Patriarch Youssef

Current and Completed Projects

18 1 2012
Patriarch Gregorios III
Current and Completed Projects, Publications,
Synods and Congresses, Visits and Travels
(2000-2016)
 
Restoration and Construction
 
1.Major Seminary of St. Anne at Rabweh, Lebanon restoration
1)      Seminarists’ and bishops’ rooms.and those of the Patriarchal residence
2)      Iconographic mural paintings in the Seminary chapel (2001-2003)
 
2.Patriarchal College in Beirut (2002) restoration
 
3.Maximos V Centre’s School at Abra, Lebanon (2002) restoration
 
4.Sabtieh Building (Beirut) conversion into law courts for the Inter-diocesan Tribunal of First Instance and the Patriarchal Appeal Tribunal (2003) and refurbishment
 
5.St. Anne’s School at Rayaq, (2003) redevelopment
 
6.Purchase from the French Government of 167 dunams(41¼ acres) at Rayaq
 
7.Patriarchal Residence at Ain Traz (2004): reconstruction, after its 1982 destruction and abandonment due to war (1975-1991) in Lebanon
 
8.Patriarchal College at Rabweh, Lebanon (2006) construction
 
9.21 acres of land at Mleiha, Damascus (2004) purchase
 
10.Patriarchal College at Mleiha, Damascus (2006) construction
 
11.Hospital at Damascus (2005):TawfiqSaabiehInstitution construction
 
12.Hospital at Khabab, Hauran, Syria construction (2006)
 
13. Church of Sts Paul and Peter in Doummar (2005), together with His Beatitude, the late Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatios IV Hazim, for the alternative use of Melkite faithful and Orthodox faithful construction
 
14. Patriarchal Church of the Annunciation, Rabweh (2010) construction
 
15. Church of the Annunciation, Ghozlaniyeh, Damascus Suburbs. (2012) construction  
 
16. Church of St. Paul, Jaramana, Damascus Suburbs construction (began 2015)
 
17. Church of St. George, Ma’alula (2015) post-conflict reconstruction
 
18. Housing project for young families, Rabweh. (2016)
 
19. Old school building, Cathedral precincts, Damascus (2014) post-conflict refurbishment with additional prefabricated classrooms, to replace the destroyed patriarchal school, Mleiha.
 
20. Tribunal of First and Second Instance, Damascus Eparchy (2012) refurbishment  
 
21. Several parish kindergartens established for pre-school Christian education.
 
Foundations
           
22.The Liqaa Centre in Beirut (2003), in Damascus (2003) and in Cairo (2004)
 
23.The Centre for Adult Religious Education in Damascus (2004)
 
24.The Centre for Preparation for Marriage in Damascus (2004)
 
Publications
 
25. In Arabic
 
Continuation of the printing of liturgical books, a project begun in 1986, when H.E. Mgr. Lutfi Laham, then Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem, was nominated by the Holy Synod and H.B. Patriarch Maximos V Hakim as president of the Synodal and Patriarchal Liturgical Commission.
 
This gigantic work cost almost $600,000. It comprised the renewal and re-structuring of all the Melkite Church’s liturgical books, according to the Byzantine Greek rite. This enormous project required assiduous work from 1986-2000.
 
The work then appeared for experimental use until 2003 when the Synod definitively approved it. It comprises two volumes:-
1. Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (2006)                 
2. Divine Liturgies of St. Basil and of the Presanctified (2007)
 
These new books appeared in six large and six small format volumes, for choir and personal use respectively. The work was completed by the renewal of the Divine Liturgies. The latter comprises two volumes…etc. There were also some thirty-five books of hymnography of the Menaion, Paraklitiki and of the Sunday Oktoekhos and the Divine Liturgies, all with Byzantine notation (psaltiki).
 
26. In English
 
“I am with you always” Pastoral Letters 2000-2007 of Patriarch Gregorios III (2008)
 
Introduction to Liturgical Services and their Symbolism in the Eastern Church (2009)
 
Practice on the Spiritual Way of the Divine Liturgy (2013)
 
On the Renewal of the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church (2014)
 
Synods
 
27.First Eparchial Synod for the Patriarchal Eparchy of Damascus (3-5 July, 2003)
 
28.First Patriarchal Synod held in Syria (2003)
 
29. Second Eparchial Synod “The Family: a domestic Church.” (2014-15)
 
30. Extraordinary Synod of Bishops for the Middle East at the Vatican (2010)
 
31. Congress of Bishops of the Expansion (Canada, USA, Mexico)
 
32. Presidency of the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchs in Syria (meeting annually)
 
Congresses and Conferences
 
33. Too numerous to mention, but include speaking at, for example:
 
Several Katholikentag, Sant’Egidio and Orientale Lumen Conferences, theLambeth Conference (2008), A Common Word Conference (2008AD/1429AH), the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs Conference (2010), the First Assembly of European Melkites (2012), the IDC Summit (2014), the First Antiochian Conference (2014), Crans Montana and the Salzburg Festival (2016).
 
Visits and Travels
 
34.Visits to Melkite Eparchies in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, to parishes in Iraq, Kuwait and Sudan, and in the expansion to parishes in Canada, USA, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, and Rome, Belgium, England and France: also to Oman and Kuwait, Austria, Czechia, Cyprus, Germany, India, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sardinia, Scotland, Sicily, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.
 
35.Official visits to the Vatican (Rome), France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria and Ukraine
 
36.Support for groups of the St. Lazarus Order as its Spiritual Protector in Austria, Czechia, France, Germany, Slovakia, Canada and USA
 
37.Spiritual support and protection of the Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem in Germany, Italy, Ireland, Canada, USA, Belgium
 
 
 
 
 V. C. 17/08/16