The preparation of the crane at the Tower of Our Lady of the East to install the statue of the Virgin Mary on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2024. / Credit: Moussa Hanna Photography
ACI MENA, Aug 1, 2024 / 15:46 pm (CNA).
A new landmark honoring the Virgin Ma… […]
The entrance into the Franciscan church in Aleppo, Syria, of the twins George and Johnny Jallouf, friars of the Custody of the Holy Land, who were ordained priests on July 6, 2024. The two ordinands are wearing the priestly vestments with which … […]
A moment of prayer during the procession through the narrow streets of the Christian quarter of Bab-Touma (St. Paul) in the Old City of Damascus on July 9, 2023, in celebration of the liturgical feast of the Martyrs of Damascus. / Credit: Courte… […]
Over a year after the earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey in February 2023, restoration of Aleppo’s Church of St. George has been completed. / Credit: Abdul Kareem Daniel
Aleppo, Syria, Apr 23, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).
This year’s feast of St. George was a particularly joyful one in the Syrian city of Aleppo, especially for the Melkite Greek Catholic community.
The church is reopening its doors after undergoing restoration due to damage from a February 2023 earthquake. Additionally, Archbishop George Masri of the Melkite Archdiocese of Aleppo and its environs will celebrate his golden jubilee.
The celebrations took place during the visit of Patriarch Joseph Absi, the current patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, who presided over the Divine Liturgy in the restored church on the evening of April 23. The evening before, there was a procession along Holy Bible Street followed by vespers.
In an exclusive interview with ACI Mena, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Father Fadi Najjar, principal of Providence Private School, which is adjacent to and belongs to the church, explained that last year’s earthquake caused cracks in the church walls on both the right and left sides, allowing rainwater to leak inside. The exterior facade was also shattered, with falling stones damaging the stairs.
“The first step was removing the loose stones from above to protect people, especially since the church hall had sheltered the displaced for over a month, providing meals,” Najjar explained. “The restoration then began, taking about a year under Archbishop Masri’s direct supervision. The cracks were sealed, the exterior facade restored, the interior repainted, the stone polished, and new stairs built.”
Regarding Providence School, Najjar said that classroom walls had also cracked while sanitation systems were damaged. “We didn’t just restore the school. Rather, we began a complete renovation, taking advantage of the summer vacation. In five months, the building rose beautifully from the ashes,” he explained.
“New classrooms are being opened, the language lab revived, bathrooms added, as well as a TV/cinema hall, playroom, and aerobics studio. About 150 seats will be restored, walls repainted, floors polished, and stonework whitened — all thanks to funding from the Salla charity. Aid to the Church in Need covered the church’s restoration costs,” he added.
Najjar revealed that Masri strongly supported the school’s renovation, expressing deep appreciation for the contractor, engineer Joseph Nono, who was entrusted with both the church and school projects.
Notably, Absi’s Aleppo visit included stops at the Dar Al-Nahda Music Institute under artist Shady Najjar’s direction and a dinner for men and women named after St. George born between 1960 and 1980. He has also planned a tour of Aleppo’s Old Square.
This article was originally published in ACI Mena, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Young Salesians in Syria. / Credit: Salesian ANS
ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 16, 2023 / 17:30 pm (CNA).
March 15 marked the 12th year of civil war in Syria, where bombs, poverty, and earthquakes have destroyed the country. Nevertheless, the Salesians… […]
Damage to the neighborhood near the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Aleppo, Syria / Madonna Ewaz/ACI MENA
ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 9, 2023 / 15:35 pm (CNA).
Father Hugo Alaniz, an Argentine missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word in Ale… […]
Archbishop Jacques Mourad, the new Syrian Catholic archbishop of Homs, Syria. / Credit: ACN
ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 6, 2023 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
Father Jacques Mourad, a Syrian Catholic monk who was kidnapped in Syria by Islamic State (ISIS) terrori… […]
A pedestrian uses a smartphone as she walks past a collapsed building in Antakya, southern Turkey on Feb. 21, 2023. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake late Feb. 20, 2023, rocked Turkey’s southern province of Hatay and northern Syria. / Photo by SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images
ACI Prensa Staff, Feb 21, 2023 / 11:35 am (CNA).
Antoine Chahda, the Syrian Catholic archbishop of Aleppo, Syria, asked for prayers after a new 6.4-magnitude earthquake shook Turkey and Syria on Feb. 20.
In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, after the earthquake Chahda encouraged prayers “for us because all the people are out on the streets, the whole city. It was horrible, very terrible, we’re all trembling.”
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake occurred three kilometers (about two miles) southwest of Uzunbağ, Turkey, near the Syrian border, at 8:04 p.m. local time.
This was one of the most intense of the thousands of aftershocks that have followed the Feb. 6 earthquake, which to date has claimed more than 47,000 lives and more than 122,000 injuries in the border region.
The Syrian Catholic archbishop of Aleppo said that “so far, no buildings have collapsed, the cathedral is okay. But tomorrow, when the sun rises, we will see what will happen.”
“People are out on the street. We’re okay. There seem to be no injuries in Aleppo. We won’t know until tomorrow,” the prelate commented.
The archbishop said that “for now we are receiving people who like to come to the cathedral. It’s full of people, just like the street.”
“We don’t know what will happen,” he added. “Only God knows. Pray for us.”
Father Esteban Dumont, who lives in Tarsus, Turkey, about 135 miles by air from Aleppo, said “We’re okay. It felt strong, but we didn’t suffer any damage.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti with Pope Francis / Vatican Media
Vatican City, Feb 16, 2023 / 11:55 am (CNA).
A Vatican archbishop will visit Catholics in Syria and Turkey as they continue to help those affected by the result of multiple devastat… […]
Pope Francis at his Angelus address on Jan. 29, 2023. / Vatican Media
Rome Newsroom, Feb 15, 2023 / 05:15 am (CNA).
The Vatican is joining the Italian government and NGOs in sending help to the suffering people of Turkey and Syria.According to … […]
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