To our esteemed brothers, the bishops,
and the highly respected superiors general and mother superiors,
and the fathers and priests, and all the faithful men and women in Lebanon, the patriarchal domain, and the beloved diaspora countries,

Greetings in the Lord Jesus with the apostolic blessing,

Our Maronite Church is on the verge of announcing the beatification of Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy of Ehden, "a beacon of knowledge and holiness." He is a "beacon of knowledge" as evidenced by his writings in all fields: historical, theological, liturgical, and others. He is the greatest Maronite Patriarch, unparalleled and will remain so, with his scholarly personality: philosophical, theological, liturgical, and historical, and his sharp intelligence since his school years and beyond. How did he manage to write thirty-two manuscripts, while constantly moving between Qannoubine, Mar Shlita in Qobayyat, and Majdal Maouch, visiting his people, consecrating churches, preaching, teaching, organizing, and correcting?

He is a "beacon of holiness," evident since his childhood, in the Roman school at the age of eleven, and throughout his life, starting with the Virgin Mary's healing of his impending blindness, to his priestly and episcopal life characterized by apostolic zeal and concern for teaching children religious education, and caring for adults in various parishes, especially in Aleppo. His holiness manifested in his patience and endurance during his patriarchate, which he assumed at the age of forty. He faced many adversaries who tried to thwart him, but he remained united with his Lord in prayer and divine and human virtues, until they eventually gathered around him, recognizing his spiritual personality adorned with virtues and diverse qualities.

On this occasion, we invite you to encourage the members of your dioceses and parishes (parishes - brotherhoods - associations - organizations...) to participate in the celebration of the proclamation of the venerable Estephan El Douaihy as Blessed, which will be held in Bkerke on August 2 at 8:30 PM, 2024, with 13,000 seats available, and in the thanksgiving Mass in his hometown in Ehden on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at 6:30 PM, and in the thanksgiving Mass at the Dimane See at 10:00 AM on Sunday, August 4.

We also invite you to light candles on the evening of August 1, the eve of his birth on earth in 1630. We also invite you to ring church and monastery bells at the announcement of the beatification on the evening of August 2 as a sign of gratitude to God for His abundant blessings upon us.

May the beatification of the eminent Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy of Ehden be a call for all of us to return to ourselves and to God, and an occasion for Maronites to gather around their Church, which continues to produce saints.

God bless you, through the intercession of the soon-to-be Blessed, and see you in Bkerke, Ehden, and the Dimane to thank God together with one heart and one mind, and to listen to what the Holy Spirit says to our Maronite Church through this beatification.

From our See in Dimane, on July 23, 2024

+ Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi

Patriarch of Antioch and All the East