Home

Christmas Message from His Eminence to his Western Archdiocese of the USA

Our beloved in Christ, very Rev. & Rev. fathers, Parish Council members, church social institutions, and the valued faithful of our Western Archdiocese.

May the grace, blessing, and peace of our Lord Jesus be with all of you: Institutions, families, and devoted individuals.

I wanted to be with you through these words while the birth of our Lord Christ in flesh is looming and everybody being ready in their own way and tradition, among family members or society to welcome the Babe of Bethlehem. Christmas ornaments with happiness spreading through homes, markets showing smiley faces for old and young simultaneously.

It is my obligation to pray for our church beloved very reverend & reverend fathers of the Western Archdiocese of USA, for their blessed efforts in spreading the word of God and their caring for their parishioners, both spiritually and socially. I also pray for the success of Parish Councils who work tirelessly to make churches more prosperous. This reflects the cooperation of the faithful with their shepherds who oversee their affairs both spiritually and socially.

In this brief, I also have to pray to the Babe of Bethlehem to bring to a blessed conclusion the efforts of the faithful who are striving to establish new churches in different cities of our Archdiocese. Thanks to God who helps us in finding faithful groups who want to have church gatherings. Our Archdiocese has widened greatly in the past several years and their number mounted to 24 churches. Of course, this is by the grace of God and your prayers and support.

Dearly beloved.
While we are celebrating Christmas and New Year, we ask the Almighty God to bring back the two Archbishops Mor Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim and Mor Paulos Yazeji to their Archdioceses, safe and sound and elevate the injustice of their wicked captors. And that God spreads His peace and tranquility in our beloved homelands in the Middle East, and all other depleted countries, and to have mercy on all those who were victims of evil, and all our departed faithful here or back home.

We pray that the Lord will keep in His grace the Supreme Head of our church His Holiness Mor Ignatius Ephrem II, and their Eminences metropolitans members of the Holy Synod, and all our Syrian people everywhere.

May the Babe of the manger bring you happy days for many years full of health, peace of mind, and happiness. May He have mercy on the souls of your beloved departed, and may your new year be full of blessings and goodness.

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy, wonderful and blessed New Year by the grace of the incarnated God, New-Born of Bethlehem. Amen

+ Clemis Eugene Kaplan
Metropolitan of the Western Archdiocese, USA