Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, presided today over a Mass service marking the occasion of St. Joseph’s Day, held at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in the presence of a crowd of believers.
In his religious homily, the Patriarch said: “We open with this divine liturgy with a pastoral visit that will last until next Wednesday, according to a program established by the Sovereignty of the Diocese Pastor, and I was pleased this afternoon with the visit of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II at the Papal Headquarters in Abbasiya, and it was a great start…”
He added: “On this feast, we sit in the school of Saint Joseph, whom the Church calls: Joseph the educator; Joseph, who has a pivotal role in the history of salvation, and collector of the Old and New Testaments; Joseph, the patron of workers; Joseph, the protector of the destitute, the miserable, the suffering and the poor; Joseph, the guardian of the redeemer; Joseph, the patron saint of the universal Church….for he teaches us a great deal with his silent personality and his speaking actions.”
Al-Rahi continued to indicate that his pastoral visit includes an educational, ecclesiastical, cultural and official aspect.
“We Maronites, along with other Lebanese who settled in the Egyptian lands, are proud of the cultural, economic and developmental role that we have played in the development of a radiant Egypt…We are also proud of our role in the literary, linguistic and media renaissance in this ancient country. This role is built on a solid foundation upon which our relations with the noble Egyptian people have been based since ancient times, as they were prominent on the technical, engineering, commercial and economic levels…”
“Today, because of their location on the eastern basin of the Mediterranean, Egypt and Lebanon are called upon to continue their role of being a civilizational, cultural, economic and political bridge between East and West, in a time of tensions and wars. They have a special role in establishing stability, promoting peace, dialogue and coexistence, and defending human and peoples’ rights in the heart of the Arab family,” the Patriarch underscored.
“On the feast of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of this cathedral and of the Maronite schools of Zahir, we ask for his intercession in order to raise the new generations on this civilized role, in the school, social and national family, in glorification of the Heavenly Father, the Only-Begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, Amen,” al-Rahi concluded.
Source: National News Agency
