Synod Day 2009

Date: Zouk, May 29, 2009

N^o: 533/2009

Report on

The work of the follow-up commission

In the three first years of the

Maronite Patriarchal Synod Application Process

Your Eminence and Beatitude mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir,

Your Excellencies,

General Superiors,

           We present to you a detailed report on the work of the Synod’s follow-up committee and the general secretariat. It is being attached by the reports of the dioceses and congregations in the first three years of the Synod Application Process.

          These first years, according to the five-year plan placed by the Synod Application Process in August 2006, were specified to read the texts of the synod and deliver the concept of the synod to the Maronites and others, and to apply some of the recommendations of the synod.

           First: Launching the Synod Application Process

Upon the closing of the maronite Patriarchal Synod on June 11, 2006, his Eminence and Beatitude Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir created a “Follow-up Commission” to replace the “Central Committee”, and charged it to watch over the application of the synod at all levels.

This commission is headed by His Excellency Archbishop Youssef Bechara and includes in its membership their Excellencies Archbishop Boulos Matar, Archbishop Georges BouJaoude, Bishop Samir Mazloum, Reverend Monsignors Mounir Khayrallah and Camille Zaidan, fathers Richard Abi-saleh, Khalil Alwan, and oulos Rouhana, Mother Dominique El-Halbi and Mrs. Simone Moubarak; andjoined them later Mgr. Moussa Youssef.

          In its first meeting held in Bekfaya on August 19, 2006, the follow-up committee considered a plan for dive years divided in two parts: the first three years, from October 2006 till September 2009, specified to study the synod’s texts and apply some of the recommendations mentioned in them.

          It designated a methodology to follow-up the work by printing special booklets for each text, distribute them to the dioceses, congregations and institutions, and encourage the study of the synod’s texts at the monthly clergy meetings, in parishes, movements, apostolic and lay organizations, religious education institutes and universities.

          Finally it emphasized on the spiritual escort by reciting the “participation prayer in the synod path” and organize prayer times and spiritual celebrations at the liturgical occasions.

          In the beginning of the second year, on October 8, 2007, His Eminence and Beatitude Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir issued a letter to his children the Maronites of Lebanon and the countries of expansion inciting them to pursue what they have started in the process of the Synod Application and to benefit from the successful experiences and initiatives in some dioceses, congregations and institutions. And he stresses that the “renewal figures among the major objectives of our synod, church institutions need to renew themselves continuously so their performance could meet the aims they were created for.

          Yet more importantly is the renewal of the persons who direct those institutions and oversee their operations from one side, from the other side, the persons, if they don’t submit themselves and their work to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, they can reflect Christ’s face and be His loyal servants who contribute in the up-building of His kingdom.

          In the beginning of the third year, on September 26, 2008, His Eminence and Beatitude Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir issued a letter to his Maronite children thanking God with them for the “efforts employed in more than one church institution so the synod’s texts reach clergy and laity alike”.

          Once again, he called upon them, “particularly the hesitating ones, to work hard on spreading the texts and use them in their pastoral and monastic communities, benefiting from the successful experiences on different fronts”.

          On Sunday November 2, 2008, a pontifical liturgy was celebrated in Bkerke to launch the third synodal year. His Eminence and Beatitude was supposed to pontificate. Due to his delay in Rome, the Patriarchal Vicar general represented him surrounded by their Excellencies the bishops, the general superiors, members of the follow-up committee and general secretariat, also was in attendance an assembly of priests, monks, sisters and laity. His Excellency Archbishop Youssef Bechara, head of the follow-up committee, read the homily of His Beatitude which stressed that “the three year anniversary of our Maronite Synod constitutes a major occasion for our maronite Church. Since that time, many indispensable achievements have been accomplished in this domain”. Therefore, he incites them all to “give these texts the attention and examination they deserve for they are of great importance due to their religious and national dimensions, we hope that they enforce good intentions in the spirits and will of the people, especially during these times, when we are most in need to go back to our religious teachings and abide by them”.

 Second: Meetings of the follow-up commission and the general secretariat.

The follow-up commission meets regularly, during the past three years, every first Monday of the month and organizes two seminars every year to set up an executive working plan and evaluate it in its consecutive meetings.

It organizes, every year at the beginning of June, a synodal day to succeed immediately the annual retreat of the bishops’ synod to evaluate the work with their Excellencies the bishops and the general superiors.

As for the meetings of the general secretariat, composed, of His Excellency Archbishop Youssef Bechara, Monsignor Mounir Khayrallah, Fathers Richard Abi-saleh and Boulos Rouhana, Mother Dominique El-halbi and Mrs. Simone Moubarak, meets regularly every third Monday of the month and exceptionally when needed to follow on implementing the decisions taken at the follow-up commission and the synodal projects and workshops.

The follow-up commission and the general secretariat realized, through the evaluation of its work that the Synod Application Process was going slow. The reasons were many, some of them due to the non-commitment of the clergy and the institutions in the church, some of them with the crisis of confidence between clergy, laity and the church authority, and some of them due to the political, social and economical non-stability ruling in Lebanon.

So it charged herself with following:

·        Emphasize on motivating the priests and organizations in the church for special gatherings in the dioceses and institutions.

·        Emphasize on the synodal awareness in seminaries and formation centers.

·        Motivate the universities, schools, news media and different institutions to the engagement of the Synod Application Process.

·        Increase immediate communications with the dioceses and congregations.

 Third: Pursuing workshops and synod projects by the follow-up committee and the general secretariat.

In accordance with the five-year plan, and in equivalence to work on the study of the texts, the follow-up committee went on to plan for launching workshops and synod projects in the course of applying some of the synod recommendations. The general secretariat kept watch over the application process.

We mention here some of the important workshops and projects.

 1-    Completion of the English and French translations of the synod’s texts.

The general secretariat completed the translation in French and English of the synod’s texts in two separate editions, one thousand copies for the first one and three thousand for the second. They were distributed at the synodal day on June 9, 2008. It entrusted the French version to the department of translation at St. Joseph University in Beirut at first stage. Then it handed them over in a second phase to experts and theologians, even to the authors of the texts themselves for revision. In the third phase, it entrusted all the texts to Dr. Raymond Chemaly for a final reading.

As for the English translation, it was done in two phases: the general secretariat entrusted it in a first phase to the department of translation at Notre Dame University of Loueize. In a second phase, it sent it to the United States of America for revision through a committee working under the supervision of their Excellencies Bishops Robert Shaheen and Gregory Mansour and the help of Father Abdallah Zaidan.

 2-    Achievement of a (DVD) for the synod’s texts in three languages.

The general secretariat established a committee consisting of Mrs. Simone Moubarak and Father Richard Abi-Saleh, and charged it to establish an audiovisual means which facilitates the reading of the synod’s texts, particularly the youth, who are skilled in using modern means of media, which will be also a way of research and documentation.

Mrs. Moubarak worked along with Father Omar Hachem in recording the synod’s texts at the “Voice of Charity” studios. Then the general secretariat handed over the recording to the company of “Paravision” to bring it out in a (DVD) in the three languages: Arabic, French and English. The company completed its work under the supervision of the general secretariat and through the follow-up of father Elie Sfeir. The DVD came out in November 2008 in five thousand copies. The general secretariat is working on its distribution in all ecclesiastical and civil sections.

 3-    The electronic site of the synod.

Mr. Choukrallah Assaf is working along with father Richard Abi-Saleh, Mgr. Moussa Youssef and Mrs. Elham Saad on the continuous updating of the synod’s electronic site and its development in such a way that it contains the synod’s texts in its three languages and synodal experiences of the dioceses and congregations.

The general secretariat of the Patriarchate, is working on developing the Maronite network, and connects all the electronic sites of the dioceses and congregations with each other.

 4-    Index of the Maronite Patriarchal synod’s topics:

The general secretariat entrusted to father Khalil Chalfoun, Dean of the Ecclesiastical studies department at “Hikme University” to complete a general index for the synod within the framework of the department and its students.

On March 16, 2009, Father Chalfoun presented to the general secretariat the index in its ten chapters:

1-                 Holy Bible; 2- the geographical banners; 3- the ecclesiastical institutions; 4- the media; 5- the synods and pontifical and patriarchal documents; 6- the liturgy; 7- the theological fathers and doctors; 8- the Maronite Patriarchs; 9- the Maronite historical sequence according to the texts; 10- the themes.

The general secretariat and the follow-up committee are working on studying it and discussing it with Father Chalfoun before approving it and allow its printing.

 5-    Documenting the activities of the Maronite Patriarchal Synod:

The general secretariat represented by Mgr. Mounir Khayrallah, and the university of the Holy Spirit- Kaslik, represented by father Joseph Moukarzel, keeper of the library, signed a contract indicating that the university will contribute in the works of the synod by achieving a coded copy of all records and archives of the activities of the Maronite Patriarchal Synod from its early beginnings in 1985 until the closing of the synod’s sessions on June 11, 2006 at its own expense. The contract also dictates that the rights of intellectual, moral and technical possession will remain an acquired right of the synod whereas the library has the right to exhibit the documents within its collection and make them available to the researchers and readers.

Mgr. Mounir Khayrallah handed over the documents to Father Moukarzel, and the library is working these days on processing the coded copy, hoping to complete its work before the end of 2009.

 6-    Publication of a book on the historical process of the Maronite Patriarchal Synod.

In accordance with the documenting of the synod’s activities, and by commission of the general secretariat, Mgr. Mounir Khayrallah works on publishing a two volumes book on the historical progression of the Maronite Patriarchal Synod. He is aiming to present his work to the general secretariat before the end of 2009.

 7-    Producing the Maronite history book (refer to text 2, recommendation 2).

When the plan in producing the book of the Maronite history was a necessity demanded by the delegates of the dioceses, in particular those of the countries of expansion, the follow-up committee and the general secretariat established a committee, to complete this book, headed by Father Karam Rizk and includes in its membership Father Boulos Rouhana, Drs. Elias Kattar, Antoine Khoury Harb, Tanios Najem and Antoine Houkayem.

This committee is pursuing its work, and after having approved the general plan for the book, the topics were distributed to the experts who began to present their interpositions successively to be discussed by the committee before submitting them to the general secretariat and the follow-up committee.

The committee is planning to finish its work and publish the book during the year 2010 on the occasion of the jubilee 1600 years for the death of St. Maron. It is hoping to translate it later on to the languages of the Maronite popularity.

 8-    Writing of a Christian-Muslim guide to reinforce the dialogue and co-living (refer to text 3, recommendation 3).

The heneral secretariat established a committee headed by His Excellency Archbishop Youssef Bechara and includes in its membership Mgr. Mounir Khayrallah, fathers Boulos Rouhana, Richard Abi-Saleh, Salah Abou-Jaoude, Mouchir Aoun, and Georges Massouh; Drs, Youssef Kamal El-Hage, and Georges Sabra; Cheiks mouhamad Nekari, Chafic Jaradeh, Ghassan Halabi and Dr. Abbas Halabi; and entrusted it ot write a Christian-Muslim guide. The aim of its work is to acknowledge Christianity from a Christian point of view and Islam from an Islamic point of view to reach a mutual acquaintance; to be written in a simple way, yet scientific, to be a reference for people and be used in schools and universities.

The committee met consecutively and discussed the plan for its guide in its two parts: Christian and Muslim. The Christian team was charged to place the final plan concerning him, and completed it. The Muslim team was charged to place the final plan concerning him. It did not complete it due to the lack of communication among the Sunnites, the Chiites and the Druze, and for not reaching an agreement for a common reading, the work stopped, in the hope to take off again.

 9-    Study of the matter of priest’s full time service to their parishes and how to ensure appropriate living for them. (refer to text7, recommendations 5,7).

The general secretariat established a committee, to study the matter of priest’s full time service to their parishes and how to ensure appropriate living for them, it is headed by Mgr. Mounir Khayrallah and includes in its membership Mgrs. Waheeb Khawaja, Maroun Ammar, Fathers Issam Abi-Khalil, Antoine Assaf, Fouad Tabash and Simon Gebrael, Mr. Nagi Chlala.

The committee started its work by studying the subject from all its aspects: ecclesiastical, legal and pastoral, then issued a questionnaire to all priests in order to get the true reality of their mode of life in the Maronite dioceses in Lebanon.

Two years later, the committee presented its report including ecclesiastical and legal illustrations for the concept of occupancy, its needs and specifies its norms starting from the teachings of the church, its laws and the way they are practiced.

It includes also suggestions that help the priests to devote themselves for the service required from them in exchange ensuring appropriate living like the salary, the security and the old-age.

 10-            Establishment of the General Secretariat for the Patriarchate (refer to text 5, recommendation 1).

Whereas the first recommendation of the second text of the Patriarchal Synod affirms “to establish a General Secretariat at the Patriarchate headed by His Beatitude who will delegate a competent bishop or priest to assume the position of general secretary”, a committee, headed by His Excellency Archbishop Youssef Bechara and includes in its membership their Excellencies Archbishop Boulos Matar, Bishop Samir Mazloum, Mgrs. Camille Zaidan and Mounir Khayrallah, Fathers Khalil Alwan and Richard Abi-Saleh, began to put a whole conception for the general secretariat for the Patriarchate. After a year and half, the committee presented its concept to His Eminence and Beatitude mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, he approved it and issued on January 2, 2008 a decree appointing father Richard Abi-Saleh general secretary for five years and the necessary financing was ensured.

Father Abi-Saleh started his function  by equipping the center at the Patriarchate Seat  and establishing a general secretariat and some departments such as the economical, social and media ones, and the other departments will be established when the Patriarchal  center at Zouk Mosbeh will be ready.

 11-            Establishment of the Maronite Institution for Pilgrimage (refer to text 18, recommendation 5, and text 23, recommendation 1).

In view of the importance of the religious tourism, the importance of connecting the widespread Maronites in the original land and attract the tourists and friends to Lebanon, the follow-up committee as ked father Khalil Alwan to form a committee to include the responsibles of the pilgrimage centers in Lebanon and the institutions working in the field of religious pilgrimage. The committee was formed headed by father Alwan and includes in its membership Fathers Tannous Nehmeh, Michel Elyan, Boulos Fahed, Phelemon Salwan, Charbel Balaa, Mothers Clemence Helou, Marie-Claude Eid, Martha Bassil, Higette Michael, Sister Claire Doueihi, Mrs. Nour Haddad, Mr. Tanios Chahwan Mr. Maroun Matta.

The committee met several times and its members arrived to establish “the Association developing the pilgrimage and religious tourism” and made an agreement with the Lebanese ministry of tourism to issue a Christian-Muslim religious tourist guide-book, and to participate in the league of the presidents of shrines in the world and in the religious tourism organization and pilgrimage in the French parishes.

 12-            the Electronic Maronite Guide

          The general secretariat of the Patriarchate is working on achieving the Maronite Index which will include the necessary information  about the persons and the institutions in the Maronite Church in both Arabic and English languages. Information will help us connect with each others. The first step will be to place a detailed design for this index; then the general secretariat will put the prepared application to collect the information and produce the electronic program before launching it in the dioceses, congregations and the ecclesiastical institutions.

 13-            Project of Twinning.

In accordance with some of the synod’s recommendations, and in view of the experiences of twinning lived in some dioceses, the general secretariat proceeded to prepare a document on the goals of twinning, its essential axles, and its means of life in the purpose to present them as samples to the dioceses and congregations.

This document is inspired from the legality of twinning between the Maronite diocese of Antelias and the French diocese of Lyon, and from the agreement of twinning between the Maronit diocese of Batroun and the French diocese of Ste. Etienne. It includes many aspects of twinning:

·        Twinning between two dioceses, one Maronite and the other non-Maronite.

·        Twinning between two Maronite dioceses.

·        Twinning between parishes in two Maronite dioceses.

·        Twinning between parishes within the one diocese.

·        Twinning among congregations.

·        Twinning between shrines, universities and schools.

 14-            The special Seminar on the “Patriarchates in the Catholic Church: its history, actuality, and expectations”.

The seminar gained interest in the discussions panels during the three consecutive general sessions of the synod around the identity of the Maronite Church and its presence in the Patriarchal zone as well as the countries of expansion, and around the jurisdiction of the Patriarch. In September 2005, the general secretariat began to prepare an academic seminar around this subject under the supervision of the Dominican Father Herfi LeGrand who participated in the three sessions of the synod as a theological expert. It decided to organize it between June 11 and 16, 2007 at Beit Aanya – Harissa. Experts in this domain from the United States, Canada, Italy, France, in addition to Lebanese ones were called in to make their contribution in the theological, ecclesiastical, pastoral and legal perception of the Patriarch and the Patriarchate.

The seminar was postponed, the first time due to the occurring in summer 2007, and the second time due to the occurring in May 2008.

In view of the importance of this subject, the follow-up committee suggested in its last yearly session held on May 16, 2009, to plan again for this seminar towards the end of May 2010 in coordination with the Catholic Universities and departments of Theology in Lebanon, and entrusted father Boulos Rouhana, member of the general secretariat, to follow-up this subject.

 15-            Meetings of Delegates of Dioceses and Congregations

The general secretariat kept its communication with the delegates of the dioceses and congregations in order to motivate the application process of the synod. The meetings took place quarterly and delegates were exchanging their experiences, enriched by them, and supplied by the experiences of the general secretariat and looking for the workshops of the synod. All this aims for them to be stimulators for the application process of the synod in their dioceses and congregations.

 16-            Activation of the Legal Committee

His Excellency Bishop Bechara Rai is the head of the legal committee appointed to complete the text 24 of the Maronite Patriarchal Synod’s texts to be entitled: “Laws and regulations of the maronite Church” or the private legislation of the Maronite church.

The committee completed the first phase of the work which includes the private Maronite legislation according to the general legislation from one side and the systems of the legal institutions from the other side.

His Excellency distributed the synod’s texts to the experts who were appointed to read the synod’s texts in equivalence with the Code of canons of the eastern Churches, then to pull out the necessary and write it in a legal educative or training formula to be classified, after its approval by the synod of bishops, in the private legislation. And He placed the calendar for the second period to be finished toward the end of May 2010 so the whole text of the private legislation will be presented to the synod of bishops in the first week of June 2010 to agree upon.

 17-            Office of Recruitment and Employment

The idea of establishing an office for employment and recruitment goes along with the prophetic setting of initiatives for finding employment for our youth and encourage them to remain in their country. A committee was established of Mother Dominique El-Halbi and Father Richard Abi-saleh and shortly was expanded to include representatives of Caritas Association, the “Labora“ organization and the Maronite Social Institution.

The committee presented its project by establishing an “office of employment and recruitment” connected to the general secretariat of the Patriarchate. It has its administrative board represented by the three institutions, each holding its independency, aside the general secretary, his function is to help the youth find jobs in both the private and public sectors and trains them to bigger abilities.

After a period of consultations, and before the establishment of the office, the organization of “Labora” launched its own plans of work in this matter.

 18-            The organization of the “Church Apostles”

The general secretariat entrusted Mother Dominique El-Halbi to work on establishing an organization of laity to volunteer in the service of the church.

Mother Dominique establishd a committee including father Antoine Bechaalani, Mr. Nagi Chlala, Mr. Joseph Salameh, Mr. Toni Abi-Atmeh, and Miss Nelly Kallab.

After consecutive meetings and discussions, the committee presented its project to the general secretariat and the follow-up committee, and it includes: The essential policy, the membership application and the steps that should be taken to launch this organization in the Maronite Church.

 19-            Launching a survey to the Maronites regarding the evaluation of the Synod Application Process

The follow-up committee noted, in its annual session held at Beit Aanya – Harissa on April 16, 2009, and after a fast evaluation of the first three years of the Synod Application Process, to launch a survey to the Maronites, with all their categories, to know how the teaching of the church and the Maronite concept in the synod’s texts are being assimilated, and how the recommendations were responded to.

The committee appealed to Dr. Mirna Mouzawek, professor of social sciences at the university of the Holy Spirit – Kaslik, who realized that the goal of the survey is to know the fact of the Maronites’ response to the synod and show what can motivate people to accept the contents of the texts, to get in the process of commitment to apply the recommendations and be renewed in the Maronite Church.

Dr. Mirna promised to present a working program to take place in two steps and during the fourth and fifth years of the Application Process.

 Conclusion

At the last seminar held on April 16, 2009, and according to the five-year plan, the follow-up committee made an evaluation of the Synod Application Process in the last three years, placed a working plan for the fourth year including the completion of the synod’s workshops and monthly synodal meetings by sections to apply the recommendations and activate the application process in every diocese and congregation.

I have sent you this project hoping to discuss it together today and be able to approve it so it will be a motivation for all of us to follow-up the Synod Application Process.

We renew our thanks to Almighty God for His graces and talents He pours down on us and on our church as she proceeds its Patriarchal march, regarding the difficult conditions and always listens to the voice of the Spirit.

We ask for the intercession of the Mother of God the Virgin Mary, our Lady of Lebanon, for the accompaniment of the Application process in prayer and the renewal of the mentalities, the institutions and the persons.

                                                          His Excellency Youssef Bechara

                                                          Archbishop of Antelias Diocese

                                                          General Secretary of the Synod

                                                   President of the Follow-up Committee

The project framework

The forth year of the march on the application of the Maronite Patriarchal Synod

After focusing on the synodal texts during the past three years in order to grasp the maronite concept in it and teach our church of its matters, we suggest the focus, during the fourth year, to follow-up the recommendations and resolutions which came up in the texts in order to launch some practical initiatives and emphasize on the spiritual aspect for the required pastoral renewal.

For this reason we suggest the following framework in four cores:

1-    The first core: The synodal workshops.

The follow-up commission and the General Secretariat follow their work in fulfilling the workshops they launched.

2-    The second core: The legal work.

The follow-up commission and the General Secretariat follow the actions of the legal commission headed by his Excellency Bishop Bechara Rai in transferring the synodal recommendations into legal projects inserted after its validation into the specific code.

3-    The third core: The recommendations and the initiatives.

Once the General Secretariat has placed an inventory of all the synodal recommendations and chose the primary ones, it will place a calendar for monthly gatherings to take place at Bkerke and gather, around the follow-up commission, a sector from the involved sections in the application of the recommendations in practical initiatives.

4-    The fourth core: The internal synodal work in every diocese and monastic order.

Encourage every diocese, monastic order and organization in activating the synod within through the application of some proposed recommendations in the third core; or through the means of communication which they own from magazines and publications and electronic sites.