Biblical References
Cedars of Lebanon

Prophet Elijah

Prophet Jonah

Miracle of Water into Wine at Cana

Miracle of Cananite Woman in Sidon

Lady of Awaiting Mantara

Keys of Heaven

Mount Hermon
St Thomas in Tyre

St Paul in Sidon

Lebanon a Holy Land

How to Send Donations
Acknowledgements
Contact Us
Home

Rebuilding The Churches Where The Lord Jesus Walked and Preached
Words of the Archbishop of Sidon Diocese & Deir El Kamar.

To whom it may concern

Salhiye is one of the Catholic villages in Southern Lebanon which was subjected to mass destruction during the war that wreaked havoc in Lebanon since 1976.
 

This area was home for more than one hundred thousand Catholics for three hundred years. But unfortunately, the sad events that occurred in 1985, forced them out of Salhiye and rendered them homeless.

Three hundred years ago, the people of Salhiye bought their land from the church and from some feudal lords. Upon this land they built their homes and planted vineyards and fields of olives, almonds and fig trees. They continued cultivating their land and selling its crops until their financial situation improved, thus, enabling them to build their own parish of St. John the Baptist Church in 1884. This Byzantine style church, was the fruit of their hard labor, having carried the stones of the church on their shoulders. It was an architectural master-piece until its destruction in 1985.

In 1984, in spite of the tragic events that were taking place in Lebanon, Salhiye celebrated the first centenary of its church, thus, proving its faith and its attachment to the land of their ancestors. Unfortunately, in 1985, hardly one year after this celebration, extremist militias invaded the whole area. Salhiye, like many other villages, was totally destroyed, its houses, and church, turned to rubble.

The people of Salhiye never lost hope. As soon as peace was restored and the Lebanese army regained control over the area, they came back. They rebuilt their houses and started fund raising campaigns, and with our help they began a very difficult process: the reconstruction of their historical church.

Today, they celebrated masses and prayers in St. John the Baptist Sanctuary, a little grotto dug in a mountain. Near by this sanctuary was their church three hundred years ago and it will remain a temporary church until the completion of the reconstruction of the new one.

By this letter, we appeal to Catholics & the Catholic associations for help. We need you to complete the reconstruction of the church of Salhiye, a village which is attached strongly to its Catholic faith and the land of the ancestors who were the first Catholics in the area.

In our diocese, four churches were already sponsored by other diocese from all over the world:

The church of the village of Abra was sponsored by the diocese of Strasbourg.
The church of Kefraya was sponsored by the diocese of Paderborn.
The church of Mrah El Bass was sponsored by the diocese of Lausanne. The church of Ain El Mir was sponsored by the diocese of Dallas.

Salhiye and its church council, chose the Knights Of Columbus, council 4393, in Toronto, Canada in order to collect donations in North America to complete the construction of St. John the Baptist Church in Salhiye.

Bishop Georges Koueiter
Archbishop of Sidon for Greek Melkite Catholics

Click on photos to enlarge


Archbishop Emblem

Archbishop Koueiter with Holy Father


Archbishop Koueiter


Archbbishop Georges Koueiter

 

Knights of Columbus

North York Knights Of Columbus, Council 4393
Website Designed by PrimusWorkz

Message of the Grand Knight