Born on January 2, 1953, in Mrah El Zayat, Batroun, Lebanon, in the patriarchal diocese.

-His parents (Tanios Boutros Khayrallah and Katbe Estefan Nader) were murdered in their house on September 13, 1958, on the eve of the Holy Cross Day.

-His grandfather, Father Boutros Khalil El Khoury, had a major influence on his Episcopal vocation. 

-He has three aunts of three consecutive generations, nuns at the Maronite Saint Joseph Nunnery of Jrabta, seat of Saint Rafka’s tomb.

-He started elementary studies at Father Elias Bassil School in Smar-Jbeil, but achieved them at Capuchin Fathers Orphanage in Abey (Aley), after the death of his parents, 1958-1964.

-He finished his intermediate and secondary studies at Saint Maron Ecclesia, Ghazir, 1964-1972, and founded with his chaplain Father Anis Abi Aad, the group Saint Maroun Scouts of Lebanon.

-On September 1972, His Beatitude Patriarch Paul Meoushi sent him to Propanda Fide College in Rome, to study philosophy and theology at Pontificale Urbaniana University, 1972-1077.

-He returned to Lebanon in July 1977, and was inaugurated as priest by His Beatitude Mgr. Nasrallah Sfeir on September 13.

-On August 25, 1978, Patriarch Antoine Khoreish sent him to Paris to specialize in the Catholic Institute and Sorbonne University, 1978-1984.

He obtained a higher diploma in pastoral catechism (June 1980) and a doctorate in theology from the Catholic Institute of Paris, as well as a doctorate in Religions Sciences from Sorbonne-Paris IV (October 1984).

Languages:

-Skilled at the following modern languages: Arabic, French, English, Italian, and German, and old languages: Syriac, Latin, Hebrew, and Greek.

Services and Responsibilities:

-In Teaching:

1985-1989: Instructor at the Maronite Patriarchal Ecclesia, Ghazir.

1985-2002: Instructor at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology, USEK.

1996-2007: Instructor of theology at Saint Antonios Ecclesia, Karmsaddeh.

Servant at Batroun Parish since 1991.

Services and Celebrations:

In Paris: He served as vicar at the Lebanese Maronite Notre Dame Parish (1978-1979) and as vicar at the French Medard Parish (1979-1984).

In Batroun Parish: Since July 13, 1986, he assisted Bishop Boulos Emile Saade, after his election as Batroun Patriarchal Vicar, in founding the parish apostolic team (1986), the vocation committee (1988), the university league of Batroun Parish (1989), the Episcopal council (1991), the pastoral parish council (1994), the youth committee (1995), the twinning committee with Saint Etienne in France (1998) and with Foligno Parish in Italy (2000), the economic affairs council (2000), and the family committee (2000).

Bishop Saade tasked him with the negotiations with John Stevens, expatriate in the US, and with Foligno Bishop (1996-1999). He also charged him with negotiations over the twinning with Saint Etienne Parish Bishop (1997-1998) as well as with Sister Bridgitte May.

He served as priest in Kfarhay, Boxmaya, and Jebla parishes (1989-1991).

Since October 1991, he served at Batroun Parish where he founded the first pastoral council (1994), then the committees of education, family, youth, love, and first communion. In 1994, he started issuing “Sunday Message,” the parish’s weekly bulletin which became later a website at the disposal of Batroun sons worldwide.

Since October 13, 1999, he assumed the post of Batroun Parish’s General Vicar.

In the Maronite Church:

Maronite Patriarchal Congregation:

1985-1987: Secretary General of the preparation committee for the Second Lebanese Congregation later called the Maronite Patriarchal Congregation.

1987-2003: Secretary General in the Maronite Congregation Committee and Assistant of Father Youwakim Mubarak (1987-1995) and for Bishop Youssef Bechara (1996-2003).

2006-2011: Secretary General of the congregation’s follow-up committee and Assistant Secretary General for Bishop Youssef Bechara.

-Lebanese and world Association of Priests:

1986: He joined the Association.

July 1990: He was elected the Association’s Secretary General.

July 1993: He was elected Head of the Association for five years.

March 22, 2001: He was elected at World President of the Priests Association for three years.

General responsibilities:

1986-1995: Secretary General of the Maronite Ecclesiastic Veteran’s Union.

January 1989-January 1993: Assistant Secretary General of Father Youwakim Mubarak at the Catholic Patriarchs and Archbishops in Lebanon.

1999-2004: Bishop Hector Doueihi charged him with Saint Maron Parish’s Episcopal vocation.

July 22, 2000: Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir appointed him as Secretary General and clerk at the investigation committee into the case of Patriarch Estefan Doueihi’s beatification.

November 14, 2009: Patriarch Sfeir appointed him as Secretary General of the patriarchal committee for 1600 years’ Jubilee of Saint Maron death.

He partook in several conferences in Lebanon, France, Italy, and the US, on priestly education the Maronite Congregation’s work. He also participated in the conferences of the Middle East Council of Churches between 1986 and 1993.

He wrote many books, articles, and lectures in Arabic, French, Italian, and English on priestly education, the history of the Maronite Church and congregations, the Maronite spirituality, and youth.

R.A.H.

Alfred died at the age of 82 on January 1, 2006, after a long battle with cancer. His brothers, Michel and Youssef, had died in 1981 and 2001, respectively. No clear successor to their talent has emerged in Lebanon, and Alfred’s vision of Rachana’s status as an international center of culture for years to come will most likely be realized.

It was in 1994 that Rachana, and not just the artists who hailed from this small village in northern Lebanon, first captivated an international audience. That year, Alfred and Youssef, carrying on their brother Michel’s vision and spirit, hosted the first Rachana International Sculpture Forum, inviting artists from around the globe to display their works in an open-air exhibition. This forum became an annual tradition that continued through last year with the same passion with which it began. In 1997, UNESCO declared Rachana a global village of sculpture housed in the open air, and just last year, this annual forum attracted dozens of world artists, allowing Alfred to glimpse the future success he had predicted for his village.

Alfred Basbous, the middle brother, was born in 1924 and grew up using his hands and working with stone. He first became interested in sculpture through his older brother Michel, whose abstract style was a source of inspiration for Alfred. Alfred Basbous’ abstract style “is not a stylistic journey and a meaningless thing in a vacuum, but rather is creation in a vacuum,” writes art critic Lor Ghareeb in An Nahar newspaper on January 2, 2006. In Al Mustaqbal (January 3, 2006), Yaqzan al-Taqi also recognizes the strong influence of the Basbous family on Alfred and claims that Alfred’s “exceptional” family had instilled in him a love of and curiosity about the challenging Lebanese stone from an early age. Indeed, al-Taqi finds “the spirit of the village, the people and the world” in all of the Basbous brothers’ works. According to al-Taqi, Alfred in particular was “a man of madness in his love for sculpture and stone.”

Alfred began creating his own sculptures in 1958 and took part in his first private exhibition in 1959 at Alecco Saab’s Gallery in Beirut. He earned international recognition just a few years later, in 1961, when his works were featured in the International Exhibition of Sculpture at the Rodin Museum, Paris. This exhibition took place one year after Alfred received a scholarship from the French government to attend L’Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts.

According to art critic Muha Sultan, writing in Al Hayat, January 2006, Alfred was also influenced by modernist European sculptors, including Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, and Hans (or Jean) Arp, as well as by his fellow countryman, the acclaimed sculptor Youssef Hoyeck. Hailing Alfred as “the sheikh of Lebanese sculpture,” Sultan describes Alfred’s artistic journey and how, early on, woman emerged as a central theme and figure in his works.

Mahmoud Charaf also comments on Alfred’s obsession with woman in An Nahar newspaper in January 2006. Charaf recalls Alfred’s comments on his first experience of carving the figure of a woman into stone: “One day, I saw a picture of a naked woman in a magazine. I molded her figure into stone with liberty. I placed a snake beside her and an apple in her hands.” This, the first of many sculptures in which Alfred intimately portrays the body and spirit of woman, supports many art critics’ claims that Alfred’s father, who served as the village priest, greatly influenced his son’s view of woman. Continuing his discussion of Alfred and woman, Charaf clearly states that Alfred was not haunted by just one woman. Rather, Charaf argues, Alfred saw woman as a “symbol of creation; it is her body that carries within it the seed of new life,” another Biblical allusion to Eve.

Shifting to a discussion on style rather than content, Charaf notes that in his portrayal of woman, Alfred skillfully gives the illusion of softness and malleability despite the hard stone. It is as if the chisel did not have to break away unyielding pieces of stone to make such forms appear, Charaf asserts. He continues, saying that this illusion “is a symbolic gesture to the feminine nature, which is distinguished above all else by its softness and tenderness – this softness and tenderness that draws us in and that never left Alfred ambivalent in the face of beauty.”

Alfred created his own “austere, aesthetic world” of art “with the simplicity of peasants and the skill of builders,” comments Maroun Hakim on Alfred’s abstract and feminine style in An Nahar, January 2006. In an article in Al Mustaqbal, January 2006, editor and poet Paul Shaoul focuses neither on the specific forms in Alfred’s works nor on his use of woman, but rather on the transience in his work. “Alfred is a sculptor of passage; he goes from obsession to obsession, from illusion to illusion, from adventure to adventure, from beautiful madness to beautiful madness, from birth to birth,” Shaoul asserts. Though many, like Sultan, see clear influences on Alfred and his works, Shaoul believes that Alfred was a free spirit who did not follow any pre-existing theories or ideologies.

Alfred’s modernist style and his pure passion of molding stone into art earned him much recognition in Lebanon and abroad. In addition to the fame he earned for himself through the annual Rachana International Sculpture Forum, Alfred also received an award from L’Orient newspaper in Lebanon in 1963, the Alexandria Biennial in 1974, and upon his death, Nassif Qalosh, the governor of northern Lebanon, awarded Alfred Lebanon’s Order of Merit.

Alfred Basbous’ works continue to be displayed in exhibitions around the world and, of course, stand as a lasting tribute in Rachana.

Source: Al Jadid, Vol. 11, no. 52 (Summer 2005)

He plays the Guitar, Naiy and Piano music instruments
.

People who know Jospeh describe him as a fun and loving person, with a very nice personality. Jospeh loves to stay away when he gets angry, He loves to eat and is very dynamic.

Joseph Attiyeh loves acting and wishes to become a director because it is his hobby.

Joseph Attiyeh loves to listen to the voice of Wael Kfoury, Fadel Shaker, Saber El Roubai, Fayrouz, Nancy Ajram and Warda.

Joseph has a nice voice; he is very good in acting and theater. If he wins a Million Dollar Joseph Attieyeh wishes to help the people in need and use the rest of the money for himself and his family. He admits that he loves to own a professional movie film camera.

One the day Joseph Atiyeh won Star Academy 3, he did not get a Million dollars but on the contrary he received a trophy, $50,000 in cash, brand 2006 new car and the love and attention of his fans from all across the world.

Joseph Attieh was the First Lebanese Winner of Star Academy Reality TV-Show in the Middle East.

Jospeh Atiyeh, won during the talent show of Star Academy after fans voted for Joseph Attieh giving him an overwhelming majority of 55% over the other contestants.

Joseph Attiah, the Lebanese candidate, has won the competition of Star Academy 3 during the year 2006.

Source: www.fanoos.com

Early life and career

Antoine Moussa Zahra was born in 1956 to a Lebanese Maronite family in Kfifane, Batroun. He attended Batroun High School and the National Institute in Chekka. He was the head of Youth Union in Kfifane in the early 70′s. In 1992, he moved to the United Arab Emirates to preside over “Zahra Company for Marketing and Advertising”. He currently serves as Executive Director of Solo Gulf in Dubai and Solo Congo in Kinshasa. He was the president of the Lebanese Youth Sports Federation in the UAE in 2001.

Political background

Zahra started his political career in the Kataeb Party as a student member. He was appointed by the LF party in Paris as the coordinator of the Lebanese Diaspora affairs in Western Europe from 1986 to 1988. He was the head of Kataeb office in his hometown Kfifane from 1988 to 1991. In 1991, he served as a member on the board of the LF party in Batroun. He was elected on June 19, 2005 as an MP for Batroun, he won the election thanks to the votes of the muslims of tripoli and not the electors from Batroun. Zahra is a member of the Lebanese Parliament Committees on Foreign Relations and Displaced Populations. He is also a member of the Lebanese Maronite League and the MPs committee of the March 14 Alliance.

Antoine Zahra remains the only Lebanese MP to have ever made a public evaluation of his first year in the parliament. He held a press conference on June 25, 2006 in which he listed the achievements of his election promise.

Antoine Zahra (born 1956) is a Lebanese Maronite politician and a member of the Lebanese Forces party. He has been an MP in the Lebanese Parliament as a representative of Batroun district since the 2005 legislative elections. He got re-elected in the 2009 legislative elections. He is married to Dima Younan and they have one daughter, Tatiana.

Early life and career

Antoine Moussa Zahra was born in 1956 to a Lebanese Maronite family in Kfifane, Batroun. He attended Batroun High School and the National Institute in Chekka. He was the head of Youth Union in Kfifane in the early 70′s. In 1992, he moved to the United Arab Emirates to preside over “Zahra Company for Marketing and Advertising”. He currently serves as Executive Director of Solo Gulf in Dubai and Solo Congo in Kinshasa. He was the president of the Lebanese Youth Sports Federation in the UAE in 2001.

Political background

Zahra started his political career in the Kataeb Party as a student member. He was appointed by the LF party in Paris as the coordinator of the Lebanese Diaspora affairs in Western Europe from 1986 to 1988. He was the head of Kataeb office in his hometown Kfifane from 1988 to 1991. In 1991, he served as a member on the board of the LF party in Batroun. He was elected on June 19, 2005 as an MP for Batroun, he won the election thanks to the votes of the muslims of tripoli and not the electors from Batroun. Zahra is a member of the Lebanese Parliament Committees on Foreign Relations and Displaced Populations. He is also a member of the Lebanese Maronite League and the MPs committee of the March 14 Alliance.

Antoine Zahra remains the only Lebanese MP to have ever made a public evaluation of his first year in the parliament. He held a press conference on June 25, 2006 in which he listed the achievements of his election promise.

Source: www.wikipedia.org

Source: http://www.wikipedia.org/

Youssef Kassab was born in Hardeen of Batroun , in 1808 . His father was Gerges Kassab , and his mother Maryam Raad.

He entered the Lebanese Maronite order`s school at Saint Anthony`s Monastery in Houb in 1816 stayed there until 1822.

He joined the noviciate group at Saint Anthony`s Monastery of Kozhaya in November 1828 , adopting the name Brother Nimatullah . There , he learned the craft of bookbinding.

Having completed his theological studies , he was ordained a priest at the Kfeefan monastery , on December 25, 1833 , by the laying-on of hands of Bishop Semaan Zouein.

He assumed the responsibility of assistant general three times:1845-1848, 1850-1853, 1856-1858.

He kept practicing the skill of bookbinding even when ha was assistant general .He taught at various schools of the Lebanese Maronite order.

Among his students was Brother Sharbel Makhlouf (Saint Sharbel), who studied under him from 1853 to 1858.

He died at St. Cyprian and Justine`s Monastery on December 14, 1858, after an incurable illness.

Pope John Paul II beatified him at Saint Peter`s Basilica in Rome on Sunday May 10,1998.

The Maronite Church celebrates his feast-day on the 14th of December.

Source: http://www.maronite-league.org.lb

Emile Bitar, former Lebanese minister of Health, professor of medicine, was born on October 21, 1931. He is originated from Kfifane, Batroun, Lebanon.

His father is Wakim Assaf al Bitar (1891-1963), chairman of the Bar Association and Member of the Lebanese Parliament. His mother is Marie Youssef Arsanios.

Emile Bitar was schooled at the Freres maristes in Tripoli and at the Jesuit college in Beirut from which he graduated in 1948.
He studied medicine in Montpellier, France. He specialized in rheumatology.

He returned to Lebanon in 1959 and started practicing medicine at his private clinic in Kantari.

He was a founding member and president of the Lebanese Rheumatology Society.

He was head of the rheumatolgy service at the Hotel Dieu de France Hospital and at the Dr Rizk Clinic.

He taught at the French Faculty of Medicine in Beirut.

On October 13, 1970, at the age of 38, Emile Bitar was appointed Health Minister.

He co-founded Lebanon’s Democratic Party in 1969 and presided the Party after his ministerial term.

When the Lebanese War broke out in 1975, he retired from active politics, refusing to serve foreign interets. He ceaselessly condemned violence and advocated dialogue and national unity.

In 1980, he was appointed Vice-Rector of the Saint Joseph University.

He passed away at the age of 56 on February 8, 1988, after a three-year battle with illness.

On October, 24, 1964, Emile Bitar married Andree Georges Mikhail Eid al Boustany (born in Deir el Kamar in 1943). They had two children, Wakim, and Karim.

Wakim Emile Bitar was born on January 25, 1966

Karim Emile Bitar was born on September 25, 1972

Dr Emile Bitar was decorated with the Lebanese National Order of Merit, at the dignity of Grand Cordon, the very highest Lebanese distinction.

Source: http://www.emilebitar.org/

During his years as Patriarchal Secretary and Vicar, Patriarch Hoyek had already established a record of great achievement both in the civil and religious spheres. In many ways he could be considered the Father of modern Lebanon. One of the first-class acts of Hoyek as Patriarch was to build an imposing summer residence at Diman. The land he chose for this building was a hill from which one could view the “Valley of the Saints.”

To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Patriarch Hoyek established a new center of pilgrimage at Harissa in 1905. He also fostered devotion to the Sacred Heart, and raised funds to establish a national monument on one of the summits of Lebanon.

Patriarch Hoyek also founded the Maronite Congregation of the Holy Family in 1895, the first congregation of women of the Eastern churches in Lebanon and Syria. Their mission was to educate young girls especially of the poorer classes according to the customs and principles of the Christian faith. These sisters established boarding and day schools, especially in the villages , where along with Christian education, they provided practical instruction. This congregation experienced a great growth in numbers and institutions. Patriarch Hoyek also established a Patriarchal Vicariate for Egypt in 1904, which later became an Eparchy in 1946. He obtained from the Holy See the division of the Eparchy of Tyr and Saida. When he led the delegation to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, Patriarch Hoyek was already 76 years old. He lived to see the early development of the new Lebanon, which he had had such a significant role in forming. He died on December 31, 1931.

In November 1866 he entered the College of Propaganda in Rome, where he studied theology. He was ordained priest in Rome in 1870 and returned to Lebanon. His father had died when he was in Rome. He spent sometime at home to take care of his mother and his young brothers. He spent two years teaching theology at the Seminary of St. John Maron. In 1872 he was appointed patriarchal secretary and moved to the patriarchal residence. Of great integrity and fearless character, he was revered and respected by all. He was consecrated Archbishop of Arqa and Patriarchal Vicar on December 14th, 1899.

He left Lebanon on May 8, 1890 for Rome for the purpose of reviving the Maronite college there, destroyed by Napoleon in 1799. This task made great demands on all his qualities of initiative, courage, perseverance and diplomacy. He met Pope Leo XIII in the Vatican on June 15th, July23rd, August 2nd, and August 10th of the year 1890. During these visits the Pope and Archbishop Hoyek elaborated plans to reactivate the Maronite College in Rome. On August 12th 1890, archbishop Hoyek left Rome for France, bearing a letter of recommendation from Pope Leo XIII, in order to collect contributions for the college. He spent nine months in France (August 24th, 1890- May 24th, 1891), where he visited the minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of the Republic, the speaker of the Parliament, the speaker of the Senate, the Minister of Defense and many Cardinals and archbishops. He traveled all over France, spending his energy day and night for the realization of his project. He acquired in Paris a church and a community center for the Maronite Community in the street ” rue d’Ulm”. Furthermore, he obtained from the French government subsidies for the education of eight Maronite students at the seminary of St. Surplice in Paris. He visited Poitiers, Lille, Grenoble, Limoges, Rouen, and other cities, preaching in churches, mobilizing friends, and persuading various societies and institutions to help his undertaking. Finally he returned to Rome with the necessary money. From Rome he went back to Lebanon via Austria, where he met Emperor Francois-Joseph, and Istanbul, where he met the Sultan, the Prime Minister and many prominent figures. With the Sultan and the Turkish government he succeeded in settling many problems concerning Lebanon and the Maronite community. He showed an apostolic fervour and a readiness to face the highest authorities in Europe and Turkey.

He combined diplomacy with zeal, integrity and practical sense. He landed at Beirut on May 13, 1892. He left Lebanon again on April 28, 1893, for Rome via Jerusalem and Alexandria. He met the Pope on June 8, and July 9, 1893. He spent two months searching for a suitable site for the future new Maronite college. Finally he bought the building at 18, Via Porta Pinciana, on August 17, 1893.

The new college was opened on January 1st, 1894, to receive twelve students from the Maronite dioceses of Besharry, Aleppo, Tripoli, Gebayl-Batrun, Ehden, Ba’albeck, Damascus, Cyprus, Beirut, Tyre and Sidon. Thus were rewarded years of gigantic efforts and sacrifices. The founding of the congregation of the Holy Family: Great as was the triumph of Monsignor Hoyek in completing the new Maronite college in Rome, his activity did not stop in reaching this goal. He was always launching new undertakings. He was not one to be satisfied with the exterior pomp of his office and with preaching & presiding ceremonies. Inspired by the examples of the apostles Peter and Paul he led a life of self denial for the building of the kingdom of Christ. Once the Maronite churches and community centers in Paris and Jerusalem, and the Maronite college in Rome, successfully completed, he engaged in a yet another major project, that of the creation of a new religious order for nuns, the Congregation of the Holy Family with the help of mother Rosali Nasr who first joined the French Congregation of the sisters of Nazareth, and then founded the Congregation of the Holy Rosary. She met Monsignor Hoyek in Lebanon in the summer of 1895 and they decided together to found a congregation of nuns for the Christian education of village girls in Mount Lebanon. The nucleus of the new congregation consisted of Mother Nasr and two other nuns, Estephany Kardush and Orsella Lahud. The new congregation was launched at Jebayl-Byblos in that same summer of 1895. In 1896 the motherhouse moved to ’Ebrine near Batrun. During his episcopate Mgr. Hoyek was animated by two main desires the solid Christian education of the young Maronites for the strengthening of the family, and the education of priests. The first ambition was embodied in the creation of the congregation of the Holy Family and the second in the revival of the Maronite college in Rome and in the support given to many clerical institutions.

Hoyek undertook a third journey to Rome to inspect the running of the Maronite College. He remained in Rome from April 1897 to January 1899. Within ten years then, Hoyek undertook three journeys from Lebanon to Rome and back in order to found and administer the Maronite College, at a time when travelling between Lebanon and Rome was an exhausting ordeal. To get the necessary support, he visited Italy, France, Belgium, Austria, Istanbul, Palestine, Egypt and other countries of the Orient and Occident. Such was his devotion and self-denial as apostle of Christ, and his Holy Church. The Episcopal and patriarchal honor spurred him to act with greater zeal rather than to rest on his laurels.

Hoyek Patriarch Patriarch Yuhanna el-Haj died on December 24th, 1898; Mgr. Hoyek left Rome for Lebanon on December 27th, and reached Bkerke in January 5th, 1899. On January 6th, he was elected Patriarch. Thus started a new era for Lebanon and the Church. In his private life as Patriarch Mgr. Hoyek practiced both the ascetically and contemplative aspects of the spiritual life. Patriarch Hoyek’s apartment in Bkerke was simple and austere, consisting of three rooms, one serving as a bedroom and office, the second as a reception room, and the third as a chapel. In this chapel he used to say Mass early in the morning and to spend many hours every day in prayer and meditation. He fasts every Saturday his whole life through, even in time of illness. His favorite books for meditation were the New Testament, the confessions of St. Augustine, the eternal Maxims and the Imitation of Christ. He strictly followed his routine of spiritual exercises, whenever and wherever he was, and he was an example to all in the way he carried out his duties as pastor, priest patriarch and national leader.

PASTORAL AND SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY OF PATRIARCH HOYEK Patriarch Hoyek was born and raised in Helta- Kefar-Hay Batrun in the vicinity of the headquarters of the first Maronite Patriarch, Saint John Maron whom Patriarch Hoyek resembled with his strong and energetic character, his ardent apostolic zeal, his intellectual power, his solid evangelical virtues and his wise leadership. His strength and sympathy were reflected in his keen gaze and leonine face. The Maronite Patriarch is the successor of the chief of the Apostle, Saint Peter, as head of the church of Antioch, including historically and canonically the entire Roman province of the Orient. To his own name, the Maronite Patriarch adds that of St. Peter, to signify that he is the successor of St. Peter, the first Apostle, founder and first Bishop of Antioch.

Thus the complete name of Patriarch Hoyek is “Elias (personal name) Boutros (St. Peter) Hoyek, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East”. In fact, his zeal for the Kingdom of Christ made Patriarch Hoyek a worthy success of St. Peter. He was an active pastor, visiting his patriarchal diocese regularly, promoting its spiritual life and progress and providing for its needs, examining the situation of the priests, churches, monasteries and convents, giving encouragement and helping the sick, the orphans and the poor. He organized regular yearly spiritual exercises for every parish of the Patriarchal diocese. He encouraged such western institutes as the Jesuit order, the Brothers of the Christian schools, the Marist Brothers, the Lazarists and others to open new schools in his diocese. Among the churches that he helped build by generous financial contributions, let us mention those of the Cedars, Belaouza, Douma, Shatine, Tannurine, Mejdel ’Aqura, Ram, Batrun, Bejjeh, Kefar-Seghab, ’Aqura, Qartaba, Ehmej, Abdelly, Qenat, Bar-Halyun, Mughr-el-Ahwal, Torza, Caïfa, Hasbaya, Khartum in the Sudan and Larnaka, Famagosta and Nicosia in Cyprus.

One of his greatest achievements was the erection in cooperation with the apostolic Delegate, of the church, statue and center of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, in 1906-1908, in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the declaration by the Holy see of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception Mary Mother of Christ. The statue of the Blessed Virgin erected on the hill of Harissa, is one of the most striking statues in the world, erected on the top of one of the most beautiful hills. Patriarch Hoyek showed special solicitude for the seminaries for clerical education, such as Deir-al-Koraym, ’Ain- Warqa, Mar’Abda Her-Haraya, Rayfun, Qolai’at, St. John Maron, and the Roman College. The monastic foundations too received an important share of his attention. The Maronite College in Rome remained the object of his unflagging concern and he succeeded in doubling the number of its students. The building of the college, consisting of three floors and thirty rooms was completed in 1903 and it was inaugurated on February 7th, 1904.

HOYEK and the Diaspora Plans were made for the creation in Egypt of a Patriarchal Vicariate to care for the spiritual, social and material welfare of the Maronites in Egypt and for the expansion of Maronite missionary activities. Archbishop Hoyek drew up these plans when he visited Egypt in 1894-1895. But the plans were realized when he was Patriarch in 1904.

In 1902, Patriarch Hoyek delegated the Rev. Shikralla Khoury and Rev. Butros Shebly to visit the Maronites of Cyprus. They visited the Maronites of Limassol, Larnaca, Nicosia, Kurmagit, Karpacia, Gamblin, Merkin, Asomathos, Aya Marina, Mar-Romanos (Qono), Mar Antonios (Kefryat), Varucia, Mersine, Adana and Tarsus. During their visit, the Patriarchal delegates spent a considerable amount of money in helping needy Maronites and their institutions in the island. They presented the Patriarch with an exhaustive written report about the situation of the Maronites in Cyprus from the spiritual, social and material standpoints. In 1920, Patriarch Hoyek sent a delegation to visit the Maronites in the United States of America, in Argentina and in other parts of the New World. Following this visit, Patriarch Hoyek took the necessary steps to create independent dioceses for the Maronites of North and South America.

Patriarch Hoyek in Rome. The Patriarch left Bkerke for Rome on May 20th, l905, going via Jaffa in Palestine, where he blessed the foundation stone of the building of Saint Anthony’s Maronite church. In Alexandria of Egypt he exchanged visits with the Orthodox Coptic Patriarch. He reached Rome on June 9th, and resided at his beloved Maronite College. His audiences with Pope Pius X took place on June 15th and July 11th. He spent the summer with the students of the Maronite College. While in Rome Patriarch Hoyek reviewed and settled the financial situation of the Maronite College and dealt with administrative matters. In both finance and administration, he obtained relative independence for the college, strengthening its links with the Maronite hierarchy and its Maronite liturgy and traditions. A Maronite priest was appointed as rector instead of a Latin one. Another Maronite priest, Fr. Elias Shedid, was appointed as financial administrator.

Patriarch Hoyek in Paris. He left Rome on September 18th, 1905, for Paris, which he reached two days later. In Paris he exchanged visits with the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Richard, the President of the Republic, Mr. Lobe, and the prime minister Mr. Rouvier. They dealt with matters concerning Lebanon, the Maronites and the Orient.

Patriarch Hoyek in Istanbul Patriarch Hoyek left Paris for Istanbul and passed through Munich, Vienna and Budapest. He reached the Ottoman Capital on October 17th, and remained there from October 17th to November 2nd, 1905. In dealing with the Sultan and Turkish authorities he was assisted by two prominent Maronites, Selim Pasha Malhame and his brother Nagib. Selim was the minister of agriculture in the Turkish government, and was highly esteemed and favored by the Sultan and the government. The Patriarch had an audience with Sultan on October 20th, and 31st. He succeeded in obtaining from the Sultan and the Turkish authorities many improvements in the handling of Lebanese affairs and in the administration of the country. It was imperative in these days for the Patriarch and the Maronites to maintain a certain wise balance in their relations between France on one hand and those with Turkey on the other. Turkey was the ruling power in Lebanon, while France provided protection and help. Thus it was necessary while maintaining friendly relations with France not to excite Turkish suspicion, jealousy or anger. Patriarch Hoyek with his wisdom was providential for Lebanon in such circumstances.

WORLD WAR I The first world war was an opportunity for the Turks to venge themselves without restraint on the Christians: A million and half of Armenians were killed by the Turks in the first years of the war, for no other reason than their Christian religion and superior education and ability in the sciences, arts, industry, commerce and other fields of the civilization; but Lebanon had its share of Turkish cruelty during the war. Turkey entered the war on October 28th, 1914 on the side of Germany; on the same date, the Constitutions of 1860-1864

guaranteeing Lebanon’s autonomy were abolished by the Turkish government, and on November 28th, 1914, the Turkish army entered Mount Lebanon, mistreated the Lebanese people and expelled them from their homes, exposing them to exceptionally severe winter weather. Houses were occupied by Turkish soldiers. Because of the Turkish blockade, a third of the Lebanese population died of famine and starvation. Very many people, were sent into exile or killed because they were suspected by the Turks, often with no justification, of relations with France and the allied nations. Jamal Pasha was appointed military governor of Lebanon. He attempted to exile Patriarch Hoyek, but failed in his attempt: On July 13th, 1915, Jamal Pasha requested the Patriarch to meet with him in Sawfar. The Patriarch was then at the residence of Dimane, one hundred and fifty kilometers away; at that time the Patriarch was seventy years old and there were no automobiles in Lebanon; thus the journey was long and exhausting; but the Patriarch complied with the desire of the military governor, in order to avoid any vindictive measures on the part of Jamal Pasha against the Lebanese people. The meeting between the Patriarch and the Pasha took place at Sawfar on July 21st, 1915. The Turkish governor criticized the Patriarch’s friendship with France. The Patriarch replied that France was the Maronites benefactor and that it was natural and fitting that they should be grateful to her and maintains consistent good and friendly relations with her. Furthermore France had been the friend of Turkey since Francois I (1494-1547). Jamal Pasha repaid the visit on July 31st, 1915. In the second half of 1915, the stocks of food and vital necessities were exhausted in Mount Lebanon and exceptionally large swarms of locusts consumed the crops. This in addition to the blockade deprived the population of every means of subsistence.

The Patriarch spent all the money that belonged to him personally and to the Patriarchal treasury helping and feeding the poor. The patriarchal residence was thronged day and night with huge crowds coming to eat and take food from the Patriarchal provisions for themselves and their families. The situation remained unaltered until the beginning of 1919. The Patriarch got some financial help from the Lebanese emigrants and the French government sent through the commander of the French army on the island of Arwad, General Trabot. A courageous priest, Father Boulos ’Aql (later made Bishop) took it upon himself to serve as a courier between the French army in Arwad and the Patriarch. His was a most perilous task in those days, because he was suspected of spying by the Turkish authorities; and the journey between the island and the coast was within the reach of Turkish guns. Jamal Pasha and Patriarch Hoyek. Jamal Pasha directed a second invitation to Patriarch Hoyek to meet him in Beirut in May 1916 and the patriarch complied with the governor’s request. The Turkish governor to the Patriarch addressed A third invitation, this time for a meeting at Behamdoun in July 1917. Further, Jamal Pasha asked the Patriarch to stay for some time in Behamdoun. The Patriarch accepted. A few days later, the Pasha requested the Patriarch to leave Behamdoun for Sawfar. The patriarch accepted once again, and stayed at Sawfar from July 25th to August 14th, 1917. The Pasha again addressed a letter to the Patriarch, requesting him to leave Sawfar and to join him at Zahle in the Beka’. It is clear that the intention of Jamal Pasha was to induce the Patriarch to move gradually from one place to another in the direction of Damascus or some other city out of Lebanon and to keep him in exile there. The Patriarch, when he received Jamal’s invitation to join him in Zahle, presented excuses on account of his health, and proposed placing himself at the disposal of the governor at the Residence of the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus in Qornet Shewan. The governor accepted and released the Patriarch after the intervention of the Vatican and the Emperor of Austria. Jamal Pasha was dismissed from his office of governor of Lebanon, Syria and the Arabian countries at the beginning of 1918.

The famine continued during 1917 and 1918, causing the death of many thousands of Lebanese. The patriarch sent priests to distribute food and money throughout the patriarchal vicariates and other regions of Lebanon, to alleviate the misery of his people.

THE TRIUMPH In the afternoon of September 29th, 1918, a terrific earthquake that caused extensive damage and claimed many victims shook Lebanon. At the same time the British army entered Damascus and the Turkish and German forces fled from Lebanon and Syria. Thus ended four hundred and two years of Turkish cruel oppression in Lebanon, and the triumph of the allies marked the dawn of a new era for Lebanon and the whole of mankind. A temporary governing body was appointed for Lebanon by the allied British and French occupation Forces, the advice of the Patriarch being always respected.

The Patriarch at the Peace Congress in Versailles (1919): The Lebanese people delegated patriarch Hoyek to express Lebanese aspirations and defend Lebanon’s interests before the Peace Congress in Versailles, and before the French government. The main danger to Lebanon came from King Faisal son of the Hashmit Sherif of Mecca, who was attempting to create an Arab kingdom including in one state: Lebanon, Syria, Irak, Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula. The Lebanese people saw its independence threatened and opposed the project of Faisal in so far as Lebanon was concerned. Lebanon was now free from the Muslim Ottoman Empire and had no desire to become part of another Muslim Empire, an Arab one. Arab and Ottoman empires were in practice forms of one and the same thing, the Muslim Empire ruled by harsh, rigid and discriminatory Islamic laws. In the face of this threat the Administrative Council of Lebanon representing all Lebanese communities formulated Lebanese aspirations as follows: The extension of the frontiers of Lebanon to include the cities of Beirut, Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli and the districts of ’Akkar, Beqa’, and Southern Lebanon. These cities and districts were natural parts of Lebanon and had been unjustly separated from it by Turkey. The recognition of Lebanon’s full independence and of its natural rights to exercising self determination and choosing a suitable form of government. The institution of a Parliament to represent the different communities. The assistance of France in consolidating Lebanon’s independence. Patriarch Hoyek was delegated by the representatives of the Lebanese communities to obtain from France and the Peace Congress of Versailles the recognition of Lebanon’s independence from Faisal’s Arab Kingdom and from any other Arab state, and their assistance in achieving Lebanon’s independence according to the four principles stated.

Patriarch Hoyek left Lebanon for France and met President Clemenceau on October 5th, 1919; on October 27th he presented the assembly of Peace Congress with a memorandum in fifteen pages demonstrating the right of Lebanon to independence and its ability to exercise national sovereignty. The claims of the Patriarch were recognized and approved by Clemenceau in an official document issued and delivered to the Patriarch on November 10th,1919.

LEBANON INDEPENDENT Finally the efforts of Patriarch Hoyek were crowned with success when General Gouraud, in the name of France, proclaimed on September 1st, 1920, an independent Lebanon including the entire territory bounded by Ras-al-Naqurah in the South, by Nahr-el-Kabir in the North, by the summits of Anti-Lebanon in the East and by the Mediterranean in the West.

In brief, Patriarch Hoyek, a man of strong and courageous personality, deep spirituality and original mind, exerted a real personal influence on the events of his time. Unlike some prelates, he was not a passive observer of events but sought to influence their course. Patriarch Hoyek was well aware of the cynicism engendered among the faithful by religious leaders who repeat pious platitudes and expressions of personal grief before tragic events and remain helpless and inactive. He dealt vigorously with the problems of his people in times of disaster, instead of wringing his hands, referring to the example of Christ who cured the sick and did not merely express pity. When sections of the Maronite community were torn by dissension, he was always able to reconcile protagonists. When Lebanon was in danger of being absorbed by King Faisal and the united Arab kingdom, Patriarch Hoyek obtained unanimity first among the Maronites themselves and then between the Maronites and the other Lebanese communities. Strengthened by this united stand, he persuaded France and other nations at the Peace Congress of Versailles to favor the Lebanese cause. With the military defeat of Faisal by Gouraud at Maysalun near Damascus, the independence of Lebanon was materialized. With Fakhr-ad-Din II the Great, Bashir II the Great and Yousif Bek Karam, Patriarch Hoyek must be considered one of the four founders of independent Lebanon. He left this world on December 24th, 1931, not possessing any money, but owing the Rev. Boulos To’me the sum of three pounds. His house in his native town Helta Batrun, is compared by visitors to the Grotto of Bethlehem, on account of its poverty.

Source: http://www.maronitechurch.org.uk/

Between 1945 and 1949 he studied sculpture a L’Academie Libanaise de Beaux-Arts in Beirut.

Between 1949 and 1951 he went to Paris to study at L’Ecole Superieure nationale de Beaux-Arts on a scholarhip fromt he Lebanese goverment.

He went back to Paris to study under Zadkine between 1954 and 1955.

In 1957 he bcame a Professor of sculpture at the American University of Beirut.

He came back to his native village Rachana in 1958 where he exhibited his sculptures in the open air, and made Rachana into an artistic and cultural center. He married Therese Aouad, a poet and author in 1967. They had their only child Anachar (“Rachana” spelled backwards) in 1969. Michel Basbous died in July 19, of 1981.

Expositions

Moscow and Leningrad 1957.
Expositon Internationale de Sculpture de Musee Rodin, 1961, 1966.
Halles Batard, 1971.
Oxford, 1971.
Tokyo, 1973.
Collections
Musee de L’Art Moderne, Paris.
Oxford Museum.
Hakone Open Air Museum, Japan.
Musee Zadkine, Paris.
Rachana, Lebanon.
Numerous private collections.

Source: http://www.onefineart.com/