Since 2 September 2024, a new management team has taken over from the leadership of the
“Blue Marists” in Aleppo, Syria, previously made up of Nabil Antaki, Leyla Moussalli and
Br. Georges Sabé. The new team is made up of Mr. Adel Janji, Mrs. Lina Lawand and Mr.
Bahjat Azrié. “After having founded and led “L’Oreille de Dieu” (The Ear of God) from 1986 to 2012, then the “Blue Marists” from 2012 until today, and after having lived tirelessly, with love and passion, this commitment to the most disadvantaged and displaced people for 38
years, we have prepared the next generation to ensure the continuity of the “Blue Marists”.
A new management team composed of Lina Lawand, Adel Janji and Bahjat Azrié, will from today manage the 14 programmes and 162 volunteers of the “Blue Marists”. Br George Sabe writes from Aleppo.
Towards the end of spring, all the news about the situation in the Middle East pointed to a very hot summer; hot because of the climate, but above all hot because of a possible outbreak of war in southern Lebanon, which would go hand in hand with the dramatic situation in Gaza. Israel promised to bomb Lebanon and therefore the airport in Beirut.
For many Syrian migrants planning to visit the country, it was a real threat with many questions: “Should I buy tickets to Syria through Beirut airport.
It should be said that airlines do not land in Damascus because of international sanctions against Syria. This means that a traveller who wants to go to Syria has to go through Beirut airport and then take a taxi to Syria. And the same goes for the return trip. So any threat to Beirut airport is a big concern. We needed to talk a lot with our Syrian friends or with representatives of friendly international associations who were planning to visit us in order to convince them to go ahead with their decision. But there was still another threat, that of Israeli bombing of Syrian cities. Here too we had to calm people down and encourage them to take the risk of coming.
Unfortunately, last week's military operations proved the most pessimistic forecasts right: A hot, very hot, hellish autumn... An autumn that continues and that is changing the configuration of the Middle East. An autumn that leaves us in quicksand of suffering, fear, destruction and, above all, a feeling of anxiety about the future.
One million internally displaced people in one week. These are the first estimates from Lebanon. Some have preferred to cross the border into Syria. Others are trying to reach
their countries of residence by sea…
Are we condemned to exodus? Are we condemned to lose our possessions, our homes, our territories, to be at the mercy of others? Are our children condemned to be left homeless, without classes, without friends, condemned to a life of insecurity? It is a question that haunts us all, and I want to share it with you…
Who decides our destiny? What evil forces decide our Middle East? It is very difficult for us to plan, to establish a precise timetable and to look at the long term. We have to accept events as they happen on a day-to-day basis and, if necessary, change the way we
plan things.
The main argument for daring to make decisions is “DAILY LIFE”.
Flexibility and resilience are two important skills for anyone living in Syria; trying to adapt to
changing circumstances, trying to see the positive side of things; complaining, being tired and wondering how long we can endure this situation that has no way out and no horizon. But we often hear “Nechkor Allah, Hamdullillah.” An expression of gratitude and trust… Where does this inner strength come from that allows people to say Thank You when their own situation is critical? It is not resignation, but an act of faith. It is not indifference, but acceptance of reality with complete trust in God. Tomorrow will be better, Inshallah.
This unwavering Faith is an inheritance from our parents, who taught us to trust in God and to move forward. Fortunately, this vital dynamic allows the Blue Marists to carry out all their activities with serenity and enthusiasm, counting on Providence to shower us with its graces. We deeply believe that the Lord has always preceded us on the path of solidarity. We are witnesses that the love, will and tenderness of God watch over us and bless us.
We can repeat with Mary, our Good Mother:
“The Lord has done wonders for us.”
This year has been marked by the training of managers and future managers of the Blue Marists. They attended several training sessions organised locally or in collaboration with the Marists of Lebanon. A group of 7 project managers participated in training sessions on the theme of leadership, in person in Lebanon or online.
In addition, with a view to discerning the future and making the necessary decisions to ensure succession, the project managers carried out a SWOT analysis of the reality of the Blue Marists.
Ensuring the succession is a matter that requires much reflection, sharing and prayer.
We are all convinced that the Mission of the Blue Marists in Aleppo is more than current.
The needs are enormous and at all levels. The Blue Marists provide an exemplary service of
solidarity that deserves to continue. We are all convinced that the time has come to
make this transfer, which is an act of faith in God and in the new generations of leaders
who will maintain the spirit of the Mission of the Blue Marists and animate the different projects.
It was a choice of continuity that requires a symbiosis between the past and the future.
It was a moment to reflect on what has happened since the foundation of the Blue Marists in 2012.
It was time to entrust the future into the hands of Mary, our Good Mother, with great serenity and hope. This serenity and this hope have led us to choose three people to form the new management team of the Blue Marists.
From 1 September 2024, Adel Janji, Lina Lawand and Bahjat Azrieh have taken over. We trust in their Marist spirit, their sense of solidarity and their ability to act as a team. We - Nabil Antaki, Leyla Moussalli, and I - will continue to accompany them during this time of transition.
Some of our programmes have already been underway since 1 September. The educational programmes will begin today, Tuesday 1 October. In this way, the Blue Marists
remain a beacon of hope, choosing to put all our capacities at the service of a population in total helplessness.
Nabil Antaki, Leyla Moussalli, Br Georges Sabé
A few days ago, I posted this prayer:
Who am I to welcome you, stranger?
Who am I to let my heart overflow with sympathy for your human condition, stranger?
Who am I to waste my precious time listening to the dark sighs of your life, stranger?
Who am I to accept that you, stranger, share with me the space of my stability and
tranquility…?
Who am I, Lord, that you pass through my life as a stranger, as a weak person, as a
refugee, as an oppressed person, as someone rejected by this crazy world?
A voice inside me whispers.
“You are my beloved son…”
It is only a goodbye!
Aleppo, 1 October 2024
Br Georges Sabe – on behalf of the Blue Marists
Pic courtesy - Br Georges Sabe
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