The Maronite Catholic archbishop of Damascus-- the capital of war-torn Syria-- said in a Christmas letter that a new chapel will be dedicated in the city’s suburbs on January 8. “In the middle of destruction this new chapel appears like the star of the Magi which leads to the Divine Child,” said Archbishop Samir Nassar. “It is a true Christmas present, an oasis of prayer and a sign of joy and of hope in the middle of a world of violence, of intolerance, anguish, fear, and death.” “To build a church in times of war and desolation expresses the will to overcome death and the courage of living the Faith,” he added. “Our modest faithful choose to row against the current and to renew their confidence in Jesus Christ in this dark night.”

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