Opening of the 15th Annual Festival of the Mother of Perpetual Help Church

ChatGPT said:

On the evening of Wednesday, June 25, the 15th edition of the Mother of Perpetual Help Church Festival was officially launched, under the patronage of His Grace Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, with a large turnout from parish members.

The festival opened with the Novena Prayer to the Virgin Mary and the lighting of the festival flame, led by Fr. Nashwan Younan and Fr. Jinan Shimal. Prayers were offered for peace and hope.

Following the prayer, Archbishop Warda inaugurated the charity market, which featured a variety of booths offering food, handmade crafts, and local products—an initiative aimed at supporting local talents and community projects while fostering a spirit of cooperation.

The first day included several artistic and cultural performances, most notably by the “Al-Ne‘ma” team, whose presentation reflected the creativity and enthusiasm of the youth. This was followed by the cultural competition program “Knooz” (Treasures), featuring historical and cultural questions about Iraq and Syria, which received great engagement from the audience.

A special Smart Kids program was also organized for children, combining learning and entertainment through purposeful educational games that brought smiles to young faces.

Students from the catechism program performed a short play titled “Festival News Bulletin”, along with a hymn in English, expressing their joy and the strong sense of belonging shared among them.