(ANS - El Houssoun) - On Sunday 29 June, Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, will preside at Mass in the Salesian Church of Mary Help of Christians in El Houssoun.  Restoration work on the Church is now complete and the building totally renovated. The restoration was made possible by the work of Together Onlus and the valuable collaboration of Panathlon International.

The Church was built in 1962 on the initiative of Fr Carlo Moroni, SDB, with the contribution of Italian benefactors. It has been a silent spectator of the recent history of Lebanon.  Now, 52 years later, the building has been completely restored with a new design by Raffaele Gerardi. For nearly four months builders worked to renew the waterproofing of the building, the electrical systems, the painting, the structural work, the fixtures and fittings. The paintings were renewed, lights of different shades installed, and security measures improved. Carrara marble was used to enhance the Stations of the Cross, the holy water font, the words "Glory Libani data est ei” and the tabernacle. There is also a new bronze bell, made by the Beit Chabab Foundry.

The graphic designer and painter Raffaele Gerardi also decided to donate a mural that invites the faithful to look through the eyes of Don Bosco and his young people. In a painting entitled “The eyes of Don Bosco” there is a detail depicting the symbol of the cedar of Lebanon and the eyes of Don Bosco fixed on the Church of Mary Help of Christians in Houssoun, bringing joy and hope. The work shows the pastoral mission of the Father and founder of the Salesians, as it is now on the eve of the bicentenary of his birth (1815-2015).

At the inauguration of the church by Cardinal Rai on 29 June, it is expected that various Lebanese political authorities and many of the faithful will be present.

The Salesians have been in Lebanon since 1952 and in El Houssoun since 1957. The community located in the district of Jbeil includes an oratory and youth centre, a reception centre and, since 2002, a Vocational Training Centre which offers more than a dozen specialist courses.

Together Onlus is an organization founded in 2005 by Nello Rega, a journalist and Salesian Past Pupil.  In almost ten years of humanitarian work in Lebanon it has donated multimedia equipment to the Salesian Oratory of Houssoun, and has funded cultural and leisure activities and health clinics. It has also organized cultural and sporting events, summer camps for disadvantaged children, and sports facilities for young people. The non-profit organization continues its activity on behalf of the Salesian House, enlarging and restoring the oratory. It is expected that the work will be completed during the  bicentenary year.

There is a video with images of the original state of the church showing the moisture and infiltration that were damaging the entire structure.

Published 24/06/2014