Maronite Church and Lebanon celebrated on Friday the beatification of Patriarch Estephan Douaihy, in a festive mass headed by the Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, at the Patriarchal Palace in Bkerke, with the participation of Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Today, Saturday, a grand mass is planned in Ehden, the birthplace of the newly beatified and a summer retreat for the people of Zgharta.
Born in Ehden on August 2, 1630, Douaihy was considered one of the major Lebanese historians of the 17th century and was known as “The Father of Maronite History,” “Pillar of the Maronite Church,” “The Second Chrysostom,” “Splendor of the Maronite Nation,” and “The Glory of Lebanon and the Maronites.”
As bishop and later as Patriarch, he undertook reforms of the Maronite Church and its monks. Douaihy was elected Patriarch on May 20, 1670, at just 40 years old, and was confirmed by Rome on August 8, 1672.
He paid particular attention to the traditions of the Maronite Church, favoring a de-Latinisation of rites and ceremonies. He was hounded by Ottoman authorities, who resented his principled appeals for justice for the Maronites.
This resistance to Ottoman control and his advocacy for the Maronites made Douaihy a target for persecution. The Ottomans sought to suppress any form of dissent or challenge to their rule, and Douaihy’s leadership and influence posed a threat to their control over the region. Despite the pressures and dangers, Douaihy remained steadfast in his mission, traveling extensively to support and strengthen Maronite communities and their faith.
Douaihy traveled throughout the Maronite world, including Cyprus and Aleppo.
Almost immediately after his death on May 3, 1704, in Qannubine, Kadisha Valley, he was considered by many Maronites of Lebanon, particularly in North Lebanon and in Zgharta, Ehden, to have been a saint. The Positio for the beatification cause was published in 2005 and received the approval of the Historical Commission of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints on January 24, 2006.
Beatification is the second stage in the process of proclaiming a person a saint. It occurs after a diocese or eparchy and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints have conducted a rigorous investigation into the person’s life and writings to determine whether he or she demonstrates a heroic level of virtue, offered their life, or suffered martyrdom. A miracle attributed to the person’s intercession must be proved.
On July 3, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to draw up a decree on the heroic virtues of Patriarch Douaihy, who would be referred to as Venerable from the moment of publication of the decree. Some miracles attributed to him were collected by M.S. El Douaihy.
A miracle attributed to his intercession was investigated and received formal ratification from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on January 30, 2014. Pope Francis approved the miracle required for his beatification on March 17, 2024.
Douaihy joins a long list of saints, blessed, and venerable in Lebanon, including Saint Charbel, Saint Rafqa, and Saint Nehmatallah Hardini.
Douaihy’s impact on the Maronite Church ranks him among the three most influential figures of Maronite spiritual leadership, following the church’s Patron Saint Maroun and the first Patriarch, Youhanna Maroun.
