From a Tiny Acorn…A Mighty Oak
And what is it to work with love? It is to build a house, even as your beloved were to dwell in that house.
Khalil Gibran, THE PROPHET
July 7, 1983 was a memorable day for the Lebanese community of Fredericton. On that day, a special meeting was held at St. Dunstan’s Parish with the Most Reverend Bishop Elias Shaheen, from Saint Maron Diocese in Montreal, in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was to consider the possibility of establishing a Catholic Maronite Church in the capital of New Brunswick, which was also the first in the province. From that day on, the concept started to develop into a reality. An old building was acquired on the corner of Argyle and Westmorland Streets. However, the property required intensive renovation and construction…This was not an impossible task for the faithful community which was eager to have a church. Thus, the work of the community members transformed quickly the building into a center where faithful Lebanese Maronites and Non-Maronites do gather to pray and to revive their Lebanese customs. This is how we got to what presently is the Saint Charbel’s Church.
A place for the glory of God and the preservation of the Lebanese heritage
At the outset, the parish was small. But the war which was devastating the homeland has forced many Lebanese to flee the fighting. Many have come to Fredericton and this led to an increase of the numbers of parishioners. In fact, for some families, saint Charbel’s Parish was the sole refuge upon their arrival to the city, because they knew no one and they have come with nothing except their willingness to work hard and to survive away from the bombings and killings. Thus the church became the gathering place for the Lebanese community in Fredericton. United by their strong heritage, and their happiness to be in peaceful Fredericton, parishioners participated actively in the development of the bond which made them a strong entity within a developing parish.
The oak has started to grow, nurtured with love and commitment.
Officially, the church was founded on November 24, 1983. However, at the time, no pastor was assigned to it on a full-time basis. Monsignor Khairallah Aoukar, from Halifax, would come to the Parish around once a month to celebrate the Mass. The first pastor to arrive here on a full-time basis was Reverend Antoine Karam who carried out his duties between 1985 and 1986. Reverend David Milkie was the next pastor, serving the parish between 1986 and 1987. Father Milkie worked hard at renovating the building , assisted by all parishioners….and the church was ready for the official inauguration in August 3rd 1986. The special event was attended by the Most Reverend Elias Shaheen who conducted the blessing of the church.
Reverend Elie Zouein, the third pastor to serve this parish, arrived to the parish on May 17, 1987. A young and energetic priest from Beirut, Father Elie had just finished his studies in Rome and had never had a parish before. However, he quickly adapted to the requirements of a small parish and he eagerly continued the task of building the parish. It was under his direction that the blessing of the Icon of Saint Charbel’s altar and the benediction of the rectory took place on November 20, 1988 with Msgr Elias Hayek presiding over the ceremonies.
The financial situation of the parish had not been favorable as a result of a very heavy mortgage payment on the building. However, miracle started to happen on September 20, 1989 when a fund-raising campaign was launched. The miracle allowed the parish to reduce the debt by about $85,000 in less than a year… thus, the parish was able to get on with the day-to-day activities.
In addition to this construction project, Reverend Zouein established a school for teaching the parish children Lebanese language and for exposing them to traditions of their homeland. In the same vein, the first Lebanese cultural festival was successfully held on October 28-29, 1989. The big success of this event was the catalyst behind organizing the second annual festival which was held in November 10-11 1990. Both events have attracted Lebanese families, dignitaries and friends from around the province as well as outside. Archbishop Elias Shaheen from Montreal attended the second festival and the special guest was the Honorable Frank McKenna, premier of the province.
On January 13, 1991, the parish welcomed his Excellency Most Reverend J. Edward Troy on the occasion of his first Apostolic visit. On July 7, 1991, the parish welcomed his Excellency Most Reverend George Abi Saber, Maronite Bishop on the occasion of his first Apostolic visit.
Reverend Simon Assaf was the fourth pastor serving the parish for several months during 1993.
Reverend Elie Abi-Chedid was the fifth pastor serving the parish between 1993 and 2000.
Reverend Youssef Habib Elias was the sixth pastor serving the parish between 2000 and his official retirement in 2011. In the year 2000, the parish welcomed his Excellency Most Reverend Joseph Khoury, Maronite Bishop, on the occasion of his first Apostolic visit Reverend Marcel Akiki was the seventh pastor serving the parish for 4 months between September and December 2012.
In the absence of a full-time priest in the parish since 2011, Father Pierre Azzi , pastor of Our Lady of Lebanon in Halifax (NS), would periodically visit the parish of Saint Charbel to celebrate Mass and to ensure the continuity of the sacramental and spiritual life of the parishioners until 2015. The third Lebanese cultural festival was successfully held in June 2014. In addition, during this time, Latin Priests were visiting our parish celebrating Mass.
On October 4th, 2013, the parish welcomed his Excellency Most Reverend Paul Marwan Tabet, Maronite Bishop, on the occasion of of His first Apostolic visit.
On Februay 11, 2015, the parish celebrated the ordination of Pierre Kreidi to the Sub-Deacon ministry by Most Reverend Bishop Paul Marwan Tabet, at the same time, the parish welcomed his Excellency Most Reverend Robert Harris, Bishop of the Diocese of Saint John on the occasion of his first Apostolic visit.
Reverend Chadi Kattan was the eight pastor serving the parish between 2015 and 2018.The fourth and fifth Lebanese festival was held in July 2015 and 2016 in conjunction with the feast of Saint Charbel.
Reverend Msgr Elie Zouein is currently the ninth pastor serving the parish , he arrived in December 2nd, 2018. Msgr Zouein was the third pastor 30 years ago. His return not different from his first arrival, as always very energetic, passionate, dynamic with a vision for the future. He has elevated the parish from ground zero to higher grounds. He transformed the parish into a vibrant and productive workshop. The parish flourished spiritually and prospered financially. In very short time, Msgr Zouein conducted countless religious and social celebrations such as but is not limited to:
Dec 2018: St Barbara celebration; Blessing of Baby Jesus; Santa Clause party; New Year’s Eve party.
Jan 2019: Catholic Education and Junior Choir Classes started; St Anthony’s Movie night,; Card party by the youth.
Feb 2019: St Maron celebration, wine and cheese reception; Formation of a new church council; St Valentine’s party;
April 2019: Palm Sunday procession and Junior choir debut celebration; Holy week celebrations, Ester egg hunting; Easter celebration.
May 2019: Mother’s day party; Mother Mary procession, volunteer night at MCAF.
June 2019: Raising of Lebanese flag at Fredericton City Hall; Flash Mob performance at Boyce Farmers Market; Folk and belly dance in Downtown Garrison night market; Lebanese heritage living Library at downtown public library; The sixth Lebanese Festival in conjunction with the 11th annual cultural expressions festival / Lebanese; 33rd annual Saint Charbel’s Day.
The Parish of Saint Charbel is a dynamic and faithful community. The church is the only place that can gather, protect and teach the heritage and Lebanese culture. The parishioners are actively involved in all the celebrations of the church and activities such as the feast of Saint Charbel, the first communion, the scene of the Nativity, the religious education, the Christmas concert, the palm and Easter Sundays, etc…in addition to the spiritual wealth that has been animating the parish, the folk activities and the Lebanese cultural festival added a new twist to the parish.
From an acorn….a might oak…The church is in place where the emphasis is to guide tomorrow’s generation, the children and the youth and to reinforce their faith in God and in their heritage.