Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us how to pray to our heavenly loving Father: "Our Father who art in heaven,Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6: 9-13). St. Paul wrote to the Romans "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." (Rom 8: 15-17)...
Being the eldest son my father 'Edourad' of blessed memory and my mother the eldest daughter 'Josephine' of blessed memory too sacrificed their lives to support their younger brothers and sisters and later their children...At the age of 14 my dad had to interrupt his study after his dad 'Chaker' passed away. He worked at the Ottoman Bank in Mansourah, Egypt and gradually was made branch director in a number of cities including Suez, and Minia. In her first heavy pregnancy my mother made a vow to Saint George that she would name her first son after him while my dad who wanted to bring the memory of his dad, as per tradition and as he loved his mother, decided to name his first son after his dad. Surprisingly God brought a twin to the home: the first was called after his dad "Chaker" - "Shaker" in English and George (me). My dad was so good that when he became branch director of the Bank he never accepted bribery from external agents. Being childless, my aunt Victoria and her husband Georges Medawar so appreciated that my dad always helped them, that they considered us their own children as we often spent time with them in Tanta where they resided and where my aunt's husband worked in Egypt...On March 13, 1971 my dad was taken to emergency in hospital after the doctor found him in dire need for surgery due to a perforated stomach with ulcer...He passed away to God on March 14, 1971 and my mother of blessed memory became so saddened that she wore black and black glasses so as to hide from us her sadness. The joy of my mother returned when my wife and I were married. It was there that my beloved father-in-law of blessed memory gave me my wife in the presence of my mother, and my mother-in-law of blessed memory in a ceremony blessed by the late saintly Bishop Paul Antaki the Great (who passed away to God after much suffering in 2011) and a number of devout priests assisting him on April 25, 1982. In fact since 1972, I developed a learning enthusiasm from such luminaries as Bishop Antaki and many learned laymen, laywomen and priests in the Melkite Greek Catholic parishes of Egypt including the late highly-learned Fr. Ignatius Sarkis Naggar who was pastor of the affluent St. Cyril's parish, the late Fr. Gadaa, well-known assistant to Bishop Antaki, the late charismatic Fr. Gregorius Agami pastor of Our Immaculate Lady in Heliopolis, Most Reverend Jules Zerey in Jerusalem (at the time Fr. Jules Zerey Director of the Patriarch school in Heliopolis), Most Reverend Georges Bakar in Cairo (at the time Fr. Georges Bakar, Director of the Patriarchal College in downtown Cairo), the saintly late Fr. Xavier Eid and his assistant the late Fr. Khalil at Our Lady of Peace in the affluent Garden City in Cairo, Rafic Greichefrom Our Lady of Peace and later on, following Fr. Sarkis, became the very active married priest at St. Cyril's parish (He was a main conductor at our wedding). Under the care of Bishop Antaki, I had the privilege of knowing such great thinkers as the late Professor of Law Boutros Kassab, PhD., and Michel Farah (PhD. in high-atomic energy). In the 1970s I served in St. Cyril's choir and at the Supreme Council of the Greek Catholic Youth in Egypt, and therefore got to know many young adults and older personalities in Heliopolis, Garden City, the Patriarchate in Faggallah from highly-trusted families that served the Greek Catholic community there such as Haddad, Haggar, Badra, Gargour, Abboud, Tinawi, Sarhan, Greiche, Sayegh, Dahan, Khouri, Wassef, Rizk, Rabbat, Zemokhol, Assaf, Sabti, Nounou, Farkouh, Labateya, Labat, Zayat, Srougi, and Khouzam. In the same year of our wedding, my aunt Victoria and her husband Georges Medawar both of blessed memory sponsored us to immigrate to Canada. Our three children were thus born and raised in this great country that we call Canada. When we came to Canada, we immediately joined my twin brother and his family in Toronto - He had come since 1971 sponsored by aunt Victoria and her husband Georges Medawar and moved to Toronto a few years later where he met his wife, my sister-in-law who is a saintly woman. My next brother and his wife joined us in the same way in 1987. In 1989, I sponsored my mother of blessed memory; a beautiful soul who upon hearing about my heart surgery sacrificed much and came to be with us as did my mother-in-law for us. Since my heart attack in 1986, I have been treated by some renowned doctors including Dr. Michael Sole, Dr. Michael Jewett and many other top physicians (see my posts here and here). From 1989 to 1999 my mother lived with my my next brother and his family. In 1999 my mother fell due to a hemorrhage in the brain, was hospitalized but could no longer speak as she remained in semi-comatose state for 4 years. She passed away to God on July 13, 2003. In Toronto, my wife and children shared with me going regularly to Jesus the King Melkite Catholic parish and listening to Fr. Georges Farah, Ph.D. For a long time, we served the Divine Liturgy as participants in the choir conducted by the renowned Homsy choir. With permission by Fr. Farah, I taught the youth/young adults and later on older adults from 2004 to about 2010-2011...My lectures and later posts can be found on my blog here: https://todayquestions.blogspot.com. In September 2006, Pope Benedict XVI gave his lecture to his students and many representatives at the University of Regensburg (here). Commenting on it, a couple of Muslim scholar critiqued the Pope and mentioned the Jesuit scholar Fr. Samir Khalil Samir in one of their responses (here).At that point I discovered the Jesuit scholar Fr. Samir Khalil Samir. In 2017, Fr. Samir wrote to me regarding a post that I had discussed titled "Is abortion justified in case of rape?" (here). Since then we developed a cordial relationship. I also found the online homilies of the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad (here) and since then we have been exchanging emails and developed a cordial relationship especially since he visited Toronto in 2013. I knew quite a few highly-learned Jesuits in Toronto including Fr. John Perry, Ph.D. In fact my wife and I participated in quite a few Catholic organizations including attending a few sessions with members of Opus Dei founded by St. Jose Maria Escriva and endorsed by Pope Saint John Paul II. We attended a few presentations by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Ministries including a couple by Ralph Martin and Sr. Ann Shields. We also took part in studies of the Old Testament at Holy Rosary parish near our home in Toronto, In 2009 I participated in the RCIA sessions introduced by Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB, Ph.D. The late Fr. Peter Mosteller, CSB was also very influential in our learning - Prior to Fr. Callam he was my personal spiritual director. With the development of my health issues, my wife and I have been attending Sunday Mass at Holy Rosary parish except on major feasts when we go to Jesus the King Melkite Catholic parish (currently at the Cathedral of the Byzantine Cathedral of the Transfiguration) where we meet our venerable priests, friends and occasionally Most Reverend Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim. At Holy Rosary parish, we experienced the active work by the current Pastor Msgr. Robert Nusca, Ph.D. This year I wished to have my father's name mentioned in a Sunday Mass, but Holy Rosary office advised us that the only available Mass would be the Friday April 5, 12:10 p.m. Mass which my wife and I attended on time. To our surprise, Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB, Ph.D (my personal spiritual director ) was the celebrant. Since my mother passed away on July 13, 2003, I wished to also have her remembered in a similar Mass at Holy Rosary parish. But Msgr. Nusca surprised us by including her name among those mentioned in the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday June 2. As I thanked him after the Mass, he continued to offer Masses for free...He also authorized the Mass for her soul on Friday June 7 at the 12:10 p.m. Mass which was celebrated by Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB, Ph.D. My wife and I attended all the above Masses and wish to thank again those who made them possible in providential care of our Father in heaven...
1) Msgr. Robert Nusca, Pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic parish in Toronto, is a renowned Biblical scholar, Senior Fellow at St. Paul's Center. He holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and is Professor of Biblical Studies at St. Augustine's Seminary; a member College of the Toronto School of Theology affiliated with the University of Toronto.
2) Fr. Henri Boulad, S.J. is a Jesuit scholar whose homilies in French are uploaded weekly on YouTube. Fluent in French, English and Arabic, he is a missionary who went to The Sudan in the 1980s, and tours Europe and Canada every year where he gives homilies and retreats as he does also in Egypt where he is resident. He taught theology at the High Institute of Theology in Cairo and visited Lebanon where he gave retreats. He published a number of books some of which were translated to 14 languages.
3) Fluent in Arabic, French, and English, Fr. Georges Farah is a Lebanese Melkite Catholic scholar whose credentials include a doctorate in philosophy and another in theology from the renowned Sorbonne University in Paris.
4) Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB earned a Master's degree in Mathematics from the University of Toronto followed by a Doctorate degree in Divinity/Theology from Oxford University. He continues to teach theology and philosophy at St. Thomas University in Houston.
5) Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, S.J., PhD. is a Jesuit scholar who was Professor at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, Professor at the Jesuit Faculty of Theology and Philosophy in Paris and a visiting Professor to a number of universities such as the University of Graz in Austria, Sophia University in Tokyo, and Georgetown University in the United States - He published some 40 books and over 500 articles. He also founded the research institute CEDRAC in Beirut and co-authored "Christian Arabic Apologetics during the Abbasid Period (750-1258)" in Catholic dialogue with Islam.
3) Fluent in Arabic, French, and English, Fr. Georges Farah is a Lebanese Melkite Catholic scholar whose credentials include a doctorate in philosophy and another in theology from the renowned Sorbonne University in Paris.
4) Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB earned a Master's degree in Mathematics from the University of Toronto followed by a Doctorate degree in Divinity/Theology from Oxford University. He continues to teach theology and philosophy at St. Thomas University in Houston.
5) Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, S.J., PhD. is a Jesuit scholar who was Professor at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, Professor at the Jesuit Faculty of Theology and Philosophy in Paris and a visiting Professor to a number of universities such as the University of Graz in Austria, Sophia University in Tokyo, and Georgetown University in the United States - He published some 40 books and over 500 articles. He also founded the research institute CEDRAC in Beirut and co-authored "Christian Arabic Apologetics during the Abbasid Period (750-1258)" in Catholic dialogue with Islam.
