San Antonio | Feast of St. Maron

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Swiller, Archbishop of San Antonio

by Regina Aune

The Feast of St. Maron is always a time of great celebration for St. George Church in San Antonio, and the weekend of 9-10 February was no exception. The annual hafli was held on Saturday evening, 9 February, featuring traditional Lebanese music provided by Houston’s Jabour and his band. Attendees enjoyed traditional Lebanese folk dancing by the parish dance troupe and a meal of traditional Lebanese food. 

The Liturgy for the feast was celebrated by Father Charles Khachan on Sunday, 10 February. Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, gave the homily and spoke of St. Maron and the rich traditions of the Maronite Church, which he considers a great blessing to the universal Church. At the Liturgy, Father Charles Khachan, assisted by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, presented the Silver Massabki Award to Gibran Mery, the Faith of the Mountain Award to Desirae Imad, the Bishop’s Award to Charles Malouff, the St. George Appreciation Award to Tony Antoun, and the Altar Server Award to Matthew Hanna. Finally, Miriam Wells received the National Apostolate of Maronites Delegate of the Year Award, which honors individuals for their selfless service and continuous giving of their time and talents to support the parish and larger community of Maronites. A luncheon reception in the Phoenician Ballroom followed the liturgy and continued the celebration.