Life
The Massabki brothers, Francis, Abdul-Mooti, and Raphael were three Maronite brothers who lived in Damascus in the nineteenth century and were martyred on July 10, 1860. The brothers came from an extended family that was both successful and pious. The Muslim sheikhs of Damascus referred to the Massabki clan as people who joined in prayer and spiritual reading every night in their homes. The family was descended from a Maronite priest, and had lived in Damascus for over 400 years. [1]
Of the Massabki brothers, Francis and Abdul-Mooti were each married with children. Raphael, the youngest, who apparently was not well, remained single. They had another brother, the priest Fr Abdallah, who was not with them at the time of their martyrdoms. Of the brothers, Francis was the best known. He was a generous man and a successful silk trader, famous in Lebanon and Syria alike. He represented the Maronite Patriarch when His Beatitude needed to conduct business in Syria. All three were known for the amount of time and the fervour which they devoted to prayer. They performed much of their charitable work from the Franciscan monastery in Damascus. [2]
Of the Massabki brothers, Francis and Abdul-Mooti were each married with children. Raphael, the youngest, who apparently was not well, remained single. They had another brother, the priest Fr Abdallah, who was not with them at the time of their martyrdoms. Of the brothers, Francis was the best known. He was a generous man and a successful silk trader, famous in Lebanon and Syria alike. He represented the Maronite Patriarch when His Beatitude needed to conduct business in Syria. All three were known for the amount of time and the fervour which they devoted to prayer. They performed much of their charitable work from the Franciscan monastery in Damascus. [2]
Martyrdom [3]
The martyrdom of the three Massabki brothers came to be by the Ottoman authorities in Damascus on the nights of July 9 and 10, 1860, referred to as "The Two Days of Blood." Due to the increasing unrest in Damascus, and in the wake of the attacks on Christians (Latin, Orthodox, Byzantine and Maronite) by extremists who wanted to kill them, a number of them sought refuge and protection in the Franciscan monastery in the neighborhood of Bab Touma.
At 8 p.m. on the night of Monday, July 9, 1860, Francis and his brothers Raphael and Abdul-Mooti joined the monastery near their home. At 11 p.m., the doors of the monastery were closed and everyone entered the church. They confessed their sins, received the Holy Eucharist, and recited in their hearts the Psalm "The LORD is my light and my salvation— Whom shall I fear? …"
At 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the heavily armed attackers infiltrated the monastery, broke into the congregation, and killed eight Franciscan monks, together with three laymen who worked at the monastery.Then the armed men began shouting, "Where is Francis Massabki?" while he knelt in prayer before the statue of the Virgin Mary. Francis got up and fearlessly approached them saying, "I am Francis Massabki, what do you seek?" They replied, "The Governor sent us to save you, your brothers, your families, and everyone who joins you, and to give you back your money, provided that you deny your faith and convert to Islam, otherwise you will all perish." This offer came from the Governor because he had borrowed a large sum of money from Francis.
At 8 p.m. on the night of Monday, July 9, 1860, Francis and his brothers Raphael and Abdul-Mooti joined the monastery near their home. At 11 p.m., the doors of the monastery were closed and everyone entered the church. They confessed their sins, received the Holy Eucharist, and recited in their hearts the Psalm "The LORD is my light and my salvation— Whom shall I fear? …"
At 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the heavily armed attackers infiltrated the monastery, broke into the congregation, and killed eight Franciscan monks, together with three laymen who worked at the monastery.Then the armed men began shouting, "Where is Francis Massabki?" while he knelt in prayer before the statue of the Virgin Mary. Francis got up and fearlessly approached them saying, "I am Francis Massabki, what do you seek?" They replied, "The Governor sent us to save you, your brothers, your families, and everyone who joins you, and to give you back your money, provided that you deny your faith and convert to Islam, otherwise you will all perish." This offer came from the Governor because he had borrowed a large sum of money from Francis.
Francis answered them: "The governor can take my money, but my faith nobody can take away from me... We are not afraid of those who kill the body... We are Christians and in the religion of Christ we shall die. We Christians do not fear those who kill the body, as the Lord Jesus said. We have but one soul, and we shall not lose it." Then, he turned to his brothers and said to them, "Take courage and stay strong in your faith, for the crown of victory is prepared in heaven for those who persevere to the end."
They immediately professed their faith in the Lord Jesus with these words: "We are Christians and we want to live and die as Christians." Then, Francis returned to his prayer. The attackers stormed them, striking with their sticks, daggers and axes, at the foot of the altar, and so they surrendered their pure souls into the hand of God, preferring death to disbelief, and thus received the crown of martyrdom. It happened on the dawn of July 10, 1860.
They immediately professed their faith in the Lord Jesus with these words: "We are Christians and we want to live and die as Christians." Then, Francis returned to his prayer. The attackers stormed them, striking with their sticks, daggers and axes, at the foot of the altar, and so they surrendered their pure souls into the hand of God, preferring death to disbelief, and thus received the crown of martyrdom. It happened on the dawn of July 10, 1860.
The 1860 Massacres [4]
The massacres of 1860 are considered some of the most horrible sectarian massacres in the history of the Ottoman Empire (before the massacres of Armenians and Syriacs), and many of the people of the Levant and Mount Lebanon still remember them with pain. One Syrian sociologist reports: "The massacres of 1860 began in Lebanon in April, and within a few weeks, more than 60 Christian villages in the Shouf and Metn areas had been reduced to ashes. In Hasbaya, instructions were given that no Christian male should remain alive between the ages of seven and seventy, and the scope of the disaster reached to Zahle, where almost every house was reduced to ashes. The disaster lasted for three months, 12,000 people were killed, and property losses were estimated at four million pounds..."
The spark reached Damascus, and there the catastrophe took another turn as the mob seized the city and began to kill and destroy with insatiable pleasure.The people of Damascus burned the Christian quarter and killed more than ten thousand people. The total number of victims in the Syrian capital was 11,000 martyrs."
In the midst of the martyrdom of Christians in Damascus, a humanist Islamic story was being unraveled. Many of the dignitaries of Damascus, such as the Algerian prince, Assaad Efendi Hamza, Sheikh Salim al-Attar, Saleh Agha al-Shorbaji, Said Agha al-Nuri, and Omar Agha al-Aabed, tried to protect Christians. Prince Abdelkader of Algeria protected more than a thousand Christians from death... His mission, and that of the honorable Muslims of Damascus, was limited to extending a helping hand to the Christians, and to saving as many as possible. Among the survivors were those who were then in the protected neighborhoods of the pious Muslims, or hidden by a devout Muslim, or were able to reach the Damascus Citadel, which was under the protection of Askar Hashim Agha who rejected what was taking place.
The spark reached Damascus, and there the catastrophe took another turn as the mob seized the city and began to kill and destroy with insatiable pleasure.The people of Damascus burned the Christian quarter and killed more than ten thousand people. The total number of victims in the Syrian capital was 11,000 martyrs."
In the midst of the martyrdom of Christians in Damascus, a humanist Islamic story was being unraveled. Many of the dignitaries of Damascus, such as the Algerian prince, Assaad Efendi Hamza, Sheikh Salim al-Attar, Saleh Agha al-Shorbaji, Said Agha al-Nuri, and Omar Agha al-Aabed, tried to protect Christians. Prince Abdelkader of Algeria protected more than a thousand Christians from death... His mission, and that of the honorable Muslims of Damascus, was limited to extending a helping hand to the Christians, and to saving as many as possible. Among the survivors were those who were then in the protected neighborhoods of the pious Muslims, or hidden by a devout Muslim, or were able to reach the Damascus Citadel, which was under the protection of Askar Hashim Agha who rejected what was taking place.
Beatification [5]
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On May 4, 1926, Archbishop Beshara al-Chemali, Archbishop of Damascus at the time, petitioned Pope Pius XI, asking that the Holy See investigate the evidence for the martyrdom of the three Massabki brothers, like their fellow priests and Franciscan monks, and join the canonization cause of the Three Brothers to theirs.
On 7 October 1926, Pope Pius XI promulgated the Beatification Bull of the Three Massabki Brother Martyrs. On Sunday, October 10, 1926, the Beatification ceremony was held. Raised up on the Great Altar of St. Peter's Basilica were the relics of the Franciscan and Massabki martyrs. The relics of the martyrs are preserved under the great altar in the cathedral of the diocese of Damascus. They include the relics of the three Massabki brothers and the eight Franciscan monks who were martyred together and buried in three places. These remains were exhumed in October 1861. They were placed in two boxes, one of which was handed over to the Archbishop of the Diocese Beshara al- Chemali. He ordered them to be venerated using the prayers and hymns he had published. |
Maronite Icon of the Massabki Brothers Saints
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In Preparation for Their Canonization [6]
In his Tenth Encyclical, His Beatitude, Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros El Rai, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, declares: "It was the decision of the Synod of Bishops of our Holy Church at the session held on Saturday, June 18, 2022, that the Patriarch, on behalf of the bishops, should petition His Holiness Pope Francis to facilitate and expedite the cause for declaring the sainthood of the three Blessed, stating the following justifications: "They are lay people, two of them were married and raised families; they are the first Orientals to be beatified according to the canons of the Holy See; their relics are mixed with those of the eight Blessed Franciscan Martyrs who were martyred with them in the church of their monastery, and this is a sign of the unity of blood between East and West; and finally because they are from Damascus. This is a joy for our church and dioceses in Lebanon and Syria, the patriarchal sphere and the diaspora."
"This cause does not require the existence of a canonically and scientifically proven miracle achieved through their intercession, but rather the emphasis is placed on their exemplary Christian life, and on the importance of the radiation of their canonization in all places and under the current circumstances. It is referred to by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints as "Canonizatione equipollente."
"His Holiness Pope Francis has kindly accepted the petition to count them among the saints, in his interview with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, on the morning of Saturday, December 17, 2022."
"This cause does not require the existence of a canonically and scientifically proven miracle achieved through their intercession, but rather the emphasis is placed on their exemplary Christian life, and on the importance of the radiation of their canonization in all places and under the current circumstances. It is referred to by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints as "Canonizatione equipollente."
"His Holiness Pope Francis has kindly accepted the petition to count them among the saints, in his interview with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, on the morning of Saturday, December 17, 2022."
The Three Massabki Brothers were canonized as Maronite Saints on 20 October 2024.
Prayer [7]
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O great martyr of Calvary, you who gave us through your example and from your radiant cross of life, the example of the true sacrifice, and you have wished in every age and place to give us living examples of this sacrifice through your pure and chosen ones. Now, according to your holy will, grant us, through the intercession of your martyrs, the three Massabki brothers who shed their blood for the sake of your love, and through the intercession of our Virgin Mary, your Most Holy Mother, new examples for the Christian community in our tormented East that was sanctified by the mystery of your lifegiving death and glorious resurrection, in the likeness of these righteous martyrs, who went on as a community to fulfill your holy will to the point of martyrdom. Thus, your name will be glorified, your Church will triumph, faith will be restored and consolidated, your peace will return to this East, and it will shine with your love and radiate with your teachings and by the great innocence of its holy saints, as it radiated in the past by the merits of your blood that was shed in it, for the love of all humanity, our Lord and God, to you be glory and honor with your Blessed Father and your Holy Living Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
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A stained glass window of the Massabki Brothers in St. Joseph Maronite Catholic Church in Maine, USA
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