DELRAY BEACH | In the spirit of the Gospel reading — in which Jesus says the second most important commandment is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” — Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito visited a beloved neighbor Nov. 3, 2024, to bless a new Marian icon at St. Nicholas Melkite Catholic Church in Delray Beach.
At the Divine Liturgy, Archimandrite Glen Pothier, judicial vicar for the Diocese of Palm Beach, gave the homily and presided with Father Gabriel Ghanoum, pastor of St. Nicholas. Many know Father Ghanoum as director of spiritual and palliative care at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis and head of the No One Buried Alone program that gives a dignified burial to deceased abandoned individuals.
Iconographer Chady Elias, who created nearly all the icons in the church from his studio in Aventura, near Miami, was commissioned to write the new icon by many donors and the Ged family, who are members of the parish. While the artist explained that the proper title of the icon is Our Lady of Tenderness, the donors prefer the name Our Lady of America.
“Our Lady is Our Lady of everything and everywhere and all countries,” Elias said. “It’s not just America, it’s not just Lebanon. We have Our Lady of Lebanon, we have Our Lady of Egypt, we have Our Lady of America. But Our Lady is Our Lady as she is,” adding, “You can call it whatever Our Lady you want it to be. You can call it My Lady, Our Lady of My Family or Our Lady of Everyone.”
Father Ghanoum said, “The icon, adorned with intricate craftsmanship that reflects centuries of tradition and devotion, is being consecrated as a sacred symbol of faith and reverence, and it will serve as a focal point for prayer and meditation in St. Nicholas Church.”
Parishioner Glen A. Ged, whose mother led a drive to install the image of Our Lady of America in her home church in New Jersey, said during the blessing ceremony, “Today is a very special day. I was able to fulfill my mother’s dream. Thank you. The plaque that will go on Our Lady of America will say: My radiant mother, Marie E. Toole, you are the heartbeat of my inspiration, my strength and my faith. Your loving son, Glen.”
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Father Ghanoum expressed appreciation for Toole as she stood to be recognized. “It’s Our Lady of Tenderness because you are the most tender human being ever. So, it’s a win-win situation. You want it to be Our Lady of America, it is. And Our Lady of America is what we need right now in this difficult time. We need tenderness in the hearts of so many.”
A liturgy booklet at the event said, “The unveiling and the blessing of this sacred icon reminds us to focus on the deeper principles that define our community. Like the ideals that shaped our nation, Our Lady of America stands as a beacon of unity, urging us to work for justice, dignity and peace for the common good.”
The process of creating (or writing) an icon, Elias said, involves “writing the symbols of the Bible inside with colors and geometrical forms to make the meaning shine and can be read by the viewer. So, you have to pray in front of the icon. In order for you to do that, we have to write it, think about it, meditation, using natural pigments, natural colors.” This particular icon, painted on carved wood, was completed the day before being blessed in the church.
Giving gifts to Bishop Barbarito, Father Pothier and Father Brian King, episcopal secretary, Father Ghanoum revealed how the bishop has been a friendly neighbor to St. Nicholas. He said 20 years ago, when the Melkite parish was starting out, it was in need of money. Bishop Barbarito approved a loan of $2 million, which has since been paid back in full.
“Bishop, very grateful for your love, your care and protection, to me personally but to this community,” Father Ghanoum said.
St. Nicholas Parish is part of the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Newton under Bishop François Beyrouti. It is an Eastern Catholic Church of the Byzantine rite, in full communion with the Holy See in Rome, as a part of the global Catholic Church. For more information, visit www.stnicholasmelkite.org.
