St Charbel Church Website

Prior to the establishment of St. Maron Diocese of Canada in September 1982, and the appointment of its first Bishop, His Excellency the late Elias Shaheen, the Maronite Catholic Community in Ottawa was in the process of finding its own church in Canada's capital. In the beginning of 1983, the Maronite Board began achieving its goal. Donations by faithful members of the Maronite community in Ottawa were collected. The dedicated efforts by members of the Maronite Board led to the purchase of a church located at 87 Mann Avenue. These humble beginnings led to what is presently known as St-Charbel 's Church.

While the parish was initially small in numbers, the war in Lebanon forced many Christians to flee the conflict. Ottawa welcomed many of them. As the influx of Maronite Catholic immigrants reached its peak, the number of families in the Ottawa parish of St-Charbel passed from a mere one hundred fifty to as much as seven hundred families. This important increase precipitated an urgent need for a spacious church. This idea was pursued vigorously by Mgr. Raymond Hanna, and materialized in 1994 with the approval of His Excellency Bishop, Georges Abe Saber. With his blessing, the Maronite parish in Ottawa purchased the church located at 245 Donald St., with its additional parking facilities that accommodate more than 150 automobiles.

Recently, under the capable direction of Mgr. Hanna, and with the approval and blessings of our present Bishop, His Excellency Joseph Khoury, parishioners of St-Charbel 's church purchased a school property as well as 6.2 acres of land adjacent to the church. That large piece of land was dedicated to our Saint, Al-Hardini. Accordingly, the school was called: Al-Hardini's Center.

This great achievement was in large part due to the generous help of the Latin Bishops and to the moral support of other Canadians, who have helped the Maronites in Ottawa to develop their own Eastern Catholic Church in the Ottawa area.

Pastors whose important contributions have not been forgotten and other names live on for all generations:

Reverends Francois Eid, Butros Tarabey and Simaan Abou Abdo from Montreal have dedicated their services every Sunday. They used to travel from Montreal to Ottawa to serve the parish of St-Charbel in this city. Later, Reverend Abou Abdo settled in Ottawa to better serve the church. Maronites in Ottawa express their gratitude to those pastors for their dedication and faithfulness.
Reverend Georges Jalkh served this parish from 1983 until 1986. During his term, The Youth Committee of the Maronite Association (YCMA) was born. Members of YCMA worked hand- in- hand with their new pastor and they saw in him a kind father. Our best wishes go to Father Jalkh for his complete dedication to his parishioners and to his mission.
From 1986 until present, Reverend Raymond Hanna was the following Pastor who served the parishioners at St-Charbel's church. Father Hanna was subsequently elevated to the rank of Monsignor for his untiring services, his many accomplishments, and his love for our parish. With the help of the church's committees and with the support of his parishioners, Mgr. Hanna managed to build a beautiful parish united in harmony and peace that is financially liable and accountable.
Because of his multiple visits to his family in Ottawa, Father Boulos Onaid has also assisted Mgr. Hanna in serving St-Charbel's parish. Mgr. Hanna and his parishioners express to Father Oneid their respect, love and esteem

We cannot forget our first distinguished Maronite immigrants who came to Ottawa and worked hard to have a pastoral care. Those Maronites excelled in maintaining their ties with their mother church. Undeniably, they were the corner stone of today 's St-Charbel church.

In one word, St-Charbel 's Church in Ottawa is a place for the glory of God and the preservation of the Lebanese heritage. Many thanks go to the parishioners, volunteers, pastors and bishops. The church was dearer to them than their own homes and it is through it that they will reach "House not made with hands" (2 Cor. 5:1).

Biography – Mgr. Raymond Hanna

• Mgr. Raymond Hanna was born in Tarshich, Lebanon on April 21st 1955
• May 1967, he joined the Seminar of the Holy Spirit in Kaslik – Jounieh where he completed his theology degree
• In 1982, he was ordained Priest and became the principal of St. Antoine High School; in Hemena
• In 1983, he was appointed a Vicar of St. Jean Marc parish in Jbeil
• In 1984, he moved to Montreal where he continued his responsibilities as a Vicar at St. Antoine Parish.
• In 1986, he became the Parish Priest of St-Charbel church in Ottawa
• In 1995, he was elevated to Rank of Monsignor by his Excellency Archbishop George Abou Saber
• In 1997, he completed a Master degree in Canon Law at St. Paul University , Ottawa

Achievements of St-Charbel's church under the patronage of Mgr. Raymond Hanna

• The purchase of a large church that is financially stable and fully accountable.
• The purchase of the adjacent property and community center that will form the building blocks of the Maronite community of the future.
• The leasing of space in this complex to ensure it is self reliant and does not deplete church funds.
• Construction and positioning of the Shrine of our Blessed Virgin Mary at the church's entrance.
• Development of a St-Charbel's Maronite Cemetery. (A statue of St-Charbel was also positioned at the entrance of the cemetery).
• Most importantly the leadership and community development of the Maronites of Ottawa into a strong group, with a home and a solid foundation of stability, harmony, peace and growth that is well respected throughout the Ottawa area.

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