Lebanese parish won't forget sick, poor at Christmas

TORONTO - For parishioners at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church on Queen Street West, the annual Christmas traditions include helping poor families and those who are ill in the community.

This year, the parish is raising money for St. Joseph’s Healthcare.

Pastor Fr. Emmanual Nahkle said the parish began Advent celebrations with a Dec. 11 Christmas party. Some children, who were dressed in nativity play costumes, sang traditional Lebanese songs and the congregation enjoyed Lebanese food.

The parish also hosted a Dec. 11 Christmas retreat at Marylake Shrine in King City, Ont.

Nakhle said another Lebanese Maronite Catholic tradition has been attending the novena which starts on Dec. 15  at 7 p.m. and lasts until Christmas Eve when families attend midnight Mass or Christmas Day Mass.

There are about 1,200 families in the parish.

The Maronite Catholic rite is similar to the Roman Catholic rite, with differences in language and some traditions (most of the Mass is sung in Arabaic and the order of the Mass is different in some parts), Nakhle said.

For more information on the Advent novena, call (416) 534-7070.