Halifax, Nova Scotia – November 15, 2025
On Sunday, November 9, the Maronite community of Halifax gathered for a Mass that will linger in our youngsters’ hearts for years. It was a celebration brimming with warmth, the curl of incense, the gentle lilt of Syriac hymns, and the quiet pride of parents as their children made their Promise. It was always a pivotal rite of faith in the Maronite and Catholic traditions.
A Promise is more than ritual; it’s a bold affirmation of identity, belonging, and continuity. It’s a soft yet resounding echo across generations: We are here. We stay rooted. We bear this faith within us.
The Epistles of Saint Paul, always reminds us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” The Gospel evokes, on many occasions, Christ drawing children close, blessing them as emblems of purity and
truth. On this day, those verses felt vivid and immediate. Those were not dusty relics from far-off texts. Instead, they were alive, pulsing through the small hands now woven into a living legacy.
Watching them approach the altar, I glimpsed shadows of another era. This was fifty years past, beneath a different sky.
Echoes from the Sacred Valley
My own Promise unfolded far from Halifax’s polished pews, projector glow, and winter chill. It was in Lebanon’s mountains, where faith is etched into the very earth.
We trekked on foot from St. Raymond in Hadchit, up the steep trail to BekaaKafra, the Mediterranean’s highest inhabited village and birthplace of Saint Charbel. The path was unforgiving. The Qadisha Valley’s sheer drop flanked us, a stark testament to nature’s might and God’s enduring grace. All this was unfolding amid the civil war that loomed over our homeland.
No vehicles, no detours, no snack-stuffed packs. There were just worn shoes, aching limbs, and a resolve that seemed borrowed from elders. Our mentors trailed behind. Their guidance was subtle. They allowed us to taste the trial and savor the victory. That hike was our soul’s odyssey. It was not tallied in steps, but in virtues absorbed.
From my Halifax pew last week, as the choir intoned Qadishat Aloho, a truth dawned: settings may shift, but the journey’s core endures.
Two Generations, One Eternal Trail
Our Halifax children won’t scale cliffs or summit toward Saint Charbel’s cradle. Yet they forge their own sacred trek, through a clamor of haste, noise, and doubt. Their route isn’t hewn in rock like ours. It’s shaped by decisions: on identity, kinship, principles, and the grit to anchor in heritage while blooming in Canadian earth.
As they recited their Promise before the altar, they mirrored our mountain vow under a relentless sun. They proclaimed:
I claim this faith. I cherish my roots. I will bear these truths wherever life leads.
Our paths diverged in form but converged in purpose.
The Steadfast Light of Legacy
Among the Mass’s most stirring instants was witnessing the children echo Father Eid’s words with such focus. Those phrases cut deep.
To be Maronite transcends weekly worship. It’s cradling virtues passed from parent to child, village to exile, era to era: • Respect • Family unity • Compassion • Resilience • Honoring elders • Integrity in all things
These are the pillars that fortified the Sacred Valley through endless trials. They are the same that shielded cliffside monasteries. They buoyed us through conflict, exile, grief, and rebirth.
Now, in Halifax, we beheld our children claim them.
Half a century ago, the Valley schooled me: faith is pilgrimage. Last week, our young ones reaffirmed: the pilgrimage persists.
Their Promise renews ours. Their tomorrows extend our yesterdays.
And in that vigilance, our faith, heritage, and kin will forever find
shelter. This holds true wherever home may roam.
Promise in Halifax.mp4
Gratitude to Our Spiritual Stewards
In moments like these, our hearts overflow with thanks to the devoted
priests who shepherd our souls with unwavering grace. We are
profoundly grateful to the Religious Education Program of Our Lady
of Lebanon Parish in Halifax, whose tireless board and all the teachers
pour their passion into nurturing the seeds of faith in our children.
Through their guidance, the Promise becomes not just a ceremony, but
a bridge to eternity rooted in our parish’s sacred mission to keep the light of Maronite heritage burning bright for generations to come.