The Maronite Antonine Order celebrated its 325th anniversary in the presence of President Joseph Aoun (Lebanese Presidency).

President Joseph Aoun congratulated the Antonine Order on its 325th anniversary, saying, “In these challenging times, the Antonine Order remains a living witness to the power of faith and knowledge to overcome hardships, build the future, and a symbol of Lebanese unity around their spiritual values and cultural affiliation.”

The Maronite Antonine Order held an official and popular celebration at the Monastery of Mar Shaia (Metn) in the presence of Aoun and the First Lady Naamat Aoun, and the Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, who emphasized the necessity of extending state sovereignty and establishing a lasting and just peace throughout Lebanon, and starting a reconstruction plan, calling for Lebanon to remain “the homeland of message and calling, the homeland of holiness and martyrdom, the homeland of partnership and diversity, a land God wanted as a beacon in this East.”

He said, “We also pray that God makes us a sincere national will and continuous effort to move away from the mentality of quota, obstruction, and closure, towards a unifying national thought that builds and does not destroy, unites and does not divide.”

The General President of the Maronite Antonine Order, Abbot Joseph Bou Raad, pledged to the President that the Antonine monks would be “messengers of inclusive citizenship and its most sincere heralds, and that we be the example and model in defending the public good, for there is no good for us except that. Our ceiling is the law, and we adhere to it without evasion or arrogance; we perform our duties before demanding our rights, and our rights are only those related to those we dedicate ourselves to serve, and we pledge to support you in the work of construction, reform, and development.”