Joseph Elias Tawil

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Joseph Elias Tawil (born December 25, 1913 in Damascus , Syria , † February 17, 1999 in Newton , Massachusetts , USA ) was Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Newton .

Life

Joseph Elias Tawil was born as one of nine children to the married couple Elias and Malakie Tawil. The mother was born Salman, her brothers were Paolo Salman (Archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia ) and Clement Salman ( Archimandrite in Jordan ). Young Joseph's family was a believing community shaped by the Melkite Church.

He began his theology studies in St. Anne's seminary in Jerusalem , the seminary and the adjoining St. Anne's Church is directed by the White Fathers . He was ordained a priest on July 20, 1936 and worked for the next seven years as a teacher and later as rector at the Patriarchal College in Cairo . In 1943 he was appointed president of the episcopal college in Alexandria and in 1952 he was appointed archimandrite .

Episcopal dignity

On August 29, 1959, Joseph Elias Tawil was appointed auxiliary bishop in Alexandria and titular bishop of Myra dei Greco-Melkiti . After official confirmation on October 23, 1959, he was ordained bishop on January 1, 1960 by the Patriarch of Antioch Maximos IV Cardinal Sayegh . As co-consecrators the Auxiliary of assisted Antioch Archbishop Pierre camel Medawar (titular of Pelusium dei Greco-Melkiti ) and Archbishop Elias Zoghbi . He headed the Archdiocese of Alexandria until his activity in the USA, his successor in this office was Paul Antaki .

On October 30, 1969, he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Apostolic Exarchate of the United States for the Melkite Believers and thus succeeded the first Vicar Apostolic Justin Abraham Najmy BA (1966–1968), who had died after only two years in office. On June 28, 1976 he was appointed archbishop " pro hac vice " and bishop of the newly founded Newton Eparchy. In accordance with the age regulations, he was retired on December 2, 1989 and was former Bishop of Newton until his death on February 17, 1999 . He was a participant in all sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and served the Patriarch of Antioch as a personal advisor.

Episcopal ordinations

He consecrated Nicolas James Samra titular bishop of Gerasa , who took over the office of auxiliary bishop in Newton.

As a co-consecrator he worked with the following bishops:

Pastoral letter

After taking office, he sent a pastoral letter to members of the Melkite Church in the United States, which was to gain worldwide attention. The letter, published for Christmas 1970, was entitled "The Courage To Be Ourselves" and reminded believers of the Byzantine rite of their traditions , as they lived the Roman Catholic Christians and their church benefited from this diversity. A living Eastern Church is needed , he wrote, because with loyalty to the preservation of the heritage, the faith of the Eastern Churches can also be a very valuable service for the Roman Church. Finally he wished for himself and all believers a reunification of the churches of the East and the West.

Construction work in Newtons

Although Joseph Elias Tawil could not speak English when he took office in Newton in 1969, he learned the language very quickly and made important decisions. In 1971 he established a school for deacons for the dioceses and appointed a pastoral council . A communications office, a national Melkite youth association and a training facility were founded at short intervals. The communications office, a public relations facility , also had its own publishing house, "Sophia Press", which published books and magazines for the Newton eparchy. In 1977 the administration could be completed, the diocese now had eight new parishes and five mission stations . Bishop Tawil ordained 26 priests and 23 deacons and was the supporters and promoters of the monastery for nuns in Danbury ( Connecticut ).

Works

Bishop Tawil has published several books in Arabic and English, his most important works are:

  • The Patriarchate of Antioch Throughout History: An Introduction . (Sophia Press)
  • Saint Basil the Great . (Sophia Press)
  • The Sacraments of Christian Initiation . ( Theobooks )

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Christmas, 1970 Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Joseph Tawil of the Melkite Greek Catholic Diocese
  2. ^ Verlag "Sophia Press" in Newton

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Tawil, Joseph Elias
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Syrian Archbishop of Newton (USA)
DATE OF BIRTH December 25, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Damascus , Syria
DATE OF DEATH February 17, 1999
Place of death Newton , Massachusetts , USA