1. The land and the plan for a structure for juvenile apostolate in Maarrat-Saidnaya
During the visit of the Custos to the convents of Damascus (6th-8th May 1996), the friars expressed their need for a suitable place for the apostolate of young people, where meetings and retreats could be held. The Custos encouraged us to look for a piece of land, ensuring he would help us for the building of the centre. After three years of looking, we decided that a piece of land of 5,395 square metres in Maarrat-Saidnaya, in an excellent position and looking on to a splendid landscape, was suitable: it had a well and a small house of 80 square metres as yet unfinished. The land was purchased by the Custodial Curia in 2000 but it was decided that it should be extended with the purchase of other bordering plots and, having reached an area of 22,000 square metres, the land was registered with a single number in the property register under the name of “The Latin Community of Syria, Waqf of the Franciscans of the Holy Land”.
At the end of November 2004, the Discretorium visited the houses in Syria: a historical visit for our chronicles. On 24th November 2004, we all went together to the land, which was covered with snow that day. All the members of the Discretorium liked the place and the project very much and it was therefore possible to proceed with "building the Maarrat Saidnaya summer complex".
From that moment, the Regional Council undertook to reach the best definition of the design, sending all the friars the coordinates of the land and the minimum requisites required, so that each could add their ideas and suggestions, in line with the desires of having a structure for about a hundred young people, with a separate Chapel from the small convent and a small house for the porter…
The Council, on its part, asked three different architects for a design so that each one could work it out according to their own criteria, but none of the three satisfied us.
During the second visit of the Discretorium (June 2006), a draft design was examined, which had been prepared and previously discussed in April at a meeting in Maarrat. In the convent of Bab Touma, the Discretorium appreciated the project illustrated by the draft and hoped that the estimate could become concrete figures. The Regional Council, in agreement with Fr. Michele Piccirrilo, then appointed the Italian architects Luigi Leoni and Chiara Rovati, from the firm of P. Costantino, to work out a final complete design, following the outline approved by the Discretorium. Their project was accepted with satisfaction by the Damascus friars and the Council.
To accelerate the adaptation of the design to Syrian building laws, and make a detailed estimate, the Custos appointed a limited board in the Regional Council to finish all these preparations by the end of 2008, so that the work could begin as soon as the renovation of the convent of Aleppo is finished.
2. The new convent of St. Paul in Maarrat-Saidnaya and the Blessing of the First Stone
On the occasion of the Jubilee Year of St. Paul, the Discretorium appointed a Custodial Board (March 2008) to indicate the possible initiatives to be taken as the Custody. Having put these indications to the Discretorium, five friars who reside in Syria were appointed to implement four initiatives. Initiative no. 2 says: Lay the first stone and name the Centre for youth pastoral and catechism of Maarrat-Saidnaya after St.. Paul.
This is why on 9th August at 11.30, we, the friars of Damascus, around the Father Custos, in a joyful encounter enlivened by the Scout group of our parish of Bab Touma, were on the land of Maarrat-Saidnaya for the blessing of the first stone of the new youth centre and the stone of the new convent. The sisters from the community of the St. Paul Memorial were also present.
The ceremony was simple and began with the reading of two passages from the New Testament. The prayer of the faithful and that for vocations introduced the reading of a parchment written in Latin, Arabic and Italian and which was signed by the Custos, the Custodial Delegate for Syria and Lebanon, by the Regional Treasurer and by six other friars.
The parchment and the prayer for vocations, protected in a plastic bag, were then placed in a hollow of the stone and sealed with cement.
The joy of this first act on the road of the construction of the Centre for youthful pastoral continued in a restaurant in Saidnaya, where we had lunch.
May thanks be given to the Lord and to the Benefactors if the project becomes reality : it will be of great spiritual benefit for the youth of our churches in Syria.
Fr. Romualdo Fernandez
Regional Treasurer
During the visit of the Custos to the convents of Damascus (6th-8th May 1996), the friars expressed their need for a suitable place for the apostolate of young people, where meetings and retreats could be held. The Custos encouraged us to look for a piece of land, ensuring he would help us for the building of the centre. After three years of looking, we decided that a piece of land of 5,395 square metres in Maarrat-Saidnaya, in an excellent position and looking on to a splendid landscape, was suitable: it had a well and a small house of 80 square metres as yet unfinished. The land was purchased by the Custodial Curia in 2000 but it was decided that it should be extended with the purchase of other bordering plots and, having reached an area of 22,000 square metres, the land was registered with a single number in the property register under the name of “The Latin Community of Syria, Waqf of the Franciscans of the Holy Land”.
At the end of November 2004, the Discretorium visited the houses in Syria: a historical visit for our chronicles. On 24th November 2004, we all went together to the land, which was covered with snow that day. All the members of the Discretorium liked the place and the project very much and it was therefore possible to proceed with "building the Maarrat Saidnaya summer complex".
From that moment, the Regional Council undertook to reach the best definition of the design, sending all the friars the coordinates of the land and the minimum requisites required, so that each could add their ideas and suggestions, in line with the desires of having a structure for about a hundred young people, with a separate Chapel from the small convent and a small house for the porter…
The Council, on its part, asked three different architects for a design so that each one could work it out according to their own criteria, but none of the three satisfied us.
During the second visit of the Discretorium (June 2006), a draft design was examined, which had been prepared and previously discussed in April at a meeting in Maarrat. In the convent of Bab Touma, the Discretorium appreciated the project illustrated by the draft and hoped that the estimate could become concrete figures. The Regional Council, in agreement with Fr. Michele Piccirrilo, then appointed the Italian architects Luigi Leoni and Chiara Rovati, from the firm of P. Costantino, to work out a final complete design, following the outline approved by the Discretorium. Their project was accepted with satisfaction by the Damascus friars and the Council.
To accelerate the adaptation of the design to Syrian building laws, and make a detailed estimate, the Custos appointed a limited board in the Regional Council to finish all these preparations by the end of 2008, so that the work could begin as soon as the renovation of the convent of Aleppo is finished.
2. The new convent of St. Paul in Maarrat-Saidnaya and the Blessing of the First Stone
On the occasion of the Jubilee Year of St. Paul, the Discretorium appointed a Custodial Board (March 2008) to indicate the possible initiatives to be taken as the Custody. Having put these indications to the Discretorium, five friars who reside in Syria were appointed to implement four initiatives. Initiative no. 2 says: Lay the first stone and name the Centre for youth pastoral and catechism of Maarrat-Saidnaya after St.. Paul.
This is why on 9th August at 11.30, we, the friars of Damascus, around the Father Custos, in a joyful encounter enlivened by the Scout group of our parish of Bab Touma, were on the land of Maarrat-Saidnaya for the blessing of the first stone of the new youth centre and the stone of the new convent. The sisters from the community of the St. Paul Memorial were also present.
The ceremony was simple and began with the reading of two passages from the New Testament. The prayer of the faithful and that for vocations introduced the reading of a parchment written in Latin, Arabic and Italian and which was signed by the Custos, the Custodial Delegate for Syria and Lebanon, by the Regional Treasurer and by six other friars.
The parchment and the prayer for vocations, protected in a plastic bag, were then placed in a hollow of the stone and sealed with cement.
The joy of this first act on the road of the construction of the Centre for youthful pastoral continued in a restaurant in Saidnaya, where we had lunch.
May thanks be given to the Lord and to the Benefactors if the project becomes reality : it will be of great spiritual benefit for the youth of our churches in Syria.
Fr. Romualdo Fernandez
Regional Treasurer