The Feast of St. Anthony is very important to the people in Tripoli and in general in the north of Lebanon. Whilst St. Anthony of the Desert has been the object of devotion in the Maronite Church since times remote and is part of its Tradition, St. Anthony of Padua pulls his weight and, in the past few years, the number of churches dedicated to the Saint has been continually increasing and in some his feast-day is prepared with novenas and fasting. Our small church in Tripoli is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, but the devotion to St. Anthony has deep roots and at times exceeds that shown to the saint from Assisi. It is not infrequent to meet faithful who are fasting for the whole of June, or for a novena, or a week: it’s done seriously as befits an oriental fast.
In Tripoli, the feast of St., Anthony begins well in advance, with the preparation of the booklet for the Novena and the images of the Saint from the very beginning of the month of May. On the eve, about a thousand small loaves are baked which will be blessed: half of them will be distributed after Mass, whilst the other half will be sent to the neighbouring parishes and to a parish about fifty kilometres from Tripoli.
In the nearby Maronite church, the Novena of St. Anthony is celebrated and all the faithful are invited to take part.
The day of the Feast starts at four in the morning: the lambs offered in honour of St. Anthony for the poor are received. After they have been butchered, lots of small parcels are prepared, to be distributed to the needy. The friends and workmen of the school work on this day from four in the morning until seven in the evening, without ever stopping, but all are pleased to be able to work for St. Anthony.
Everybody has breakfast together: the teaching staff and the workers, then they all go off to do their work until six in the evening, when the Eucharist is solemnly celebrated.
St. Anthony has gathered many people around him: Christians of all confessions and people who only come because they have heard about the occasion. Our small church was so crowded that about fifty people were left outside in the courtyard (there were at least 300 people present). The friars from Beirut and Harissa took part in the Mass, with two Oriental priests.
Just a few days earlier, we had finished restoring the windows of the Church and we installed two air conditioners. They worked very well, easing the great heat typical of the coastal cities. This job made us realize that the church needs air conditioners and we hope we can install more – God willing – for the forthcoming celebration of the feast of St. Francis.
Such a lovely celebration cannot come to an end without dinner by the sea! About twenty people, the friars and their collaborators, sat down to enjoy good fish, wine and arak! Deo Gratias. St. Anthony, Patron Saint of the Custody, may you protect us all and in particular the people of Tripoli who attend our small church.
Fr. Halim Noujaim ofm
- Head of the Holy Land school in Tripoli and related projects
In Tripoli, the feast of St., Anthony begins well in advance, with the preparation of the booklet for the Novena and the images of the Saint from the very beginning of the month of May. On the eve, about a thousand small loaves are baked which will be blessed: half of them will be distributed after Mass, whilst the other half will be sent to the neighbouring parishes and to a parish about fifty kilometres from Tripoli.
In the nearby Maronite church, the Novena of St. Anthony is celebrated and all the faithful are invited to take part.
The day of the Feast starts at four in the morning: the lambs offered in honour of St. Anthony for the poor are received. After they have been butchered, lots of small parcels are prepared, to be distributed to the needy. The friends and workmen of the school work on this day from four in the morning until seven in the evening, without ever stopping, but all are pleased to be able to work for St. Anthony.
Everybody has breakfast together: the teaching staff and the workers, then they all go off to do their work until six in the evening, when the Eucharist is solemnly celebrated.
St. Anthony has gathered many people around him: Christians of all confessions and people who only come because they have heard about the occasion. Our small church was so crowded that about fifty people were left outside in the courtyard (there were at least 300 people present). The friars from Beirut and Harissa took part in the Mass, with two Oriental priests.
Just a few days earlier, we had finished restoring the windows of the Church and we installed two air conditioners. They worked very well, easing the great heat typical of the coastal cities. This job made us realize that the church needs air conditioners and we hope we can install more – God willing – for the forthcoming celebration of the feast of St. Francis.
Such a lovely celebration cannot come to an end without dinner by the sea! About twenty people, the friars and their collaborators, sat down to enjoy good fish, wine and arak! Deo Gratias. St. Anthony, Patron Saint of the Custody, may you protect us all and in particular the people of Tripoli who attend our small church.
Fr. Halim Noujaim ofm
- Head of the Holy Land school in Tripoli and related projects