ABUNA ELIAS CHACOUR

SPECIAL NEWS From ABUNA

March 2, 2006

My Dear Friends,

At this time, more than ever before, I include in the term friends much affection, much love and my utmost appreciation. My life has changed drastically in the past week. Although I sensed the things coming I was still surprised to be elected Archbishop of the largest Christian community in the Holy Land, the Melkite Catholic Church. The election lingered so long that I was praying constantly for it not to happen, but on February 7 the Holy Synod of the Melkite Church endorsed unanimously the decision of the Holy See. I had to accept the nomination and was consecrated on February 25th, surrounded by many thousands of people from all denominations and religions.

My responsibilities are not only doubled they are beyond what any single individual can take on himself. This is why I rely on our clergy and on thousands of our lay people who, despite all odds and problems, I want to say corruption inside the church, kept the dream alive and the vision as well. The responsibility is very complex because an Archbishop in this country is not only a religious leader for his flock but he is expected to be the leader of all the minorities. Since I am the first Archbishop to be born, brought up, educated, and consecrated in Israel there are so many expectations from the Jewish sector as well. And indeed I am personally aware of the vital and essential need to build bridges between all communities, I consider each and all of them as part of my community and my wider religious family, since we all consider ourselves to be the descendants of Abraham and believe in the one God of human dignity, peace, and justice.

This huge responsibility needs your support, your prayers, and your friendship. I did not give up my responsibility to Mar Elias Educational Institutions. MEEI is now an important center in the large diocese of Galilee (Israel). You have been extremely effective not only in helping materially and financially, but also in forming my personality, sharpening my sense of justice and integrity, and working towards peace and security. I pray and hope that your friendship will continue and will be intensified. I do have much more authority than before, I also have a deeper sense of responsibility towards creating the unity we so long have wanted through respect of the differences that for so long we have feared. I do hope that you will not give up on us now that we need you more than ever before.

Thank you for your prayers, your friendship, and your congratulations. We continue to walk the way together towards the Kingdom of God which we have to start now and here where each of us are, and very specially here in the Holy Land. I am still Abuna even though people call me Archbishop. One of the things I will miss most is to stand firm at 7:15 in the morning every day and greet all the children of the elementary school which I have done since we opened that school. I consider greeting every child another way of praying and praising God.

May the Lord give you peace that starts deep in our hearts.

Yours respectfully and gratefully,

Abuna Elias Chacour
Archbishop of Galilee

Chosen Archbishop of Galilee by Holy Synod

---

Elias Chacour was born November 29, 1939 in the village of Biram in Upper Galilee in Arab Palestine, to a Palestinian Christian family, members of the Melkite Catholic Church, an Eastern Byzantine Church in communion with Rome.

At the age of eight years, he experienced the tragedy of his people. He was evicted, along with his whole village, by the Israeli authorities and became a deportee and a refugee in his own country, the Palestine of his birth. Because he remained in the country of his forefathers, he was granted citizenship of Israel when the state of Israel was created in 1948.

Father Elias Chacour came to Ibillin as a young priest in the 1965. He quickly saw the lack of educational opportunities for Palestinian youth beyond the 8th grade. A vision of a school for all the children of Israel began to take shape in his mind. Today, this vision has become a reality in the village of Ibillin, Galilee.

In the early 1980’s, on an empty hillside now known as the Mount of Light, a classroom building was begun. The newly formed high school moved from temporary quarters in the community center to the new building as soon as it was ready. The original High School has expended considerably and the history and background speaks of the expansion on the Mount of Light.

He has become an ambassador for non-violence and someone who not only preaches, but lives, the Sermon on the Mount. He travels often between the Middle East and other countries around the world. In addition, hundreds of groups of visitors, fact-finding missions, and pilgrims have visited and continue to visit with him in Ibillin. He has received many International peace awards and been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions. On March 10th, 1994, Father Elias Chacour received the prestigious World Methodist Peace Award that has been presented in the past to such pilgrims for peace as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the late Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat. On Feb 19th, 2001, Abuna was announced to be the recipient of the Niwano Peace Prize.

Abuna (Arabic for Father, the affectionate and respectful term given to their priests) is the author of two “best selling” books, Blood Brothers and We Belong to the Land.

Blood Brothers covers Abuna's childhood growing up in the town of Biriam in Northern Israel, his development into a young man, and his early years as a Priest in the Melkite (Greek Catholic) Church in Ibillin, Galilee. This book has been translated into 28 languages. You may order this book online at Barnes and Nobel.com or Amazon.com.

Abuna's second book We Belong to the Land includes many stories of his work in the development of Mar Elias Educational Institutions, from humble beginnings to major schools for educating Palestinian young people and for helping to bring about reconciliation in a land of strife. This book has been translated into 11 languages.

Articles
Abuna writes numerous articles, a selection of which are included here.

We are all Equals in the Eyes of God
Free Yourself from Hatred
Christ is Risen - He is Truly Risen (Lent 1997)
The Listening Post
Restoration and Redemption of Palestinian Christianity
Letter to Friends of Mar Elias (8/99)
Letter to friends 9/13/01

Curriculum Vitae
Photo Album

To contact Father Elias Chacour or the Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI)
Rev. Dr. Abuna Elias Chacour
Mar Elias Educational Institutions
P.O. Box 102
Ibillin 30012
Galilee - Israel

Phone 972-4-9866848
Email office@m-e-c.org

Please make donations to the Mar Elias Educational Institutions.