More than a thousand parents, children and leaders from 60 towns gathered in Joun for the fifth Family Day, with a talk by Father Michel Abboud, sharing circles, programs for children and youth, a family testimony and Mass with Bishops Elie Haddad and Maroun Ammar.
The Family and Life Committee of the Greek Melkite Catholic Diocese of Sidon and Deir El-Qamar and Metanoia Listening Center, in cooperation with the Maronite Diocese of Sidon, invited families from the parishes – husbands, wives and children – to take part in "Family Day 5."
For the fifth year in a row, with great joy and even greater faith in the family and its central role in the life of the Church, society and nations, we celebrated Family Day under the theme "Our family brings us together," because the family is the foundation of society (Amoris Laetitia).
It took place on Sunday 23 June 2024 at the Notre-Dame School of the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters in Joun.
Participants came from 60 towns spread across the two large dioceses, numbering more than a thousand parents, children and leaders. This annual family celebration is organized in turn by one of the two dioceses' family committees, in full coordination between them; this year it was the turn of the Family Committee of the Greek Melkite Catholic Diocese of Sidon and Deir El-Qamar.
The program of the day was as follows: arrival between 9 and 10 am and registration, after which each family had a group photo taken; then each member of the family went to their designated place. Babies from one month to five years old went to the nursery with specialists; children and young people aged six to seventeen were met by leaders from MIDADE and the Young Christian Students (JEC), who took them to the Monastery of Saint Anne, their base for the day. The parents entered the school courtyard and were offered morning refreshments. Everyone then went into the hall, where the "Abouna Bechara Family" choir led hymns and prayers to prepare for the celebration of Family Day.
At 10 am the day opened with words of welcome prepared by Metanoia Listening Center, welcoming the bishops, the priests and all present. His Excellency Bishop Elie Bechara Haddad then opened the day with morning prayer, offering the day to the Lord with hymns and psalms. To soft music, those present wrote their intentions and hopes on slips of paper, which were offered on the Lord's altar at the Divine Liturgy.
At the end, His Excellency gave everyone his blessing.
At 10:30 came the highlight that marked, beautified and brightened the day: the spiritual talk by Father Michel Abboud, president of Caritas Lebanon. With his personality, delivery, style, culture and long experience with families, he excelled in the art of communicating the Word: he moved those present, captured their attention and touched their lives, drawing them into his questions and bringing joy to their hearts. Among the many important points he stressed:
– God's presence in our lives, especially Holy Scripture, which is the constitution of our Christian life. The family's rule of life is the Gospel.
– The challenges families face today: modern technology, with its positives and negatives – the internet, smartphones – and the need to pay attention to the content our children receive from social media; hesitation and instability.
– Disagreement is completely natural and is a richness; we must accept one another.
– Spending time with ourselves helps us know ourselves better and deal with situations.
– Using words of encouragement with our children and not correcting them in front of others, but giving them trust and encouragement.
– Sacrifice is essential and requires forgiveness; forgiveness heals wounds.
– Understanding the other, being positive, and giving joy and life to others.
– Loving the other: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love means offering others what suits them, not what I think suits them.
– Dialogue and communication, and making plans for our lives in advance.
– Each member of the family taking up their role, so that the family stays in balance.
– A great person is one who makes others feel their own greatness in their presence.
After the talk, at 11:30, there was a coffee break.
Sharing circles followed at noon, in three categories:
First category: married couples, in 21 circles.
Second category: individuals over 26, in 3 circles.
Third category: young people aged 18 to 25, in 2 circles.
In the first part of the circles, participants introduced themselves and then discussed the questions Father Abboud had prepared from his talk, sharing experiences for an hour.
Then each couple exchanged their scarves, and each spouse wrote on the other's a word of thanks expressing gratitude and love for the support received in a particular situation or along their journey together. Each spouse then read aloud what they had written in front of the whole group. These were very beautiful moments; couples expressed their joy at this step, as it was the first time they had expressed themselves to each other this way, especially in front of a group.
As for the individuals, each person wrote their name on their own scarf and passed it around, and every participant wrote a word of encouragement for its owner. At the end, each person read the beautiful words and expressions they had received, which filled their heart with joy.
At 1:30 pm came lunch, in a wonderful atmosphere of joy and celebration, expressed in dancing, dabke and festive cheers to Lebanese songs – it was the family's wedding and its feast.
Before moving to the final part, it should be noted that the children under three had their own program with specialized nursery teachers.
Children aged 3 to 17 also had their own program according to their age groups, in another part of the venue.
MIDADE, the international children's movement, prepared a full program of games and contests for the children throughout the day at the Monastery of Saint Anne.
The Young Christian Students (JEC) also led a special day for the youth at the Monastery of Saint Anne.
At 3 pm the children, young people and their leaders celebrated the Divine Liturgy together.
At three o'clock everyone returned to the hall to listen to the life testimony of Afaf and Bechara Daoud with their children Anthony and Evelyne. This humble family, which loves the Church and models itself on the Family of Nazareth, won everyone's hearts as it shared its experience of commitment and of living the Word of God at home and in daily life. The children also shared how they had been shaped by their parents' way of life, the virtues they received from them that helped them overcome many daily challenges, and the qualities they will carry into their own future married life.
Then came the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, presided over by His Excellency Bishop Elie Bechara Haddad, assisted by His Excellency Bishop Maroun Ammar and a number of priests. In his homily, Bishop Haddad thanked the families present, who are the heartbeat of the Church, and wished them a happy Family Day and Father's Day. He stressed the need for awareness in raising our children with Christian values and with Christ present in family life, and the importance of prayer and living the sacraments. He also praised the close cooperation between the Maronite and Melkite dioceses in these activities and the coordination between the two family committees, which always brings strength and success. He thanked the committees and the team of Metanoia Listening Center for preparing the day so professionally and with such excellent organization, and thanked His Excellency Bishop Maroun Ammar for his love and constant support. He concluded his homily: "As long as the family is well and Jesus lives in it, Lebanon is well."
In the last part of the day, a word of thanks was due to the apostolic movements that were the supporting hand behind the day's success. In appreciation of their efforts and their dedication as apostles at the heart of the Church, we presented them with commemorative plaques in the name of the diocesan Family Committee and Metanoia Listening Center: "Family Day 5 – Our family brings us together."
All our thanks and love to:
MIDADE, the international children's movement
The Young Christian Students (JEC)
The diocesan youth "For the Church"
The Maronite Scouts, Darb El Sim troop
The Abouna Bechara Family
"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12).
Our thanks to the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters, in the person of the Reverend Mother General Thérèse Rokoz and all the sisters, for welcoming us at the Notre-Dame School and the Monastery of Saint Anne to celebrate Family Day.
"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13).
Everyone then went outside, where the music played and parents met their children, who danced to the family anthem "The family's candles are lit." Clapping, laughter and dancing filled the air, and colorful balloons flew everywhere – wonderful moments that will remain engraved in the memories and hearts of parents and children.
And so, at around 5 pm, our families returned to their towns and homes with hearts overflowing with joy, carrying precious provisions for the road.
Thank you to each and every person who helped organize this gathering.
Every day is a family day, and may we all be well – we look forward to meeting again next year for a new Family Day.
