The beatification of Patriarch Hoyek (1843-1931) will be celebrated by the Maronite Church in Lebanon on July 25, honoring the father of “Greater Lebanon” and founder of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family, with whom Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) maintains several ongoing projects. On Saturday, July 25, thousands of faithful will gather in Dimane, the summer residence of the Maronite Patriarch, to celebrate the beatification of Elias Hoyek, who founded the congregation in 1895 and served as Patriarch of the Maronite Church from 1898 to 1931. Hoyek continues to be one of the most important figures in the modern history of Lebanon.
Unifying vision and the beatification of Patriarch Hoyek
One of the great defenders of the State of Greater Lebanon at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, he is also remembered as a man of prayer, with a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and to the Virgin Mary. This inner life was the source of the strength of his pastoral, social, and political commitment. His love for Lebanon went further than any specific sect or religious community; in life he was not known simply as the Maronite Patriarch, but as the “Patriarch of Lebanon”, working for the good of the whole country—a significant stance in a nation with 18 official religions, including 12 Christian confessions, four Muslim, Druze, and Jewish.
The Patriarch’s vision for a unified Lebanon bears special resonance in the miracle recognized for his beatification, since the person who was cured belongs to the Druze community. Sister Noura Khoury-Hanna, secretary general of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family, notes that this symbolises the heart of his legacy:
“He defended the freedom and dignity of everybody, regardless of their religious beliefs. He is once again reminding us that God’s paternity makes us sisters and brothers, a true family”.
Evangelisation through education
Founded 130 years ago, the 170 religious sisters and five novices of the Maronite Sisters continue to carry on the work of their founder, serving families, youth, and parishes in a Lebanon going through a deep crisis. Currently, they manage 26 schools in peripheral and underprivileged regions, as well as two orphanages, a hospital, and a home for the elderly. They also maintain houses in Syria, Australia, the USA, and Canada.
Patriarch Hoyek believed that the future of Lebanon lay in education, which he saw not merely as the simple transmission of knowledge, writing to his religious sisters: “Education is a way to introduce people to Jesus and help them come to love Him”. This mission continues to be tested by crises that prevent many families from paying school fees:
“Because of the devastating crises and wars which affect Lebanon, every day we struggle on the ground to keep our schools open, to provide material and medical emergency aid to vulnerable families and to keep Christian hope alive in the land of our ancestors”.
“Our congregation finds in Christian aid organisations, such as ACN, a fraternal support that goes far beyond material aid, actively preserving the Christian presence and reviving the faith in Lebanon and across the region”.
A message of hope and Divine Providence
In a country marked by successive crises, this beatification serves as a reminder of how holiness can become a source of hope for an entire people. With her eyes set on the upcoming celebration, which will be attended by ACN staff in Lebanon, Sister Noura left a special message for the pontifical foundation’s benefactors. Echoing the words of Saint John Paul II, who described Lebanon as a message of coexistence and freedom, Sister Noura stated:
“The message of Lebanon is once more a message of hope: ‘God provides’. Despite all the difficulties and wars that Lebanon is going through, God continues to be present, God provides and our trust is placed in Divine Providence”.
“We thank you from the bottom of our heart for your support, past and present, which contributes to the resilience of our mission and to keeping us in the land of our ancestors, the land of the cedars and the land of Hoyek, Charbel, Rafqa, Hardini and a host of saints”.
