Paulists (Melkites)

This article explains the Paulists of the Melkites; for other Catholic orders of Paul see Paulists (disambiguation) .

The Mission Society of St. Paul or Paulists of the Melkites ( Latin Societas Missionarium Sancti Pauli , French Société des Missionnaires de St. Paul , abbreviation : SMSP ) is a male order of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church .

The religious community

The community, named after the apostle Paul , was founded in 1903 by Germanos Mouakkad (former Melkite bishop of Baalbek ). The Paulists form the youngest religious community within the Melkite family, to which lay brothers are also admitted. There is a female branch called Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours ( Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help ) that was founded in 1929. It is a secular institute of consecrated life and has papal approbation . The Generalate of the Melkite Paulists is located in Harissa ( Lebanon ). The Paulists have headed the St. Paul Institute for Theology and Philosophy and their own seminary since 1972 , whose seminarians come from several countries in the Orient . They also own a printing and publishing house in Jounieh . There are currently 34 priests in the community.

Self-image

The spiritual attitude of the Paulists is based on the basic rules of prayer and work ( ora et labora ) and includes apostolic work in the local churches and obedience to those responsible. They promote family life, community and solidarity in the sense of Pauline theology . To do this, they make use of preaching , catechesis and pastoral care and use the appropriate written media. Its aim is to strengthen the faith and unite the churches . A very important goal is the interreligious dialogue between Islam and Christianity .

General Superior

• 1968–1975 Habib Bacha , Archbishop of Beirut and Jbeil from 1975 to 1999
• 1987–1993 Joseph Kallas , since 2000 Archbishop of Beirut and Jbeil
• 2001–2006 Joseph Absi , since 2001 auxiliary bishop and since 2017 patriarch of Antioch

Well-known Melkite Paulists

• Maximos IV Sayegh (1878–1967), from 1949 to 1967 Patriarch of the Melkite Patriarch of Antioch
• Pierre Kamel Medawar (1887–1985), Auxiliary Bishop in Antioch from 1943 to 1985 and Titular Archbishop of Pelusium dei Greco-Melkiti
• Pierre Chami (1890–1967), Archbishop of Bosra and Hauran from 1943 to 1967
• Joseph Malouf (1893–1968), 1937–1964 bishop and 1964–1968 Archbishop of Baalbek
• Nicolas Naaman (1911–1982), Archbishop of Bosra and Hauran from 1967 to 1982
• Grégoire Haddad (1924–2015), Archbishop of Beirut and Jbeil from 1968 to 1975
• Jean Mansour (1928–2006), from 1980 to 2006 auxiliary bishop in Antioch and titular archbishop of Apamea in Syria dei Greco-Melkiti
• Adel Theodor Khoury (* 1930), Professor of Islamic Studies in Münster
• Habib Bacha (1931–1999), Archbishop of Beirut and Jbeil from 1975 to 1999
• Boulos Nassif Borkhoche (* 1932), Syrian Archbishop
• Cyrille Salim Bustros (* 1939), Bishop of Newton since 2004
• Elias Rahal (* 1942), Archbishop of Baalbek since 2004
• Nicolas Georges Haddad (born 1957), since 2006 Archbishop in Banyas

literature

• Wissam Kabkab: History of the Paulist Community. Diss., Kaslik 1987.

Web links

• Overview of the Paulist Missionary Community ( Memento from November 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (French)
• Religious Institutes inspired by St Paul (English) ( MS Word ; 177 kB)