Maronite Voice - Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

the people and the priest, since he is
called from among them but also is a
member of the clergy.
Deacon Anthony responded by
thanking so many people, in fact, he
quotedthe words of the psalmist, “I will
thank the Lord in the assembly of His
people.” He began by thanking the
bishops he has served - Archbishop
Zayek, who although unable to attend
for reasons of health, sent a beautiful
letter congratulating Deacon Anthony,
his wife, and their children. Deacon
Anthony also thanked Bishop Stephen
Hector Doueihi. He thanked the
Maronite priests - Rev. Norman S.
Peter, Chorbishop Bernard Khachan,
Rev. Hares Zobheib, Msgr. Hayek, and
presently, Fr. Kamil Al-Chouefati, who
have either served the parish or are
currently doing so. He also offered
thanks to the many priests of the
Diocese of Allentown, who were
present and those who were unable to
be present.
Deacon Anthony mentioned how
grateful he was to his parents, Frank
and Catherine Koury and his brother,
Michael Koury, who have passed to
their eternal reward. He recognized his
sister, Frances, who was in attendance
after a serious car accident.
He thanked everyone who had a
share in the preparation and the actual
celebration of this milestone in his life
in service to God’s people. He also
thanked his nephew, Michael, his wife,
Elaine and their children, Josie and
Rebecca, his niece Cathy, andhis sisterin-law,
Josie for all their help. And
finally, he thanked his wife, Chafica,
his son, Anthony and his daughter,
Frances for all the sacrifices they made
for the last twenty five years in his
ministry as a deacon.
The program concluded with the
benediction given by Bishop Welsh,
after which Deacon Anthony had an
opportunity to greet each of his guests
and present them with a token of his
gratitude - a small stained glass shrine
of St. Anthony. It was truly a
memorable day in Deacon Anthony’s
life as well as in the life of the Parish
Family of Our Lady of Lebanon, in
Easton, Penn.
Uniontown, Penn.
St. George Church Kicks Off 80 th Anniversary
Celebrations
Brandy Risha, MYO member, plays the guitar while some of the parish children
watch.
St. George Church in Uniontown,
Penn., began a year of celebrations
to commemorate the parish’s 80 th
anniversary with a Divine Liturgy on
Saturday, April 21, 2007, the weekend
of the feast day of St. George, patron
saint of the parish.
Following the Liturgy, the
celebration continued in the church
social hall with a complimentary wine
and cheese social. A special display
featured archives of the church’s
history as well as a special tribute to all
former pastors.
All children in attendance were
introduced and recognized as the future
of the parish. Each received a gift as
the parishioners followed the theme
“Remember Our Roots, Celebrate Now,
Forward to the Future.” Other
festivities will continue throughout the
year to commemorate the 80 th
anniversary.
The church’s history began when
Maronites came from Lebanon to the
Uniontown area in the early 1900's.
They attended various Catholic
churches in the area. Under the
guidance of Chorbishop Paul Abi-Risk,
a place of worship for the Maronite
community was founded in 1922 in a
small house, but the people longed for
a real church where they could
celebrate their Maronite traditions.
In 1927, under the direction of the
Rev. Elias Basil of Pittsburgh, the first
church was built. It was named for the
St. George Church they had left in their
native Lebanon. Fr. Basil remained at
the church until Msgr. Nemetallah El
Hayek was named the first pastor in
1928. The old church still stands today
on a hillside overlooking the present
church which was built in 1967.
The new church is situated on a
large lot with a wooded area where
several memorial benches have been
arranged around a Garden of Prayer
that was created for prayer and
meditation. It features a rosary walk
and various statues including the
Blessed Mother and the Sacred Heart.
A shrine in honor of St. Rafka, which
surrounds a brick patiocommemorating
many of the deceased ladies of the
parish, was built near the rectory.
Fr. Joseph David has been the
pastor of St. George since 1998.
Subdeacon Thomas R. George has
served the parish for the last fourteen
years. Other pastors from the past
include Msgr. Hayek, Fr. Elias G.
Nader, Fr. Joseph Shaheen, Fr. Peter J.
Mehfoud, Fr. (Now Bishop) Gregory
Mansour and Fr. Christopher J.
Henderson.
The Maronite Voice Volume III Issue No. VII Page 8 July 2007