Lebanon is experiencing an economic crisis that has forced many Christians to leave the country. Elie is a young Christian man who was afraid of his calling to enter the seminary. He is now determined to follow his calling and minister to the Lebanese faithful during these difficult times.

By ACN Staff

Elie Abu Younes, a seminarian in the Patriarchal Maronite Seminary in Ghazir. Lebanon. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Elie Abu Younes grew up in a predominantly Christian town in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. The majority of the Christians in this part of Lebanon are members of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Maronite Catholic Church. Elie had a happy childhood. His family, like most Lebanese Christians, were committed to the Faith. Elie regularly attended Divine Liturgy and joined Christian youth groups with his family’s encouragement.

Elie then left to attend university in Beirut. He studied to become an optometrist and soon fell in love with the profession, working as an optometrist for three years after university. Despite his professional satisfaction, Elie felt that something was missing. It soon crossed his mind that he might be called to become a priest.

Elie felt scared of the calling and explained that he did not feel worthy:

“Since I was young, I felt that this is the life I want, a life close to Jesus, to know him more, but I would think that no, not me. I thought I did not deserve to have this vocation, and this made me afraid to say yes.”

Elie explained that he ran away from God for two or three years. He tried to find fulfilment elsewhere, but it felt empty. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Elie to stop work and return to his family in the Beqaa Valley. With nothing to do, Elie started watching films at home with his family. He watched a film about Pope Francis and felt something stir in him. Elie went to a church to pray about it but was not satisfied. He talked to a priest about the feeling, and the priest suggested that he go to a seminary for further discernment.

This time the calling to the priesthood was different for Elie. He explains that he was no longer afraid:

“I remembered then how happy I had been in my childhood and teenage years, when I was close to Jesus. Then I was a full person. It made me think, why don’t I walk with Jesus again, see what He wants? I might be happy with him. There is no happiness without the Lord. I told Him: ‘Your will be done, not mine. From now on, my will is yours’.”

Elie felt an immediate change in the seminary. He felt the satisfaction that he had been searching for. Elie explained that this encouraged to continue on the path towards the priesthood:

“That experience assured me that this is my calling, this is my path, to walk with Jesus, and this is my happiness. To be happy a person must walk with the Lord, and to walk with him means to do His will. And if it was His will to be a priest, I accept His will.”

The last few years have been very tough on the Lebanese people. The COVID-19 pandemic and political instability have compounded the country’s economic woes. Many Christians are now leaving Lebanon, and it is feared they will never return. Elie recognises that Lebanon’s Christians need priests even more than before:

“People need the priest to stand by them, to help them persevere in this land. If the priest stands with his people, the Church will remain in Lebanon.”

The economic difficulties in Lebanon mean that the local Church cannot support their seminarians on their own. The support provided by Aid to the Church in Need is essential for forming a new generation of Lebanese priests. Elie is very grateful to ACN for supporting him and other seminarians in Lebanon:

“Thank you, ACN, for supporting seminarians in Lebanon through these difficult times.”

ACN supports seminarians like Ellie all over the world. Please consider donating if you would like to help us in our work.

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