The crowd attending the beatification ceremony of former Patriarch Elias Hoayek, in Dimane, North Lebanon, on July 25, 2026. (Credit: Facebook / Maronite Patriarchate)
The beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoyek, widely regarded as the founder of Greater Lebanon, was celebrated Saturday during a Mass at the Maronite Patriarchate’s summer seat in Dimane, which he built. Hundreds of worshippers attended the ceremony honoring the former patriarch, whose beatification marks a major step toward sainthood.
The Mass, held on the forecourt of the Dimane convent overlooking northern Lebanon, was attended by President Joseph Aoun and first lady Nehmat Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and numerous political and religious figures, including Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and Pope Leo XIV’s representative.
In his homily, Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai described Hoyek, whose name is closely associated with the creation of Greater Lebanon, as ‘’a luminous figure in the history of the Church and the nation.’’
’’Sainthood is not an honor bestowed by men, but a gift from God to those who have lived the Gospel faithfully to the end,’’ al-Rai said.
Referring to recent political developments, al-Rai welcomed what he described as ‘’the positive signs’’ resulting from President Aoun’s visit to Washington, where he met U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel and seek Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory.
’’We ask God, through the intercession of Blessed Elias Hoyek, to fulfill Lebanon’s hopes for stability, reconstruction and the implementation of the framework agreement, ensuring the nation’s sovereignty over all its territory, its full independence, complete liberation, and a lasting, just and comprehensive peace,’’ al-Rai said.
Before the ceremony, Aoun met with al-Rai in the presence of Apostolic Nuncio Paolo Borgia and Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan.
Born on Dec. 4, 1843, in Helta, northern Lebanon, Hoyek entered the seminary at age 16 before studying theology in Rome. Ordained a priest in 1870, he returned to Lebanon and, together with Mother Rosalie Nasr in Aabrine, founded the Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family, the first women’s apostolic congregation in the Maronite Church. Elected patriarch in 1899, he spent three decades strengthening clerical formation and Christian education. He is buried at the convent of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family in Aabrine.
Miracle behind the beatification
Hoyek led the Maronite Church from 1899 until his death in 1931. He is widely regarded as the founding father of Greater Lebanon after advocating at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference for the creation of an independent Lebanese state extending beyond the borders of Mount Lebanon.
Pope Francis declared Hoyek ‘’Venerable’’ in 2019. Under Catholic Church rules, the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession was required for his beatification.
The miracle approved by the Vatican was the unexplained healing of a Lebanese Druze soldier suffering from a degenerative spinal bone disease. According to the Church, the soldier had never heard of Hoyek before his recovery.
The Church says the case is the latest in a series of unexplained healings attributed to Hoyek’s intercession, beginning with the first reported miracle shortly after his death in 1931.
