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Our History
In 1975, the Church made a second request, more persistent than the first, to have the Order established in Lebanon. The Trappist response was positive, however, due to the start of the Lebanese War, the project was brought to a halt. In 1982, the bishop of Tyr, Mgr. Youssef Khoury, reiterated the request and insisted that the Order be brought into the country in spite of the war. Meanwhile, between 1960 and 1982, the number of monks at Latroun had decreased so much that initiating the Order with such a small group would evidently be very difficult. However, feeling more implicated in the Church’s aspirations at this point in time, the Community became even more committed to the cause notwithstanding the war which had continued to devastate the land and its people. In 1983, Dom Paul Sauma, the Latroun abbot, sent Father Joseph Fahd to complete his liturgical studies at USEK in Lebanon instead of Rome and investigate the possibilities of settling in Lebanon.
In 1984, Trappists sensed the need to establish a presence in Lebanon, as a reference point to supporters of monastic life and those aspiring to become part of it. At that time, the Maronite sisters of St. Therese provided the Order with a property overlooking the Mediterranean and the Jounieh Bay area, which was a dependence of the “Shaile” parish fund (waqf), in the diocese of the bishop of Sarba, Mgr. Michael Doumith. It is through this location that Father Joseph Fahd began his mission of receiving all those interested in being part of monastic life. In May of 1985, the Order had to relocate as it had become too large for the “Shaile” location. The apostolic nuncio of the time, Mgr. Angeloni who had been following very closely the progress of the Order in Lebanon, proposed the St. Nicholas Convent of Aramoun as an alternative. This was the only property of the East that was kept under the authority of St. Siege and therefore funded by the nunciature. In June of 1985, after having completed the formalities required by the nunciature and Latroun, the Community made up of Father Joseph Fahd and a number of young brethren finally moved to the new location where it begot its new status as an extension of Latroun. The joy of having finally found a place to settle didn’t last for long as the deteriorated state of the premises which were home to 9 refugee families along with a number of displaced persons caused the Community great pains. Additionally, the Community was subject to persecution by members of the funding committee who made financial gains from the Convent’s properties and felt the Community’s presence would pose a threat on their future returns. Nevertheless, the Trappist Order flourished within the Lebanese Church among supportive groups of people, the clergy and numerous religious communities. At that time, several people visited the parent convent in Latroun either to learn more about the Order or become part of the monastic life. But after three years, the situation became intolerable and the Community had no choice but to look for another location.
In July of 1992, few weeks following the meeting, the St. Nicholas Community was on the move again, this time to the village of Dlebta in the Keserwan area within the diocese of Jounieh. St. Sauveur sat at the pediment of a hill overlooking the Jounieh Bay and the surrounding area. St. Sauveur was rather small; it was made up of a small chapel, 3 rooms, a dome-shaped hall, a small barn as well as a few barracks that served as shelter to the Lebanese Forces who occupied the premises during the war. Having no other choice, the Community had to adjust to the dire conditions of the new location and persevere.
• In the 1st stage, the Community
worked hard to render the premises habitable Meanwhile, the Community still had a long way to go; it was progressively taking on additional charity work which led the authorities to see it under a new light and consequently elevate its status from “extension” to “foundation” in December 1998. Ever since, the Trappist Community’s presence has become a concrete reality of the ecclesial body of the Lebanese Church and a reference point for reflective hermetic living – a reality that prompted the Church to become more involved in the Community and develop its mission further.
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