Majdi Allawi (born 18 February 1970, in

Byblos Byblos ( ; ), also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl (, Lebanese Arabic, locally ), is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000BC and continuously inhabited ...

Byblos District Byblos District (; transliteration: ''Qadaa' Jbeil''), also called the Jbeil District (''Jbeil'' is Lebanese Arabic for "Byblos"; standard Arabic ''Jubail''), is a district ('' qadaa'') of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is located ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

) is a Lebanese

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, convert to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

from

Shia Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

and founder of the association Bonheur du Ciel, which helps young

drug addicts Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

Biography

Allawi comes from a Lebanese Shia Muslim family and converted to Catholicism on 15 August 1981, when he was only 11 years old. Becoming a Catholic priest, he founded the association Bonheur du Ciel, which essentially helps young addicts in Lebanon. He also founded in

Bourj Hammoud Bourj Hammoud (also spelled Burj Hammud; ; ) is a town and municipality in Lebanon located north-east of the capital Beirut, in the Matn District, and is part of Greater Beirut. The town is heavily populated by Lebanese Armenians. Bourj Hammoud ...

the first restaurant for the poor of the country. On the first day of

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

2014, when he wanted to give one of his kidneys to a person waiting for a transplant, medical tests reveal that he has a serious stomach problem due to a very severe virus. Dying, he was cured on the day of the

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

without medical explanation, few days after his son had been praying at the tomb of St.

Charbel Makhlouf Charbel Makhlouf, Lebanese Maronite Order, O.L.M. (, May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898), born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf and venerated as Saint Charbel, was a Maronite Church, Maronite monk and priesthood (Catholic Church), priest from modern-day L ...

, at Annaya. He concludes: "On August 15, 1981, I was born for the first time in the Spirit as a Christian. On August 15, 2014, I was born again, by the gift of healing that

Saint Charbel Charbel Makhlouf, O.L.M. (, May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898), born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf and venerated as Saint Charbel, was a Maronite monk and priest from modern-day Lebanon. During his life, he obtained a wide reputation for holiness, an ...

granted me". In 2017, Father Allawi suffered an accident when he crashed his car and his son was with him, but they survived to it.

References

External links

* http://www.bonheurduciel.com/en/about-us {{DEFAULTSORT:Allawi, Majdi 1970 births Living people People from Byblos Converts to Eastern Catholicism from Shia Islam Lebanese Maronites Eastern Catholic priests Lebanese former Shia Muslims