The Maronite Catholic Society farewells Bishop Ad Abikaram
Your Excellency Bishop Ad Abikaram
From the heart………..
This is a bitter-sweet occasion for us in the Maronite Catholic Society.
7pm Thursday 6 June 2013 is the moment when we will gather around you at the Eparchy in Strathfield to say our goodbye….
At 7pm on Thursday 6 June, you will be leaving Beit Maroun with Sister Aida to Sydney Airport where you will board a plane heading for our Beloved Lebanon…..
You are closing 11 years of service to our Australian Maronite Church and Community and it is very sad to be saying goodbye to your Excellency as you are moving to retirement in Lebanon. We just want to say a few words to express the Society’s appreciation for the time you have spent with us.
We have enjoyed your friendship and we appreciate having had the opportunity to work with you.
Thank you for the support, guidance and encouragement you have provided us during your noble mission in Australia.
You have been a great friend and mentor. We cannot describe how much we are going to miss you. While we are so happy for you and for your deserved retirement, we are so sad to see you go and we will continue however to benefit from your personal wisdom and the legacies you are leaving behind.
Out of all these important legacies, the most important and the best legacy you are leaving for us is your successor, our beloved Father Antoine Tarabay, our new Bishop and we look forward to continuing the good work with him.
During your time as our Bishop, and just to list a few of your achievements, you launched Marounia, established new Diocesan Arabic Language Centres, started new Mass centres, opened the Maronite Heritage Centre, revitalised the Maronite Catholic Society, formed the Maronite Ladies of the Gospel and Order of Qannoubine, laid the groundwork for a potential great Maronite Project by devising a comprehensive Infrastructure for “The Maronite Eparchy of Australia: Church of New Horizons for New Times”……..
All the Board Members of the Maronite Catholic Society, together with the Maronite Community at large, join us in recognising and celebrating your extraordinary legacy of leadership, in thanking you for your deep friendship and in wishing you all the best in your continued efforts to serve, from Lebanon, the Maronite cause in your new venture: Apostolica.
Words cannot truly convey your value added to our Maronite community through your consistent and unyielding efforts.
We highly admired and appreciated your leadership, your engagement with all facets of our Maronite community, and your unwavering faith in the Maronite Catholic Society.
We are extremely thankful for the contributions you have made to the energy, spirit and momentum of our fine Community and we will always think of your dynamic spirit and empowering connectivity.
Please know that you will be very much missed by everyone in the MCS. Our thoughts and prayers will follow you to Lebanon and we were very blessed to have had you as our Spiritual leader.
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication throughout the past eleven years. You have made a lasting impression on us.
On behalf of President Toufic Kayrouz who is currently in Lebanon to represent us at the ordination of Bishop Antoine Tarabay and on behalf of all the Board members of the Maronite Catholic Society:
Joseph Metledge, Bakhos Georges, Mansour Taouk, Joseph Peter Khoury, Toufic Laba, Fred Taouk, Ghassan Awit, Salim Chidiac, Tony Doueihi, Anne Farah-Hill, Fahd Gittany, Joseph George Khoury, OAM, George Maroun Rahme, Chafic Saade, Charlie Sara, Khalil Tartak, Peter Wakim, Samir Kazzi, Pierre Salame, George Tamer, Joe Mekary, Tony Sleiman, Nelson Semaan, Simon Diab, Antoine Kazzi, Said Yamin, Ghassan Hatem, Ray Wehbe, Camille Harb,
We want to say to you: not only will we always remember you, not only will we always be grateful to you but always you will be in our hearts and you will be in our prayers.
You will also be pleased to know that we will continue to live our “Maroniteness” “at the Service of the Gospel”.
Thank you for being our Bishop.
Have a wonderful retirement!
Ghassan Awit Raymond Abi-Arraj
ACTING PRESIDENT HON SECRETARY