St. Jean Chrysostome Church
History
The Parish of Brussels – Belgium was founded by Patriarch Maximos V on September 14, 1980, the Assumptionist Fathers having placed at the disposal of the Greek-Melkite Catholic faithful their chapel of the blessed Marie-la-Miserable, a beautiful classified monument of the fourteenth century.
Maximos V entrusted the parish to the Belgian priest, ordained in Damascus, R.P. Serge Descy, aided by a lay council. At first, the Eastern Christians, all confessions confused, came to pray together. But, little by little, each one resumed his freedom. The Maronites created their parish and so did the Syrian-Orthodox.
From the beginning, the Greek-Melkite Catholics wanted to have their own church, which was very difficult to find in the city!
It was in 1995, the parish went through a dark period, having no parish priest. In September 1995, father Isidore Battikha and Father Jihad Jalhoum visited the chapel of Mary Immaculate, who, finding herself free after the retirement of her chaplain, was seated in a place with a predestined name: Rue de l’Orient! It was placed at the disposal of the Greek-Melkite Catholic community, authorized to carry out transformations and constructions there.
The generosity of Patriarch Maximos V, of Bishop Battikha and of the Belgian patriarchal exarch Bishop Omer Tanghe, allowed the desired transformations and especially the installation of a superb iconostasis, decorated with icons painted by a Liège workshop.
Since December 1995, Father Jihad Jalhoum was again appointed parish priest. And this one is now dedicated to St. John Chrysostom. In October 1996 the Patriarch Maximos V celebrated a solemn liturgy of inauguration.
Transformations and constructions continue, thanks to the zeal of the pastor, the encouragement of the Belgian hierarchy and the activity of the parish council: Arabic courses for children and adults; Youth meetings; Catechism; Community meal on the occasion of the patronal feast of St. John Chrysostom; Collection of clothes and toys in preparation for Christmas and so on.
List of Parish priests since 1980
1980 – 1985 R.P. Serge Descy
1985 – 1988 Jihad Jalhoum
1988 – 1995 Pierre Khoudary
1995 – 2009 Jihad Jalhoum
2009 – 2011 Samih Raad
2011 – 2019 Milad El Jawish
2019 – … Antoine Tannous
Eglise St Jean Chrysostome
ِAddress : 41, Rue de l’Orient
1040 Bruxelles (Brussels), Belgique
Tél + 32 – 2 – 640 52 72
Fax + 32 – 2 – 640 52 72
https://sites.google.com/view/saintjeanchrysostomebruxelles/accueil
Email : jeanchrysostomebruxelles@gmail.com
Rev. Fr. Antoine TANNOUS
Mobile : 0494 302 407