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COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
From A Mission To A Basilica
The community of the St. Mary Orthodox Basilica, Livonia, Michigan, celebrated several fifti- eth anniversaries on the weekend of November 11–13, 2022: the wedding of their pastor and his wife, Fr. George and Kh. Nouhad Shalhoub; Fr. George’s ordination to the priesthood; and the establishment of St. Mary’s Church Mission.
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On Friday, November 11, we held a special banquet to thank all volunteers, past and present, in the presence of His Grace Bishop ANTHONY and all church organizations. Lily Kawwas and George Naser spoke on behalf of the founding fathers and mothers of St. Mary.
On Saturday, a special Vespers Service was held to celebrate the Feast of St. John Chrysostom, followed by an Anniversary Banquet, attended by over six hundred parishioners and friends. Those in attendance included our toastmaster, the Honorable Judge Karen Khalil Bouzas, the Parish Council Chairwoman Nancy Ghannam, the Banquet Chairwoman Dana Ansara, along with our special guest His Eminence Metropolitan NICHOLAS of the Greek Metropolis of Detroit, His Grace Bishop ANTHONY, and Fr. Jim King, who spoke and thanked Fr. George and Kh. Nouhad for their endurance and love over the last 50 years. Fr. George and Kh. Nouhad’s children, Lila Lippert, Dr. Alex Shalhoub, Alexa Nassif, and Christa Hanley, all paid tribute to their parents, reminiscing about their childhood and life next door to the church, where the church parking lot was their backyard and playground.
The second half of the celebration was a presentation by the Mariam Center Co-Chairmen, Salim Sessine and Salem Samaan. They unfolded the dream and vision of Fr. George to build the Mariam Center, which is a combination of a Montessori School, a Family and Youth Center, and an Independent Senior Housing Facility. Please see the link: https://fb.watch/gTu3baoq5S/
The evening ended with dancing and thanksgiving to God.
The highlight of the weekend was the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy, led by His Grace Bishop ANTHONY, the clergy, deacons, sub-deacons and altar boys, with a thousand people attending. We were blessed to also have a longtime friend of the Basilica and Fr. George, the V. Rev. Joseph Rahal, with us for the weekend. At the Divine Liturgy, with the blessing of His Beatitude JOHN X and our newly appointed Patriarchal Vicar, His Eminence ANTONIOS (El Soury), special permission was granted to elevate Fr. Jim King to Archpriest and Deacon Dr. Dennis Bojrab to Protodeacon.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the clergy led all the parishioners in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Mariam Center, with our special guest, City of Livonia Mayor Maureen Brosnan.
