A Visit to Father Elias Chacour and Ibillin
by Sue Ellen Johnson (Faith Lutheran Church, Shelton, WA)
In April of 2006, my husband Carl and I led a group of first time visitors on a trip to Palestine/Israel. We
visited the traditional holy sites, and also included visits with Palestinian Christians, such as Bishop Munib
Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). Visits to a refugee camp and
interviews with leaders from several peace and justice groups were also included.
In preparation for our first trip to the Holy Land in 1992, I read We Belong to the Land and was deeply touched
by Father Chacour’s story as he tried to live out his faith, in spite of tremendous odds. My husband had I had a
chance to go to Ibillin and meet Fr. Chacour. During our visit, I told him his story should be written for young
people. He asked me to do it. The Other Side of Welcome, published in 1998, and tells the story of how God worked
through Fr. Chacour’s prayers and vision to create a school for all children, Palestinian and Israeli, Christian,
Jewish, and Muslim. The school began in 1981 in his parish house with 82 students and by 2005 had grown to over
3,500 students, with classes from Kindergarten through University. Naturally, the school’s campus has grown as
well.
One particular highlight of our 2006 trip was a visit to Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI) in Ibillin,
not far from Nazareth and Haifa in the Galilee area of Israel. Fr. Elias Chacour, the Founder and President of
MEEI, had recently been elected as Archbishop of Galilee for the Melkite (Greek Catholic) Church. In that capacity
he had been called away to lead a worship service which included visiting international church dignitaries. We were
all disappointed that we couldn’t meet with him when we were there, but most of the members of our group had heard
him speak in Olympia, WA in 2004, and had read my book The Other Side of Welcome.
Although we were very disappointed that Fr. Chacour was not
there to meet us last year, Marie his Executive Secretary, and
Dr. Elias Shakour the school’s Provost gave us an update on
MEEI’s latest news and answered our questions. We also saw the
ever- expanding campus. One unique feature of MEEI is that all
of the classes stress respect for all people, and peace building
between the various ethnic and religious groups. We are counting
on Fr. Chacour being there to greet us on our 2007 trip, which
will be November 8th – 19th.
NOTE: The Other Side of Welcome is an inspirational biography
about Father Elias Chacour, a Melkite (Greek Catholic) priest in
Ibillin. The book shows how God's love can shine through
persecution to bring peace to all peoples: Palestinians and
Israelis, Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Copies may be ordered
from Sue Ellen Johnson at a cost $10.00 plus shipping. Email:
carljohnso@aol.com; phone: 360-898-8407; US mail: P.O. Box 495,
Union WA 98592-0495
