Historic Beirut church nears reopening
St. Joseph’s Church is one of Beirut’s most historic churches. The church was badly damaged in the blast in Beirut’s harbour during August last year. Thanks to support provided by ACN, reconstruction work at St. Joseph’s is nearly finished and hopefully the church can soon reopen.
By ACN Staff
St. Joseph’s Church , Beirut. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
In August 2020, Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, was torn apart by a huge explosion in the city’s harbour. In a tragic accident, a warehouse full of 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a component for fertiliser, exploded. Hundreds of people were killed, thousands were injured, and hundreds of thousands were made homeless. The Christian quarter of Beirut was hit particularly hard by the blast, as the district was located right beside the harbour.
St. Joseph’s Church, Beirut. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is committed to helping the Church in Beirut rebuild after this disaster. The Church of St. Joseph is one of Beirut’s oldest churches. The church was built 1875 and is run by the Jesuits. The church was badly damaged in the August blast.
After carrying out an assessment of the work that was needed to be done in Beirut, ACN pledged a package of around €5.3 million in aid to help the Church in Beirut to rebuild. This included rebuilding St. Joseph’s. The engineer who is overseeing repairs of St. Joseph’s, Farid Hakimé, described the damage as the following:
“Due to the explosion which occurred on the 4th August 2020, Saint Joseph’s Church was severely damaged. Most of the wooden windows and doors were destroyed, the pitched roof was severely affected too…You could see many cracks in the ceiling of the church, and many other areas, caused by the blast.”
The church suffered damage to its stained glass, most of which was destroyed. The church’s original woodwork was also badly damaged as was the ceiling and light fixtures.
St. Josephus’ played a very important role in ministering to Catholic immigrants, visitors and tourists in Beirut. Holy Mass was celebrated at the church in the Latin Rite in both English and French. In addition, the church also held Holy Mass celebrated in Arabic in accordance with the Maronite Rite, which the majority of Lebanese Catholics are members of.
Repairs underway in St. Joseph’s. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
ACN supported the repair of St. Joseph’s with €330,000 in aid. This support is vital, as Lebanon is going through an economic crisis. During this economic crisis, the Lebanese Pound has lost more than 80% of its value against the US Dollar.
Father Salah Aboujaoude SJ of St. Joseph’s spoke to ACN about the progress of the reconstruction of the 19th century church. The first phase of the reconstruction is now complete. It is expected that the works will be completed in July. The Jesuit priest said the follow:
“The supply and installation of the new wood doors will be completed by the end of next week.”
The speed at which these repairs have taken place would not have been possible without the aid and supports of ACN’s benefactors. Thank you for your support. It is helping secure a future for Christianity in the Middle East.