The Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, was in Lebanon from the 27th to the 29th of August on a fraternal visit to show his closeness to the friars at a very difficult time for the country and to get to know their reality.
Arriving in Beirut in the afternoon of Sunday 27 August, Br. Massimo was welcomed by Br Jihad Krayem, Guardian, Br. Rashid Mistrih, Discrete of the Holy Land, and Br. Najib Ibrahim, Custos' Delegate for Lebanon. With them and the brothers of the community, he shared a beautiful moment of fraternity and sharing.
The following day, all the friars of Lebanon gathered in Harissa with Mgr Hanna Jallouf, OFM, appointed Apostolic Vicar of the Latins in Syria, for a meeting in which the friars shared their mission, their challenges and their hopes with the Minister General.
During the celebration of the Eucharist, Br. Massimo gave words of encouragement to all, recalling how God has "loved and chosen each one of us", and at the end of the Mass he left each Friar with the blessing of St Francis, a Tau and the Rule as a symbol and reminder of his visit.
The Minister General then visited the Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon and the friars responsible for Youth Ministry; at dinner he met some Conventual friars and some Franciscan sisters of the country.
The Minister General's visit continues to Damascus: accompanied by Br. Rashid, he will be in Syria until 1 September.
At present the Friars carry out their mission in two Guardianates, in Beirut, with two filial houses, Tyre and Deirmimas, and in Harissa, Guardianate and house of aspirants, where the Custos' Delegate of the Holy Land currently resides, and in the district of Tripoli, as a filial house.
The presence of the Friars Minor in Lebanon goes back to the beginnings of the Order; in fact, the friary of Beirut is considered to be one of the first four friaries of the Custody of the Holy Land. The friars then spread to southern Lebanon, to Tyre and Sidon, and to northern Lebanon, in the district of Tripoli. They settled in Harissa in the 17th century.
Br. Toufic Bou Merhi, OFM
Photo: Fr. Georges Jamal, OFM
