Melkite Patriarch Absi brings message of unity, support

By Susan Bailey
Special to The Catholic Free Press
“Blessed is our God at all times, now and always and forever and ever, Amen.” This chant, led for the congregation by numerous priests and deacons, began the Typica service at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Worcester on Saturday. This simple celebration, used often as a Communion service in lieu of the Divine Liturgy, was presided over by His Beatitude Youseff (Joseph) Absi, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, along with Bishop Nicholas Samra of the Eparchy of Newton and Father Paul G. Frechette, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Bishop McManus attended the service, along with clergy from the Lawrence Melkite parish of St. Joseph. Several surrounding Orthodox churches were also represented by their priests, including St. Mary’s Syrian Orthodox Church of Shrewsbury and St. Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church and St. Mary’s Albanian Orthodox Church, both of Worcester.
Following the service Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty gave Patriarch Absi a plaque with a key to the city. Proclaiming Worcester as the “city of immigrants,” Mayor Petty added that there are “so many challenges around the world, really, churches under attack. It’s good that we all stand up together.”
After the presentation, a luncheon was given in honor of Patriarch Absi, who spoke to the people about the need for unity as the most effective witness for Christ.
“To be one, to dwell together, to work hand-in-hand in order to bring everyone to Christ, to make everyone a believer in Christ – Christ asks us to be his witnesses in the world,” he said.
He went on to describe how the Christians in the Middle East are “witnessing through their blood to Christ” and that we must all be willing to witness to Christ with our whole lives.”
Patriarch Absi encouraged the people to “continue to support your church, your bishop and his clergy. Continue to show solidarity with one another. Work to form one soul and one heart with your priest and with one another. For it is only in this union in love that God is truly glorified and the world is enlightened.”
Father Frechette echoed the theme of unity.
“We (at Our Lady of Perpetual Help) have a long history of Orthodox/Catholic cooperation and discussions and interest,” he said, adding that the parish has “a very good history of offering hospitality in that direction.”
When asked about the goals for his first visit to the United States as patriarch, Patriarch Absi replied that he wished “to see the people, our church here in the United States … to see face-to-face and just speak with our people … to know their needs, their visions for the future for our church here, and to do something to support them and their ecclesiastical lives.”
People were enthralled with the patriarch and grateful for his visit.
“This means a lot to us,” said longtime parishioner Mark Bashour. “I think it’s the first time since 1986 that we have had a patriarch here. To see someone who is in charge of the church for the whole world coming to our parish means a lot. And I hope he likes what he saw here today. It’s a big moment for all of us.”
On Sunday Patriarch Absi celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Greek Cathedral in West Roxbury. Bishop McManus, along with Msgr. Robert K. Johnson, rector of St. Paul Cathedral, and Bishop Mark O’Connell, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, were in attendance along with many other Melkite clergy. In his homily Patriarch Absi, in reflecting upon the Gospel reading from Matthew 5, challenged the people to pierce the darkness of this world with the bright light of Christ.
Sunday’s Divine Liturgy brought to an end the Patriarch’s week-long visit to New England, where he visited parishes in Waterford and Danbury, Conn., Manchester, N.H., Worcester, West Roxbury and Lincoln, R.I. Before coming to New England he presided over the annual Melkite Convention, held this year in Houston.
Patriarch Absi is traveling to California, accompanied by Bishop Samra, to visit various parishes and missions this week. He will then spend some time with his mother and family members before returning home to Lebanon.
Kathleen Laplante of Our Lady of Perpetual Help summed up her experience in this way: “I was just overwhelmed being here with such a wonderful presence; to have His Beatitude here is a blessing for us all. He’s so kind and gentle and welcoming and it’s a wonder to have him as head of the Melkite Church.”

A humble, gentle pastor

By Susan Bailey
Special to The Catholic Free Press

My first impression of Patriarch Joseph Absi is that he is first and foremost a pastor: gentle, soft-spoken and truly humble. There is a quiet radiance about him that permeates his simple words with much meaning. Not far beneath that quiet demeanor is strength built on conviction and fueled by his deep faith and prayerful trust in God. That strength expresses itself in his pastoral leadership of the Melkite Church, where each individual person matters.
He stated that in answer to my first question about his purpose for coming to the United States: “To see the people, our church here in the United States … to see face-to-face and just speak with our people … to know their needs, their visions for the future for our church here, and to do something to support them and their ecclesiastical lives.”
Before becoming patriarch of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church, he was the patriarchal vicar of Damascus. In describing his time there he again showed that strong pastoral instinct: “The fact that I was the patriarchal vicar allowed me to be with the people, to share their needs, their suffering, their difficulties … when I was elected patriarch I was able to know my people and to be with them. I know everything in Damascus, the situation, the country, the war, etc. All this has prepared me, when once patriarch, to be really with my people.”
That concern translated into practical help. Archbishop Nicholas Antipa described how Patriarch Absi worked with the other bishops of Damascus, forming committees to provide the people with food. Now, because of his election as patriarch, he can extend that practical care to needy Melkite children all throughout the Middle East, thanks to the establishment of a national fundraiser spearheaded by Bishop Nicholas Samra of the Eparchy of Newton and adopted by the patriarch, called The Melkite Catholic Children’s Aid (MCCA). Through this initiative Melkite families in the United States can sponsor a child, providing for his or her nutrition, medical care and education. The purpose is to send aid to children in every country where there is a Melkite community; this includes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt.
Patriarch Absi is also much concerned with meeting the spiritual needs of his people and, in this, he strongly encourages cooperation between the various Eastern churches: “We have to do something to face the lack of vocations so why we can we not collaborate all together, not only in our church but for all the churches to collaborate to serve our people, to be present with our people.”
Archbishop Antiba added that Patriarch Absi is allowing priests, particularly in the war-torn Middle East, to extend a welcome to Orthodox Christians who are not Eastern Catholic. “His Beatitude also allowed our priests here in the diocese and in all the dioceses, whether they are Orthodox or Syrian Orthodox or somebody else who comes to our Church – they are welcome to receive Communion, to partake of the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.” (Note: According the Rt. Rev. Philip Raczka, of Annunciation Cathedral, the comment about Communion is in agreement with the official policy from Rome.)
The final part of our interview turned personal. As a lifelong church musician I noticed that Patriarch Absi had devoted much time to the study and teaching of music in the Church. I asked him which instrument he played and he replied “the lute,” which immediately evoked for me the psalms. When I asked him about how music informs his spiritual life, his face lit up and his voice filled with deep emotion: “Oh, much, very much! Music for me is an important element in my life and my spiritual life – every musician understands that. It removes something in my body even, in my mind.”
Archbishop Antiba touted the patriarch’s musical contributions and accomplishments: “His Beatitude also composed many of the songs with the music and until now in our churches all around, especially in the Middle East, they sing these songs composed by him. And not only that, he used to be kind of the manager to many choirs in the Middle East. He’d bring them together to make some (musical) pieces.”
We had to end our interview there as it was time for the patriarch to leave. But I knew I had spent time with a most unusual, humble and holy man, worthy to lead the Melkite Church worldwide.