nurtured. It is by tracing our spiritual heritage that we car
more fully come to understand our role as Orthod~l
Christians in North America in the twentieth century. Thi
is a valuable booklet for every Orthodox family to haveir
its possession and to make use of daily. The Harvest o,
Antioch may be ordered from the Department 0
Christian Education @ $1.50 per copy. (Please add 7%tc
order for postage and handling.)
Address Orders to:
Department of Christian Education
358 Mountain Road
Englewood, New Jersey 07631
Page 26
The Wort
COURTESY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS Boston
Massachusetts, 02155.
The Nativity, John Singleton Copley, 1776- Oil on canvas.
ORTHODOX
PARTICIPATE
IN CHRISTMAS
STAMP ISSUE
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts was
the scene of a special ceremony marking the first-day of
issue for the 1976 Bi-Centennial Christmas Stamp.
Deputy Postmaster General William F. Bolgero!ficially
issued the two stamps on October 27th. One stamp 1sbased
on the 200 year old religious painting of the Madonna &
Child "Nativity" by Boston-born artist John Singleton
Copl~y; and the other, on the 1855 Nat~aniel ..cu:rier
lithograph of an ice-skating scene entitled
Wmter
Pastime".
Rev. Fr. Gerasimos Murphy, Pastor, St. John of
Damascus Church, Boston participated in the ceremony
representing our Archdiocese.
2 CHAPELS GUTTED BY FIRE;
PRICELESS ART IS LOST
ATHENS - Two chapels containing priceless frescoes
and icons were gutted by a fire in the 1,000-year-old Greek
Orthodox monastery of Meghistis Lavras (Great Lavra) on
Mount Athos on the Chalcidice peninsula on northeastern
Greece.
.
f the
The monastery, the oldest of 20 monastenes O
.
Order of St. Basil of the Orthodox Eastern Church, is
located on the slope of the 6,667-foot Ayion Oros (Holy
Mountain).
January, 1977
GREEK ORTHODOX SEMINARY
TO OPEN IN KENYA IN 1977
NAIROBI, Kenya - Archbishop Makarios, President
of Cyprus, and head of the autocephalous Orthodox
Church of Cyprus, announced here that a Greek Orthodox
seminary he helped to found in Kenya will open in January
1977 with 25 students.
The archbishop, in Nairobi after attending the
nonaligned nations' summit meeting in Sri Lanka (Ceylon),
has flown to Athens for talks with Greek government
officials.
BIBLICAL SCHOLAR DISCOUNTS CLAIMS
STATE OF ISRAEL FULFILLS PROPHECY
SYDNEY - A Roman Catholic biblical scholar, who
has spent the last nine years teaching in Jerusalem, said
here the belief held by many Christians that the state of
Israel fulfills a biblical prophecy has "absolutely no
credibility" among serious scholars.
Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, O.P., professor of
New Testament and inter-Testamental Literature at the
Ecole Biblique, said the government of Israel naturally
welcomed the propagation of the "fulfillment" th~o1?'
among Christians because it supported the nation s
legitimacy.
.
.
,
He stressed that he was not argumg agamst Israel s
legitimacy, but merely stating that the prophetic argument
is unsound.
.
Father Murphy-O'Connor
also critized claims on
biblical grounds that the end of the world is 1!-ea~.~e said
"signs and portents" quoted by supporters or this view including such events as wars and civil disturbance - have
been present for hundreds of years.
•
Page 27
�PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA ABOLISHES
THE NORTH AMERICAN EXARCHATE
NEW YORK - Eastern Orthodox Pope and Patriarch
Nicholas VI of Alexandria (Egypt) and All Africa has
abolished the North American exarchate he revived in
1974.
In one Eastern Orthodox usage, an exarch is a
patriarchal representative
who oversees parish~s and
clergy dispersed in an area separate fro1:1 the, mai1;1~oncentration of Christians under a patnarch s spmtual
jurisdiction. The major focus of Alexandrian jurisdiction
is Africa.
Last Fall the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North
and South 'America protested that the Alexandrian
exarchate constituted an infringement of its jurisdiction.
Archbishop Iakovos, head of the archdiocese, is ~lso
Exarch for the Wes tern Hemisphere of the Ecumemcal
Patriarch, "first among equals" in Eastern Orthodoxy.
NCC RULES AMENDED TO PUBLICIZE
MINORITY VIEWS ON RESOLUTIONS
NEW YORK - The National Council of Churches has
amended its rules to allow for the filing of minority views
about NCC study or position papers, and to require that
such dissent be publicized along with the majority position.
The amendments allow "an individual or group participating in a program unit of the Council which develops a
study or position paper" to file a minority report or summary to be included with the majority document.
The changes also require that "appropriate reference to
any minority report, dissent or protest" be made in NCC
press releases about a study or position paper.
Father Nicon D. Patrinacos, ecumenical officer of the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America
and a member of the seven-person committee which
revised the standing rules, hailed the change because, as a
result, "the Orthodox voice will be heard by all and will
remain on record for the future."
He said his request for the changes came because in
"many important situations in which the Orthodox cannot
in good conscience vote with the majority, their dissenting
opinion is drowned by the majority without a chance to be
known even to our own people. As a result, many
misunderstandings have plagued us in our relations with
our own congregations who in many instances accuse us of
blindly following radical positions."
BELIEVER IN SOVIET MENTAL HOSPITAL
APPEALS TO MOSCOW PATRIARCH FOR HELP
KESTON, England -A Russian Orthodox believer in a
Moscow mental institution since mid-July, has appealed to
Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and all Russia for help.
The Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism
here reports the letter by Alexander Argentov, 25, "matterof-factly setting out the circumstances of his detention":
". . . As the doctors openly told me, the sole reason for
my detention was my faith in God and my membership of
the Orthodox Church. I am healthy and I sleep well, but
here they persistently give me sleeping pills; I am a
balanced, placid person by nature, but here I was forced to
take a psychotropic (mind-inf! uencing) drug - aminazin allegedly to calm me down, with the threat that if I did not
take it I would be subjected to forcible treatment by injections.
Page 28
RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PRIESTS GET WARNING
AGAINST POLITICAL ECONOMIC INVOLVEMENT
KUESNACHT, Switzerland - A set of strictures
arning Russian Orthodox priests not to "mix in political,
w cial or economic questions," issued by Metropolitan
~~raphim of Krutizy and Koloma, has been received here.
Faith in the Second World, an agency which specializes
• documentation on matters involving Churches in the
roviet Union, received a translated text of the orders that
was smuggled out of the country.
According to the agency, Metropolitan Seraphim, who
is administrator of the Moscow diocese, read the orders to
the heads of the diocese's regional districts. Each one had
reportedly been summoned individually to hear the orders,
and they were not permitted to see the document.
One of the "father provosts" managed to obtain a
transcript, however. Faith in the Second World reported
that every priest in each region was forced to sign the
document, thus committing himself to absolute obedience.
The document forbids priests to preach in other
parishes than their o~n without the express ~ermission of
Metropolitan Seraphim. It also forbids pnests to hold
religious services in private homes, and warns them not to
"mix in political, social, or economic questions, or even in
the financial affairs of their own parish."
Metropolitan Seraphim told the "father provosts" that it
had come to his attention that "the rite of anointing was•
administered not only to the sick but also the aged, a
practice which was illegal both by Church and state law."
He ordered that "all such gross violations of civil and
Church laws by clergymen must be reported to the
Metropolitan by the father provosts." Penalties for
AN ORTHODOX CUSTOM
A young man kisses the cross he retrieved from the waten violating the orders could reportedly extend as far as
of Tarpon Springs, ~'◄'la., during the traditional Greek removal from the priesthood.
Orthodox ceremony commemorating the Baptism ol
Christ. Customs such as this have resulted in OrthodoxJ RUSSIAN ORTHODOX LEADER URGES COUNCIL
ACTION ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN USSR
being viewed as 44mainly a kind of exotic religion .....
SYOSSET, N.Y. (RNS) - A Russian Orthodox arsomething alien, foreign in the deepest sense of the word"
chbishop
says the long "silence" of the World Council of
by many Americans. RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE
Churches about the problems faced by Soviet Christians
has been undesirable, and that "an active interest of the
WCC for religious freedom in Russia will be of great help to
the Russian Orthodox Church."
"I am kept with seriously ill people, who are tied to their
Archbishop Basil Krivocheine of Brussels was inbeds because of their violent behavior. I have to listen to terviewed by The Orthodox Church, monthly publication
their wild howling, and these surroundings, and also the of the Orhtodox Church in America (OCA), which has its
effect of the medicines, are oppressing me.
headquarters here.
"The attitude of the doctors has an even more op·
The archbishop is under the jurisdiction of the Moscow
pressive effect on me. Completely ignorant of everythin~ Patriarchate. He visited the United States for a month this
concerning religion, they insistently try to convince me that Fall.
my religious feelings are a mental illness. The doctors assert
Asked if the WCC were right "in taking up the issue of
that our Christian religion forbids believers to defend their religious freedom in Russia and in other Communist
homeland, that the progress of aviation and space travel countries," the archbishop said, "I would suggest that you
testified to the fact that there is no God, that priests of· rather ask me if the WCC itself was right in observing
ficiate only for the sake of money, and that young believer! silence for so many years on the question of religious
are basically pathological idiots."
freedom, or the rather obvious absence of much freedom in
Mr. Argentov describes his parents as "militant Russia and other countries in the East of Europe. My
atheists," but they have reportedly tried unsuccessfully to answer would be certainly a negative one."
have him released from Moscow Psychiatric Hospital No,
"And even now," he continued, "the interest of the
14.
WCC for this religious freedom in Russia remains very
The center reports a group of believers has signed two ~imited and hesitating. Still I hope that it will be increasing
appeals for Mr. Argentov's release. When he was sum· m the future, especially if it is continuously encouraged by
moned to the military commission of the Moscow district those who know the real religious situation in Russia and
where he lives, he did not know he would be subject to can provide the WCC with frank and exact information
psychiatric examination.
coming from both official and unofficial sources."
The Word
January, 1977
Asked about charges that the Russian Church's
hierarchy is guilty of "passivity and even of complicity with
the authorities in their anti-religious activities," Archbishop Basil said he "would not be astonished if behind all
this slanderous campaign" against the hierarchy "stood the
KGB itself." (The KGB is the Soviet secret police.)
The archbishop said efforts to divide the bishops from
the people are attempts to "destroy this union of love"
which helps preserve the Church. Thus, he said, "we must
be very careful and not easily accept accusations against
the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate in general."
The Orthodox leader said he is "convinced that the
episcopate ... in its overwhelming majority performs its
pastoral work conscientiously and tries by all means in its
possession to defend the Church and the people of God
against their enemies. Unfortunately these possibilities are
very limited."
Saying he does "not. .. agree with every action or
statement of theological or political character made in the
name of the Moscow Patriarchate," Archbishop Basil said
he has a right "as an archbishop of the Russian Orthodox
Church" to express his dissenting views "and the Moscow
Patriarchate never used any pressure to prevent me from
acting in such a manner."
When the Patriarchate criticized exiled Russian author
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the archbishop defended him. He
has also supported protest letters by clergy and lay people
in the Soviet Union who complained about religious
conditions there.
The archbishop is 76. He was a monk on Mount Athos
from 1925 to 1947.
r
rt,
•
-A
In Bethlehem on the day before Christmas, a procession of
clergymen slowly makes its way into Manger Square after a
10 mile walk from Jerusalem. More than 20,000 tourists
visited the tiny city to witness this traditional ceremony.
Page 29
�HAPPY
ANNIVER
TOTHE
WORD
FOUNDERS
BISHOP
RAPHAEL
With this issue of THE WORD, we celebrate the anniversary of the official publication of our Antiochian
Archdiocese in North America. It was founded as AL
KALIMAT in January, 1905, by the first hierarch of our
Church, the late Bishop RAPHAEL Hawaweeny and reestablished as THE WORD in January, 1957, by His
Eminence, Metropolitan ANTONY of thrice blessed
memory. THE WORD has been printed without interruption for the past twenty years and has become an
important voice for Orthodoxy in the new world. The
Primate of our Archdiocese, Metropolitan PHILIP, has
insisted on excellence in content and style in order to
properly propagate our Holy Faith. All editors since its
inception have tried to be faithful to that ideal.
Let us hear the voices of the founders of our publication
to determine their intent:
. . . "The first issue of our Archdiocesan magazine was
published in Arabic on January 1st, 1905, by the first Bishop
of our Church in North America, our illustrious
predecessor
of happy memory,
Bishop
Raphael
Hawaweeny. We can find no better words with which to
begin publication of our new series than those with which
Bishop Raphael launched his periodical fifty-two years ago:
... "We have called our magazine AL KALIMAT - THE
WORD -in the first place that we may receive the blessing
and guidance of the eternal Word of God, our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who, though He was God indeed, did not seek
divine rights, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
servant, being born in the likeness of men, and humbling
Himself, became obedient to death, even death on the
Cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed
upon Him the name which is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth
and under the earth. (Phil. 2:6-10). Secondly we have
chosen the name because it is connected with a most important part of our episcopal duties: 'to preach the WORD,
and be diligent in season and out of season, to convince,
METROPOLIT
ANTO
rebuke, and exhort, and be unfailing in patience and
teaching. For the time is coming when people will no1
endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will
acquire for themselves teachers to suit their own likings,
and will turn away from listening to the truth and wande1
into myths.'" (2 Tim. 4:1-5)
... "Our people are scattered all over North America, ana
our responsibilities to those who live far a way are as sacred
as they are to those who live near at hand. Thus we are
publishing this magazine to carry our message to ow
children everywhere. It will reach them every month
bringing to them the teachings of their Church, newsofou
activites, and necessary directions. THE WORD will bt
published every month, except July and August. It will bt
devoted to our Church, and Archdiocese. Each mont,
there will be two feature articles dealing with the doctrint
and history of our Church, with prominent personalitie .
who have contn"buted to our heritage, and with ow
customs and Liturgy. There will be departments for thf
official acts of the Archdiocese, records, edicts, and ap
pointments, for religious education, and the news of our
parishes and the Orthodox world."
(Metropolitan Antony
We can be faithful to the above, only if we are able tr
reach out to more of our communicants. We have ha,
national campaigns to increase subscriptions to THE
WORD but the local parishes are not cooperating fully
Seventy-five per cent of all families in each and every parisl
of the Archdiocese should be subscribing. The Pastors an,
Parish Councils of these parishes are not helping tr
propagate our Faith by placing THE WORD in every home
We congratulate Beaumont, Texas, Bridgeville, Pa.
Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pa., whose Parist
Councils' subscribe for over 75 per cent of the parish (eacD
parish has its own system for distribution and collection)
We would hope that in the years to come, THE WORD wi~
be in every home in our Archdiocese. Subscribe today!
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Newspaper Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Newspapers--United States
Arabic Periodicals
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1905-2013
Language
A language of the resource
Arabic
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
NS 0021
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
For a list of all the volumes and issues of Al-Kalemat held by the Khayrallah Center please see <a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/uploads/NS0021/Inventory_of_Al-Kalemat_Issues.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here.</a>
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Antiochian Heritage Library and Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Processed by Celine Shay, Laura Lethers, Allison Hall, and Anna Maria Hester, 2022 November-2023 April. Collection Guide written by Laura Lethers and Allison Hall, 2023 April.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to make these materials available for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials. <br /><br />These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Access Rights
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/historical note</h4>
<p>The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCA), headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey, oversees seven dioceses with over 250 parishes in the United States and Canada. </p>
<p>The AOCA is one of 24 archdioceses of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East across the world. The editorial office for their publication <em>The Word</em> is in Brooklyn, New York. AOCA founded the periodical as an Arabic language publication in 1905, which ran for 16 volumes. The final issue of the Arabic <em>Al-Kalemat</em> appeared in 1933, and the English iteration <em>The Word</em> began anew in 1957.</p>
<p>The original copies of the periodical are housed at the Antiochian Heritage Library in Bolivar, Pennsylvania. The Antiochian Heritage Library was founded in 1987, and its collections focus on information about early Christianity, the theology of the Orthodox Church, and religious and cultural themes in Middle Eastern history. </p>
<h4>Scope/content note</h4>
<p>The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Newspaper Collection includes both Arabic-language volumes of Al-Kalemat and English-language volumes of <em>The Word</em> (also called Al-Kalemat, Al Kalimat, Al Kalimah, and الكلمة), covering the years 1905-1993. The periodical focuses on current events and debates from an Antiochian Orthodox perspective. </p>
<p>The periodical is written and published by The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and continues to be published monthly excluding July and August. Some years and issues are not included in the collection, and there are some years that the publication did not run.<br /><br />The collection also includes various parish commemorative booklets from Antiochian Orthodox churches in different regions of the United States, including but not limited to, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and New York.</p>
<p>The English-language volumes are located here on the KCLDS Archive's website. The Arabic-language volumes are located on the Khayrallah Center’s <a href="https://arabicsearch.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arabic Newspapers database</a>.</p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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kalemat_19770101_21_1
Title
A name given to the resource
The Word [Al-Kalemat, الكلمة] Volume 21, Issue 01
Alternative Title
An alternative name for the resource. The distinction between titles and alternative titles is application-specific.
Al-Kalemat
Al Kalimat
Al Kalimah
الكلمة
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 21, Issue 1 of The Word [Al-Kalemat, الكلمة], dated January 1977.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1977 Jan
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Newspapers--United States
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
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Text/pdf
Coverage
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3400 Dawson Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Antiochian Heritage Library and Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
1970s
Antiochian Orthodox Church
Newspapers
Pennsylvania
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/aec6978175c759a149682dc636ecc57f.pdf
cfa7eade429e8ba6a9652462ea8ea68e
PDF Text
Text
KASSAB FAMILY H I STORY
by
Aelyas Kassab
�PROLOGUE
wr iters of h i storical events or r ecords o f
important persons are not necessarily creat ive wr i t er s .
Many h i stori cal events and many inc idents o f the lives o f
important people though they may b e un i ntere s t i ng mus t b e
recorded , and the good wr iters must u s e the i r bes t
t alents to so portray the ir sub j ect ' s quali f i cat i on that
the reader ' s interest may be reta i ned .
I am not a wr iter , creative or otherwi s e .
I
have undertaken the task of wr i t i ng the h i s tory o f the
Kas sab f amily in general and my branch i n part icula r , at
the request o f s everal members o f i t , s ince I am the
oldest member .
Whether it will be interes t i ng or not ,
they are the j udges .
A . Kassab
2
�The family t ree o f the Kas s abs had its roots in
the long ago . Careful search o f the archives o f the
Patr iarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church i n D amascus
revealed that one Jacob Kassab , who was the seed o f thi s
tree , was born i n that c ity in 1 7 20 .
He w a s educated i n
the schools o f that Church and became a well known
merchant .
He was marr ied and had f our boys ;
f ollowed i n h i s f ather ' s footsteps .
and had three boys .
one , Nami ,
He , too , was marr ied
The oldest , Elyas , was born i n 1 8 1 4 .
Th i s boy had a very interes t i ng career .
When h e was
twelve years o f age , h i s father died and he was sent to
his uncle in Cairo , who was a well known merchant and who
pledged to look a fter h im .
About th is t ime , Mohammed Ali , a n Alba n i a n
s oldier , acceded t o the pashalic o f Egypt , then under the
rule of the ottoman Turks , and under h i s s o n ,
I br a h im
P a sha , part of Arabia and the Sudan were annexed t o
Egypt .
I n 1 8 3 1 I brahim began the conquest o f Syr i a ; h i s
forces routed the Turk i sh Army , and Syr i a w a s ceded t o
I brah im o n the condition of t h e payment o f t r i but e .
These men brought galvanic prosper ity to Egypt ; and i n
the i r d e s i r e t o improve the educati onal status o f the
country , I brahim Pasha dec ided to send young men at
government expense to Europe and elsewhere , t o s tudy and
be tra ined in arts and sc ience and in craf t s and trades
s o that they would return and become the future teachers
3
�and leaders o f the country .
Elya s ,
( son of Nami , grandson o f Jacob ) ,
w i sh ing to go , wrote an applicat ion , and not know i ng what
to do , decided to deliver it in person to I brahim P a sha .
H e sought the palace and awa ited at the door for the
emergence o f that dignitary on his way to the mosque to
attend the Fr iday a fternoon prayer .
He wa s long in
c om i ng and Elyas got very t ired from wa i t ing ; he s at on
the steps and was soon fast asleep , with the applicat ion
i n his hand close to h i s breast .
When the Pasha emerged ,
h e s aw the sleeping lad ; he called t o one o f h i s a ides
and ordered h im to awaken the sleeper and br ing h im over
t o him .
Elyas bowed respect fully and pres ented h im with
the applicat ion .
After look ing it over , the Pash a was
a s to n i shed and s a id ,
" Do you really want to go? "
" I surely do , " the lad repl i ed .
" You shall go , " the Pasha a s sured h im .
Elyas spent s ix years in I t aly study ing arts
a nd s c ience a s well a s the cra ft o f mak ing gla s s .
Return ing to Egypt , he began to teach . After a while , the
pol i t i cal s ituat ion began to change and he gave up
t each i ng and dec ided to travel in Europe and A f r i ca
trad i ng in a var i ety of merchand ise .
of that and resolved to
Dama scu s .
He s oon got t ired
return to his former home in
He embarked on a Turk ish steamer .
On h i s way ,
war was declared between Greece and Turkey , known a s the
4
�War o f I ndependence .
A Greek war ves s el attacked h i s
steame r , k i lled many of the pas sengers and crew , and he
wa s one o f those who were taken pr i s oner .
When the
capt a i n d i scovered that he wa s Greek Orthodox and could
speak many languages , he asked h im to r ema i n w ith the
s h ip as a n interpreter , but he refused .
The Capt a i n gave
h im all h i s belong ings and s et h im free at the port o f
S idon .
There he heard about an English lady ,
from the
party then in power in England , by the name o f Lady
Stanhope , who needed an interpreter to replace the one
she had becaus e he was charged with a cr ime .
her ; she liked h im and h ired h im .
He s ought
After a season , one o f
h i s f r i ends told h im that an envious person f als ely
accused h im of having done someth i ng against the Lady ,
wh i ch a ngered her .
He became worr ied and fled t o
Constant inople , and from there he went to Europe .
He
then returned to Damascus wear ing a wh ite cloak , like an
Egyp t i an colt .
He marr ied the s i ster o f Dr . Jubran
K a s s a b who bore h im a son , Salim .
years old , h i s mother d i ed .
When the boy was f ive
Elyas then marr i ed M i r i am ,
the daughter o f J i bran Abo- Shaar .
F ive boys carne f rom
that union : Abdo , George , John , I skander and M i chael .
Elyas taught I talian to important men in the government
service and other noted men , Chr i s t i ans a s well as
Moslems .
He also taught class ical Arab i c in the s chool
of the Greek Orthodox Church o f Damas cus .
5
He also
�practiced s imple medic ine on the s ide , a th i ng that he
had learned in Egypt .
He died in D ama scus i n 1 8 6 9 , a s a
r e sult of a k i ck o f a horse .
Elya s ' s eldest son , Salim was born i n 1 8 3 9 .
h i s father took care of h i s early education t each i ng h im
bes ides Ara b i c , I talian , English and French .
Later he
stud ied at the Rus s ian school , prepar i ng for the
p r i e sthood .
I n that school , there was a f amous p r i e st ,
Father Joseph Haddad , who wa s an expert of anc i ent Greek
language .
Two doctors , Eli smith and Cornelius Van Dyke ,
o f the American Congregat ional Church were engaged i n the
translat ion of the Holy Scr iptures and they s ought the
a s s i stance of Father Haddad in the r ev i s ion o f the proof
sheets .
Th i s fact caused the priest to study the B ible
and to encourage the students to d i scu s s reli g i ou s top i c s
i n h i s presence .
I n order to do that , he r es orted t o
relig i ous debates and s elected three top i c s :
S alvat ion by f a ith alone
I nterces s i on of Sa ints
Prayer for the Dead .
H e s elected Salim Kassab to take the s ide of the
Protestants and chose another s tudent to d e f end the
p o s i t ion of the Greek Orthodox Church and he gave the
debaters a fortn ight to prepar e .
Salim spent the t ime
d iligently searching the Scr iptures .
He def ended the
f irst propos i t i on and challenged the other two .
6
As a
�r esult o f h i s study he d i s covered that the teach i ng o f
the Church was not i n accord with the S cr ipture s and
there f ore , he could not cont inue in the prepara t i on f or
the Greek priesthood .
On leaving the s chool , he was
e ngaged by two m i s s ionaries , Drs .
Lans ing and Crawf ord ,
who had opened s chools in Dama scus , t o teach them Ara bi c .
Th i s contact w ith the protestant m i s s iona r i e s helped h im
t o r emove any doubts in h i s mind about the r ightn e s s o f
the protestant beli e f s and h e le ft the Greek Church and
j o i ned the miss ionar ie s .
Just be fore the massacre o f 1 8 6 0 , he
accompan i ed Dr . and Mr s . Crawford to Yabrood a s the i r
t eacher in Arab i c ; they had intended to open a s chool f o r
boys .
The Greek church leaders urged the people t o
oppose t h e proj ect and have n o dealings with them
whatsoever .
Even the ir ne ighbors shunned them and would
turn away as they pas sed by . However , there wa s no
r e s ident med ical doctor in the c ity and that gave the
mi$s iona r i es a good opportunity to help the s i ck , to
f reely g i ve medi c ines and vaccinate the babi e s .
Naturally th i s k i ndnes s made them many fr iends among the
non-Chr ist ian section of the populat ion , a fact that
s aved the ir lives when the d i sturbances broke out in
the ir locality .
7
�Removal to B e i rut and F ir st Meet ing w ith Mrs . B owen
Thomps on :
As a consequence of the d i s turbances o f 1 8 6 0 ,
the M i s s i onary S chools in Dama scus d i spersed for a t ime ,
and Dr . Rob inson and Dr . Crawford a sked Salim K a s s a b to
accompany them to Be irut .
One day they showed h im a
letter f rom Mrs . Bowen Thompson ,
an English lady , who
answered the c all to help the homeles s and d e s t i tute
w idows i n Lebanon , and came to B e i rut to help .
She had
a sked for a nat ive a s s i stant to teach her Arab ic and help
her in her work .
Dr . Robinson and Dr . Crawf ord gave a letter of
r ecommendat i on and introduct ion ; and Salim called on Mrs .
Bowen Thompson one day in September 1 8 6 0 .
That day
marked more than a milestone in h i s career ; i t proved to
be an epoch in h i s l i f e .
letter of introduct ion ,
When he called and showed the
it was grac iously rece ived ,
and
h e was taken in at once .
The very f irst th ing he had to do wa s to
t ranslate a very touch ing letter o f sympathy s ent by
s everal widow-ladies in Great Brita in , and addr e s s e d to
the i r s i ster widows in Syr ia and Lebanon .
Hundreds of re fugees came together from all
parts of the country , and a meeting was called to rece ive
the mes s age from the widows in Great Brita i n addr e s s e d to
the w idows in Syr i a and Lebanon .
8
Salim Ka s sa b read the
�mes s age on that memorable occa s i on , and it brought balm
t o the bru ised hearts o f the poor , homeles s w idows and
r e fugees .
A large quant ity o f cloth arr ived for the
poor , and Mr s . Thompson began a sewing clas s .
More than
s eventy women j o ined and wh ile help ing to sew the
clothes , they began to learn how to read and wr i t e and to
hear the message o f the gospels .
Where s adness and g r i e f
had preva iled , peace and serenity began to r e ign among
the older r efugees .
That helped to reli eve the immed iate
need o f the older people .
To care f o r the children , who
could not be le f t at home , was the next problem .
could not j o in the ir mothers in the i r clas s e s .
They
So Mrs .
Thompson provided them with a teacher , who conducted h i s
cla s s e s in tents p itched in the yard .
From g i ving employment to the elders ,
organ i z i ng schools for the children , Mrs . Thompson
organ i z ed v i s itat ions to the slums ,
cottages and crowded
khans herself , ably ass i sted by Salim Kas s ab , carryi ng
clothi ng ,
food and med i c ine to the helples s wretches
l iv ing in them . Many a day he had to s it up , a s she d i d ,
t i ll one in the morn ing ,
the
daily gr i nd .
and r i s e at f ive a . m . to begi n
The ir hearts were in the reli e f work .
Mrs . Thompson had intended to rema i n s ix months
only in Syr i a , but a s the work grew so rap idly , and the
s chool flour i shed ,
she came by degrees to th i nk o f
s ettling in Be irut , and eventually s h e did , plac i ng a
9
�heavy part o f the burden on the shoulders o f S alim
K a s s ab .
Thus started the schools that came t o b e known
as the B r i t i sh syr ian Miss ion Schools in B e i rut , and a
comm ittee wa s formed in England known a s the Br i t i sh
Syr ian M i s s i on .
10
�Arr ival o f Mr . Mentor Mott Accompanied by Mrs . Mott and
M i s s Lloyd (S i sters o f Mrs . Thompson)
About the end of 1 8 6 2 , Mr . and Mrs . Mentor Mott
and M i s s Lloyd came to Beirut and , perceiving the
magn i tude of the work , they became instantly i nterested
and threw themselves wholeheartedly into the work .
Mr Mott , having pr ivate means , bought s ome land
adj o in i ng the I nst itut ion started by Mrs . Thompson and
bu i lt " La Ma i son"
( now the Lycee Franca i s ) wh i ch became
the center of benevolence , hosp itality and Chr i st i an
i nf luence .
The need for teachers being great , Mrs . Mott ,
a s s i sted by Salim Kas sab , took in a f ew g irl boarders
w ith a v i ew to train ing them a s teacher s .
Mrs . Thompson
gave i n-person instruct ion in English , and Salim K a s s a b
i n Arab i c a n d other branches o f learn ing .
Opening o f Branches in "Be irut
As children cont inued to come in great numbers
to the I ns t itute ,
it was found necessary to e s tablish a
s eparate school for the boys , and for many years was the
only Protestant Boys School , where S alim Ka s s a b a s sumed
heavy dut ies as a teacher and as manager of the s chool .
Many o f its pup ils later went to the Syr ian Protestant
College and became masters , doctor s , newspaperme n ,
pharmac i st s , etc .
11
�The S chool for G i rls became too large and the
Engannon I nfant School was opened in the immediate
ne ighborhood with a roll of two hundred includ i ng s ome
poor bli nd boarder s .
I n 1 8 6 3 , a ragged school , called " Olive Branch"
was opened near the sea .
I t wa s soon f illed , and shone
for th irty year s , a solitary light i n the nor thwes t s ide
o f B e i rut .
I n 1 8 6 3 , the Moussa itbeh S chool was opened on
the south s ide of Beirut .
I n 1 8 6 6 , the Ashra f ieh School was opened i n the
ea stern quarter of B e i rut .
I n 1 8 7 2 , E s - Sayf i School was opened i n the
northe a s t s ide of Beirut .
The S chool for the Blind was then opened by Mr .
Matt , wh i ch later became absorbed by the B r i t i sh Syr ian
M i s s ion .
I n the autumn o f 1 8 6 3 ,
i n response t o urgent
appeals from the widows , who , a fter peace wa s r e stored to
the country , had returned to the ir homes i n Ha sbayah ,
praying for open ing of a school , a s chool was opened in
Moukhtara at the spec ial insi stence o f s itt Jumblatt ,
w i f e o f S a id Bey Jumblatt .
s itt Na z eera Jumblatt became
one of the f irst pup ils of this School , and she stood
f ir st in her clas s .
Later she became the f avor ite o f her
grandmother who willed to her all her property .
12
�I n 1 8 6 8 , the School at Zah l eh wa s f ounded ,
later a schoo l was opened in Moa l laka .
13
and
�School in Dama scus
Wh i l e so many schoo l s wer e b e i ng f ounded in
Lebanon , none were opened in Dama scus unt i l 1 8 6 7 .
I n 1 8 6 7 , dur ing a v i s i t to h i s nat ive c ity ,
S a l im Kassab was d i stressed on compar ing how much was
b e i ng done for Lebanon with the tota l neg lect o f
D amas cu s .
So he set about it , and got seve r a l l e a d i ng
Greek Orthodox gent lemen and others from the other
C ommun i t i e s i n Damascus , to s ign a p et i t i on t o Mrs .
Thompson for a G i r l s Schoo l .
The petit ion was s igned and
s e a l ed by forty - f ive lead ing c i t i z ens of the c ity ,
and
S a l im Ka ssab promptly ma i l ed it to Engl and where Mrs .
Thompson had gone for a rest .
The answer was prompt:
" wa i t in Dama s cus , I am coming , " and she d i d come , where
she was enterta ined by the Greek consu l
( whose daughter
was educated in Beirut at the I n s t i tute )
other s ,
and f i fty
includ ing the Greek Orthodox p r i e s t s .
Dr . N a s i f
Meshaka and the Amer ican Consu l , and one o f the most
d i�t i ngui shed Protestants in Damascus l ent h i s
a s s i stance .
So in 1 8 6 8 , S a l im Kassab accompan i ed Mr s .
Thompson to Damascus for the f inal arrangement s .
She
(
rented a suitab l e house near the Greek Church ,
and
start ed the work with s i xty pup i l s .
The work wa s remarkab ly success ful ; and i t was
dec ided to hold a pub l i c examinat ion .
14
The schoo l room
�be i ng sma l l , the British Consu l procured f r om a Mos lem
E f f en c i a f ine mans ion , and invited a numbe r of prom i nent
c i t i z ens , the Va l i and Sar iaskar of the Vi l ayet .
The day was memorable - the crowds i n the
street so immense that f i fty gendarmes had t o marsha l the
avenue to the mans ion .
Every ava i l ab l e p lace was packed
- veranda s , ba l conies and even the ba lustrades on the
hous etop .
Day by day app l icat ions came in , and the school
had to be tran s ferred to the northern part of Damas cu s in
the Chr ist ian Quarter .
The cont inued success l ed to the open i ng o f
another schoo l f o r the Druz e boys i n the Ma idan s outhern end o f Damascu s .
Soon the Schoo l had two
hundred pupi l s .
The work grew rap idly to such propor t i ons that
the Comm ittee in London summoned Sa l im Kas s a b to Engl and
to p lead f or more funds for more spa c i ous accommodat i ons .
He. embarked from Beirut in January 1 8 7 1 ; v i s i ted
Scot land , and spent over s ix months ho ld ing pub l i c and
drawing-room meet ings in var i ou s loca l it i e s , and he
succeeded in ra i s ing three thousand pounds S te r l ing f or
the proj ect .
I n 1 8 7 6 , he wa s aga in summoned to Eng l a nd t o
p l ead t h e cause o f the Brit i sh syr ian M i s s ion gener a l ly .
15
�Schoo l at D e i r E l Kamar
When D e i r el Kamar was rebu i l t , and the peop l e
returned to the i r new homes , many pet i t i oned for a
s choo l .
One was opened to meet the urgent demand s ;
but
no sooner wa s it organ i z ed , and the pup i l s began to
a s s emb l e , than strong opposit ion was aroused and Daud
P a sha , the f irst Muta s s a r i f of Lebanon , ordered i t
c l osed .
An appeal wa s made to the B r i t ish Ambas sador at
Constant inop l e , and another to the Comm ittee i n Eng l and ,
who prompt ly communicated with the M i n i ster o f State .
I t s o happened that Su ltan Abd e l Az i z was i n
London at the t ime , and when din ing o n e eve n i ng w ith the
Lord Mayor of London , h i s Sadr A ' z am rose to respond to a
toast , and s a i d that H i s Maje sty the S ultan wa s grea t l y
i nterested in encourag ing the open ing o f schoo l s , a n d was
g iv ing fu l l l i berty to European M i s s i onar i e s in h i s
dom i n i ons .
Whereupon , Lord Beacons f i e ld , B r i t i sh Pr ime
M i n i ster , stood up and s a id:
" We r ejo ice t o hear of H i s
Majesty ' s good intent ions toward h i s subject s , t o whom we
are bound by h i stor i c and commerc i a l f r i endsh ip:
but we
regret to learn that some of h i s o f f i c i a l s do not c arry
out h i s w i shes , " referr ing to Daud Pasha ' s act ion .
The Grand V i z i er trans l ated thes e words to H i s
Majesty the Su ltan , who was much concerned , and i nqu i red
who the o f f i c i a l was , and wa s told Daud Pasha had c l o sed
the Br i t i sh School at De ir el Kama r .
16
A prom i s e o f
�i nqu iry and reparation was immediate ly g i ven .
As a
r e s u l t D aud Pa sha cal l ed on Mrs . Thompson and S a l im
Kassab at the Schoo l in Be irut .
" What have you done ? " he a sked in Eng l i sh .
" D id you accu s e me to the Su ltan about the Schoo l ? "
Thompson answered:
Mrs .
" I t wa s not I who accused your
Exce l lency , but the B r i t i sh Pr ime M i n i ster , a f te r I had
l a id the matter be fore our committee a s I was o b l igated
to do . " D i scus s i on f o l l owed , and Daud Pasha invited them
t o be h i s guests for a f ew days at B ' tedd i n ,
at the
conc lu s i on o f wh ich v i s i t he promi sed to accompa ny Mrs .
Thompson and S a l im Kassab to Ain Z e j a lta , and that " with
a pub l i c demonstrat ion so that a l l Lebanon m ight b e
impressed . "
And he did , and at Ain Z eja lta a Scho o l was
opened .
17
�The V i s it o f H i s Roya l H ighness The Pr ince o f Wa l e s
(Later K i ng Edward VI I )
I n 1 8 6 2 , H i s Roya l Highnes s v i s i ted B e i rut ,
com i ng f rom Jerusalem over land . He was rece ived at the
Br i t ish Schoo l , where S a l im Kassab conducted h im a round
the p l ace .
As a consequence of h i s v i s it ,
and the deep
i nterest wh ich he took in the we l fare o f the B r i t i sh
Schoo l s ,
Sultan Abde l Az i z granted a F i rman - THE F IRMAN
OF 1 2 8 3 A . H . .
The I mper i a l wr it reached Mrs . Thomps on i n the
summer of 1 8 6 8 , permitt i ng her to open schoo l s i n
d i f f erent parts of syr i a , and ca l l i ng on t h e author i t i e s
n o t o n l y to protect but t o a id the undertak ing .
I n 1 8 6 8 , Mr . Mott and S a l im Kassab opened a
s choo l i n Tyr e .
I n 1 8 7 6 , a schoo l wa s opened in Baa l beck .
Bes ide h i s work with the M i s s ion ,
c e l ebrated scho lar . He spoke Arab i c ,
Turk i sh ,
I ta l ian and Greek .
S a l im was a
Eng l i sh ,
French ,
He trans lated many books
f r om f ore ign languages to Arabic s o that they could be
used in the schoo ls ; he wrote many other s ; he co- authored
the Arab ic-Eng l ish dict ionary w ith Dr . George Hamman .
He
was a great preacher and a much sought -after speake r .
He
was mar r i ed to Fomia Banna from Dama scus and had f our
boys and three g i r l s .
One o f the boys d i ed in i n fancy .
The o ldest Ami n and h i s two brothers graduated f r om the
18
�Amer ican Un ivers ity of Be irut .
Ami n opened a department
store in B e i rut and was j o ined later by h i s two brothers .
Sa l im s erved the Miss ion and h i s country f or
over forty years ,
and one morn ing at the ope n i ng s e s s ion
o f the s choo l , he was of fer ing the morn ing praye r ,
he uttered t h e words ,
and a s
" Lord , Make u s a lways r eady t o meet
Thy Face , " he s lumped and f e l l and h i s s p i r i t entered the
presence of h i s Lord .
noth ing cou ld be done .
Severa l doctors were s ummoned but
Beirut wa s shocked:
h i s funera l
was very impre s s ive for he wa s loved and respected by
Chr i st i ans , Mos l ems and Dru z e s .
Note:
-
B irthdays of S a l im ' s Ch i ldren ;
1 8 7 3 ; S e lma , Oct .
S ept 18 8 2 ; Az i z ,
Deaths:
Amin , Apr i l 2 3 ,
1 8 7 5 ; Shukr i , Jan . 2 8 ,
1 8 8 0 ; Najl a ,
Sept 1 8 8 4 ; Mar i e , Apr i l 18 8 6 .
S a l im , Feb 19 0 7 ; Fom i a , Mar .
Shukr i , Mar 1 9 3 6 .
19
19 2 2 ;
�ABDO KASSAB (1 8 4 5 - 1 9 1 8 )
Abdo , who was the o ldest son o f E lyas ' s second
marr i age ( to M i r i am ) , a l s o ha lf-brother to S a l im ,
and the
f ather of th i s wr i ter , was born in Damas cu s in 1 8 4 5 .
His
e a r ly educat ion wa s i n the school o f the Greek Orthodox
Church to wh i ch the fam i ly be longed .
h e l earned the weaving trade .
Leaving the schoo l ,
When he was f i ft e e n years
o ld a mas s acre of the Chr ist ian popu l at i on took p l ace in
Syr i a and Lebanon .
Thousands of men , women and ch i ldren
were k i l led and the ir homes and property burned .
The
s l aughter was terr ible and the Chr i st ians woul d have been
c omp letely wiped out , had they not been r es cued by a
God- s ent d e l iverer in the person o f Em ir Abde l e l Kader ,
a n Algerian Pr ince who , a fter f ight i ng the French Armi � s ,
was e x i l ed to Damascus where he wa s l iving with h i s
ret inue o f a hundred men .
shout ,
When he heard the Mos l em mob
" Deem , Deem Mohammed , " f o l lowed by ,
butcher them , p lunder , burn ,
" K i l l them ,
leave not one a l ive , " he
orpered his men to rescue the h e l p l e s s Chr i s t i a n s and
take them to his palace .
Hundreds were re scued , h i s
p a l ace was f i l l ed with refugees , Europeans a s we l l a s
nat ive s , and when no more could be accommodated there , he
ordered that the fug i t ives be taken to the great c a st l e ,
1 2 0 0 0 o f a l l ages and sexes , where he protected them and
fed them .
When the mob saw that they were b e i ng
f rustrated from accomp l i shing the ir devi l i sh act ,
20
they
�threatened Abde l e l Kad ir h imse l f .
Hear ing that the mob
was com i ng , he ordered that h i s charger be s a dd l ed whi l e
he put on h i s armor and h e lmet and ordered h i s men t o do
the s ame .
As the mob approached , he drew h i s sword
and
s ingly charged into the ir midst .
" Wretches , " he shouted ,
" i s th i s the
way you honor your Prophet? May h i s cur s e s be
upon you .
Shame on you !
Shame !
Y ou t h i nk you
can do as you p l ease with these Chr i st i an s ?
N o t a Chr ist ian wi l l
brothers .
I g ive up !
They are my
Stand back or I w i l l g ive order to
my men to f i re . "
The crowd d i spersed .
Not a man of that crowd wou l d dare
r a i se h i s arm aga inst that renowned champ ion of I s l am .
A l l honor to that nob le man !
H i s deed o f mercy and
human ity became known throughout the c iv i l i z ed wor ld and
a l l the ru lers of Europe sent h im tokens and letters o f
a cknowl edgement .
The Pres ident of the un ited states s ent
h im
, a beaut i f u l pair of gold-mounted r evo lvers proper ly
inscr i bed a s a present .
Elyas and the members of h i s f ami ly e s c aped the
ma s s a cr e through the kindness of a Mos l em f r iend , who
r i sked the wrath of the mob and brought them t o h i s home
and , when the s ituation qu ieted a l ittle , took them t o
t h e Cast l e wh ich wa s protected by t h e forces o f P r ince
Abd e l -Kad i r .
21
�When order was restored , Abdo went back t o h i s
weaving trade but not for long .
Short ly a fter h i s f ather
d ied , Abdo as sumed the respons i b i l ity of car ing for h i s
f am i ly o f h i s mother and four brothers . F i nding that the
i ncome f rom the j ob o f weaving was not suf f ic i ent t o meet
the needs o f the fam i ly , he dea l t in s i lk f iber and
opened up a grocery shop .
But the resu l t was not much
better than be fore , so he dec ided to make a comp lete
change .
Thi s dec i s ion was no doubt i n f luenced by the
a s soc iat ion o f h i s h a l f -brother S a l im with the B r i t i sh
M i s s i on ,
and the m i s s i on ' s work in char ity and educat i on .
He took a j ob a s a caretaker of the M i s s ion ' s propert i e s
and a purcha ser o f a l l the supp l i es that t h e s choo l s
needed .
He a l s o taught in the schoo l f or the b l i nd ,
wh i ch was newly opened .
The work of the Miss ion i n Dama scus was
d i r e cted by a B r i t i sh lady who came from a we l l-t o-do
f ami ly .
She was very reserved ,
and un l ike the members o f
th� Ame r i can M i s s i on , kept her s e l f a l oof f r om a s s oc i a t ing
w ith the natives .
She opened a scho o l for g i r l s , a
bu i ld i ng cons ist ing o f two separate house s connected by a
corr idor ; one sect ion wa s used for c l a s srooms and the
other for l iv ing quarters for hers e l f and the teachers .
She be l onged to the Church of Eng l and and she changed one
of the rooms to a chap e l where r e l ig ious services were
observed .
22
�There was among the teachers a young woman who
was educated in the M i s s ion scho o l in Ha sbaya .
One " day
Abdo was supervi s ing some repa ir work i n the t eacher s '
He s aw the g i r l and it was l ove at f ir s t
quarters .
s ight ; he wa s sure that it was rec iprocated .
When he
went home that even ing he to ld his mother about her , but
h i s mother told h im that it wa s a pass ing wh im and to
f o rget her .
Abdo saw the g i r l aga in a f ew days later and
he was sure of h i s attract ion to her .
When he t o l d h i s
mother that thi s i s the g i r l that h e wanted t o marry and
no other , h i s mother remonstrated ,
saying
" But my dear son , you know noth ing about the
g i r l or her f am i ly except that they are
Protestants .
You know that our church f r owns
on that re l igion ; cons ider what my brothe r , the
Archb i shop of the diocese of Dama scus w i l l say
when he hears what you are go ing to do .
wi l l hurt h im terr ibly .
It
There are many g i r l s
who w i l l b e g l ad t o marry you .
G ive t h i s
not ion a f ew more weeks of thought .
I w i l l f ind
a jewe l of a g i r l , you ' l l see that what I am
te l l ing you is the w i se th i ng to do to keep
harmony in the fam i ly . "
" Mother , " he s a id ,
" I t i s she and nobody e l s e .
I ' l l rema in s ing l e i f I g ive her up and w i l l
put the blame on you .
23
What ' s th i s idea o f
�Orthodox , Catho l i cs and Protestant s ; they a l l
wor ship the same God .
jewe l of a g ir l ; she ,
No , mothe r ,
she i s a
and nobody e l se . "
When Abdo was convinced that the consent of the
fami ly was not forthcoming , he asked the Chap l in of the
M i s s ion to marry them .
After the
He wa s g l ad t o do s o .
ceremony , Abdo took h i s bride to h i s home and ca l led h i s
mother saying ,
" Here mother ,
I ' ve brought a daughter . "
H i s mother accepted with res ignat ion not be ing a b l e to do
I t took only a few days t o convince h i s
otherw i s e .
mother that her son was r ight with h i s cho i c e and that he
did not do her just ice ; that the near future wou l d prove
it .
Mar ita soon became a beloved and l ov i ng daughter .
I n a few days she entered into the l ife of the fam i l y and
made herself so usefu l that a l l members of the fami ly
were convinced that Abdo had chosen w i s e l y .
tak i ng on the many dut ies of the househo l d ,
B e s ides
she helped
her husband with his work in the M i s s i on v i s i t i ng the
s i�k and help ing the needy .
She was not used to t h i s
strenuous work and with the corning o f a baby , s h e became
i nd i sposed .
The doctor from the M i s s ion suggested a change
from the su ltry heat of Damascus .
The M i s s ion
recommended " B ludan" where the M i s s ion had bought a p iece
of land and bu i lt some houses for the use of the
m i s s iona r i es to es cape the humid heat of Dama scu s .
24
Abdo
�acted on h i s advice .
He went to B ludan and rent ed a
l arge room from N i c o l a Ma s r i wh ich was used a s a s itt ing
as we l l a s a l iv ing r oom .
cooked on the veranda .
There was no k itchen ; they
They did not have to worry about
the weather because it does not r a i n �ur ing the s umme r
s e ason .
I n a f ew days they began to see a change i n
Mar ita ' s hea lth , s o much f o r the better that i t convinced
Abdo that the M i s s ion was r ight .
S o he bought a p ie c e o f
ground adj o in ing the M i s s i on ' s property w ith the hope
that when his f i nance s permitted he wou ld bu i ld a hous e .
They enj oyed a p l easant summer and r eturned home greatly
r e f reshed .
The family was p l easantly surpr i s ed at the
improvement in Mar ita ' s health and was g l ad t o know that
they were p l anning to have a home there .
25
�ABDO KASSAB - AGE 72
�B ludan
B ludan , a v i l lage in the Ant i -Lebanon Mouht a i n s
about th i rty mi l e s from Damascus ,
leve l .
i s 4 5 0 0 feet above s e a
I t i s a v i l lage of about three hundred persons o f
m i xed r e l i g ious b e l i e f s - Mos lems , Catho l ic s ,
orthodox .
and Greek
They l ive harmonious ly with each other . The i r
homes a r e bu i lt o n the s ide of the h i l l s .
The sty l e i s
d i ctated by the weather for i n winter they a r e e nt i r e ly
bur i ed i n snow .
The average home i s a l arge r oom d i vided
i nt o a l iving and a ut i l ity room to store the g r a i n s ,
d r i ed vegetables and fruit , nuts and pre served meat s , a l l
Fortunately for them , they can l ive a
f o r . winter use .
great part o f the year outs ide .
B ludan ' s weather dur ing
the thr e e months of summer i s dry and pract i ca l ly
c l oud l es s ,
and at dawn it i s a joy to see the sun r i s e in
the morn i ng and touch the mountain top then des cend
s l owly downward to bathe the va l ley be l ow .
And i n the
even ing i t i s a breath-taking scene to see the s ame sun
r ecede s l owly
unt i l it disappeared in the sky and watch
a s the stars one by one beg in to take the i r p l ace ,
myr iads o f them .
Because of the c learness o f the
atmosphere they s eem so near danc ing in the sky that the
o n looker f ee l s that he can touch the Great D ipper .
I ndeed , a think ing person cannot help but be f i l led w ith
awe and wonder and he f inds h ims e l f exc l a im ing w i th the
p s a lm i st " The heavens dec lare the g l ory o f God and the
26
�f irmament showeth H i s hand iwork . "
Qu ietnes s then
descends on the sou l s of the wear ied men ,
f o l l owed by
r e fresh i ng s l eep .
The l ot of the Bludanese f armer was very hard
due to B l udan ' s weather .
Dur ing the months o f June ,
July , and August there i s no rain ,
and the farmer h a s to
depend on irr igat ion , but the f ew spr i ngs e i ther d im i n i sh
i n quant i ty or become dry a ltogether .
O ften because o f
t h e drought , he l o s e s the fruit of h i s hard l abor .
There
are two or three sma l l springs above the vi l l age , whose
waters are jo ined and each farmer i s a l lotted his share
accordi ng to the s i z e of the l and that he owns . D i sputes
occur when one takes more than his a l l otted share , but on
the who l e they managed to get a l ong .
Thi s l ack o f water supp ly necess itated hard
work to be ab l e to r a i s e wheat and corn and barley .
At
harvest t ime they f o l lowed the same methods o f reap ing
the crops a s was used by the ir fore fathers ages ago : they
carr i ed the crops to the thresh ing_f loor and spread them
in c ir c l e s .
A heavy board about s even by f ive ,
r e i nf orced on the unders ide with a s e r i e s o f f l i nt stones
s e t in the wood , wa s h itched to a pair of oxen ; a per son
s it s on the board and dr ive s round and round over the
spread sta lks unt i l the gra in is separated from the
chaf f .
Then wa it ing for a f avorab l e bree z e , he w innows
the ma s s and the cha f f is b l own as ide from the g r a i n .
27
�T h i s in turn i s gathered and washed , d r i ed and stored for
the f ami ly ' s use .
The cha f f i s a l so stored for the
a n ima l s ' f ood dur ing the winter season .
f am i ly ,
Usua l ly each
i n the spr ing , buys a young sheep and f attens it ,
o ftent imes forced feeding unt i l it gets s o f a t that i t
can h a r d l y move .
Then , a t the end o f summer ,
it is
k i l led and cooked with its r ich fat and preserved i n
conta iners for the use o f the f am i l y dur ing w inter .
They a l so sun-dry vegetab les , nuts and fru i t s ; r a i s i n s
and honey sUbst itute for sugar .
Not having any pub l i c
ut i l it i e s , they are forced to me lt the snow that
somet imes bur i e s the v i l l age into water for themse lves
and the ir catt l e .
They use wood and dry catt l e dung for
h e a t i ng and , when ava i lable , kerosene for l ight ing .
Many
houses have l ooms ; the women spun the wool into yarn and
wove it into c l oth wh ich in turn was s ewn i nto garment s .
The ir s was a pr imit ive l i f e ; very f ew could read or
wr i t e .
A sheik , appointed by the government sett l ed a l l
s imp l e d i spute s .
They had no schoo l s unt i l the M i s s ion opened an
e l ementary schoo l ; education wa s unknown .
They spent
the i r t ime , when they were not needed i n the farm or
f i e ld , d i scu s s ing and tak ing care o f things that were
vital for the i r surviva l .
They were good people ; they shared the i r j oys
and the i r sorrows and when a f am i ly had a d i f f icult j ob
28
�t o be done , they were ready to help .
Though they
d i ffered in the i r re l ig ious be l i efs , b e i ng h a l f of them
Mos l ems and the other half Greek Orthodox or Catho l i c or
The
Chr i st i ans , they seemed to l ive in comp l ete harmony .
Mos l ems had a sma l l mosque and the Chr i st ians two sma l l
churches .
The i r common meet ing p l ace was a sma l l p i ec e
of l and in t h e center o f the v i l l age where t h e r e was a
spr i ng of water from wh ich the commun i ty drew i t d r i nk ing
water .
I n the spr ing of the fo l lowing year , my father
rented the s ame rooms , Mother ' s brother who was an
exce l l ent bu i lder arrived from Zahleh , and they bu i lt the
hou s e wh ich wa s of two stor i e s , each with three r ooms
w ith a l ong veranda , from s ide to s ide .
The hous e
occup ied a sma l l part of the land l eaving a good s i z e
p i ece of ground for a garden .
I t wa s fortunate that a
sma l l brook meandered through the property mak i ng i t
p o s s ible t o have a garden o f vegetab l e s , o r f l owers .
wa s at once p l a nted .
It
A large copper cau ldron was p laced
in the garden and it was a lways fi l l ed with water from
the brook for the use of the fami ly ' s washing and
bath i ng .
Water for dr inking had to be brought from the
ain .
Wh i l e the house was be ing bu i lt in 188 3 , the
third boy of the fam i ly but the s ixth ch i ld , f i r s t s aw
the l ight of day and took the first breath of the coo l
29
�pure a i r o f B ludan wh ich gave me l i f e and made me a l over
of that spot even to thi s day .
The f am i ly was st i ll
My mother ' s mi lk wa s
l iving in the r ented rooms.
i n su f f ic i ent and I began to lose we ight .
A wet nurs e wa s
f ound f or me and very soon I began t o gain we i ght .
Soon a fter , the house wa s r eady for occupancy
and the fami ly moved in .
My f ather was so p l ea s ed that
he bought several p ieces of land , some deve l oped and some
not , and he h ired a caretaker to take charge of both
property and hous e .
That was very important for the
house needed someone to shove l the snow f rom the roof and
f r om the veranda .
My father was to supp ly the nece s sary
t oo l s and seed and the caretaker to share ha l f the
r e s u lt .
For two years , thi s worked we l l then one day ,
I braheem , the caretaker had a mul e and he was tak i ng him
t o gra z e in one o f the f ie lds .
l ik e smoking .
On the way I br aheem f e l t
He t i ed the reins o f the mu l e t o h i s a rm
a n� began to ro l l a c igarette .
As i t happened , they were
p a s s ing a lane w ith heavy bushes on both s ides .
Suddenly
s ometh i ng rushed by wh ich so fr ightened the a n ima l that
he darted and began to g a l l op .
I braheem wa s thrown to
the ground and the mu le dragged his v i c t im on the rough
terr a i n for quite a d i stance .
Fortunate ly , I braheem wa s
not s e r i ou s ly injured , but enough to stop work ing for a
t ime .
My father h i red another caretaker but he was not
30
�r\
s a t i s factory , and another with the s ame r e s u l t .
After
two years o f d i sappo intment s , he rea l i z ed that to make a
succes s o f the undertak ing he would have i t g ive i t h i s
personal attent i on .
Th i s wa s not p o s s i bl e .
First of
a l l , h e cou ld not give up h i s work a t the M i s s ion ,
and
aga i n , he was not a farmer ; so it was wi ser for h im to
s e l l the property and get rid o f the worry .
And he d i d .
When the fami ly heard the news , they objected
strenuou s ly ; they cou ld not be l i eve that he wou ld s e l l
the house without t a lk i ng i t out with them .
But f ather
t r i ed to convince them that it wa s a l l for the best and
they wi l l st i l l be able to go to B ludan as they had done
previous ly .
That winter was very s evere and f ather kept
remind i ng them that he was not worr ied about who wa s
g o i ng to shove l the snow from the roof of the hous e .
That f o l lowing Spr ing , a tragedy struck our
f am i ly .
My o lder brother Two feek was f e l led w ith scar let
f ever ; he gave it to me and to Najeeb .
we�e conf ined each to a room .
med i c a l sk i l l d i d not save him .
The three o f us
Twof eek had i t very bad ;
He was my f ather ' s
f avor ite chi ld ; and f ather wou ld not be reconc i l ed .
fami ly spent the hot'summer in the c ity .
The
Father rea l i z ed
that he had made a mi stake in s e l l ing the house and he
to ld the f am i ly that he wou ld bu i l d them another hous e .
True to h i s word , he bought a p i ece o f ground adjo i ni ng
the other s ide o f the Miss ions ' s property and t o l d mother
31
�to get r eady . Th i s t ime , he deeded it i n mother ' s name .
Mother did not hes itate ,
for a s soon a s the
weather permitted , she and her brother went to B ludan and
began w ith the bu i lding .
The lot was a l it t l e f arther
f rom the v i l l age , adjo ining John Ph i l l ip ' s hous e .
It had
no brook and there fore was not suitable for a garden ,
but
it was h igh ground with no obstruct ion f rom any s ide .
It
w a s a two story house with sta irway o n the out s ide .
There were three rooms on the f irst f l oor , the roof o f
these made up the f l oor of the veranda and jo i ned the
The roof o f
wa l l o f the three rooms of the second s tory .
those rooms was supported by f ive stone columns , wh i ch
made up f ive archways in the front and one on each s ide .
I t wa s a beaut i fu l hous e .
The unus ed port ion o f the l and
was c leared of rocks and terraced so that i t was pos s ib l e
t o have a garden .
I n the f o l lowing years twins were born and were
named Braheem and Kah l i l .
Mother l iked the name
( chosen
f r�m the B ib l e , the Old Testament , where i t says in the
Arabic Vers ion ,
Kha l i l o f God . ) "
" And Abraham was the fr iend of God ,
( the
Kha l i l was about a year old when he
contracted a s evere case of scarlet f ever .
The house was
quarant i ned with the other chi ldren in it , and
consequent ly the four boys got the d i s ease as we l l .
Only
the doctor from the Miss ion was a l l owed to enter the
house to render help to our str icken fami ly .
32
But with
�a l l h i s help Kha l i l , the fri end of God , the beaut i fu l
baby , returned t o h i s Maker . The recovery o f the other
'
f our ch i ldren tempered the loss of the boy .
Short ly
a fterward , the last ch i ld of the fam i ly , a g i r l named
Wadad was born .
Mother worked very hard in des igning and
bu i ld ing the house . She loved B ludan .
s imp le peop le
She l oved i t s
and they loved h e r and brought h e r a l l
the i r troub les and she pati ent ly l i stened t o them and
coun s e l ed them .
I t was very fortunate for us that my f ather was
a s s o c i ated with the B r i t i sh M i s s ion ,
for the M i s s ion had
e s t ab l i shed good e l ementary as we l l a s k indergarten
s choo l s for boys and g i r l s .
So natura l ly Abdo ' s ch i ldren
wou ld go there for the ir education a s soon as they
reached schoo l age .
Though the scho o l s wer e estab l i shed
by the M i s s i ons , the teachers were nat ives ; they taught
the three Rs as we l l as the sc iences in Arab i c .
The
s tudy of the B ib l e a s we l l as the Eng l i sh language wa s
o b l igatory .
They taught what was needed for entrance to
c o l lege .
My brother Wadea became very f r i end l y dur ing
the year w ith h i s Eng l i sh teacher who was go i ng to
America and who promi sed h im that if he , too , wanted to
go to Amer ica , he wou ld help h im .
So when he f in i shed
that year , he told my father that he would l ike to go to
33
�Ame r i ca .
My f ather strenuous ly obj ected and i t took the
urgent p l eading of my mother to get father ' s consent ( see
Wadea ' s memo irs ) . Wadea l e ft for Amer ica .
I was s ix years o ld when my brother l e f t for
Ame r i c a and I was sent to the M i s s ion s choo l for boys' .
We started with the pr imary a s we l l a s the s econdary
r eaders wh ich contained stor ies from the B ib l e and as the
course advanced ,
severa l pas sages were requ i red t o be
c omm itted to memory .
Arabic grammar , h i story and
geography were later added and mathema t i c s was e spec i a l ly
stres sed .
Eng l ish , with an I r ish brogue , was the
spec i a lty of one of the miss i onar ies ; French and Turk i sh
I
were e l ect ive and were taught outs ide schoo l hour s .
was not a br i l l i ant student , j ust l ike the average boys .
I think that the fear of pun i shment f rom father he lped me
make the grade .
Meanwh i l e ,
d i f f iculties .
in Amer ica , Wadea wa s having h i s
T imes were bad , jobs were scarce and he
had no previou s preparat ion for any k ind o f work .
His
f r i end t o whom he had wr itten from Dama scus was then
l iving i n Chattanooga , Tennessee , and Wadea ,
a fter
landing i n New York , went d irect ly to that c ity where the
only j ob ava i lable was in a stee l f oundry .
Th i s type of
work was very hard on one who had not had any exper i ence
with phys ical work , but he could not be a chooser .
He
took the job hop ing that someth ing better wou l d turn up .
34
�Un f ortunat e ly , t imes did not improve .
The ear ly years o f
1 8 9 0 were years o f depres s i on , and he not o n l y d i d hot
f ind better k ind of work , but even h i s foundry c l osed and
he was f orced to return to New York where he had s ome
Syr ian f r i ends .
H i s l etters back home were cheerfu l ,
f u l l o f admirat i on for the country and its peop l e , but
m i xed w ith fee l i ng of d i s appo i ntment that he cou l d not
s end a port ion of his earning home to h e lp f ather w ith
the expenses o f a large fami ly .
I n New York , a merchant in the l ine o f l inens
and embro ider i e s , whom he had known in Dama scu s , gave h im
on cons i gnment a satch e l fu l l o f goods and t o l d h im to go
and try h i s fortune .
f ather ' s advice .
He immed i ately wrote home a s k i ng
My f ather had made i t a sacred r u l e to
w r i t e to him each week and he numbered the l etters s o
that Wadea wou ld know i f any were l o s t in trans i t .
Wade a
d id the s ame and kept the family i n formed o f a l l h i s
movements .
ad�ice ,
Father ' s letters were f u l l o f devot i on and
" Remember , Son , don ' t do anythi ng that d i sgraces
yourse l f or your fami ly .
We are praying God t o s ave you
f r om a l l the temptations in the land of your s ojourn . "
Mother ' s l etter were a l s o fu l l of trust that her son
wou l d a lways g ive heed to what she had t r i ed to inst i l l
i nto h im:
the love of truth , honesty , and the f a ith i n
God .
Wadea l e ft New York with h i s s atche l and
35
�t rave led south ,
stopping f irst at Princeton and
Ph i lade lph ia w ith very l ittle succe s s .
Rea l i z i ng that
th i s type of work is better adapted to the suburbs than
to large c it i es , he cont inued south and stopped i n
Chester , Pennsy lvan ia .
He went to the post o f f ice to
wr ite a card to s end home , and wh i le he was stand i ng at
the desk writ ing it , a middle-aged lady stopped at the
same desk to address a letter .
I t happened that a l l the
pens were out of order and see ing her d i l emma he
ventured ,
" Excuse me ,
I see that you only want to addr e s s
a l etter , may I o f f er you my pen? "
The l ady w a s greatly
surp r i s ed as she looked over at his card and f ound that
i t was not wr itten in Eng l ish , and she s a id as she
accepted the pen ,
" Thank you very much , and by the way
wha t k ind of a l anguage is th i s that you are wr i t i ng ? "
He rep l i ed that it was Arab i c .
" Oh , that i s the language
of the Arabian Nights , " she s a id .
" Y es , " he rep l ied .
"And i s that where you came from? "
" Ye s , " he s a id .
" And what are you doing here ? " she a sked .
Though he was not interested in thi s
conver sation h e thought that i t might produce a s a l e ; s o
he gave her a br ief resume of h i s movements . Then she
s a id ,
" How interesting , young man ; my f ather and s i ster
l ive not far from here , " and g iving h im her name and
address she cont inued ,
" When you get through wr it ing ,
36
�stop to see us , we might be interested . " He thanked her
and s a id that he wou ld stop in the ear ly a fternoon .
The
f a ther ( Mr . o ' Ne i l l ) and the two women inqu ired a bout the
country and its peop l e and a fterward bought s ome l i nens
and sent h im to some of the ir f r iends who l ikew i s e d i d
the s ame .
When Wadea returned to thank h i s new f r i ends
for the i r he lp , the father s a id ,
" Whenever you are i n the
ne ighborhood be sure to stop to see us . "
Wadea went as far south a s Wash ington ,
at B a l t imore and many towns in-between .
stopp i ng
He f ound that
the expenses of trave l and hote l s was more than the
p ro f it from the goods s o ld .
So he dec ided t o return to
New York and look for someth ing better .
On h i s way , he
stopped to ca l l on h i s new fr iends i n Che ster .
One o f
the s i sters s aw d i sappo intment o n h i s f ace and s a i d ,
" You
s eem to be a nice inte l l igent young man , why are you
wast i ng your t ime with th i s k i nd o f work? "
" I can ' t f ind anyth ing better , " he r ep l ied .
"Why don ' t you study some profe s s ion? "
" I t i s a strange coinc idence , " he rep l i ed .
"I
j us t rece ived a l etter from my father suggest i ng that I
s tudy dent i stry , because we have no graduate dent i st s in
D amas cu s ; but I have no means and I don ' t know how to go
a bout i t . "
" Come on , " she sa id ,
" I ' l l take you to my
dent i s t and he w i l l gu ide you and g ive you a l l the
37
�necess ary information . "
Fo l lowing words with act ion ,
she took h im· to
s e e her dent i st , Dr . S . B l a i r Luckie , who encouraged h im ,
gave h im a l l the inf ormation and prom i sed to be h i s
He a l s o gave him a l etter o f introduction to
p r eceptor .
the dean o f the Phi lade lphi a Dent a l C o l l ege .
The
f o l l ow i ng day Wadea went to Phi lade lph i a , had an
i nterv i ew with the Dean , and wa s accepted a s a student .
Through the e f f orts o f the O ' Ne i l l s , a loan o f money was
arranged from a f r i end of the ir s , an Eng l i s h l ady .
happy and grateful man returned to New York ,
The
s ett led h i s
account with h i s merchant f r iend and d i d some odd j ob s
unt i l the approach of the schoo l term .
He returned t o
Che ster and h i s fr iends adv i s ed h i m to rent a room i n
P h i lade lph ia near the col lege , whi ch he did .
Wadea kept h i s fam i ly informed o f a l l what had
taken p lace and corre spondence kept up between the
K a s s abs in Damascus.·and the O ' Ne i l l s i n Che s te r .
My
. -mo.t her- , recogn i z ing the great servic·e and a f f ec t i on that
the O ' Ne i l l s bestowed on her son , sent them a warm
i nv i ta t i on to v i s it the fam i ly .
They accepted the
i nv i ta t i on and promi sed to do so a fter Wadea ' s
graduat ion .
I n the meant ime , two traged ies took p l ace ,
f i rst Sam O ' Ne i l l , the fathe r , took s i ck .
He was quite
o ld and Wadea nur sed him for weeks but he d i d not r ecover
and actua l ly d i ed in Wadea ' s arms . The other tragedy was
38
�my mother ' s death .
She was only forty - two ; but e i ther
due to hard work or to g iving b irth t o too many children ,
she d i d not survive a ga l l bl adder attack .
S o now the
fami ly had a terr i f i c b l ow ; Mother ' s death l e f t the
f am i ly w ith a prob l em that was d i f f i c u l t t o s o lve F a reedeh , Asma , Ade l e , Ae lyas , Naj eeb ,
and the baby Wadad , e l even months o l d .
deso late .
S amee , Braheem ,
Father was
But mother had rai s ed her daughters we l l ,
for
Fareedeh at once as sumed the re spons i b i l ity o f a mother
and we carried on .
She was w i se and s t r i ct ; she had
f a ther ' s back ing , and we obeyed her .
Father was heart
broken , and though urged , he would not r emarry .
The
o ldest s i ster took charge , became the mother of the
househo ld .
She wrote to the O ' Ne i l l s and asked them to
break the news to Wadea .
I n the ir l etter o f sympathy ,
they suggested that the ir promi sed v i s i t be cance l ed ; but
f ather as we l l as my s i ster wrote and begged them to
c orne .
A f ew weeks a fter Wadea ' g graduat�on ,
arr ived in Dama scus .
th� three
The lad ies enj oyed the l i f e in the
or i enta l c ity , espec i a l ly the o ld h i st or i c a l s ights :
Street ca l l ed Stra ight , the p l ace where st . Paul was
converted ; the wa l l from wh ich he escaped , the Great
Mos que and the ba z aars .
They then toured Jeru s a l em ,
Bethl ehem , Jordan and the other sacred p l aces .
Wadea brought them to B ludan .
39
Then
For three weeks , they
the
�raved over the p l ace .
They loved the s imp l e l i f e o f the
v i l l agers wh i ch reminded them of the l i f e of the peop l e
o f the B ib l e . They got t o know each member o f the f am i ly
and i t was then that they to ld my f ather and me that i f
ever I wanted t o corne to the united states , there was a
horne for me .
I wa s thirteen years o ld when my brother
graduated and r eturned horne with the O ' Ne i l l s .
do i ng f a i r ly we l l in schoo l ,
I was
I had two years more to go .
The s ituation in the country was unsett l ed ; the Mo s l ems
were wary .
Syr ia wa s then under Turk ish ru l e .
were a Mos l em nat ion .
The Turks
They had no l ove for the
Chr i st ians , and they were undu ly upset because of the
presence of the fore ign nati ona l s and the i r apparent
s upport to the Chr ist ian community .
And to make th i ngs
wor s e , the Greek Government attempted to s e i z e Crete , an
i s l and be long ing to Turkey .
War f o l l owed .
Thi s made the
Mos l ems more demonstrat ive aga inst the Chr i s t ians .
Ru�ors reached the c ity that the Greek forces had
d e feated the Turks .
Father and I wer e in the bus iness
s e ct i on , which was predominant ly Mos l em ; the news spread
qu i ck ly .
Al l the merchants began to c l ose the ir shop s ;
the Mos l ems gathered in the streets and were extreme ly
ag itated ; some shouted that they wou l d revenge .
Father
and I hurr ied home and locked and bar r i caded the door .
Father having gone through the Mas s acre
40
o f 18 6 0 f eared
�The f am i ly sat together , soon shout i ng i n the
the wor st .
street f i l led the a i r ; this cont inued through the night
with no one going to s l eep .
I n the morning c r i e r s went
through the streets shout ing that the rumor s were f a l s e
a n d that the Chr i st ians had nothing to fear .
I t was an
exper i ence not to be forgotten ; for though the danger had
p a s sed for the moment , the Chr i st ians f eared that the
troub l e with the Mos lems could start at the s l i ghte s t
p rovoca t i on .
About th is t ime , the M i s s i on f e l t that a schoo l
f or Mos lem g i r l s should be opened in the Mos l em quarters
of the c ity .
A l arge house suitable for a schoo l a s we l l
a s for l iving quarters for the teachers was rented .
Fema l e teachers were s e l ected with great care .
wa s app o i nted a s principa l .
My s i ster
Unfortunately , there wer e no
f ac i l it i e s for cook ing and the fam i l ies o f the teacher ,
twice a week , prov ided the teachers with the ir mea l s .
I
wa s a s s igned th i s duty and I a lways dreaded the trip to
the s choo l for I was insu lted by boys p lay ing in the
streets w ith the shout of " Here comes the Chr i st i an p ig , "
or " What ' s your cross made of , " and on seve r a l occa s i ons
s tone s were hur l ed at me . I a lways w i shed for the t ime to
come when I wou ld leave th i s c ity for a freer country .
I had no troub le in schoo l and on graduat ion I
rece ived my cert i f icate and a l etter from the p r i nc ipa l ,
Abdo Kahee l , addres sed to my father , wh ich s a i d that I
41
�d i d very we l l in schoo l , that I had an " exce l l ent " in
mathema t i c s and was ready to go to a scho o l o f h i gher
l e a r n i ng .
D ad . "
I handed the se to my father and s a i d " Here ,
Dad read the l etter and s a id ,
" I am very p l ea s ed . "
Then he handed them back to me and s a id ,
" Now what do you
want to do? " I s a id that I didn ' t know . Then he s a i d ,
" You have two courses from wh ich to dec ide : one to be
apprent i ced to some craft here in the c i ty ; the other i s
t o g o t o Amer ica ,
c o l l ege . "
for I cannot a f f ord t o send you to
I rep l i ed ,
" Dad ,
I have a l ready dec ided ,
I
You know , Dad , the l ad i e s
wou l d l ike to go to America .
who came here with my brother t o l d m e that i f I ever
l iked to come to Amer ica , they have a home for me . "
Then
h e s a i d , " That ' s very good , your brother has written me
that when you f in i sh schoo l here , he wants you to go to
Ame r i c a .
Get ready then , though i t wi l l be very hard for
me to part with you . "
The next f ew days were very busy gett i ng me
r e?dy to make the tr ip�
As it happened Unc l e George was
r eturn ing to Be irut from a fam i ly v i s it and it wa s
dec ided I woul d accompany him ,
mak ing the trip .
saving my father from
When the day arrived for me to leave
home , my f ather took me to the sma l l room wh i ch wa s to
the l e f t of the court and we went in and he shut the
door .
" You know , Ae lyas , " he s a id ,
42
" I t i s go ing to be
�very hard for me to let you go ,
been of great help to me .
you .
f o r you have
I am g o i ng to m i s s
You are going to be very f a r away f r om
I want you to a lways
me , but not from God .
remember your her itage .
I want you to be
honest , truthfu l , f a ithfu l , dependable and
industr ious . Now I want you to prom i s e me that
you wi l l not smoke , dr ink , or keep bad
company . "
" Father ,
I wi l l do my very be st . "
He then kne lt and asked me to do the s ame and he prayed
f e rvent ly ending with ,
God . "
" I ' l l leave you to the mercy of
When he f in i shed ,
the tears in h i s eyes .
I looked up to h i s face and s aw
I never forgot that face and it
br i ng s tears to my eyes when I th ink o f i t .
We l e ft on June 9 ,
by t r a i n .
18 9 9 ,
Bes ide my satche l ,
for B e i rut trave l ing
I had to carry a b lanket ,
a p i l l ow and two tins , one ha l f ga l lon each f i l l ed w ith
ap� icot preserve as a present to my brothe r . Cous in
Ameen , who was a merchant in Be irut was to make a l l the
arrangements for my trip .
After spend i ng a week or s o at
Unc l e ' s hous e , Ameen and I went to Thomas Cook and S ons
t o buy the t i cket to New York . The agent in charge was a
f r i end o f Ameen and he s a id that I d i d not have to pay a
f u l l fare , that I wa s sma l l enough to be c l a s s i f i ed f or
one-ha l f .
The f u l l fare was f i fteen pounds ster l i ng
43
�wh i ch my f ather had given me .
So I p a i d s even and
one -ha l f and kept the others with my l it t l e change .
I
was trave l ing steerage to Marse i l les , thence by t r a i n to
B o l ogne , France , and then third c l a s s to New York .
t i cket was for transportation only ,
My
j ust for a p l ace on
deck .
I t was summer and there was no need for a state
room .
A l s o it d i d not provide mea l s from B e irut t o
Marse i l le s .
My Aunt packed a large ba sket for me .
It
was fu l l o f sandwiches and fruits o f a l l k i nd s and she
s a id that if she f i l l ed it more it wou ld spoi l .
Wh i le we were wa i t ing to embark a group o f
three young men came with the i r luggage ready t o s a i l .
They introduced themse lves to Ameen and me ; two f r om
Lebanon and the third from Damascus .
The Dama s cene
turned out to be from a we l l known f ami ly to Ameen .
They
were going to New York and had the s ame k i nd of t icket a s
I had .
After chatting for several minute s , Ameen a sked
them to . take me , wh ich they promised to do . M inut e s
l a� er , the steamer shr ieked -its horn _ for the p a s sengers
t o get aboard .
We were the last to board ,
for the
s a i lors had to c l ose the doors to the hold wh i ch was to
be our rest ing p l ace .
I
boarded the steamer " Portuga l "
o f the Mes s ager i e Mar i t ime and l e ft B e i rut for my f uture
home .
For a wh i l e we stood by the ra i l ing s i l ent ly
watch ing the ship l eave the land , uttering not a word but
wonder ing whether we wou ld tread that s o i l aga i n .
44
�We were awakened f rom that trance by the purser
ask i ng for our t i ckets .
me ,
When I handed him mine , h e ' a sked
" How old are yoU? "
" F i f teen , " I sa id .
lI y ou can ' t trave l on ha l f fare , " he s a i d .
He then l e ft me and co l l ected the t i ckets o f the other
p a s s engers .
Very soon a fter , he returned and demanded
the other seven and one-ha l f pounds .
I s a i d that I am
te l l i ng him the truth ; that was a l l the agent a sked me to
pay .
He s a id that he wa s sorry and wou ld have to put me
o f f at the next stop of the ship at Ha i fa .
that he was r ight and I paid h im forthwith .
l e f t me ,
I rea l i z ed
After he
I stood for a moment mot ion l e s s , no doubt a
p icture of despa i r , wonder ing how I could get to New York
with hardly any money .
and s a i d ,
Suddenly a man stood bes ide me
"Are you Aelyas Kas sab? "
I said ,
" Yes , how d i d you know? "
He rep l ied that he wa s t a l k i ng to my cou s i n
whom he knew very we l l . H e s a id that h i s name w a s Fuad
S a l l oum , that his brother was the m i n i ster o f the Church
in Damascus to wh ich our fam i l y be longed ; that though he
wa s not from Dama scus he knew of the f am i ly ; that Ameen
had a sked him to look a fter me .
I told him my s tory and
he a s sured me that he had p l enty of money and that it was
at my d i sposa l .
f r iends .
From that moment we became very good
He wa s going to San Franc i sco on bus in e s s and
45
�h e i ntroduced me to h i s group .
We got a l ong very we l l .
For a l ittle wh i l e the steamer f o l l owed the
shore l ine and we watched the scenery , then i t veered
The
away and we began to look about our surround i ngs .
c lo sed doors of the hold were our staterooms for the tr ip
and we p l aced our luggage there .
As the even i ng
approached , we opened our baskets and had our supper and
as the l ights d immed we rol led our s e lves in our b l anket s .
The steamer was very steady , we were soon a s l eep .
Very
e a r ly in the morning we were awakened by the s a i l or s who
t o l d us that they have to open the ho ld because we were
approaching Ha i f a and they have to unl oad some
merchand i s e .
I n mov ing my luggage ,
I d i scovered that
dur ing the night someone had gotten away w ith my basket
of prov i s i ons , which
meant that I wou l d be without
provi s i ons un l e s s I supp l ied mys e l f at Ha i fa .
I
comp l a ined to the Purser who a s sured me that i t mus t be
one of the passengers and that they wer e not respons i b l e .
Th�t taught me a l e s son to be more - carefu l .
I n Ha i fa we
r ep l e n i shed our needs and in the even ing we r esumed our
j ourney toward Marse i l les , pass ing through the stra i t s o f
Mes s ina ; I can never forget the s ight o f Mt . Vesuvius
w i th the smoke be lch i ng from its cone .
Further on the weather changed , a bad s torm hit
u s and it was dangerous for us to rema in on deck .
The
o f f icers were afraid that we might be inj ured or swept
46
�i nt o the sea ,
ship .
so we had to go down into the hold o f the
I t was a bad exper ience ,
for there were an ima l s
After the second day ,
there and the stench was terr ib l e .
the sun shone brightly and we were g l ad to get on deck
aga in .
We arr ived in Mars e i l les wi thout any further
troub l e .
We were met by the agent of the company who
s o ld us the t i cket Marse i l l e s -New York .
He hust l ed u s
through customs and immigration without d i f f i cu l ty and
took u s to a s econd c l a s s hot e l where we were to stay
t i l l the next morn ing , then by tra i n to Par i s for a f ew
hour s , then to Bologne and the White star L i ne steamer
for New Y ork .
The passage wa s long and t i r ing and f u l l
o f expectat ion o f putting our feet o n the s o i l o f the
l and of the free .
However we were a l it t l e worr i ed ,
becaus e wh i le in Par i s we had heard that many imm igrants
were b e i ng returned because of eye troub l e or l ack of
funds .
We had to take our chance .
As we approached New
Y o�k the morning was most beaut i f u l .
As we entered the
harbor we were ama z ed at the t a l l bu i ld ings but we were
l ook i ng for something greater and when we saw her bathed
in sun l ight with the torch in her hand up l i fted
' heavenward our tears were not spared .
The steamer
cont inued to E l l i s I s land where the immigrants
d i s embarked .
Wh i le we wa ited for the examina t i on by the
I mmigration and customs o f f i c ia l s ,
47
I a sked my f r i end
�S a l l oum to loan me f ive pounds wh ich he g l ad l y d i d .
I
gave him my address in Chester and he gave me h i s in
Ca l i fornia .
The Custom and Immigra t i on examinati ons were
both sat i s factory and we were led in groups to d i f f e rent
parts of the bui ld ing and were separated f rom each other .
Our l e ader with an o f f icer ' s cap and i n s ign i a on h i s l e ft
a rm a sked me my name and dest inat ion and he led me t o a
s e a t i n a large room and said ,
" Your train doesn ' t l eave
unt i l nine o ' c l ock . Don ' t leave th i s p l ace unt i l I come
back .
Do you understand? "
I s a id that I under stood , but
my brother wou ld be wa it ing for me on the dock . When he
understood my story , he said it was too late now and that
it was better for him to put me on a train f o r Chester .
Aga i n he s a id ,
" Don ' t leave unt i l I come . "
I t began to get dark and I began to get hungry .
On the other s ide of the stat ion , wh ich wa s a l arge room ,
I s aw a fruit stand and I wa lked there to get someth ing
t o eat .
The owner , recogn i z ing that I was a n a l ien l ike
hi�s e l f ,
soon got my f u l l hi story and a s he began to put
the s e l ected fru it in the bag .
He suggested that s ince
Che ster is a day away that I had better supp ly mys e l f ,
wh ich I d i d ,
and not only for one day .
seat I gorged myse l f with the fruit ,
Return ing to my
At a quarter to
n ine , the o f f icer came ; he lped me with my l uggage and as
I boarded the train I heard h im te l l the conductor that I
was a stranger and to be sure to put me o f f at Chester .
48
�I was put in a seat near the exit door o f the car .
After
the train pul l ed out of the stat ion , the conductor c ame
c o l l ec t i ng t ickets .
He punched the t i cket and KEPT I T .
I d i d not say anyth ing and be ing exhausted and with the
ro l l ing o f the train ,
I f e l l dead a s l eep .
At twe lve
o ' c lock sharp , the whee l s ground to a stop . The tra i nman
shook me to wake me up ; but I wou ldn ' t move .
I s a id I
was go i ng to Chester and that Chester was a day o f f .
Conductor came and when he heard what I was say ing ,
The
said ,
" Come on , young f e l low , I can ' t hold th i s t r a i n any
l onger . "
He caught me by the c o l lar o f my coat and
k i cked me down the steps with the trainman f o l l ow i ng w ith
the luggage . with a loud voice ,
I cr ied ,
" G ive me my
t i cket ! "
As the train pu l l ed o f f , the stat i o n master
came out to c lose the stat i on for the n ight .
He saw me
stand i ng and had heard me shout out . He s a i d to me ,
" What ' s the matter ?
Where do you want to go? "
I rep l ied
th�t I wanted to go to Che ster , PA . , and he got my
t i cket .
He s a id .
" Th i s i s Chester . "
See ing me
i ncredu lous , he took me around the stat ion and showed me
the s ign on the wa l l .
Now he s a id ,
Where do you want to go? "
" Th i s i s Chester .
I told him that I was
expect ing my brother to meet me and the rest of the
story .
He a sked me my brother ' s name and where he l ived .
I t o l d h im .
He looked at my luggage and he s a id ,
49
"We
�c an ' t go there tonight , you better stay with me ton i ght
and we ' l l see in the morning what we can do . "
to the t i cket o f f ice .
So we went
He spread a mattr e s s on a l arge
tab l e for hims e l f and I stretched on the f l oor .
I was
phy s i ca l ly and menta l ly exhausted and soon fast a s l eep .
I n the n ight nature cal l ed ,
so a s I was look ing f o r the
door to go outs ide , he awoke and led me out s ide to the
r e s t room .
We hardly went back to s leep aga i n when h e
a l arm went o f f f o r t h e f ive o ' c l ock tra in ; t h e o f f i c e
mus t b e open .
When he opened the door , he saw a
huckster ' s wagon , he cal led to the dr iver to stop , and he
t o l d him to " Take th i s stranger to O ' Ne i l l ' s at 18 0 0
Prov idence Avenue .
He has a brother l iving there . "
The
huckster s a id " I know them , " and with that he put my
l uggage on the wagon and I sat bes ide h im .
We d i dn ' t get
a warm we l come when hear ing the doorbe l l wa s rung ; M i s s
L i z z ie opened the second f loor window and shouted ,
" What
are you r inging the be l l for . so early in the morn i ng ? "
My. brother who was l iving on the third f l oor on hearIng '
the n o i s e , opened h i s window and when I saw h im ,
shouted " Wadea " and ran to
door .
I
meet h im as he opened the
What a meet ing !
I t was the last s aturday o f July ,
18 9 9 , that
marks the arr iva l at the horne of my f r iends , the
O ' Ne i l l s .
I thought that I wa s in a dream .
I cou l d
hardly be l i eve that I had at l a s t reached t h e Prom i sed
50
�Land .
My brother woke me up by saying ,
o f f , " and turning to me he cont inued ,
" I have a day
" F ir s t of a l l �
we ' l l g ive you a bath for you certa i n ly need i t ; then
we ' l l have a cup of c o f f e e ; then we ' l l go and have a h a i r
c u t for y o u need that too , and then some c lean c l othes
and then we ' l l l eave you to rest for a wh i le . "
I n Chester , Saturday was a g a l a n ight .
A l l the
stores were open . The O ' Ne i l l s had a mi l l i nery store on
Edgmont Avenue ,
in the bus iness sect i on o f Chester .
Usua l ly very l itt l e bus ine s s wa s done ; most ly w i ndow
shopp ing or v i s i t ing fr iends .
As it happened , two
f r i ends dropped in for a soc i a l v i s i t , and of cour s e ,
was introduced .
One of the lad ies wa s a teacher ,
I
and
when I began to t a lk , she smi l ed becaus e o f my I r i sh
brogue ( what l ittle I spoke I had learned f rom the I r i sh
M i s s iona r i es in Dama scus ) .
My brother asked her where I
shou l d app ly for information about my schoo l ing .
She
o f fered to take me to the super intendent ' s o f f ic e t o see
wher e I wou ld f it . . True to her prom i s e , she took me .
The super intendent tried to talk to me ,
answer inte l l igently .
but I cou l d not
I rea l ly did not under stand h im .
He gave me the ninth grade books and said ,
" Look them
over and come back later , and I wi l l see wher e you f it
in . "
For the f irst three weeks ,
mys e l f to do anyth ing .
I cou l d not br ing
My brother was in h i s o f f ice , the
51
�O ' Ne i l l s were in the ir store ,
supposedly to study .
and I was l e ft a l one
I was home s ick ; I yearned f or "
B ludan and the free l i f e .
I wou ld open the books ,
l o ok
at the pages but my mind wou ld f ly back to what I wou ld
have been do ing in the mountains .
Then one day , my
brother saw me a s leep over the books and he s a i d ,
" Now
the honeymoon is over , when you are t i red from s tudy i ng ,
I want you to make your s e l f use ful around the hou s e ,
in
the o f f ice and the garden ; remember you came here t o make
s ometh ing of yourse l f . "
That was very good f o r me ; i t
kept m e busy and took my thoughts away from home .
My
brother and the ladies were very good to me and t r i ed to
he lp me in every way pos s ib l e .
My brother taught me some
of the mecha n i c s of l aboratory work ,
such a s sett ing
teeth and po l i sh i ng p l ates .
At the end of August ,
and ,
sad to say ,
I took an exam i nat ion
I f a i l ed in every subj ect not because I
d i d not know the answers to the que s t i ons but because I
d i d not understand the questions .
said ,
The superintendent
" I ' m sorry that I can ' t put you in the n inth grade ;
you wi l l have to go to the e ighth grade . "
f i fteen year o ld boy in the grammar grade .
humi l iated .
Imag i n e a
I was
But th i s turned to be a b l e s s ing in
d i sgu i s e ; becaus e due to the k i ndne s s of three t eachers
who spent a great deal o f t ime correct ing my Eng l i sh and
exp l a ining to me the rud iments of grammar , they kept me
52
�hours a fter schoo l reading a l oud and correct i ng my
pronunc i a t i on .
I made so much progre s s that by the end
of the s choo l year , I asked the Super i ntendent to loan me
the books of the n i nth grade so that I cou ld study them
dur ing the vacation and take an exam inat ion in the f a l l .
P erhaps I cou ld skip the ninth grade . He did , and I was
succes s fu l .
I did the same thing at the end of the
second year ; borrowed the books for the e l eventh grade
and in the f a l l I sk ipped the e l eventh and was adm itted
t o the twe l fth grade .
A ca l l from my father was s o
urgent to earn some money t o help my brother s that I
dec ided not to f in i sh the twe l fth grade but to try t o
t a k e t h e examinat ion for entrance to t h e denta l
department of the Un iver s ity of Pennsylvania .
matr i cu l ated in October ,
I
1 9 0 1 for a f ive year course
wh i ch led to both degrees o f dent i stry and med ic ine .
It
was f ortunate that I d i d becaus e in 1 9 0 2 the dent a l
course a l one was increased t o four years .
The . s cho o l fee
o f one hundred and f i fty do l lars was paid by my brother ,
f or wh i ch I c l eaned h i s o f f ice every day and d i d h i s
l a boratory work .
Dr . K irk ,
When I s igned the reg i ster , the dean ,
shook my hand and s a id ,
you to the f am i l y of our schoo l . "
' Dr . Kas sab , I we l come
I f e lt so proud .
I did not f ind the pract ica l part o f the cours e
d i f f icult thanks to the fact that for two y e a r s I had
been he lp ing my brother in the l aboratory ; but not
53
�previous ly having had any chemi stry ,
that cour se ,
I wou ld have f a i l ed
I am sure , had a good f r i end not coached me .
I wa s s o exhausted that my good fr i end , Dr . Preston ,
recommended that for the present , I not cont i nue w ith the
med ica l cours e .
I f e l t that he wa s r ight , that I should
d e l ay f o r a year .
After graduation in June 1 9 0 4 and
p a s s ing the state Board examinat ion ,
my shingle next to my brother ' s .
I was g lad t o hang
My o f f ice was a
s creened part of h i s laboratory with crude furn i sh ings
and only the neces sary instruments for a beg i nne r .
Fortunat e ly ,
I could borrow what I needed f rom my
brothe r .
with the many l etters o f congratu l a t i on f r om my
f ather and s i sters for having attai ned the degree o f
Doctor o f Denta l Surgery , came letters t o Wadea s ay ing
that i t was t ime for h im to return home and br ing the
O ' Ne i l l s with h im ; that he was ready for mar r i age ; that
Aelyas can take care of his o f f ice wh i l e he was away ;
that there was a wonderful g i r l teach ing in the M i s s i on
s choo l who they want h im to meet ; that unc l e S a l im knew
her f r om the t ime she was a l ittle g i r l ,
and that she was
a wonderful catch .
My s i ster ' s l etters to the O ' Ne i l l s wer e very
i n s i stent that they shou ld accept the invitat ion and come
w ith Wadea , and renew the f r i endship .
The l etters were
s o warm that Mary O ' Ne i l l dec ided to accompany Wadea and
54
�they l e ft f or Damascus .
I took charge of the o f f ice wh ich was l ocated
at 8 0 2 Edgmont Avenue , a two room space divided i nto two
parts ; one for operat ing and recept ion and one for
l aboratory .
I n due t ime , we rece ived the che e r f u l news f r om
Dama scus that the f o lks were enj oying the ir v i s it ; that
Wadea had met the young lady , Sara Ha j j ar ; that she was
the dream g i r l of h i s l i fe .
They had spent t ime i n
B ludan enj oy ing the beauty of nature ; but more enj oy i ng
e ach other and they f e lt sure that i t was the Supreme
Power that brought them together and they dec i ded to make
it f o r l i f e .
28 ,
1905 .
They were marr ied at Souk - e l -Gharb ,
S ept
After the wedd ing , the coup l e spent the i r
honeymoon tour ing Lebanon wh i l e Mary O ' Ne i l l trave l l ed to
Engl and to v i s it with some f r iends ; later j o in ing the
mar r i ed coup l e on the ir way home .
The good event made Wadea and me r ea l i z e that a
chpnge must be made ; Wadea could not rema i n l iv i ng at the
O ' Ne i l l s and I could not rema in occupying h i s o f f ice .
The s o l ut i on :
the bu i ld ing next door , 8 0 4 -8 0 6 Edgmont
Avenue , was for s a l e .
Wade a bought it and changed the
f ront o f the bu i lding into two o f f ices , each with an
operat i ng room , a recept ion room for both and a
l a boratory .
These were on the second f l oor .
Wadea
occup ied the rest of the bu i ld ing except the f ir s t f l oor
55
�wh i ch was rented for bus i nes s .
Now we were organ i z ed :
Wadea renewing h i s relationship with h i s p a t i ents ,
!
w ith
bu i ld ing a pract ice , the O ' Ne i l l s with s e l l i ng the i r
bus ine s s , and Sara with tak ing care o f the house and
prepar ing for the coming of her f irst baby .
Hardly had we got set when we had to go New
York to meet Braheem . Father wrote that the lad wa s not
do i ng we l l at school and he thought that the change w i l l
he lp h im ; a f ew months l ater , Naj eeb f o l l owed ; h e had
tr i ed a year at the American Un ivers ity o f Be i rut and wa s
not sat i s f i ed .
So he dec ided to try Ame r i c a .
He took a
bus iness course o f one year in the high schoo l i n Che ster
and then went on to New York .
He worked for a l it t l e
wh i l e with George Kas sab ( no re lation )
in the embro idery
bus ine s s ; he l iked the manu f actur i ng end better ,
went to Made ira and then to F l orence ,
Italy ,
so h e
and
estab l i shed a center for mak ing embro ider i e s and l a c e s .
Later on he estab l i shed the f i rm " Ka s sab Bros " and took
with h im h i s brother Braheem and h i s nephew Far i d Haddad .
He d i d very we l l ; however , Wor ld War I I k i l led the
embro idery bus iness . He then went to Egypt to see i f he
could do anything there .
He met and mar r i ed Leoni Trak ,
a d i stant re lat ive o f the Kassabs and had two ch i ldren , a
boy named Albert and a g ir l , Lorra ine , who d i ed i n her
teens .
Naj eeb took s i ck in B e i rut with c irrhos i s o f the
l iver and the doctors in Be irut adv i s ed him to come to
56
�Ame r i c a for treatment wh ich he did .
The d i s e a s e was we l l
advanced , neverthe l e s s a n operat ion was per f ormed f r om
wh i ch he apparent ly recovered .
He returned to B e i rut ,
but a f ew months l ater , the d i sease r eturned and he d i ed
in the 1 9 5 0 ' s .
Braheem ' s arr iva l worr ied us for h e had not
f in i shed h i s prel iminary education at the M i s s ion s chool
and he was not anxious to cont inue i t here .
Unw i l l i ng l y
h e went to schoo l at our ins i stence , but at t h e e n d o f
t h e schoo l year h e did not p a s s the course a n d h a d t o
repeat it .
H a l fway through the year ,
the p r i n c i p a l o f
the schoo l not i f i ed u s that the lad was not do ing we l l
and that he better f ind work to do .
B raheem wanted to hear .
That was j us t what
He started to work i n Chester in
a wood sawing factory , but he did not l ike that j ob ,
wa s too d i rty .
it
He went to New York and worked with
N a j e eb in the embro idery trade .
After a short per iod of
t ime , they l earned that Funcha l , Made ira , was the home
wh�re laces and embro idery were made ,
so Braheem went to
Funcha l and started in bus ine s s , manu f actur ing and
sh ipp ing to Naj eeb in New York .
He did very we l l .
Dur ing Wor ld War I I , the i s land lacked e l ectr i c ity ,
so
Braheem began t o make candles and supp l i ed the i s land .
He l oved Funcha l and made it h i s home .
He mar r i ed late
in h i s l i f e C l ara , a Portuguese gi r l , and had two boys ,
Alexander and Edward .
He died from cancer in 1 9 8 2 .
57
His
�w i f e , C l ara , d i ed from a heart attack wh i l e on a v i s it to
the U . S . A .
He had
sami came to America a fter Naj eeb .
f in i shed his prel iminary education i n the M i s s ion
Schoo l s , he d i d not want to go to the Co l l ege i n B e i rut ,
and father dec ided that America was the best p l ace for
h im .
We persuaded h im to go to schoo l here ,
month ' s t r i a l , he dec ided to go to work .
t o be emp l oyed .
but a fter a
He d i d not want
He wanted to be h i s own bos s .
He took a
j ob rep a i r ing t ires and when we saw that he made a
success at it we he lped him open a shop in our bu i ld i ng .
For a wh i le he d i d very we l l .
Then t ires began to
improve so much that it was not pay ing ,
a nother l ine of work .
exper i ence in bus iness .
so he changed to
He went to New York to get s ome
We had in our o f f ice a young
l a dy f r om Med i a , Matt i e C l evenger , work ing for us as an
a s s i s tant with whom Sami was fr iendly .
f r om New York the two were married .
When he c ame back
I t was a per f ect
match and they took over s i ster Ade l e ' s bus iness i n our
bu i ld i ng , 8 0 6 Edgmont Avenue ,
that interested ladies .
bus ine s s to Med i a .
for the s a l e of art i c l e s
They eventu a l ly moved the
They made a good l iving and were a
very happy coup l e but not for long .
Sami became s i ck
with cancer ; he wa s operated on but without succes s .
Now that a br i e f account o f the l ives o f my
brothers has been noted , we ' l l go back to the year 1 9 0 9 .
58
�Ma i l f r om home was .very d i stress ing ; f ather began wr i t i ng
how lonely he wa s ; that he m i s s ed the boys ; that he gave
up h i s j ob with the Miss ion , and that he d i d not f e e l
we l l , and that h e wanted t o s e e me .
He kept wr i t i ng that
he cou l d not see any reason why I d i dn ' t go back home ,
get mar r i ed and open an o f f ice in Dama scus where I am
My answers were not
needed and be c lose to him .
s a t i s factory .
So h i s wr iting style changed ,
about his phy s i ca l cond i t ion :
now mostly
that he had been examined
by two doctors ; that he had ga l l stones wh i ch mus t be
r emoved by surgery ; that he wa s sure that he wou l d not
surv ive ,
and that he wanted to see me before he d i ed .
So
I dec ided to go home for three months .
I
packed my persona l belong i ngs and my denta l
i nstruments hop ing to be ab l e to do some work f o r my
f o lks and left late in September on the North German
L l oyd s teamer " Be r l i n " for Nap les ,
connect ion there on the steamer ,
I t a ly , and made
" Pr i n z He inr i ch , " for
A lexandr i a , Egypt , hop ing to make connect ion there on the
Khed i ve Lines for Beirut . But though the steamer was
r eady ,
I cou ld not get aboard because they told me that
a l l the staterooms were occup i ed .
When I protested
say ing that my ticket ca l led for a stateroom on the ship ,
they s a i d that the only th ing they had wa s a p l ace in a
two bed room with another pas senger .
I accepted and no
s ooner that I embarked that the steamer l e f t and the be l l
59
�rang for lunch .
I left my luggage i n the room and went
After lunch , the pas senger s went up t o the
for lunch .
Wh i l e wa i t ing , a man c ame up
promenade deck for coffee .
carrying a sma l l tray on wh ich was a c o f f ee pot and a few
sma l l cups .
He was dressed in or ient a l garb .
He went
d i r ect ly to a gent lemen s itting on a cha ir watch i ng the
crowd and of f ered him a cup .
I nstead o f tak ing i t , the
gent l emen brought the carr i er directly to me and s a i d ,
" You are the gent l emen who wa s a s s igned to my room ,
I
w i l l not take the coffee un l e s s you share i t w ith me . "
S o I took the cup saying ,
" I am honored , S i r , thank you . "
Dur ing that afternoon and the f o l l ow i ng day other f avors
such a s or ienta l sweets or fru its were served by h i s men ,
but a lways o f f ered to me f i rst .
The evening o f the last
n i ght on board , we were stand ing on the ra i l i ng watch ing
the Lebanese shore , and he a sked me about the po l it i c a l
s itua t i on in Be irut .
I told h im that I had been away
f r om the country for several years , and he changed the
sub j ect . About ten o ' c lock ,
that on the morrow ,
I begged to be excused saying
I was go ing to meet my f o lks who were
com i ng to meet me and I had better retire .
could not s l eep .
I n my room ,
Long a fter midnight , the l ight was
turned on and a s he came in he s a id ,
" I am sorry that I awakened you . "
" That ' s a l l r ight , " I s a id .
" I ' m not a s l eep
for the excitement i s too much for me . "
60
I
�" I am very nervous for the morrow ; I am Abido ,
the out l aw from B e i rut , " he s a id .
" I have been
exi led from Be irut with the threat that shou ld
I r eturn , I wou ld be t aken stra ight to j a i l .
But they can ' t do that to Abido .
Don ' t you see
my henchmen? They are a l l armed and we have a
group coming out o f B e i rut to meet u s w i th
boats .
We have a rope f a stened at the stern o f
the ship and be fore the ship reaches t h e port
of Be irut , they w i l l come out to meet u s and we
wi l l go down on the rope to the boat s . Woe be
to h im who tr ies to stop us . "
H e unbuttoned h i s coat and there shined two revo lvers at
the h i lt . Need l e s s to say , there was no further s leep for
e ither o f us nor further comment .
We j us t r e c l i ned on
our beds t o awa it the break o f day .
I must have do z ed ,
f o r the deep b l owing o f the horn o f the s h ip brought me
to l i f e .
I rushed up to deck j ust i n t ime to see the
bo.a t s coming out with men and women com ing to the ship to
we lcome and rece ive the passengers a s the ship cou ld not
approach the shore .
with
Among the boats ,
I recogn i z ed one
my f ather , s i ster , cous in Shukr i , and a he lper who
was to take care of my luggage through customs .
After a
b r i e f per iod Shukri and I went to the stateroom t o get my
l uggage but there was no s ign o f any luggage ther e .
We
rushed up to the purser and told him our story and the
61
�f irst thi ng he asked wa s ,
" D id you have your room
l ocked? " The answer was no , and he s a id ,
r e spons i bl e . "
He cont inued ,
" We are not
" Hurry and look f or them in
the customs , you might catch the thi eves . " We hur r i ed but
were stopped by an o f f icer and told to go to the p a s sport
o f f ice for ident i f icat ion .
When we told him o f our l o s s
a n d begged for permiss ion t o g o and search , he permitted
us to go .
But i t wa s a l l in va i n .
My cou s i n asked i f I
had a companion and I told h im the s tory of Ab ido .
s a id ,
He
" Ab ido wa s pardoned by the sultan a f ew days ago ,
i t wa s i n the newspaper . "
Ab i do ' s house .
We took a cab and went to
We found the house was fu l l with
we l l -w i shers .
When Ab ido saw me , he rushed to grasp my
hand and s a id ,
" I didn ' t di e l "
c ongratulatory words ,
After a few
I asked a bout my luggage of wh i ch ,
o f cours e , he had no knowledge ,
and ca l l ing one o f the
men who were with us , we l earned that a l l the luggage
that was in the cabin wa s brought s a f e ly horne , wh i ch o f
course inc luded mine .
We thanked them for the i r troub l e
and for saving us from hav ing to go through customs .
Natur a l ly I didn ' t go back to check my pas sport .
Whe n an
o f f icer from the Immigration carne to the Kassab Brother ' s
store to check on the incoming stranger he was told that
h e wa s a relat ive of the fami ly and that he wi l l only be
here for a short v i s i t .
I was so worr i ed about my f ather and h i s t a lk
62
�about an opera t i on that the very next day I took h im to
h i s doctor who , a fter a thorough examinat ion , a s sured me
that my f ather had a case of ga l l stones wh ich cou ld be
taken care of with med ication and that no operat i o n was
neces sary .
My f ather was not sat i s f ied becaus e he s a id
that h i s doctor in Damascus had s a id that h i s p a i n i n h i s
back wou l d not b e cured without a n operat ion .
sat i s fy myse l f ,
S o to
I took h im to that c ity . Dr . McK inon , who
was the M i s s ion ' s doctor and a o ld f r iend of my f ather ,
t o l d me ,
" Your father wi l l not be s at i s f i ed unt i l he gets
a n operat i on . He i s in good shape .
s ometh ing t o do .
What he needs i s
My advice to you i s to get h im
s ometh ing to occupy h i s t ime . "
I t was good advice ,
f or
my f ather had begun to comp l a i n short ly after he had
g iven up his work the M i s s ion .
Ad j o ining our garden in f ront of the house in
B ludan , there was a v ineyard ( karm ) wh ich I thought would
be a very important add i t io'n to our property .
My f ather
thought it wou l d be wonderful but it was too expens ive .
I a sked ,
" How much do you think it i s worth? "
s a i d that the owner wanted one hundred pounds .
My f ather
I said ,
" Don ' t you th ink that wou ld be better than an operat i on? "
I can st i l l see the smi l e on my f ather ' s f ace when I
said ,
" You go over to B ludan tomorrow and buy i t . "
The
karm wa s bought and deeded in my name .
The next prob l em wa s where to spend the w i nter .
63
�B ludan was out o f the question for i t was too c o l d , and
D ama scus p o l i t i ca l ly was not s a f e .
B e i rut wa s the p l ace .
We dec ided that
We rented an apartment wh i ch was
supposed to be furni shed , but it had only b a s i c furn i ture
and we were obl iged to bring from B l udan our bare
neces s i t i e s .
t ime .
Though we were crowded , we had a very good
I apprec i ated every minute that I spent w ith my
f a ther .
I had l eft home as an immature boy and returned
a mature man and I could talk to h im a s an equa l .
I knew
f r om the nearly s ix hundred l etters that he had written
to us in America that my father was o f an unusua l
character - honest , truthfu l ,
was generous yet thr i fty .
l oving and unse l f i sh .
I cou ld now under stand why the
B ludanese loved him and wou ld swear by Abu Wadea .
was working ' on h i s teeth ,
When I
and would hurt h im a l it t l e , he
wou ld l ook up to me and say ,
r evenge ? "
He
" Ar e you tak ing your
I wou ld rep ly , ' " O f cours e .
How e l s e could I
have kept order? "
The t ime for my departure approached ,
a l l owed myse l f three months .
I had
I had a wonde r f u l vacat ion ,
and my mind was at ease about my father .
Now back to my
o b l igat i ons .
B idding my s i ster Fareedeh goodbye she s a i d ,
"I
have been th ink i ng that s i nce you have never been to
P a l est ine , and s ince you are s o interested in Sunday
s choo l work , I th ink that it wou ld be good for you to go
64
�I s a id ,
and see i t . "
" That ' s a very good s ugge s t i on ,
I
sha l l do i t . "
The s teamer ' s f irst stop was Ha i f a .
I got o f f
and surpr i sed my unc l e I skander , stayed w ith h im f o r the
r e s t of the day and the f o l l owing day took the t r a i n to
Jerusa l em , a three hour drive .
I entered the coach and
got the best seat next to a window ,
for we were g o i ng
through B ib l e c ountry and I wanted to study the s c enery .
I had w ith me the maps that I had bought i n Ha i f a .
S oon
the coach began to be f i l led with p a s s enger s and
present ly a man with f l owing robes and a green turban ( a
s ign that he had made the hadj to Mecca )
me and greeted me with " A l s a a l am Alykum . "
t ickets were c o l l ected ,
survey them .
sat down next to
After the
I took out the maps and began to
My seat mate l ooked over and s a i d ,
you are a tour i st .
speak good Arabic . "
" I s ee ,
I thought you wer e an Arab s ince you
I rep l i ed that I was Arab , that I
had not seen th i s part o f the c ountry before , and that I
was g o i ng to v i s i t Jerusa l em .
you f r om? "
Then he asked ,
" Where are
I r ep l i ed that I was f rom Dama s cu s but that I
had gone to Ame r i ca .
" Oh , " he s a id ,
" I am f r om D amascu s
a n d mak i ng a bus iness trip to Jerus a lem . "
The
conversat ion qu i eted for a l ittle wh i l e so I turned to my
maps .
But not for long .
s a id .
" I s i t a s wonderful as they say? "
" T e l l me about Ame r i c a , " he
He kept ask ing
one quest ion a fter another and I rea l i z ed that i t wa s no
65
�u s e , the part o f the country that was o f interest to me
had passed by , so I fo lded the maps .
f o r a minute .
a sked h im ,
said ,
We wer e now s i lent
I thought that I had o f f ended h im .
So I
" Now t e l l me something about your s e l f . "
He
" I am a Mu l l ah and I be long to the great mosque of
D amascu s ; I have made my visit to the Holy Mecca and I
dec ided to pay my respects to our Holy Shr ine i n
Jeru s a l em . "
" We l l , " I s a id ,
" We a r e then o n the s ame
m i s s i on . "
It was gett ing towards noon and he took out o f
h i s pocket a sma l l package saying ,
" I am hungry . "
I
could see that i t had a loaf o f bread , chees e , and
o l ives , and saying ,
" B i sm E l ah Alrahaman Alraheem , " he
p a s sed the package to me .
s ay ing ,
I thanked h im ,
" You must break bread with me . "
sma l l p i ece and he s a id ,
but he ins i sted
So I took a
" Now we are brothers . "
I n a few
m inut e s a fter that we approached the stat ion , and as he
descended the steps of the car , he turned to me and s a id ,
" M.' a e l S a lameh . "
After s ecur ing my lodg ing and with map i n hand ,
I toured the important p l aces of Jeru s a l em and
environment and I took the l etter of introduct ion that my
unc l e had wr itten .
I gave it to h i s f r iend and he was
very p l ea s ed to do someth ing for unc le .
He showed me the
Mosque of Omar and the el Aks a and exp l a i ned t o me the i r
h i stories and the stages o f rebu i lding .
66
He then took me
�downstairs and showed me the Chamber o f Prayer .
v i s it was very instruct ive .
The
There was one p l ace l e f t on
my map and I dec ided to v i s i t Bethl ehem .
I h ired a
donkey even though the d i stance was not very far .
There
were many tour i s t s f rom my hot e l who were go i ng by bus .
The owne r of the donkey pra i sed the anima l t o be very
good and everyth ing was a l l r ight when I started .
But
when I d i smounted , he started to retreat towards home and
i n t ime I caught h i s br id l e .
No matter how hard I
pu l led , he had the better o f me ,
so I l et h im go and I
cont i nued wa lking towards Bethlehem .
How impress ive i s
the exterior o f the Church o f the Nativ ity ; and how deep
a n impress ion is left on your memory when you l ook at the
grotto where the Baby Savior was born .
There were others
b e s ide me at that sacred spot but no one had power to say
a word .
On the way ,
returned .
The owner reached to pay me back ,
d i d that to you too? "
it . "
I stopped to s e e i f the a n ima l had
I said ,
" Keep it ,
say i ng ,
"He
it was worth
I wa lked s lowly back to the c ity med itat ing on j us t
what h a d happened .
I saw a crowd mov ing s l owly ,
for
every l ittle wh i l e they wou ld get on the ir knee s and
chant someth ing that I could not understand .
They were
Rus s ian p i lgr ims recit ing the stations of the cross .
f o l l owed s l owly to the Church o f the Holy Sepu lche r .
I
I
had been there the day before but what I had gone through
67
�today put me in an ent i r e ly d i f f er ent sp ir i t .
I t has been s a id and j us t ly that there are many
more things yet to be d i scovered in Pa l e s t i ne than what
a lr eady has been uncovered , and that a person cou l d spend
h i s who l e l i f e i n the ir pur suit but without succe s s .
I
wa s g l ad that I took my s i ster ' s advice and c ame over .
I
s aw in a f ew days so many thing s that took me back
thousands of years in h i story .
For now ,
I j ust wanted
to expe r ience the same f e e l ing that one on my fr i ends had
as he stood on Mount O l ives and ga z ed at the expanse o f
Jerus a l em before h im , with the sun bathing t h e go lden
cup o l a o f the temp l e and re f l ect ing its rays w ith an
imprint which one can never f orget .
have t h a t exper i ence today _
I hoped that I wou ld
O f cour s e ,
the tour i s t and
the p i lgrim are shown many p l aces and told many stor i e s
wh i ch c o u l d n o t p o s s i b l y be genu ine or true , wh i l e others
are probably genu ine .
True , too , mountains a nd h i l l s of
themse lves cannot change , bu i ld ings and other s i tes
cr.e ated by the hands o f man do change . Mount Z ion or Mt .
Mor i a do not change , but the bu i ld ings constructed on
them do change .
David .
One p l ace that i s genu ine i s the Tomb of
Today there i s a mosque on the s ite .
Not only i s
Dav id bur i ed there but a l s o h i s son S o l omon and others o f
t h e good anc ient kings o f I srae l .
Th i s mosque i s near
the C loenacu lum , the upper room where the Lord had h i s
l a s t supper with h i s d i sc ip l e s .
68
There was a mosque bu i lt
�over the tomb with a wide door and a passage t o another
court l ead ing to the mosque . I s aw the door opened and
the passage lead ing to the s econd door .
Just a s I moved
to enter the mosque I was rough ly stopped by two a rmed
men who c a l l ed me " the cursed p ig . "
I am sure that I
wou ld have been s everely beaten or ser iou s ly i n j ured had
not a man with f l owing robes and a turban i nterfered .
ca l l ed to them to stop and to me " I cht i fee . "
He
Though my
knee s began to shake , I managed to d i s appear .
I t was the
h a j j i who wa s my seat mate on the tra i n from Ha i f a to
I wanted to wa it to thank h im , but I was
Jerus a l em .
shaken with fear and thought that it wou ld be wiser to
comp ly with his order to disappear .
I managed to f i nd
the narrow wind i ng street to reach my l odg i ng s .
I
must have l ooked fr ightened ,
at the desk o f the lodg ing house sa id ,
f o r the c l erk
" You ' re sure ly
l ucky because they could have been very rough w ith you .
There are only two persons who are not mos l ems who have
s een i n s ide the mosque .
One is the Prince o f Wa l e s ,
and
the other Ka i s er Wi lhe lm of Germany by a spec i a l order
from the Sultan .
But s ince you didn ' t go i n you are in
no danger . "
Just before sunset ,
I ventured out t o get a
l a st look at Jerus a l em from the top o f Mt . O l ives .
Though the v i ew wa s magn i f icent with the rays o f the sun
b l a z i ng on the cupola of the temple ,
69
I did not get the
�f e e l i ng that my f r i end had previou s l y descr ibed .
Howeve r ,
the words of the Lord came to mind and I f e l t
mys e l f say ing ,
" Oh , Jerusa l em , Jerusalem .
Thou that k i l l e st
the prophets and stone st them wh ich are sent t o thee ;
How often wou ld I have gathered thy chi ldren together
even as a hen gathers her chickens under her w ings , and
ye wou ld not .
Behold , your house i s left unto you
d e s o late . "
I t was the t ime to be back to my work ,
took the tra in back to Ha i f a .
so I
The f o l l ow i ng day I l e f t
by steamer f o r Al exandr ia , then Genoa , Par i s ,
c r o s s ed the
E ng l i sh Channe l to London , Southampton , New York and
horne .
The fo lks were happy to we lcome me ,
espec i a l ly
Wadea , because he was anx ious to get r i d o f my p a t i ents .
I d i d not waste any t ime , becaus e the s ervice that my
pat i ents had rece ived from Wadea wa s j ust enough t o t ide
them over unt i l I returned .
I was g l ad to get t o work
f or I had a good restfu l vacat ion .
At that t ime my s i ster Ade l e f in i shed her
tra in ing a s a nurse and carne over expect ing to f ind work ;
but she cou ld not because her diploma was not r ecogn i z ed
i n th i s country ,
To be e l ig ib l e wou ld requ ire a year ' s
s tudy here in Amer ica .
Ade l e d i d not want to do that
becau s e her hea lth wa s not good enough ,
so rather than
s e e ing her idle , we suggested open ing a sma l l store and
70
�start i ng in bus iness .
She was del i ghted .
We rented a
sma l l shop oppos ite the Young Women ' s Chr i st i an
A s s o c i a t i on and stocked it with art i c l e s that were o f
i nterest to women .
Naj eeb he lped her by s end i ng a fu l l
Ade l e wa s very
l in e o f embro ider ies from New York .
She cou ld kn i t and embro ider and
c l ever w ith her hands .
she taught many of her customers .
She d i d quite we l l .
Not long a fter Ade l e l e ft home , my f ather ' s
letters began to show s igns of lone l iness , yet he stopped
a s k ing the boys and me espec i a l ly to come f o r a v i s i t .
I t turned out that dur ing the short war ,
I ta ly-Turkey , he
was v i s ited by an agent from the gove rnment demand i ng why
Ae lyas and N a j eeb Kassab did not re spond when they were
c a l led t o serve in the army .
My f ather rep l i ed that the
boys had l ong ago gone to America and proba b l y d i dn ' t
The agent s a i d that he had
know a nyth ing about it .
better arrange to pay for a sUbst itute or e l s e the boys
wou l d be cons idered AWOL .
Father ' s l etter showed that he
was greatly d i sturbed . I wrote h im not to worry , that we
were now both Amer icans and that it wou ld take more than
the Turks to get us .
I
added that s i nce he was a l one
there was no reason why he wouldn ' t come to pay u s a
v i s it , that he wou ld see not only u s ,
but h i s
grandch i ldren and th i s great country . T o prove our
s i ncer ity that a l l expenses were guaranteed , Wadea and I
enc l o s ed the pr ice o f a t icket .
71
To our great surpr i s e he
�wrote that he wou ld come a fter he attended to some
important th ing s .
We cont inued ins i st ing week a fter week
that we were wa i t ing to hear the news that he had set the
date and when no f avorable answer came ,
say ing ,
" Dad ,
I wrote h im
I never knew you to go back on your word . "
H e rep l i ed that he wou l d f i n i sh h i s work i n ten days and
that he wou ld go to Beirut and buy h i s t i cket and be on
h i s way .
Th i s cheered us a l l . Unfortunately ,
soon
therea fter , we had a l etter f rom cou s i n Ameen say ing that
he took f ather to buy the t i cket from Thomas Cook and
Sons whos e o f f ice wa s on the shore s ide fac ing the sea .
I t was a very stormy day and the waves were h igh ,
str iking the stony wa l l .
When my f ather s aw that he
changed his mind , and noth ing could change it .
Father
was terr i f ied of the water from a bad expe r i ence he had
a s a chi ld .
H i s unc l e N i ck who l ived in D j oun i eh , took
f ather out to teach him how to swim .
Somehow f ather
s l i pped f rom his care and nearly drowned and ever s ince
h e. dreaded the s ight of the sea .
Ameen s a id ,
not use , arguments were to no ava i l . "
his r e fusa l to go .
" There was
He wa s adamant in
My f ather wrote begg ing us to excuse
h im , that it was beyond his contro l . He p l eaded with me
to come say ing that it had been a long t ime s i nce I had
had a vacation and that l i fe wa s too short and that he
wanted to see me before he d i ed , etc .
Wadea a l s o
e ncouraged me and promi sed t o take care of my pract ice
72
�and to l ook a fter M i s s Mary , who had had a stroke .
I
dec ided to make the trip .
I l e ft New York by steamer f o r London where I
spent about a week see ing the s ights .
There were two
t h i ngs that I wa s anx ious to see : the Rosetta stone , and
the anc i ent manuscr ipts in the London Museum .
I a lso
wanted to pay my respects t o the memory o f Char l e s
D i ckens i n Westminster Abbey .
I had a very p l easant
v i s it . w ith Mr . B . W . Mat z who wa s then the secretary of
the D i ckens F e l lowship .
He o f f ered to show me the s ites
and s ights immorta l i z ed by D i ckens .
I did not accept
say ing that I wou ld impos e on h i s t ime and I thanked him
j us t the s ame .
He corresponded with M i s s Mary a lmost
every week .
Par i s was then next on the s chedu l e .
the Channe l without gett ing s i ck .
I crossed
I had a great surp r i s e
when I went t o v i s i t our dear fr iend George Mossaw i r ,
whose brother marr ied my cous in S e lma .
He told me that I
had j ust m i s sed my brother Naj eeb who was on h i s way to
F l orence ,
Italy .
He a l s o told me that Unc l e I skander
with Cous in Az i z were a l s o in Par i s on the ir way to
Constant inop l e and Be irut , and that my s i ster with her
husband were spend ing the ir honeymoon i n Par i s in an
apartment near the Arc de Triomph .
Az i z and I v i s ited
with my s i ster and her husband for a short wh i l e , then
got l odg ings nearby .
Unc le and cou s i n were spend ing j ust
73
�two days in Par i s and were then l eaving for
Constant inop l e via the or ient Expre s s .
My t icket to
B e i rut was via the Med i terranean , and at my unc l e ' s
ins i stence , I canceled my t i cket and j o ined them on the
train .
He even paid the d i f f erence in the fare .
We l e ft Par i s in the morning for Vienna ,
stopped only to change engines , then on to B e lgrade
cros s ing the Alps through the S imp lon Tunne l .
As we
moved from one country to another , we showed our
pas sports .
The train had only one s l eeping berth
unoccup i ed and we a l lotted it to Unc l e I skander .
Az i z
and I passed the t ime e i ther in our seats or walk ing i n
t h e corr idor .
When we reached the Austr ian border , the
conductor accompanied by an Austrian pol iceman checked
our pas sports .
Just bef ore go ing to s l eep Unc l e I skander
r ea l i z ing that at each border he was go ing to be awakened
for th i s f orma l ity , showed the conductor where he p l aced
the p a ssport and begged him not to wake h im .
Everyth i ng
went we l l unt i l we reached the Turk i sh border .
Unc l e ' s surpr i s e , there wa s no passport .
s a id ,
To
The o f f icer
" I am sorry , Mi ster , we ' l l have to deta in you . "
Unc l e charged the conductor with tak i ng it .
s a id to Unc l e ,
f o l l owed .
" Come with me . "
The o f f icer
He l ed the way and we a l l
Unc l e didn ' t te l l us that one of h i s customers
w ith whom he wa s do ing bus iness wa s coming to meet him .
74
�When he m i ssed h im at the gate o f the stat ion , he began
to ask and look for h im .
He surmised that i t might be
pas sport troub l e . As he entered the o f f ice , he shouted ,
" What are you do ing here ? " " Someone stole my p a s sport , "
r ep l ied my unc le , and turn ing to the conductor , h e
cont inued ,
" You s aw it an hour ago . "
turned t o the conductor and s a id ,
my fr i end l ike that .
Unc l e ' s f r i end
" I t is a shame to treat
You must produce the pas sport th i s
a fternoon or e l se I ' l l hold you accountab l e .
S ir . "
Come on ,
They never bothered looking at our pas sports .
Th i s was good for me ,
for I entered the country
un i de nt i f ied .
We stayed in I stanbu l long enough for Unc l e to
f in i sh his bus iness wh i l e Az i z and I exp l ored the
beaut i f u l c ity and then we boarded the steamer Portuga l ,
the s ame steamer that f i fteen years before took me on my
l ap o f the j ourney to Amer ica .
Greek i s l ands of the Aegean Sea .
c la s s ,
We s a i l ed through the
We were trave l ing f irst
so I took Unc le and Az i z and showed them how I
trav e l ed on th i s steamer " on deck " and I wanted t o show
them how they put us in the ho ld o f the ship ,
but a s we
went down the steps Unc l e cou ld not stand the stench and
came back up .
We had a very warm we lcome i n Be i rut , mo st
members o f the f am i ly came out in boats to greet us .
pas sport prob l em caused troub le aga in .
that I must not show mine ,
The
Every one dec ided
in fact my father took it away
75
�from me .
Our d i stant relat ive by marr i age N i c o l a
Mos s aw i r s a id ,
" Leave it t o me ,
then gave m e h i s t i cket ,
I c a n hand l e i t . "
"Admi t one , " and s a i d ,
He
" That
w i l l take care o f you , and I ' l l manage to get out . "
then told Ameen to look a fter our luggage .
He
Fortuna t e l y
everyth ing worked out a l l r i ght .
The next f ew days , we had the prob l em o f where
t o spend the summer .
I t was the midd l e o f July 1 9 1 4 and
the wor ld wa s a s t i r with the news of war .
I ndeed we had
seen s igns of i t a s we trave led here from P ar i s ,
for at
every stat i on we saw sold iers on and around the stat ion
i n group s , earnestly talk ing with worr i ed faces
apparent ly d i scuss ing the threat of war .
Ameen who had
an entree to the Eng l ish papers reported that the t a l k
about w a r was preva lent everywhere .
H i s op i n i on was that
we shou l d rent a place in Lebanon c l ose to B e i rut where
i n case o f troub l e we wou ld be safe .
I n case o f war ,
B e i rut was not s a f e because in 1 8 6 1 the Great P ower s
f orced the Turks t o free Lebanon , but the agreement
exc luded B e i rut .
We rented a large house in Bhamdoun in
the Lebanon Mountains large enough to accommodate our
f am i l y wh ich inc luded s i ster Asma and her two ch i ldren ,
Ameen and f am i l y with Shukr i , Az i z and Mar i e .
spar s e ly furn ished but f a ir ly comfortable .
I t was
That wa s a
good arrangement for Ameen and h i s brothers were a b l e to
go down to the ir work in the morning and return for
76
�s upper and a cool night ' s s l eep .
We had hoped t o spend a
beaut i fu l vacat i on together , but a l a s our hopes were
shattered by the dark c louds of war .
August f irst ,
On Sunday n ight
I was awakened at midnight by cous i n Ameen
who had arrived f rom Be irut with the awful news that war
was dec lared and that a l l exits from B e i rut were b l ocked
by the a rmy .
Ha l f awake , I j umped f rom my bed and s a i d ,
" I must l e ave at once . "
He s a id ,
" Wake up , Ae lyas ,
and talk rat i o na l ly .
Y ou
can ' t go down to Be i rut for you wi l l be caught
at once .
I j ust arrived f r om the c ity and the
pol ice are a lready at the border s .
Now give me
a l l the checks , dra fts on Thoma s Cook and S ons .
I am go ing back now so that I w i l l be at Cook ' s
o f f ice where they wi l l cash them for me .
It is
better t o be on the s a fe s ide . "
He took them and went down and cashed them .
And what a w i s e thought that wa s for the banks c l osed
that day and hard cash was unava i lab l e .
How the f am i ly
wou ld have suffered that summer had Ameen not ca shed the
checks !
When the news spread , everybody who could get
out of Be irut was on the way to Lebanon and the roads
were c l ogged with vehicles and with pede s t r i ans carry ing
t h e i r be long ings .
where to go .
They squatted on the road not knowing
They j ust wanted to be away from under
77
�But soon it was announced that the
Turk i sh ru le .
government had abrogated the Cap itu lat ion wh i ch had made
Lebanon free and that now Lebanon was under Turk i sh ru l e .
I t was a l s o announced that a l l men o f m i l i tary age shoul d
regi ster in the army and those who p r e f e r n o t to s e rve in
the army wou ld be excused. by pay ing for a sUbst itute .
For a wh i le nobody paid any attent i on to these orders
be l ieving that Lebanon wa s a free state and that the
Tur k i sh author ities wou ld not dare put the i r f oot on
Lebanon ' s so i l .
But they soon saw the Turki sh po l ice
a round and they began to f l ee to the mounta ins .
My
cous ins , because of the i r bus ine s s in Be irut , p a i d the
f e e and they were ab l e to go through the cordon of p o l i c e
w i thout any d i f f iculty .
When the government found that very f ew obeyed
the ca l l for regi strat ion ,
searching the houses .
it started a program o f
When the searchers wou ld show up
a nywhere , watchers wou ld sound the a larm and thos e who
were e l i g i b l e wou ld disappear .
Naj eeb and I twi c e l e f t
o u r beds at n ight and sought re fuge in a house that had
j us t been searched .
Thus went our summer ; had it not been f o r the
war we wou ld have had a very de l ightful vacat i on ; now the
worry was how to get out . Everybody wa s g i v ing advice ,
for examp l e , work on a boat that s a i l s between D j oun i eh
and Cypress .
About the f irst o f October Ameen c ame up
78
�f rom B e i rut and s a id ,
steamer ,
" I have good news for you .
Sphinx , o f the Message r i Mar it ime ,
and is l eaving in two days for Franc e .
The
is i n B e i rut
I t i s go i ng t o
stop at D j oun ieh and maybe you c a n board her there . "
So
N a j eeb and I went to D j oun i eh with brother - in - l aw S a l eem
Haddad and wa ited .
Sure enough the Sph inx came a l ong
f o l lowed by a Turk ish gunboat and both anchored .
There
were many peop l e bes ides us wa i t ing t o board her , but
b e f or e any one could reach the ship a sma l l tug boat with
a po l i ceman and two gendarmes came a shore and announced
that no one who didn ' t have a Lebane s e pas sport wou l d be
a l l owed to board the ship .
they got on .
Few peop l e wer e lucky and
After loading the cargo , the ship l i f ted
anchor and s a i led .
How disappo inted we were ! Ameen was
p lann ing a trip for us to Cyprus whe n he heard that the
Sph inx wa s mak i ng a trip to D j oun i eh aga i n t o p ick up a
cargo the same a s before .
Th i s t ime S a leem Haddad , who
used to l ive in D j oun ieh and who worked there as the
sup e r i ntendent of a mi l l mak ing f l our , knew the boatman
qu ite we l l and thought that he might be a b l e to get u s
on .
We were at D j ouni eh on the appo i nted day and the
s ame scene happened as before .
Sa l eem went up to the
boatman he knew from before and s a i d to him ,
are my peop l e .
p a s sport .
" Look , these
They are Amer icans and have an Amer i can
They a l so had an exit v i s a to l eave Lebanon . "
Tak i ng an Eng l i sh sovere ign from h i s pocket he cont i nued ,
79
�" I ' l l g ive th i s to you i f you can get them on that s h ip . "
The boatman ' s eyes got big when he saw the gold c o i n and
he s a id ,
" Do they have a Lebanese pas sport?
You know
that no one can board the ship without it . "
r ep l i ed ,
" I f they had Lebanese pas sport s ,
o f fer you th i s c o in . "
r ight ,
I ' l l go .
us he s a i d ,
I wou ldn ' t
Hassan the boatman rep l i ed ,
"All
I have noth ing to lose , " and turn ing to
" Leave it a l l to me .
you understand?
S a l e em
Don ' t say a word , do
G ive me your passports . "
w ith
trep idat i on , we went a l ong and when we reached the boat
Has san shouted ,
" Good morn ing . " There were no answer .
Then Hassan s a i d in a qu i et moderated vo ice ,
A l ikom , " to wh ich he go the usua l rep ly ,
"Al S a laam
" Wa A l i kom Al
S a laam . " Hassan got c l oser and then handed over the
p a s sports and s a id ,
" Ya Seed i , the s e two young men are
Amer icans and here are the ir pas sports . " The o f f icer
r ep l i e d ,
" None but Lebanese can leave . "
" I thought that they cou ld go .
Hassan answered ,
They even showed me the ir
e x.it permit . " " They don ' t know what they are talk ing
about , " s a id the o f f icer .
" Li sten to me , " begged Ha ssan ,
" For God ' s sake and our Holy Prophet , they a s sured me
that they were r ight and they showed me the exit permit .
Just l ook at it p lea se .
Wa l l ah i ,
I haven ' t made a Bara
for so long and my chi ldren cry every day that I go home
w ithout a loaf of bread . "
Th i s wa s s a id wi th such a
broken down vo ice that the o f f i cer took one f rom me and
80
�a s he opened i t , h i s back wa s to the sun and a s the sun
h it the sheet ,
I cou ld see that the s e a l was on top o f
the page wh ich indicated that the o f f icer d i d not know
a ny European language and h i s attempt at read i ng was only
a sham .
But he started asking me ,
" Who are you , what ' s
your name , where are you from , where are you g o i ng , " to
wh i ch I made no answer .
He opened my brother ' s p a s sport
and a sked the s ame quest ions with the s ame result .
Meanwh i l e Hassan was talk ing very rap idly ,
ch i ldren have not eaten .
" For days my
May God s end us some money .
Our prophet b l e s sed thos e that fed the hungry ; b l e s s ed
and promi sed them long l i fe , " and as he saw the o f f icer
f o ld Na j eeb ' s passport said ,
Rash i d .
" My name i s Hassan abo
Ask for me , everybody knows me . "
w i th that the
o f f icer pointed us towards the ship .
None o f the three of us s a i d a word unt i l we
were far away from the boat , then my brother a sked ,
d i d you do it? "
it.
" How
Hassan s a id that the last sentence d id
I s a id noth ing unt i l I he ld the ra i l i ng and put my
f oot on the step of the ship for I knew then that I was
on a French ship and Unc le Sam was back ing me up .
N a j eeb ,
I told
" There is a book cal l ed P i lgr im ' s Progr e s s ,
ma in character i s a man cal led Chr i st i an .
its
He was
trave l ing on the road of l i fe with a big bund l e o f h i s
m i sdeed o n h i s back , and o n h i s way , h e saw the face o f
Chr i s t and as h e looked a t it that heavy bund l e f e l l o f f
81
�Now I am l ike him .
h i s back .
That big bund l e o f worry
has f a l len o f f our backs , may i t never return . "
Up on deck , we found a f ew pass enger s who had
gotten on ear l ier in the morning and they congratu l ated
u s when they heard our story . When the ship f in i shed
load ing its cargo ,
it returned to B e i rut and ear l y i n the
a f t ernoon the passengers from B e irut began to embark .
We
kept watch ing to see i f someone perchance m ight have our
l uggage ,
for our brother - i n - l aw Sa leem had agreed that a s
soon a s he s a w us go ing to the ship , he wou ld return to
B e i rut with our luggage and g ive it in trust for s omeone
t o g ive it to u s .
As it turned out , my aunt a nd her
daughter who had spent the summer in Lebanon and who were
now returning to cairo g l adly accepted the j ob .
A l l the
conversat i on among the passengers was about the upheava l
i n Lebanon and the good fortune of thos e who were a b l e to
l eave .
We arr iVed in Alexandr ia in good t ime and we
t o.ok the train to cairo .
Aunt i e ins i sted that we go home
and stay with her , that she had a spare room ,
wou l d accept no refusa l .
and she
Our prob l em now wa s how t o
reach London where there wa s a committee for stranded
Ame r icans .
The banks in Ca iro were c losed and Aunt i e
hardly had enough cash t o take care o f her d i r e needs .
Then I r emembered that f ive years ear l i er , the bank o f
C a i ro c l osed its doors and a student who w a s study i ng
82
�dent istry at the Univer s i ty of Pennsy lvan i a was u na b l e to
pay the t u i t i on for the second s eme ster o f the year a nd
wou ld not have been able to cont inue h i s cour s e had not
the Dean of the scho o l told him ,
" There is a countryman
of your s prac t i c ing in Chester .
Go s e e h im , he m i ght be
a b l e to help you . "
He carne and I he lped h im .
h i s o f f i c e in Cairo and went to see h im .
s tory and he s a id ,
" My dear Kas sab ,
your k indness to me .
I l ocated
I told him my
I ' l l never f orget
You know that the banks are c l o sed
and I don ' t have loose cash , but I ' l l not s e e you
stranded .
Come w ith me . "
we entered a store .
owner ,
We wa lked a short d i s tance and
After introduc ing me , he s a i d to the
" G i ve me a pound ( Egypt i an ) . "
" Ar e you cra z y? "
My fri end s a id ,
have t ime to argue .
I am serious ,
H i s f r i end rep l i ed ,
" Come on now ,
I don ' t
I am in a hurry . "
He
got h i s pound . He tried the same on another store w ith
the s ame resul t .
A l l that a fternoon , he went from p l ace
t o p lace , begg ing from some .
Fina l ly he r a i sed the
required amount o f f i fteen pounds .
He wanted to take me
around the c ity but I re fused saying that t ime was very
short and that I wanted to go and t e l l my brother who wa s
i nqui r ing about steamer ' s schedu l e s .
I prom i s ed that I
wou l d send h im the money as soon a s I reached Ches ter ,
and I inv ited h im to v i s i t me in America .
Naj eeb found out that the f irst ship reach ing
London wa s the Wh ite star L iner Pers i a wh i ch was
83
�s chedu led to depart in two on three days depending on
when i t arr ived f rom Austra l i a , and that if we wanted to
t rave l on her we wou ld need c l earance from the B r i t i sh
Embassy .
The author ities there were very g l ad to s e e us .
They kept asking us in deta i l about the s ituat ion i n
B e i rut .
We told them a l l that we knew . Having rece ived
our c l earance and a permit to leave Cairo , we went by
t r a i n to Port S a id and wa ited .
The Per s i a wa s a l it t l e
late because s h e had to change h e r cours e s evera l t imes
i n order to escape from the German r a ider " Emden . "
Because she was late , she did not tarry l ong .
I t was
crowded but we got on and need l e s s to say we were very
anx i ou s when the Persia cont inued to change her course
through the Med i terranean .
we r eached G ibra ltar .
However , out m inds e a s ed when
The weather was bad enough t o make
us s ea s i ck when we s a i l ed through the Bay of B i s cay .
When we reached the Eng l i sh Channe l , our m inds wer e eased
when we saw two minesweepers gu iding us through the mine
f i€ lds . Ha l fway through the channel we cou l d s e e f l a shes
of l ight .
The Germans were then bombarding Antwerp .
We
docked without any d i f f icu lty and wa lked stra i ght to the
Y . M . C . A . of wh i ch I wa s a member .
free f oot of space .
f a r and near .
There was hard l y a
It was crowded w ith s o ld i er s f r om
After a thorough search I located the
s ecretary and begged for accommoda t i ons showing h im my
i nternat i ona l Y membership .
He s a id ,
84
" Doctor , you can
�s e e f o r yourse l f . "
When he saw our d i s appo intment and
how weary we were , he s a id ,
" You come with me , " and
tak i ng me by the hand wa lked j ust a l it t l e f r om the Y and
knocked at a door .
door , he s a id ,
When a middle aged l ady opened the
" I want you to g i ve t h i s man and h i s
brother she lter f or the night .
f r om abroad . "
She s a id ,
They have j us t l anded
" I am p leased to . "
and I had a wonderful night ' s s l eep .
Both N a j eeb
I n the morning I
a sked her i f we cou ld stay unt i l we f ound p a s s age abroad .
She s a id a s long as you care to .
I thanked her and was
re l ieved when she said that she did not want t o be p a i d
unt i l we were ready to l eave .
I had very l it t l e money ,
j us t one pound and two sh i l l ings .
We had break f a s t at
one of the cha in restaurants , two s o f t bo i l ed egg s and a
cup o f tea for n ine pence each . Our next prob l em was
get t i ng cash f or we cou ld do nothing w ithout i t . S o we
s ought the help of the committee f or the a id of stranded
Ame r icans .
Hearing my story , the c lerk handed me two
l arge sheets to f i l l out .
I s a id ,
" Why do I have to do
a l l th i s and put you to a great dea l of troub l e whe n I
have money in the bank but you won ' t l e t me get hold o f
it?
I don ' t want you t o loan m e anyth ing .
do is to cable for it . "
regu l a t i ons . "
I rep l i ed ,
He s a id ,
A l l I want to
" That ' s against the
" We l l then ,
if you think that I
am a spy I ' l l g i ve you the name of my bank and let the
comm i ttee cable for me at my r i sk and expense . " He s a i d
85
�that he would go and ask .
I gave him my name and that o f
t h e bank with t h e requested amount o f f i fty pound s .
went t o ask and r eturned with a hope f u l reply ,
'
He
" Come
tomorrow and we ' l l l et you know . " On the morrow there was
no news but the day a fter he s a i d ,
is the money . "
What a r e l i e f !
" You are lucky , here
We went stra i ght away to
Thoma s Cook ' s o f f ice and found that the only ship o f
Ame r ican regi stry was the st . Paul wh i ch was t o s a i l
three days hence .
We booked pas sage . I t was a one c l a s s
s h i p and be ing o f Amer ican regi stry w a s s a f e f rom the
German ra iders .
That done we got accommodat i ons i n the
Strand P a lace Hote l , then on to the Y where we thanked
the s ecretary , then we paid our hostes s .
Next was a
f irst c l a s s restaurant f or a good mea l .
Our trip on the st . Paul was without a ny
i nc ident , neverthe l e s s we were very happy to s e e the
Statue of L iberty in New York and the we lcome at the
dock .
N a j eeb rema ined in the c i ty and prom i s ed to f o l low
a s. s oon a s he took care of some important bus ine s s .
Back home to Chester , to a loving and w a i t ing
pract i c e , and to a country fearful of gett ing embr o i l ed
i n the great war .
Pres ident W i l son was do ing h i s best to
keep u s out of i t even though the German submar ines were
p l ay i ng havoc with our sh ipp ing .
But when the l iner
Lus itan i a wa s torpedoed with heavy loss of human l i f e ,
W i l son ca l l ed the German ambas sador �nd gave h im the
86
�d i sm i s s a l order ,
and we were in the war .
I was beyond
the dra f t age but my f r i end Dr . Lucki e and a f ew others
vo lunteered with me to look a fter the drafted men ' s teeth
and g ive them the needed service .
After the war we
rece ived the thanks of the President and Congre s s for our
services .
Short ly a fter the war two th i ng s o f importance
happened to our fami ly .
Sara ( Wadea ' s w i f e )
left for
B e i rut to pay a v i s i t to her f ami ly , a n d M i s s Mary
s u f f ered a heavy stroke wh ich para l y z ed her l e ft s ide .
We had a hard t ime managing her because she was very
heavy .
I n a few days her speech returned to norma l , but
she was par a l y z ed on the left s ide f rom her shou lder
down .
I was l iv i ng with them then at 8 0 2 Edgmont Avenue ,
whi le our o f f ices were at 8 0 6 Edgmont Avenue , and i t was
d i f f icu lt for me to leave my o f f ice when I wa s needed for
he lp .
As I recorded previous ly , Wadea ' s bu i ld ing ,
bes ides our o f f ices , �ad three l arge and thre e sma l l
apartments .
One of the l arge ones was d irect ly across
the ha l l from my o f f ice , so we moved and occup i ed i t .
Years be f ore , when Miss Mary wa s in London ,
she had
v i s ited the f am i ly of Char les Dickens and was introduced
t o h i s son who wa s then the pres ident of the D i ckens
F e l lowship .
On her arr iva l back home she organ i z ed a
branch o f th i s society wh ich was the f irst branch o f the
She had a genu ine i nterest
F e l lowship in North Amer ica .
87
�i n th i s F e l l owship , she kept a l l the records and m inute s
o f t h e meet ings .
Even with her para lys i s ,
of a l l contacts with London .
she took care
Fortunate ly she cou l d u s e
her r ight hand s o she could h e l p her se l f , but tak i ng care
of her in bed was very hard on her s i ster so we got h e lp .
Y e a r s be fore the s i sters adopted a young g i r l , Joseph ine ,
who had no relat ives and who in t ime was marr ied to a
baker , James Sweeny .
w i th u s .
She volunteered to come and stay
I t was very fortunate for u s because a short
wh i le later E l i z abeth caught a cold .
Wh i l e her doctor
was treat ing her , he went away on a f i sh i ng tr ip w i thout
t e l l i ng us whom to ca l l in case of emergency nor d i d he
ask someone to look a fter his pat i ents wh i le he was away .
When we were able to get a subst itute , the cold had
deve l oped i nto a case of pneumon i a f r om wh i ch E l i z a beth
d i d not survive .
S ince she had been both the hous ekeeper
' and the cook , our prob lem doubl ed .
S o we asked Josephine
" t o br i ng her husband and l ive with u s .
They agr e ed and
they stayed with us unt i l Mary d i ed .
One morning a s I was operating my secretary
said ,
" There i s a gent l eman to see you . "
the wa it ing room to see .
YMCA in Chester .
s a id ,
He sa-id ,
I went out to
He was the secretary o f the
" I s George any r e l at i on? "
" Yes , he i s my unc l e , why do you a sk? "
I
He s a i d ,
"I
don ' t know the gent l eman , but I rece ived th i s l etter from
h i m wh i ch conta ins not very good news .
88
I am very sorry
�t o t e l l you that your f ather , your s i ster ' s husband
S a l eem and h i s daughter Wadad pas sed away dur ing the war ,
and he thought that th i s was the best way to break the
news to you . "
I thanked him for h i s words o f sympathy
and I told him that I fu l ly appreciated how d i f f icult i t
w a s for him to d e l iver th i s mes sage .
D i scus s ing th i s with the rest of the fami ly , we
a l l r ecogn i z ed how d i f f icult it must have been for my
s i ster to bear a l l the sUf fer ing dur i ng the war trying to
get the nece s s it i e s of l i f e even though we were send i ng
her a s t ipend each month .
We did not know whether or not
she wa s even rece iving the money !
I n f act , a s we l e arned
a fterwards , she was receiving deva lued Turk i sh money .
A l l o f u s agreed that somethi ng must be done , that i f she
were w i l l ing to come here with her f am i ly , that one of us
wou l d a s s ume the respons ibi l ity o f go i ng and br i nging her
over .
Th i s cou ld not be done unt i l peace was dec l ared
and trave l ing permitted .
On November the s eventh the
r eports c ircul ated that the arm i s t i ce wa s s igned and I
be l ieve that no one , yes , no one , could adequately
descr i be the j oyful excitement that took p l ace . Every
man , woman , and chi ld l e ft what they had been do ing a nd
took to the streets wh ich were crowded with veh i cu lar
tra f f ic o f every description creep ing between a ma s s o f
humanity .
r ing i ng ,
The no ise , oh , the noise , church be l l s
f actory wh i stles shr i eking , nearly everybody
89
�with a t i n pan and a s t i ck trying to outdo the other in
mak i ng a greater volume o f sound . Add a l l th i s to the
shout i ng of the mu lti tude and you may have a f a i nt idea
of the j oyful exp los ion emanat ing from the breasts of the
mu l t i tude at the ending of the war .
After a f ew hours of th i s ,
i t suddenly ended a s
i t began when i t w a s announced that t h e news was
prematur e .
But not for long .
On the e l eventh the
armi st i ce wa s con f i rmed , the ce lebration renewed but on a
sma l l er s c a l e .
And what a re l ie f !
At the peace tab l e Turkey was d i smembe red , her
provinces in A s i a , Syr ia , and Lebanon were a l l otted to
F rance under a twenty year mandate , wh i le P a l e s t i ne and
Trans j ordan were l ikew i s e a l lotted to Eng land a l so under
a twenty year mandate .
That left Constant inop l e in
Europe a s a cap ita l with a sma l l state .
B e i rut wrote ,
My f ami ly in
" You never need to fear the Turks anymore .
We want you to come over for we need you . "
There was the
p r.o b l em of my s i ster and her fami ly , and the house i n
B ludan .
After f ather ' s death , i t was l e ft without a ny
one to take care of it , and th i eves ransacked it and
carr i ed o f f a l l unfastened things .
d i s cu s s ions ,
After long
it was dec ided that I shou ld go and try to
s ett l e things .
I t was not unt i l September 1 9 2 0 that
through the e f fort o f Dr . E . C . Kirk o f the Univers i ty of
Pennsy lvan ia , who had some good contacts in Washington ,
90
�that I rece ived a pas sport and a v i s a .
bad t ime for me to leave my practice ,
Though i t was a
I neverthe l e s s ,
dec ided to make a qu ick trip .
I arrived in Be irut around S eptember 2 0 , we had
a j oyful but sad meet ing , and I soon l earned the deta i l s
o f my father ' s and ni ece ' s deaths .
I t was dur ing the
i n f luenz a ep i demic , the fam i ly was in B ludan where there
wa s no med ica l h e lp of any kind , and the war wa s near i ng
the end .
The Br i t i sh had routed the Turks f r om Syr i a and
P a l es t i ne and they were advanc ing towards Damas cu s .
My
n i ece had a cold wh ich turned out to be an attack o f the
f lu .
My father had heard that Genera l Al l e nby was
p a s s ing ahead of his troops through Z ebdan i , about f ive
m i l es and drop of twenty f ive hundred feet be l ow B ludan .
Not havi ng any veh icular transportat ion , he wa lked .
The
day was hot and hum id and when he returned he was
c omp l ete ly exhausted . He went to see the s i ck g i r l and
when he saw her cond i t i on , he went to his r o�m and
s tr etched out on his bed .
A short wh i l e later Asma went
to h i s room to ask h im to come and he lp with her
daughter , but she could not wake him .
Asma r ea l i z ed that
s ometh ing was wrong and she went to the v i l l age t o summon
help but none would come , for they were a f r a i d o f
catching the f lu .
An o ld man from Damascus who was
summer i ng in B ludan came to her rescue , but no one could
do anyth i ng . The girl d i ed in the night , and my f ather
91
�the next morning .
The bur i a l was a problem ,
was no funeral director nor any caskets .
f o r there
Father had s ome
p l anks in the house wh ich were used to make two caskets
and s ome men f rom the v i l lage dug a grave i n the garden
and bur ied them there .
My s i ster never got over that
shock .
The next th ing we d i scussed was what wou l d be
the best thing for my s i ster and her ch i ldren .
O f course
we conc luded that f in ish ing the ir education i n Ame r i ca
was best ,
and that we shou ld go as soon as pos s ib l e and
not wa ste any precious t ime .
About B l udan we agreed that
I shou l d go to see what cond i t i on it was i n , app o i nt a
caretaker ,
and have h im report to my s i ster Fareedeh .
I
went t o B ludan and f ound the house to be i n poor shape .
The windows and doors were broken , and th i eves had
unsucc e s s fu l ly attempted to burn i t .
I had the p lace
c l eaned and put in shape .
We dec ided to rema in in Be i rut because we could
nO.t spend the t ime in B ludan .
The weather was turn i ng
c o l d s o I spent the t ime between the three s i ster ' s
househo lds .
Natural ly the conversat i on turned to my
getting marr i ed .
s o hard to p lease?
They wanted to know why I d i dn ' t , was I
Weren ' t there any e l ig i b l e g i r l s ?
My
answer was e i ther that I was too busy w ith f am i l y a f f a i rs
o r that I hadn ' t found the right one .
Now they i n s i sted
that I not delay any longer and that I must not r eturn to
92
�Ame r ica s ing l e .
They made a l i st o f many o f the i r
f r iend ' s g i r l s a n d whenever we met at d inner or s oc i a l
gather i ng s the conver sat ion was ,
" Th i s one i s not pretty .
Th i s one i s too t a l l or too short .
Th i s one h a s a
b eaut i fu l vo ice and s ings in the cho ir .
c o l l ege graduate and so on . "
That one i s a
One night Kha l e e l Khoury
with h i s w i f e and two daughters came over to v i s i t the
fami ly and we brought out some p ictures that we had taken
on a t r i p the week be for e .
The gir l s j o i ned in the
conversat i on and were quite free in the ir d i s cu s s ion .
It
wa s a very p leasant evening and when they l e f t , Ameen
s a id ,
" What ' s the matter with one of the s e g ir l s ? " I s a i d
t h a t there was noth ing wrong with them , the prob l em wa s
me . Maryanna s a id ,
them .
" There i s a great dea l the matter with
One i s going to be married soon and the other i s
s ought a f ter b y a wea l thy merchant f r om South Ame r i ca ,
a nyhow she i s supposedly engaged to her cou s i n . "
said ,
Ameen
" I ' l l f ind out tomorrow , Kha l e e l is my t a i l o r , and
i s. on the s e s s ion of the church . "
mus t be very interested .
a j oke ,
'!Ameen , you
I have been tak i ng a l l t a lk a s
I have a lot to look a fter .
l ook a f t er now .
I s a id ,
I have the f am i ly to
Forget it . " Ameen rep l i ed ,
never let you go back s ingle .
" I ndeed I ' l l
That ' s f ina l . "
I t was gett ing c l ose to- the hol idays and I was
anx ious to get home , but s i ster Asma and her f ami ly were
not ready .
I t wa s d i f f icult for them to c l o s e the house
93
�and d i spose of the many things that were not go i ng w ith
her .
I kept begg ing them to make haste . Meanwh i l e I
began to th ink o f the prob lem o f transportat ion .
We were
now f ive and to trave l f irst c la s s wou ld be very
expens ive , so I dec ided to go s econd c l as s to Mar se i l l e s ,
s econd c lass to Le Havre , and thence f irst c l a s s to New
York .
I did not have the neces sary cash s o I cab l ed my
bank in Chester to send me more money .
But another
d i f f i cu lty arose at the trave l agency ; name l y that s ince
Asma ' s ma id was i l l iterate , cou ld not even wr ite her name
in any language , they could not guarantee that she wou ld
b e adm itted to the Un ited states ,
r e turn fee for her return .
that I had to post a
When my s i ster heard that
there was a chance of not having her ma id , Le i l a ,
adm itted , she changed her mind about go ing .
We let the
matter rest f or the t ime be ing .
Chr istmas was upon us .
church .
I t centered around the
s i ster Fareedeh was the hos t e s s in the cho i r ,
Sal eh Nucho was the organist and cho irmaster , and the
cho i r sang spe c i a l mus ic for the Chr i s tmas service and
for a cantata .
The cho ir had s evera l rehears a l s and o f
course s i ster Fareedeh took m e a long .
I got to know the
member s very we l l , and I a lways had a wonder f u l t ime .
Th i s s ame crowd wa s having a Watch N ight service for the
new year to wh ich I was spec ia l ly i nv ited .
I t was he ld
in a home of one of the members and the Khoury g i r l s were
94
�there .
By spe c i a l request at 1 1 : 5 5 I was a sked to say a
f ew words b idding the o ld year good-bye and to we l c ome
the beginning of the new year .
I mus t have done pretty
we l l for I heard about it later on .
When it was t ime to
l e ave the group dec ided that if the morrow was c l ear and
warm , they wou ld take a long h ike in the country .
The
group was carefree , and as soon as they were i n the
country , s ang and carr i ed on .
and j o i ned in the fun .
I ta lked with every one
Pass ing a r a i l road track , one o f
t h e g i r l s cha l lenged me t o s e e who cou l d w a l k f arther o n
the tracks .
s a id ,
She f a i led .
Then one o f the Khoury g i r l s
" Let m e try , " and she won .
" No wonder , she is a good dancer . "
the v i ctor ious girl asked me ,
The def eated g i r l s a id ,
Later on the way horne
" I hear that you are a very
c l ever dent i s t , what makes gums bleed? "
I r ep l i ed
because the teeth are not c lean , I then a sked ,
your gums b l eed? "
c le an i ng them . "
c leaning .
She s a id ,
I said ,
" Y e s , and I am a l l the t ime
" I don ' t mean that k ind o f
The teeth can have a depo s it on them that you
cannot c l ean with a brush , and if it s tays on ,
d e stroy your teeth .
She s a id ,
thank f u l . "
" Why , do
i t wi l l
Do you want me to look at them? "
" I f it is not too much troub l e , I ' l l be very
I s a id , " We l l , tomorrow I ' l l be at my
cous in ' s o f f ice at Bab Edr i s e ,
i f you can come around
n i ne thirty I ' l l be g l ad to see you . "
She c ame and I
f ound a perf ect set of teeth with no s igns o f decay but
95
�w ith p l enty o f tartar .
I SLOWLY sca l ed and po l i shed them
and I mus t say that I was sorry when the j ob was
f in i shed .
She warmly thanked me and l e ft .
I was very
much impre ssed with her and I had a fee l i ng towards her
that I had never had for any g i r l be f or e .
That even i ng I
t o l d my exper i ence o f the day and Ameen s a id ,
B a e t ik , d i dn ' t you grab her? "
" Yu r i b
Then he s a id that h e
ta lked to h e r f ather who s a i d that t h e e l der daughter was
engaged and soon to be married but the younger one was
f r ee .
The f ather a l so s a id that the g i r l wa s f ond o f
her f irst cou s i n who was qu ite s i ck with tubercu l o s i s and
that she went to see h im and read to h im f requent ly .
He
a l s o s a id that the a man from South America asked him for
her hand and his reply was that it wa s up to the g i r l and
that the g i r l had turned the o f fer down .
rested there .
B e i rut .
The matter
But it did not rest with the peop l e o f Ra s
The rumor wa s that the gir l had g iven up on her
cous in and was go ing to marry the r ich Ame r i can .
g ir l ,
Poor
for two weeks she wou ld not go out o f the house .
I n the meant ime my Unc l e I skander had brought a car over
f r om Amer ica ( a Chand ler ) and Raj a Ra i s had come f rom
Ha i f a to B e i rut to c l ear it from customs and dr i ve it to
Ha i fa .
When he tr i ed to drive i t in B e i rut , not hav ing
dr iven a car be fore , he decided to h i re a chauf f eur
i nstead and he invited me to go a long say ing ,
good company and you w i l l visit your unc l e . "
96
" We ' l l be
So I
�agreed .
The chauffeur s a id that the d i stance to B e i rut
wa s a bout n inety m i l e s and because the car was new , h e
wou ld n o t dr ive it f aster than th irty m i l e s per hour .
So
we started and everyth ing all r ight unt i l we r eached the
outs k i rt s of S idon .
The car started mak ing a n o i s e ,
and
the chauf f eur examined it but s a id that he could not f ind
anyt h i ng wrong , but that he suspected that a spr ing wa s
broken .
He crept into S idon and fortunately there was a
garage c l ose by .
Thorough examinat ion showed that irideed
the car had a broken spr ing , but the make o f car had
never be f or e been seen in S idon , so the cha u f f eur s a i d
that he must r eturn t o B e i rut t o get a rep l acement spr ing
i f perchance he could f ind one .
.. {\
that n i ght .
We stayed in the inn
O f cours e there were no beds i n the i nn but
we d i d not mind .
We stayed up l i stening to the r a i n .
The cha u f f eur succeeded in f i nding a part and he r eturned
with the post .
I t took them unt i l sunset to f ix the car
but the dr iver wou ld not take the r i sk to cont inue to
H a,i f a ,
lest we have more troub l e , so we had to stay t i l l
the f o l l owing morn ing . The go ing was a l l r ight t i l l we
r eached Makourah where the road we were f o l l owing a l ong
the coast suddenly shifted landward and after about a
m i l e i t became soft from the ra in o f the previ ous n ight .
As we were wonder ing whether to cont inue or turn back , we
f e l t ours e lves go deeper .
A l l e f f orts to move u s ,
even
w ith us go ing into the mud and pushi ng , proved u s e l es s .
97
�We dec ided that one of us wou ld go back to S idon f o r
Just be fore the chauf feur started , a bedou i n came
he lp .
by ,
l e ad i ng h i s came l to Ha i f a .
f o r he lp .
agreed ,
We stopped h im and a sked
He s a id that i t wou ld cost u s a gu i ne a .
We
so he t i ed a heavy rope to the bumper and t o l d
t h e chau f f eur to get in the c a r and at a g iven s igna l for
h im to start the car .
At that instant a sudden no i s e so
f r i ghtened the came l that he gave one leap so quick that
you cou l d not see anyth ing except the rope .
The bedou in
w ith a curse started chas ing a fter h im and we never saw
h i s shadow from our tear - f i l led eyes .
We sat there
wa i t ing and presently the ma i l truck with three f i ne
d r iven horses came along and the dr i ver stopped .
s a id ,
He
" I don ' t have t o a sk , " and unh i tched h i s horses and
in a b r i e f moment had set us free .
He a s sured u s that we
wou ldn ' t have any further troub l e , that the indentat i on
i n the road was due to a l itt l e brook that c r o s s ed by .
We o f f ered him gratu ity but he refu s ed say i ng ,
s a.l ameh . "
"M' a el
The road turned towards the coast aga i n and
a bout a m i le from Ha i f a it turned towards the l and again .
The chauf f eur took the turn say i ng that th i s was a short
cut and wou ld save us t ime .
We soon reached a stream and
d i d not want to go through but the cha u f f eur s a i d ,
i t i s only inches deep .
t imes . "
with that ,
" Oh ,
I have gone through i t many
from a good d i stance away , he put on
f u l l speed ahead and ha l fway into the stream the water
98
�c ame over the hood and found us s itt i ng in the stream
w i th water comi ng from the sea for i t was f u l l t ide .
We
gave h im a look and each one gathered or rather grabbed
h i s luggage and got into the water to swim t o the beach .
Raj a rushed to the br idge and sent word to h i s f ather to
hurry a l ong w i th men and horses to pu l l us out .
In a
short t ime there were horses and men pu l l ing the car out .
They took the car to c lean and dry and we wa lked t o the
house to bathe and change c l othe s .
I v i s ited with my unc l e for two days and went
with h im to h i s off ice and it was there that I heard and
s aw a great deal o f the I srae l i -Arab conf l ict .
The
unrest was brewing about the inf lux o f Jews , the buy ing
of the l and and the underse l l ing of Jews o f n e a r l y
everyth ing to undercut the non-Jew i sh s t o r e s and p u t the
owners out o f bus ines s .
Unc l e , now having a new car , had s ome bus in e s s
i n N a z areth and wanted m e to g o a l ong , but I wanted t o
r eturn to Be i rut to see what had gone on .
But Unc l e
i n s i sted and I s a id i f it w a s o n l y f o r a d a y or two , I / l l
go .
N a z areth was not very far from B e i rut .
We l e f t the
next morn ing a fter breakfast and by ten o l c l ock Unc l e had
transacted h i s bus iness and we were moving t oward the
market p lace .
The car attracted onl ookers and who d i d I
s e e amongst the crowd but Soumaya .
my eye s .
99
I could hardly be l i eve
�" M i s s Khoury , what are you do ing
here ? "
" P le a s e don ' t ca l l me Miss Khoury , ca l l me
Soumaya . "
" Soumaya it sha l l be , "
I s a id .
" I am v i s it ing my s i ster , she i s look i ng over
the p lace where she is go i ng to l ive ,
she i s
going t o be marr ied in Apr i l . "
" Corne on , " I s a id ,
" I want you to meet my
I took her and introduced her to our
unc l e . "
" How long are you stay ing here , " I
group .
asked .
" Just a few days t i l l my s i ster gets her work
done .
Her intended has a pharmacy not far from
here .
I think that you must know him .
He i s
the cho irmaster and organ i st o f our church .
H i s name i s Sa leh Nucho .
How long are you
stay ing? "
" I carne with my unc l e from H a i f a , " I s a i d .
"
He comes here very frequent l y on bus ine s s .
Th i s morn ing , I had noth ing to do s o I thought
I ' d accompany h im for the r ide and I was lucky
to f ind you here .
D id you run away from the
gos s ip ? "
" I sn ' t it dreadful , " she rep l ied .
" Don ' t take it too serious l y , " I s a id .
" Oh , " she s a id ,
" You don ' t know the peop l e o f
100
�Ras Be irut .
I hope that you don ' t m i nd i t .
Just to change the subj ect , how l ong are y ou
stay ing? "
" I was p l ann ing to go back w i th my unc l e but i f
you ' d l ike m e t o stay I ' l l b e glad to stay
unt i l tomorrow , " I answered .
" Come l et us go see S a l eh , " she s a i d .
Sa l eh asked me i f I had ever been in N a z areth
b e f ore .
When I s a id that th i s was my f irst v i s it , h e
s a id to Soumaya ,
" Take the gent l eman t o the t o p o f the
h i l l and show h im the view from there . " On the way she
spoke a great deal about her s e l f and about how they a l l
s u f f ered dur ing the war but the fam i l y managed t o keep
her and her s i sters and brother in the Ame r i can and
Prus s ian schoo l s .
She was now teach i ng priva t e l y the
ch i ldren o f a mus l im fam i ly French and danc ing .
She kept
ask i ng a bout me and why I never marr ied , and espe c i a l ly
don ' t want to .
I s a id that I did not have the t ime ,
th,at f am i ly a f fa irs and prob lems inter f ered , and that the
r ight g i r l hadn ' t come a long .
be l i eve that .
h e r e now . "
" We l l , " I s a id ,
She s a i d that she cou ldn ' t
"Maybe the r i ght g i r l i s
W e reached the top o f the h i l l , t h e scene was
beaut i fu l , but who was looking at the scene at that t ime l
The next day I left for Be irut , stopp ing at
Ha i fa to see Unc le who only a sked ,
" I s a l l we l l , " to
wh ich I shook my head and he i n s i sted that I must qu i ckly
101
�r eturn .
I n B e irut , the word went out that both
p r i nc ipa l s o f the Kassab and Khoury fam i l ie s were out o f
A l s o , the
t h e c ity and the gos s ip was hotter than ever .
money had arr ived from Chester , my s i ster was reconc i l ed
t o the chance that Le i la may not be admitted ,
s o there
w a s no reas on for further delay . On the way t o the o f f ice
i n the morn ing , Ameen said ,
"I know how I can k i l l that
gos s ip and frustrate its originator s . "
He rep l i ed ,
" By gett ing marr i ed ,
I a sked ,
of cours e .
o f m e I can ' t s e e what ' s hold ing you back .
I s a id ,
never f ind a better girl . "
" How? "
For the l i f e
You w i l l
" I am sure that you
are r ight . "
As we approached the Kassab department store we
s aw a man carry ing a l arge f i sh wh ich he had j us t caught
and had f or s a l e . Ameen ca l l ed h im and s a i d ,
" I f you w i l l
c l ean t h i s f i sh and wrap it neat ly f or a g i ft ,
it from you .
my store . "
You must be qu ick though ,
The man was off .
I ' l l buy
and br i ng i t to
Ameen turned t o me and
s a.i d ,
" Now you hurry to the Ha i f a bus and take the
f i sh with you as a g i f t to Soumaya and don ' t
come back s ing l e !
What more can I do for you?
I thought that you Amer icans were made of f ire
not i ce , as the man comes w i th the f i sh you go
and don ' t argue .
For God ' s sake , prove that
you are a man of action . "
102
�After that t i rade , I could not do �nything but
go s e e Soumaya .
Ha i f a .
I thought o f h i s words a l l the way t o
Unc l e poured more o i l on the f ire by hand i ng me
the keys to the car and say ing ,
" Good luck .
t o s e e you back empty handed . "
In N a z areth ,
f am i ly in the k itchen c leaning f i sh ,
I don ' t want
I f ound the
for they had been to
Lake T iber ias the day before , and S a l eh , a good f i sherman
had caught some o f the famous var iety that they c a l l
" Far ideh . "
When they saw what I had i n the package they
cou l d hard ly be l i eve it .
I s a id that I wanted to s how
that I cou ld catch f i sh , too .
S a leh s a id ,
enough food for the rest of the week .
"We have
We are g o i ng t o
h a v e f i sh f o r breakfast , d inner , and supper .
i t f r i ed , baked , gr i l led ,
of it .
We ' l l have
in s a l ads , and we ' l l make k ibbe
Just why did you do that Ae lya s ? "
I s a id that I
hoped that the young ladies l iked f i sh , to whi ch S oumaya
s a i d that she j ust loved f i sh , that her father was a
f i s herman too , and that she he lped him eating but not
c l.eaning them . For two days we had a lot o f fun w i th the
f ish .
After l unch that a fternoon we drove out t o s e e
T iber i a s , the l ake that I ta lked about so much in my
Sunday school c lass .
I yearned to take a bath in i t , but
that was out of the quest ion .
I j ust took o f f my shoes
and stock ings and rol led up my trousers to the knees and
when the rest o f the group saw that , they f o l l owed suit .
We bathed in lake T iber ia s ! When we returned horne I s a id
103
�t o S oumaya ,
" Let ' s leave the lovers a l one and let tis
e n j oy that scene aga in from the top o f the h i l l . " They
a l l approved , a good idea .
Alone with Soumaya I s a id ,
" I wanted to take th i s opportun ity to te l l you
what ' s on my mind . I am sure by th i s t ime you
know how I fee l .
I am thirty s ix years o l d , I
am a dent i st , I have never l ooked upon a g i r l
with idea of marr iage , though I had h a d many
opportunities . I am not r ich , though everybody
here says that I am .
I have a very good
pract ice but I have a good many
respons ibi l it ies , you see some o f them here .
But in Chester , I have a respons i b i l i ty t o a
s i ck o ld woman . "
I cont inued by te l l ing her about our r e l at ions
with the O ' Ne i l l fami ly .
I told her a bout a l l that she
should know about our l i fe in Chester a nd then I s a i d ,
" I s there anyth ing e ls e that I can t e l l . ·you? "
She l ooked
a t. me w i th her beaut iful eyes but s a id noth i ng .
I wa ited
a f ew s econds , then I s a id ,
" I understand .
I t i s not f a i r to expect an
answer now , you have not known me l ong .
Think
it over carefu l ly and when I s e e you aga i n ,
hope that you w i l l have a smi l e for me .
I
Come ,
let ' s go back , I must return to Ha i f a tonight
and tomorrow to Be irut . "
104
�-----"-- - ���
BROTHER AND S ISTER
AELYAS AND ADELE
KHOURY S ISTERS
NAJIA AND SOUMAYA
�In B e i rut , they were
so soon .
surpr i sed t o s e me back
I gave them a good report o f my t r ip and s a id
that I was sure that it wou ld have been cons ummat ed had
it not been f or the s ituat ion here .
Meanwh i l e , we
r e c e ived word that a big storm was rag i ng at sea and we
dec ided to wa i t t i l l it blew over .
We got our t i ckets
f rom B e irut , to Alexandr i a , to Marse i l les , t o Par i s , to
Havre , and then to New York .
But Ameen s a i d ,
" Do you mean you wi l l go w i thout getting
marr ied?
How do you know that the girl w i l l
wa i t for you?
foo l i sh .
I think that you are very
stay , take my adv i ce .
care about this storm?
storm ,
What do you
I f you get marr ied , the
in a few days w i l l be forgotten . "
" I was not thinking about mys e l f ,
I was
think i ng about the f e e l ings o f the g i r l and her
fami ly , " I s a id .
" We l l then , make no f inal dec i s i ori unt i l you
know how she feels . "
Two days l ater , Ameen told me that he was t a lk i ng to the
g i r l ' s father who told him that the g i r l was back horne
and that she was very unhappy about my dec i s ion to l e ave .
I s a id ,
r e p l i ed ,
" D id you ask h im how she fee l s about it? "
He
" She sa id that those peop l e had better f ind
s ometh i ng more important for them to do .
She wou ld t e l l
Ae lyas her s e l f when she wou ld see him next . "
105
�When I met her , she was a l l smi l es and s a i d ,
" Knowing how anxious you were to l eave for
Amer ica , I regretted that I d idn ' t make mys e l f
c lear about the gossip that i s going on .
I f it
hurts you persona l ly or a n y o f t h e K a s s a b
fami ly , of course l et ' s part a s f r i ends .
But ,
i f you think that -it hurts me or my f am i l y ,
then they can drink the s ea . "
with that she . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And w i th that ,
I sett led the matter by say ing ,
ready for the day as soon as possib l e .
" Let ' s
Asma and her
f am i ly are ready . "
" Ameen , " I s a id when I saw him ,
" I want one
more f avor from you . I want your help i n the s e l ec t i on of
the r ing .
" Come on , " he sa id ,
b e l i eve my ears .
" You are j ok ing , I cannot
There i s a re lative i n the f am i l y who
i s a j ewe ler , he ' l l help us . "
We sought h im , he s e l ected
the d i amond wh ich he set in a p l at i num r ing .
Then we
s topped to see Kha l e e l and a sked h im if he wou ld g ive us
t h i s b le s s i ng to whi ch he rep l i ed that he wou l d not only
g ive u s his b l e s s ing but that he wou ld be very proud to
ca l l me his son .
Soumaya loved her r ing and we p l anned
to have the wedd ing in two weeks .
Two days later , on Sunday we l earned that my
cou s i n Farid who had been s i ck had had a r e l ap s e .
Ameen took me a s ide and s a id ,
106
So
" I want to t e l l you that
�T
should anyth i ng happen to Farid , accord ing t o our
customs , your wedd ing wou ld have to be postponed for at
l e a st a month .
f e e l i ng s . "
You wouldn ' t want t o hurt your fami ly ' s
I s a id ,
" O f cour se not . "
Ameen cont i nued ,
" My advice to you i s to get marr ied at once . "
I s a id
that I was wi l l i ng , but how about S oumaya? I a sked her
and she s a id that i f I was ready , so was she .
Ameen and
I then took a cab and went to the Amer ican Consu l a t e to
see about a pas sport for Soumaya .
We l earned that i f the
Consul o f f i c iated , the Consulate wou l d recogn i z e the
marr i age and g ive us a pas sport immed iately .
However , we
a l s o l earned that s ince the consul was away , they wou ld
a l s o recogn i z e the s ignature o f Dr .
marr i age cert i f icate .
? i f i t were on the
Dr . ? s a id that he wou l d be g lad
t o o f f i c i ate and wou ld be with u s at Ameen ' s hou s e at 8
p . m.
We hurr i ed back to the house to get ready and at
e i ght o ' c l ock on May 1 5 ,
19 2 1 ,
in the presence of both
f am i l i e s and a few guests gathered i n Ameen ' s l iv ing
r o.om , the knot wa s t i ed in a s imp l e Protestant service .
The marr iage cert i f icate was s igned by the m i n i ster and
w i tnessed by some of the company .
We then had
r e freshments and loads of congratu l a t i ons .
S oon the
company l e ft and we found our s e lves a l one , Ae lyas and
S oumaya , husband and w i f e .
Unbe l ievab l e !
no t ime for rej o i cing , we had a lot t o do .
But there was
P i ctures for
the pas sport had to be ready ; and a s we had made no
107
�prov i s i o n on where to spend the night , Soumaya went home
for a much needed s l eep and I stretched out on a couch
too exc i ted t o s l eep reviewing the events of the past
twenty hours and planning for the immediate future .
I n the morning Soumaya and I met the Consu l who
congratul ated and wi shed us j oy and happ ine s s and i s sued
us the pas sport .
Soumaya then returned home and I went
t o the Burj and reserved a car to take us the f o l lowing
morn i ng to H a i f a .
Then I went to the o f f i ce o f the
Mes s ag e r i e Mar i t ime and bought six t i ckets on the Sph inx
wh i ch was s a i l ing the fol lowing week from Be irut t o
Mar s e i l le stopp i ng a t Alexandr ia .
The p lan was that
s i ster Asma w ith her ch i ldren and Le i la wou ld l eave on
the Sph i nx and that Soumaya and I wou ld go to Ha i f a and
spend a f ew days at Mt . Carme l and N a z a reth and return to
Ha i f a where we wou ld trave l by tra in to Alexandr i a and
j o i n them on the Sphinx .
We had no troub l e l eaving
B e i rut except the sad feel ing of leaving the · f ami l y a fter
g i.v i ng them so much trouble .
When we assured them that
we wou l d be back soon , they f e l t reconc i led .
spoke to each other .
Soumaya was weep ing and kept i t up
unt i l we were outs ide Be irut ' s bounda r i es .
s a id ,
We hardly
Then S oumaya
" I am not cry ing a ltogether for sadne s s , but for my
good luck at being with you . "
I said ,
" I t i s rea l ly wonderful that now we c l a im each
other when a few weeks ago we did not even know
108
�each other .
I think that i t was God ' s goodness
to me that in all the years in Amer ica ,
many g i r l s both in my pract ice ,
I met
in my c la s s in
the Sunday schoo l , and var ious societ i e s ,
I
never looked on a g i r l with the idea o f
marr i age .
Yet , here on the f irst n ight when I
was showing you the p i cture s , someth ing kept
you in my mind .
I t was so sudden , but
wonderful , and I hard ly even knew you .
I feel
that I got m y reward f o r mak ing the trip , and
much more .
I am now in a dream and I don ' t
want to wake up . "
The chauff eur was an exce l l ent dr iver , he knew
the way and he covered the ninety m i l e s in three hour s .
My unc l e rej o i ced when he saw u s and when he l earned of
our p lans , he immed iately reserved us a room at Mr .
Carme l and put h i s car at our d i spos a l .
We were very sad
t o f ind my aunt quite s ick , but my unc l e s a i d ,
" I don ' t want you to go to the house now
because I know that you are t ired .
Take my car
and go to your hote l , for they are expect ing
you .
us .
road ,
When you are rested you can come to see
You won ' t have any troubl e f ind ing the
it is stra ight up the mountain and the
hot e l is r ight there .
Congratu lations ! "
109
I l ove your w i f e .
�I d id a s I was told and we f ound the
arrangement exce l lent .
· We spent thre e
never-to-be - forgotten days , I forgot a l l t h e troub l e s and
a nx i e t i e s
of the past few weeks and I restocked the
e nergy that I knew I wou ld need for the rema i nder o f the
j ourney t o the U . S . A .
On our last day , I s a i d to S oumaya ,
and surpr i s e Naj la and Sa leh in Na z areth . "
" Let ' s go
We parked our
car and wa lked up toward the pharmacy a nd there was S a leh
try ing to open the door .
He looked at u s with
unbe l i eving eyes and s a id , " When d i d you get here?
have j ust left to go to Be irut . "
You
I said ,
"We are going , but not to B e i rut . Come S a l eh
and k i s s the bride . "
" What , " he s a id , " I don ' t b e l i eve i t . "
" Don ' t open the p lace , " I s a i d .
" Let ' s go see
Naj l a . "
Naj l a couldn ' t be l ieve it e i ther .
through a fu l l exp lanat ion and - S a Teh s a i d ,
sur e ly do act fast ! "
We had to go
" You Amer i cans
Then the conversat ion turned to h i s
d e s i r e t o l eave Naz areth and g o t o the State s .
no chance for improvement here .
l i f e is very hard .
" There i s
The town i s dead and
I don ' t mind work ing hard , but one
l ikes to see some results . "
We d i scu s s ed the s i tuat i on
pro and con and we conc luded that they wou l d s tudy the
prob l em and wr ite me .
I p l edged to do my very best to
110
�" You have a home in Amer ica , shou l d you
h e l p them .
dec ide t o come , " I said .
After a very p l ea sant v i s it and a s ad f arewe l l ,
we drove back t o H a i f a .
A l exandr i a .
And the next day we departed to
The Sphinx had j ust arr ived that morn i ng .
We boarded her and found Ameen , Asma , and Asma ' s f am i ly
wa i t ing f or u s .
After a few hour s , Ameen l e f t u s a s h i s
s h i p w a s s a i l ing for Italy .
The Sph i nx was very crowded
and the accommodat ions poor but we arrived at Mar s e i l l e s
w ithout any troub le . W e d i d not tarry , w e took c a b s t o
the r a i lroad stat ion and l e f t l a t e that even i ng for
P ar i s , arr iving early the next morning .
We were s o
t ired , exhausted , and dirty from the smoke o f the tra i n
that when w e a sked for accommodations at a f irst c l a s s
hote l , they c l a imed that they were fu l l .
s ec ond .
S o at the
We were accepted at the th i rd try .
When I was
regi ster i ng I exp l a i ned to the c lerk that we had j ust
c�me by tra in from Marse i l l es and that I wanted a good
s upp ly o f hot water for wh ich I was w i l l i ng t o pay .
" Ou i , ou i Mons i eur , j e comprend . "
I told the folks t o
wash and put o n their best dresses which w e a l l d i d , and
I am sure that the help was aston i shed to s e e the change .
Early the next morn ing , they woke up anxious to
see the s ight s o f Par i s and I s a id ,
" Pa r i s has many
wonderful s ight s , some we can see by go ing w ith tour s ,
s ome by bus ,
but a good many of them we mus t go by f oot .
111
�Now I propose that the f irst thing that we do i s to hunt
a for a good shoe store and provide ours e lves w i th good
w a l k ing shoes , " an idea to wh ich a l l subscr i bed but it
I had a lready a sked at the
was e a s ier said than done .
desk in the hote l for such a store .
i n , they could not be f itted .
stores w i th the same result .
But when they went
I took them to other
F i na l ly around noon , they
thought that they made a good choice .
But I doubted it
and I think that they made the cho ice out o f shame a s i t
turned out later .
So we conf ined our s ight s e e i ng and
they j ust got a fa int idea o f Par i s .
We left that beaut i fu l city for Havre and the
U. S . A.
Our cross ing the At lant ic was unusua l ly good .
We
were trave l ing f irst c l ass and the accommodat i ons were
good a lthough the steamer was sma l l in compar i son to the
b i g l iners .
a day or two .
harbor .
S oumaya was not seas ick , but s i ster was for
We were on deck when we entered N ew Y ork
The fam i ly was ama z ed at the s ights , the ta l l
bu.i l d ing and they were solemn when I exp l a ined to them
what the Statue of L iberty meant not only to Ame r i cans
but a l so to the who le wor ld .
our Water loo .
Soon we l anded and faced
The fam i ly and I presented our pas sports
and we were admitted w ithout any troub l e , but when Le i l a
handed hers with the word " I LLITERATE " on it , the
examiner asked her name wh ich she s a id wa s Le i la , then he
gave her a penc i l and sa i l ,
"wr ite it down , " and o f
112
�course she couldn ' t .
He then gave her a paper and s a id ,
" Read t h i s , " and of cours e she cou ldn ' t .
Then he ca l l ed
me and s a id ,
" Th i s woman cannot be admitted .
D idn ' t they
te l l you that ? "
" Ye s , they did but somet imes they make
except ions , " I s a id .
" I am sorry , I cannot make any except ions ,
p lease step a s i de . "
" What must I do now , " I a sked .
" She must be returned un l e s s you s ign a notice
that she w i l l appear before the imm igrat ion
court and have her case heard . "
H e gave me a forma l not ice that s a i d she was to be
deta i ned unt i l her case was heard .
When Asma heard th i s
she began t o cry and s a y that s h e shou ld have never come .
I s a id ,
" Let us go home and talk the matter dver and
dec ide what to do . After talk ing with Le i l a we a s sured
her that she would be a l l r ight and that I wou ld see her
soon .
Then a guard took charge of her and we left f or
the r a i l road stat ion .
meet our train .
I t e l ephoned home and told them to
I had expected a warm wel come and s o i t
w a s but i t was tempered with sadne s s , f o r Asma could
t h i nk o f noth ing but Le i l a and how she wa s far ing .
m i nd was a l s o on what to do .
I d i d my best to show pr ide
and happ iness in introducing my bride .
113
My
I must say that
�she was wonderful and spoke with each one a s though they
were o l d f r iends .
I was very worr ied that i f s omet h i ng
should happen to Lei la , I wou ld hear about i t a l l my
l ife .
I rea l ly be l i eved Asma when she s a id that she
wou ld go back .
I had a close f r i end in Ph i l ad e lph i a who
I thought cou ld help me .
and he s a i d ,
So in the morni ng I ca l l e d h im
" Sure , come on . "
I went to Ph i l ade lph i a to
see h im and told h im o f our troub l e .
He took me t o s e e
another mutua l f r i end who had an o f f ice in t h e s ame
bui ld ing and s a i d ,
is in troub l e .
" Barney , here is our f r i end Ae lyas who
You must help h im ,
Barney S amu e l s was the
I know that you c an . "
head o f the Republ ican party in
Ph i l ade lph i a and the mayor of Ph i l adelph i a .
Pat i ent ly
hear i ng my story , he ca l l ed his secretary and s a i d ,
" Get
me the Department of Labor in Wash ington and t e l l h i s
s ecretary that Barney wants t o talk t o h im . "
I n a f ew
m inute s , the secretary was on the phone .
" J im , " said Barney ,
and so am I .
" I know that you are busy
I have a dear f r i end here that
has some troubl e with New York Immigra t i on .
They are deta in ing a member o f h i s fami l y and
threatening to deport her .
I am send i ng h im to
you and I want you to do what you can do for
h im .
When can you see h im? "
" I ' l l see h im tomorrow afternoon at two o ' c l ock
here in my o f f ice in the Department .
1 14
Just g ive
�h im your card . "
)
I went home w ith a word o f cheer but not f or I O g ,
for
Miss Mary who had had s everal strokes wh i l e I w s away ,
and who had been unconsc ious for two days , was gett i ng
weaker .
I f e l t that there wou ld have to be a change in
our hou s ing arrangements , but I decided to l eave that
unt i l we found out what would be Asma ' s dec i s i on shou ld
Le i l a b e refused admittance .
The f o l lowing day , I took the tra i n to
Washington and at two o ' c l ock I wa s at the Secretary ' s
o f f ice and found the gent l eman wait ing for me .
He
rece ived me grac iously and asked me how l ong I had known
Mr . S amue l s .
" Long enough to ca l l h im Barney , " I s a i d .
" We l l , that ' s qu ite a wh i l e .
Now te l l me your
story . "
I to ld h im the story in deta i l and when I was through he
said ,
" Now t e l l me somethi ng about the woman hers e l f .
How i s it that you didn ' t teach her to read or
wr i te ? "
"My s i ster Asma p icked her from a hosp ita l and
she t r i ed her best to send her to s choo l , but
it was a l l in va in ,
" We l l ,
" I exp l a ined .
I don ' t know what we can do .
very str ict . "
115
The l aw i s
�" We l l , " I said ,
" I t i s too bad that the l aw
cannot bend a l itt l e and s e e the huma n i ta r i an
s ide o f a case .
Here th i s woman w i l l h ave to
go back to the ghetto and I am a fr a i d that she
wou ld not last long . "
" I s she Jewish , " he asked .
" Ye s , " I answered .
" We l l , that ' s d i f f erent .
I think that she may
be admitted on the p l ea that she s eeks
pol it ical asy lum .
I sha l l recommend that and
you w i l l hear from us .
Remember me to Barney . "
I thanked h im and told h im that he earned the ever l a st ing
gra t i tude o f my s i ster and her fami l y .
I a l so s a i d that
I wou l d d e l iver h i s best wishes to Barney .
" G ive me your
t e l ephone number and I ' l l get in touch w i th you
d irectly , " he s a id .
The fam i ly re j o i ced to hear the
news , but not for long , for three days later , Barney
c a l led to t e l l me that Le i l a wa s deported be f ore her case
was heard .
Our worry returned for we cou l d not conce ive
how she cou ld make it .
Our pat i ence was rewarded one day
when we heard that she had arr ived in Be i rut s a f e l y and
that she wou ld soon be on her way back .
was back .
I n due t ime , she
She cou ld not t e l l us any deta i l s of her
t r i p s . She did what the o f f i c i a l s told her and had no
troub l e whatsoever .
The honeymoon was over .
116
I t was t ime to
�cons ider our s ituat ion . As a newly
married man , due to
c i rcumstances over wh ich I had no contro l ,
I rea l i z ed
The bu i ld ing next to our
that I had neg l ected my br ide .
o f f ice had an o l d house whi ch we f ixed up for my s i ster
and her fami ly .
We intended to move her into our
bu i ld i ng a s soon as we could get one o f the apartments
free .
As I stated before ,
abroad w ith the O ' Ne i l l s .
f ac t now ,
I l ived there before I went
M i s s Mary was very s i ck ,
in
in a coma and w e had J o and J im a s
housekeepers . I t wasn ' t a cheer ful p lace f o r a stranger ,
s o i n our bui ld ing there was a sma l l apartment who s e
l e a s e w a s about t o exp ire .
I went to the renter and I
s a id that our fam i ly had increa s ed and that I wanted h im
t o move .
I
s a id that I wou ld pay h im one hundred do l l ar s
i f he moved be fore h i s l e a s e exp ired .
He moved and
S oumaya and I were a lone for the f irst t ime and we were
s o happy .
Poor th ing , she never thought that she wou ld
g o through so many prob lems .
One thing that I can s ay i s
that never d i d I hear a word o f comp l a int .
She a lways
s a id that it w i l l be a l l r ight and don ' t worry .
worr i e s do come .
But
Miss Mary went to g l ory a fter s i x years
o f s i ckne s s due to a stroke .
She was a wonderful person ,
a true mother to me and my brother .
and was a great reader .
works of Charles Dickens .
She had a good mind
She knew thorough ly a l l the
She organ i z ed the f irst branch
of the D i ckens Fel lowship in the un ited states and was
117
�i t s s ecretary unt i l she was incapac itated .
r e l i g i ous Catho l i c .
The d i scus s ion before she was s ick
was e ither about the church or D i ckens .
no chance w i th her , but on r e l igion ,
by saying ,
She w a s a
On D i ckens I had
she wou l d a lways end
" That God promised to be with h i s church , " and
that wou l d end the d i scus s ion .
And be f ore g o i ng t o bed
she a lways s a i d ,
I am a lways pray i ng for
" We l l , my boy ,
you to see the l ight . "
Now that Le i l a was back and s i ster Asma was
s ett l ed in the house next door with her two ch i ldren
attending Chester High Schoo l , Commerc i a l Department of
Commerce , and we were n i cely housed i n the l arge
apartment at 8 0 2 Edgmont Avenue , two important th i ng s
happened . First and f oremost , my dear S oumaya was w i th
ch i ld .
The other was a l etter from S a l eh say i ng that
a ft er a thorough d i scu s s i on with Naj l a and other s , they
c ame to the conc lus ion that h i s stay i ng in N a z areth was a
waste o f t ime , that the bus ine s s was gett i ng wors e da i ly
i nstead o f better .
He a l so asked my op in ion concerning
h i s coming to Amer ica .
I rep l i ed that I was not i n a
p o s i t ion to adv i s e , that i f h i s intent ion in coming was
to practice his profes s ion , accord ing to Pennsylvania
l aw , he would have to go to scho o l here and take a
refre sher cours e in a recogn i z ed Amer ican c o l l ege before
he wou ld be granted a l i cense to pract i ce .
S oumaya a nd I
wou l d help them a l l that we could and they could stay
1 18
�with u s unt i l they got on the ir feet ,
mus t be the irs .
but the dec i s ion
Correspondence went back and f orth
between us for s everal weeks ,
and f i na l ly they came .
S a l eh gave up the idea o f f o l l owing h i s pro f e s s i o n and
s tarted to look f or work . He got a j ob at Sne l l enberg ' s
department store in Phi l adelph i a , but a f ter a f ew weeks
t r i a l dec ided that th i s k ind o f work was not f or h im .
We had some f r i e nds who owned a sma l l mi l l that made
stock ings and the m i l l wa s idle because the manager had
qu i t .
They wanted to s e l l it because they d i dn ' t have
the t ime to look after i t , so my brother and I dec ided to
buy it and let S a leh run it .
S a leh went f or s evera l days
t o the f actory and stud ied how the machines operated . He
was succes s fu l in mak ing very good stocking s ,
good f or the trade .
in f act too
But they were too expens ive , they
cou l d not compete with the cheaper k ind and the quant ity
produced was too sma l l to make a prof i t .
m i l l and took a loss .
We s o l d the
Then S a leh ' s very c lo s e f r i end , a
c la s smate , David Z agha , come to Phi l adelph i a dur i ng the
S e squ i centenn i a l Expos it ion w ith goods that attracted
v i s itors to the f a ir such as or i enta l rugs , bras sware ,
etc .
He needed someone to help h im ,
r i ght person .
the fair .
so S a leh was the
He stayed with David t i l l the c l o s i ng o f
David was encouraged to ope n a store i n
Ph i l ade lph i a and h e put Sa leh in charge .
After a s e a s on
S a l eh bought the bus ine s s from him and made a great
119
�success of it .
He later moved the bus in e s s t o s outh 2 0th
street .
The Khoury fo lks in Be irut wrote u s and a sked
i f we cou ld f ind someth ing to do for Moun ira and the
a nswer was we don ' t know t i l l she come s .
stayed w i th us for a wh i l e ,
She came and
she tried to work for me but
she did not l ike thi s country and f e l t very l one ly for
her f r i ends in Be irut .
Kareemeh and Fouad came .
She returned t o B e i rut .
Then
Fouad worked f or a wh i l e w i th
S a l eh and then he tried New York c ity but f ina l ly l anded
a good j ob in Washington with the government .
Our l i fe went on an even kee l unt i l October
2 6th when Soumaya presented us with a cho ice baby boy ,
Wadea .
H i s coming comp l eted our mar r i ed l i f e and made u s
d o u b l y happy .
Soumaya came home from the hosp ita l w i th a
nurs e , Mar ian Spencer .
I was very g l ad to forgo the
f ir s t p lace in the attent ion of Soumaya , on the other
hand ,
I added my own ef forts to see ing that the proper
rule s and regu l at ions were observed .
When Wadea reached the age o f two and one ha l f ,
we fu l f i l l ed the promise that we had made to the Khourys
in B e i rut by send ing Soumaya and Wadea to spend a f ew
months w i th them .
w i th the baby ,
I was to meet them l ater . Soumaya ,
left in Apr i l 1 9 2 5 , s a i l ing on a
Med iterranean tour skirt ing many of the ports of North
Africa to Beirut without chang ing the s teamer and was
120
�I j o i ned them leaving
w e l c omed by the folks in Be irut .
by steamer in May of the same year .
Just be fore I left Chester ,
I contacted Mr .
Peter N o l an , a f ine bu i lder and persuaded h im t o bu i ld me
a hous e .
We had a drawing of a type o f hou s e that we
wanted , w ith the ki nd of stone , the number o f rooms , and
the k i nd o f roo f , etc .
I s a i led on the f ir s t o f May
before the foundation was dug .
in the bu i lder .
sad
I had s o much conf idence
When I reached Be irut ,
I l earned that
news that Marr iana , Soumaya ' s mother , was i l l w i th a
m a l i gnant diseas e .
The house in B ludan was vacant and we
dec ided to occupy it for the summer .
I t wou ld have been
a grand vacat ion were it not for our l oved one ' s i l lness .
B e f ore we went to Bludan , our baby ,
month s o l d , was not we l l .
i n f e cted tons i l .
two and one h a l f
He was suf f er ing from a badl y
A s it happened , t h e surg ica l c l i n i c i n
t h e Univers ity ' s hosp ita l w a s c l osed , a n d o u r doctor , who
was to do the operat ion
suggested that rather than wa i t
for t h e hosp ita l to open , that w e have the operat ion
perf ormed in his c l i nic in S idon .
I had s o much
conf i dence in h i s ab i l ity that we agreed .
drove to S idon and had it done .
Right away we
We spent that n i ght in
the doctor ' s home and we were back i n Be irut the next
day .
From that day on , Wadea began to improve .
At the end of September , there was a steamer
g o i ng d i rect to New York from Be irut .
12 1
We took a tour on
�I t s topped s evera l t imes on its way t o d i s charge
it .
p a s s engers and loads of merchand i s e .
I t was a l ove ly
We arr ived in Providence at the end o f S eptember .
tour .
We took the even ing tra in to Chester and arr ived around
m i d n ight .
The f o lks were at the Che s ter stat i o n t o meet
us and as they drove toward horne brother Wade a s a i d ,
moon is fu l l ,
" The
let us show the fo lks the ir new horne . "
So
they stopped and I could hard ly be l i eve my eyes when I
s aw i t .
in ,
I t l ooked so beaut iful that Soumaya wanted to go
but she had to wait unt i l the morn ing .
I t was a very
p le a s ant surpr i s e for both of us when we went through the
ha l l i nt o the l ight rooms downsta irs and up sta irs .
We
were s o surpr i s ed that I ca l l ed the bui lder and a sked h im
t o meet me at the bank with h i s bi l l , wh ich he d i d .
s a id ,
He
" Here are the actual b i l l s that I have spent for
mater i a l and labor .
very s at i s f ied . "
Add to them ten percent and I ' l l be
He was and I was more than sat i s f i ed
and I p a i d h im with thanks .
We l ived i n that hou s e with
comfort from 1 9 2 5 to 1 9 6 9 when we moved to Wa l l ingf ord .
When one raises a fam i ly w i th ch i ldren , one
mus t expect s ome surpr i se s and some shocks .
Work ing in
a n o f f i c e on Edgmont Avenue , I was hurriedly ca l led out .
My son Wadea was cross ing the street on h i s way to take
h i s mus ic les son when he was run over by a l ight car and
had h i s l eg broken be low the knee .
The dr iver carr ied
h im home and gave h i s mother a very bad shock .
122
The only
�way that I could qu iet her was by a s sur ing her that I was
g l a d that it wa sn ' t one of h i s front teeth .
She wou l d
n o t be l i eve that unt i l I sa id that in s i x or s even weeks
h i s leg wou ld be a s good a s ever .
I f he had a broken
front tooth , he wou ld have troub le w ith it the rest o f
h i s l i f e , and I was r ight .
Edd i e gave us two shocks :
one by f a l l ing from h i s h igh cha ir and crack i ng the bone
under the l e ft eye wh ich hea led without leav i ng any s car ,
and the other by f a l l ing from our cherry tree and
break i ng h i s arm .
For a wh i le ,
our l i fe went on
Our chi ldren gave us no troub l e i n the cour se
norma l ly .
o f the i r educat i on .
They a l l went through the grades in
a sat i s f actory manner .
The great worry came with the approach o f Wor ld
War I I .
Wadea was of m i l itary age for the s ervice and he
r e g i stered .
accepted .
He app l ied for the Air Force , but wa s not
He e nded up a s a paratrooper .
No one can
apprec iate a parent ' s anxi ety when they g ive up the i r
chi ldren for nat iona l service .
They put up a n app earance
of nat i onal pride that they too have ch i ldren who are
s e rv i ng the ir country but inwardly , they curs e a l l those
who caused or had anything to do with br ing ing about the
conf l i ct .
Hus bands usua l ly put on a courageous face to
ease o f the worry of the ir wives , and the w ive s usua l ly
take on knitt ing or some unusua l exerc i s e to h ide the
f ir e of anxi ety wh ich burns within the ir breast .
123
We were
�no except i on .
Of course with the pass ing o f t ime ,
coup led w ith the good news from Wadea that he was
enj oy i ng the tra in ing with his budd i e s , gave u s a l it t l e
comfort , but not f o r long .
Th i s t ime , they were g iven a
fur l ough before they were s ent abroad .
Even though we
knew that th i s was coming , we reso lved to show no worry
or concern but to make the v i s i t a s p l easant a s p o s s i b l e .
There was no use to say that we succeeded , I can only say
that we tr ied .
Wade a he lped for he showed no concern .
From that t ime on , the most prec i ou s th i ng that
we rece ived was ma i l that wou ld g ive us the j oyous news
that he was a l l r ight .
One even ing we rece ived two
l etters from the Ph i l ipp ine s .
The f irst began s ometh ing
l ik e th i s ,
" I am wr iting from the hosp ita l .
you rece ived my last letter .
I hope that
I cou ldn ' t t e l l
you in deta i l then about our acc ident , s o I ' l l
t e l l you now .
For some reason the a irp lane
fe l l , was wrecked , sever a l budd i e s were k i l l ed .
I got by with an inj ured back , was put i n this
hosp ita l , but I am now up and around .
soon b e di scharged .
I will
That i s the truth , don ' t
worry . "
We then opened the other letter , the one in wh ich he
wasn ' t a b l e to descr ibe the accident .
Had h i s second
l etter been d e l ayed , or lost , it wou ld have g iven us a
124
�m i s erab l e and anxi ous t ime .
Our son Edd i e , be ing three years younger , d i d
not have to enter the service t i l l t h e last y e a r o f the
war .
He was a s s i gned to the Merchant Mar ines and s erved
between th i s country and South Amer ica . How thank f u l to
God that he spared them both for u s .
But our j oy was tempered w i th sadnes s because
our l oved An i s Khoury ( Soumaya ' s broth e r ) d i d not come
back .
A l l dur ing the war we had the hope that we wou ld
hear from h im , but it was not to be .
An i s had come from
B e i rut where he had stud i ed dent i stry at the Univers ity
of Be irut .
He came to th i s country and started t o
pract ice i n New York .
He thought that it wou ld be h i s
advantage t o s erve i n the armed force s . -
H e was accepted
and a s s igned to the med ical s ervice . We were never sure
what happened then .
We were told that he and four other
o f f icers were sent overseas on a secret m i s s ion and the i r
p l ane was never heard from aga in .
For weeks they
s earched the seas , pass ing ships , and a l l i s l ands c l o s e
t o where they thought they went down , but w ithout ava i l .
After a period , they not i f ied u s that they must j udge h im
a s " Lost at S ea . "
125
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Wadea and Aelyas Kassab Memoirs
Subject
The topic of the resource
Autobiography
Portraits
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Wadea Kassab was born in Damascus in 1872 to an Orthodox family connected to British and American Protestant missionaries. Wadea immigrated from Syria to the United States in 1889, moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where a former teacher of his had settled. He first worked in a stove factory and later became a molder in a factory making brake shoes for the railroad. After leaving the factory, he spent several years working on a farm, peddling fancy goods, and doing other miscellaneous jobs. During this time, he built relationships with Americans, including the O’Neill family of Chester, Pennsylvania. Wadea graduated from dental school in Philadelphia in 1895 and practiced dentistry in Chester. He began taking care of the O'Neills, who had financed and encouraged his dental career.</p>
<p>Aelyas (Elias) Kassab, Wadea’s younger brother, was born in Bloudan, Syria in 1883. Aelyas followed Wadea to the United States in 1899. After completing high school in Chester, PA, he also attended dental school and practiced dentistry at Wadea’s office. </p>
<p>Both brothers married women in Syria and brought them to the United States. In 1905, Wadea married Sara Hajjar, who had been educated at an English boarding school and was teaching at a mission school for Jewish children in Damascus prior to her marriage. In 1921, Aelyas married Soumaya Khoury of Beirut, Lebanon. The Kassab brothers both raised their families in Chester. Aelyas continued the brothers' dental practice while Wadea attempted a career in real estate; when this failed, Wadea rejoined the dental practice. Wadea died in February 1972, and Aelyas in October 1987. The brothers are both buried in Pennsylvania.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p>This collection contains a photograph of Wadea and Aelyas Kassab and two typed manuscripts: “Memoirs” by Wadea Kassab and "Kassab Family History” by Aelyas Kassab. The manuscripts offer insight into the social fabric and workplace challenges faced by early immigrants.</p>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Aelyas Kassab
Wadea Kassab
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Family of Wadea and Aelyas Kassab
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1954-1958
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Khayrallah Center staff. Collection Guide content contributed by Linda Jacobs and Claire A. Kempa and updated by Allison Hall, 2023 November.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KC 0035
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
kc0035_003
Title
A name given to the resource
Kassab Family History
Subject
The topic of the resource
Autobiography
Description
An account of the resource
This manuscript by Aelyas Kassab is a history of the Kassab family and a biography of Aelyas's own life. It begins with Aelyas's grandfather Elyas Kassab, born in 1814, and traces the family through the 19th century
particular attention is paid to the life and career of his uncle, Salim Kassab. After this family history, Aelyas gives an autobiographical account of his own life, from his childhood in Syria to his 1899 immigration to the United States to join his elder brother Wadea, finish his education, and join his brother's dental practice in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Aelyas Kassab
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
The family of Aelyas Kassab
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
circa 1958
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
1950s
Biographies
Genealogy
Immigration
Medical
Pennsylvania
World War I
World War II