George Riashi (Qaa el Reem, near

Zahlé Zahlé ( ar, زَحْلة) is the capital and the largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 150,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli and the fourth largest taking the whole urban area ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

on November 25, 1933 – October 28, 2012) was the Greek Melkite Catholic bishop of

Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tripoli Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tripoli (in Latin: Archeparchy Tripolitana Graecorum Melkitarum) is a diocese of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church suffragan of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre. It is governed by Archeparch Ed ...

and all North Lebanon.

Life

George Riashi was one of nine children of Khattar and Zahia Riashi. Until 1948 he attended the local school and then moved to the Saint John's Basilian Seminary. Until 1953, he remained in the Basilian seminary and made his temporal vows. His religious name was Athanasius, according to Athanasius of Alexandria. Riashi started his religious studies to become a priest in 1955 in the Basilian Chouerite Order's Mar Yohanna Seminary in Khenchara and later in Saint Joseph University in Beirut in the American University of Beirut. From 1958 to 1965 Riashi studied philosophy, theology, computer science and mathematics. In 1962 he became a subdeacon and 1963 was ordained deacon. Riashi was ordained to the priesthood on 4 April 1965, but took off his name Athanasius and bore the name of George, being a member of the Basilian Chouerite Order. In France he continued his studies, receiving a scholarship at the

Institut Catholique de Paris The Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), known in English as the Catholic University of Paris (and in Latin as ''Universitas catholica Parisiensis''), is a private university located in Paris, France. History: 1875–present The Institut Catholiq ...

. Then Riashi went back to Lebanon and taught for the next five years at the Basilian Saint John Seminary. At the same time he devoted himself to work in the Scout movement and was the Chaplain-General of them in Lebanon. and until 1969 was the head of Choueriot Seminary. He was appointed principal of Saint Antoine Secondary School in

Kfarshima Kfarshima ( ar, كفرشيما), also spelled Kfarchima, is a town in the Baabda District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut and is part of Greater Beirut. The town is populated by Lebanese Christians: mainly Melkite Greek ...

, Lebanon for a year, before serving in the United States from 1970 until 1987. On December 1, 1971 Riachi came to Detroit sent and supported there by Archimandrite Agabios in his office. He took over in 1978 pastoral work to Melkites in Detroit and was named Archimandrite on 21 July 1981 by Patriarch

Maximos V Hakim Maximos V Hakim ( ar, ماكسيموس الخامس حكيم; May 18, 1908, in Tanta, Egypt – June 29, 2001, Beirut, Lebanon) was elected Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church i ...

Episcopal dignity

In 1987, he was elected by the Holy Synod of the Melkite Church as first Bishop of the

Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Saint Michael Archangel in Sydney The Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Saint Michael Archangel (Latin: Eparchia Sancti Michaëlis Sydneyensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is based in Sydney suburb of Darlington, Australia. The eparchy is administered by Bishop Robert Rabbat. The Rt. R ...

. The Patriarch of Antioch

was his consecrator and his co-consecrators were Archbishop

Joseph Tawil Archbishop Joseph Tawil (December 25, 1913 – February 17, 1999) was the Melkite Greek Catholic eparch for the United States, teacher and theologian. He is remembered for his participation in the Second Vatican Council, expanding the Melkite Ch ...

of Newton and Archbishop Jean Mansour, SMSP, Auxiliary Bishop of Antioch, and his episcopal ordination was performed on 19 July 1987. In 1995 the Melkite Synod elected him Bishop of Tripoli and all the North. In this office, Riashi was a participant in the Special Assembly of the

Synod of Bishops (Catholic) In the Catholic Church, the Synod of Bishops, considered as an advisory body for the pope, is one of the ways in which the bishops render cooperative assistance to him in exercising his office. It is described in the 1983 Code of Canon Law as "a ...

on the Middle East. In 2010 the Melkite Synod accepted his age-related withdrawal.George Riashi
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Death

On 28 October 2012, Riashi died.

Notes

External links

* http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/briashi.html 1933 births 2012 deaths Lebanese Melkite Greek Catholics Melkite Greek Catholic bishops 21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops Saint Joseph University alumni American University of Beirut alumni 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops {{EasternCatholic-bishop-stub