Helping to stem the tide

Published: 16 October 2011

LEBANON (ACN News): A 19th century monastery in Lebanon has been transformed into a pastoral centre, playing a crucial role helping to stem the tide of Christians leaving the country.

Carmelite Father Raymond Abdo told Aid to the Church in Need - which helped with the conversion of the monastery in Kobayat, northern Lebanon, into a pastoral centre - that the project was vital for the revival of a Christian community that has suffered from massive emigration, poverty and Islamist extremism.

"The renovation of the monastery of Kobayat is part of the social commitment of our fathers in the north of the country," Fr Abdo said.

"Many people come to pray in the monastery. They have confession, spiritual guidance and we have many groups of young people."

The renovation, for which ACN provided $58,000, is helping Christian renewal in an area close to the Syrian border which has experienced political instability.

"The Carmelites are working to strengthen the Christian presence in this area so that we might prevent people, especially young people, from leaving, because it is very easy to emigrate to outside the country," Fr Abdo said.

"We are working constantly so that the numbers of those leaving the country do not increase."

Fr Abdo said the building, which dates back to 1892, also housed a scheme to help keep young people in the region.

A local Christian businessman has set up an information technology company providing jobs for about 35-40 people who are working in a part of the old monastery buildings.

Commenting on the declining numbers, Fr Abdo said: "It's very bad actually because Christians are now less than half of the country - before the (1975-90 civil) war Christians were 75 per cent of the population."

But the Carmelite priest said vocations to the religious life were still relatively healthy.

"There are many vocations still in Lebanon - more than in some other countries, thank God - and there are many Carmelites from Kobayat because we have had a monastery there for so long," Fr Abdo said.

"In the Lebanese Carmelite province we have three young men in the novitiate, two postulants, and four young men are preparing themselves for priesthood.

"If we are faithful to our commitment and to our vows we can attract many vocations - even if we are working in social things.

"The most important thing is to help people spiritually and even if there are no (religious) vocations, the vocation of marriage is very important, the vocation to testify to God in our lives is very important - and everything we can do to strengthen people in that is very important."

The new pastoral centre was formally consecrated by Lebanon's apostolic nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Caccia on May 21, having been previously blessed by the former Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, who retired in February.

As well as receiving support from ACN, the pastoral centre project obtained funding from several other Catholic organisations, including Missio.

The Carmelite order in Lebanon has six monasteries with 32 monks, more than half of whom are aged 35 or under.
The Carmelite Fathers have been working in Lebanon since 1643.