Visit to Missionary Sisters

Visit to Missionary Sisters in Lebanon; A Plea for Help

Bishop Michel Aoun (Jbeil Eparchy) and Bishop Gregory Mansour with Monsignor Sami Hayek in Lebanon, Summer 2019.

During the Maronite Synod (meeting) of Bishops in June in Lebanon, Bishop Gregory Mansour visited the Motherhouse of the Missionary Sisters of the Very Holy Eucharist, located 40 miles north of Beirut in the village of Beit Hebbak.  Accompanied by Eparchial Stewardship Director John Kurey, Bishop Gregory celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the Sisters at 8 a.m. with Monsignor Sami Hayek, whose 60thanniversary in the priesthood was commemorated.  After the Liturgy, Bishop Gregory had breakfast with the Sisters and toured part of their school that serves 1,325 poor students ages 4-18.  

The Missionary Sisters consist of 51 women devoted to the Eucharist and to helping women from childhood through old age. The Sisters serve orphans, children, and families, and operate a senior citizen center in Kfarmashoun. Bishop Gregory has assisted the Sisters for many years and visits them each time he is in Lebanon.  

One of the Sisters’ special projects is an orphanage for 20 orphan girls, ages 6 to 18, in a mountainside monastery located in Ain Warka near the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon.  The girls in this orphanage suffer from learning disabilities which prevent them from attending normal schools and would be a major hindrance to their integration into society.  The Sisters provide these girls with a place to live, educate them, and teach them practical skills including cooking, sewing and simplecomputer skills. These things will help the girls adapt to society as they mature.  

The orphanage is run very efficiently as a cost of just $144,000 a year, and relies almost entirely on donations. Donations for the Sisters may be sent to the Eparchy of Saint Maron at 109 Remsen Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11201.  Please include a note with your check stating that it is designated for the Missionary Sisters of the Very Holy Eucharist.  May God bless you for your generosity!  

Photo caption:  

Bishop Edgar Madi (Brazil Eparchy), Bishop Gregory Mansour, Monsignor Sami Hayek and the Missionary Sisters of the Very Holy Eucharist in the Sisters’ chapel in Beit Hebbak.