Glen Allen, VA | Passion Play & Food Festival

by Dr. Mabel George Howard

 Passion Play

The Passion of Our Lordis an impactful religious account of events familiar to Christians throughout the world. The Passion of Our Lord, also known as The Passion of Christ,is the story of Jesus Christ and the events that took place from Holy Thursday through Good Friday, including: the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, the trial before Pilate and Herod, the scourging and suffering, and the crucifixion on Golgotha.  

During Holy Week, following the traditional Good Friday service, a group of parishioners from St. Anthony Church in Glen Allen, Virginia, performed a powerful reenactment of the Passion of Our Lord. The play script was written by Fr. Raymond Khallouf, Parochial Vicar.  With the guidance, support, and ingenuity of the Maronite Young Adults, the parishioners constructed the scenery, created the costumes, and performed the drama to engage the congregation in the play.

A sincere thanks is extended to Lindal Handal, Milad Habboush, and Eid Rustom for their efforts and hard work in creating this impressive and emotional portrayal of Our Lord’s Passion. This presentation was certainly one of the spiritual highlights of our Holy Week celebration.

35th Saint Anthony Food Festival

For the past 35 years, in a tradition started by Msgr. George Sebaali, Saint Anthony Church in Glen Allen, VA, on the weekend after Mothers Day, invites an invasion of 40,000 hungry patrons to enjoy Lebanese food, music, and hospitality.

Cooking began in February. During the weekend, one can see a 90-year-old man selling hummus and a 9-year-old girl washing trays. Literally hundreds of parishioners collaborated in the cooking, serving, cleaning, entertainment, and the myriad of things that go on behind the scenes, but a few need to be recognized for their extraordinary generosity of talent and time: Rick Shibley, Sandra Brown, and Gus Harika shared in all aspects of the event.  

It was Chorbishop Faris’ first experience with the food festival in Glen Allen and everyone asked him if he was impressed. His response, “The crowds are nice, but the workers are amazing.”