07/21/2026
Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
Circular No. 41/2026
Circular
To our brother bishops, the venerable archbishops, active and retired bishops, superiors general, heads of religious orders, priests, monks and nuns, and all the sons and daughters of our beloved Church in Lebanon and throughout the diaspora:
Now, one week after the celebration of the enthronement of Patriarch Elias Peter Hoayek as a new Blessed (Beatified) of the Church and of Lebanon—a great grace granted by the Lord to His people—we invite you all to unite in prayer and to light candles on the evening of Friday, 24 July, the eve of the celebration, as a sign of faith, hope, and ecclesial communion.
Let us raise our prayers to God, asking for the intercession of the new Blessed on behalf of Lebanon, its families, priests, youth, the sick, and for every intention carried in the hearts of the faithful.
We also invite you to participate in the enthronement celebration on Saturday, 25 July, at 5:00 p.m., in the square of the Patriarchal See in Dimane. This shrine, established by Blessed Patriarch Elias Peter Hoayek, will be the place where we celebrate this historic occasion together as a new sign of hope and holiness in our homeland.
We further ask that the bells of all churches in Lebanon be rung simultaneously with the beginning of the enthronement liturgy, so that their voices may proclaim the joy of the Church and her prayer, expressing our hope that Lebanon, through the intercession of Blessed Patriarch Elias Peter Hoayek, may remain a land of holiness, mission, and dignity.
We ask God to make this spiritual event a source of renewed grace for our Church and our country, and to bestow upon us all His blessings through the intercession of the new Blessed.
Given at our Patriarchal Residence in Dimane, on 18 July 2026.
+ Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi
Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
