In early fall, Father Charbel Jamhoury stepped off a plane from Beirut, his smile broadening with every step.
He was home, returning to a corner of the world that initially captured his heart more than 10 years ago.
A two-year odyssey that took him from St. Agnes Church in Baton Rouge to Rome and to his homeland Lebanon had finally ended. And he was back in residence at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge, where his ministerial career in the Diocese of Baton Rouge began in 2009.
“I can’t find words to tell you about my excitement when I knew I would be assigned (parochial vicar) at Mercy,” Father Jamhoury said. “The altar of Our Lady of Mercy has always had a special place in my heart.
“To me, Mercy is not a simple parish but indeed a shrine dedicated to adoring the Lord 24/7 and honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
Father Jamhoury was thriving at St. Agnes, his deep faith and engaging personality energizing the aging parish, when in September 2020 he was required to leave the United States because of difficulties with immigration policy. At the time of his departure, he was hoping to return in six months but COVID-19 restrictions extended his leave to two years.
While away he spent time in Rome and upon returning to his native Beirut he taught at the Holy Spirit University teaching Christology, a course on dogmatic theory, to students and seminarians.
“When I left (Baton Rouge) the COVID pandemic was at its peak and was raging, and that slowed down the paperwork at the immigration offices,” he said. “It was indeed a very difficult time to pursue the paperwork for the Green card. It was a moment of stress at all levels.”
Several months ago he learned his paperwork was finally processed and admittedly he was thrilled.
“Arriving at Mercy, I felt again this feeling that I’m at my ‘home parish,’ first at the rectory welcomed by my brother and pastor Father Cleo Milano and in the church surrounded by many friends and parishioners, even many of them from St. Agnes at our daily Masses and with whom also I spent the most amazing and beautiful years of my priesthood at this holy place,” he said.
Father Jamhoury said there was much he missed about Baton Rouge, including the people that he believes God gave to him to preach, love and serve the Lord. He also missed celebrating Latin Mass at St. Agnes, the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Divine Mercy Chaplet during Lent, weekly breakfast gatherings in the St. Agnes cafeteria and monthly dinners after the St. Sharbel healing Mass, also celebrated at St. Agnes.
“I know that I don’t have the gift of healing like many of the men and women in the church have but celebrating the (healing Mass) of St. Sharbel was always a special moment of grace and a deep feeling of hope and trust in the Lord; that God exists and is ready anytime and at every Eucharist, to help, save and heal,” Father Jamhoury said. “I pray to the Virgin Mary at Mercy for guidance in case we need to repeat the same experience and invite the people to trust in the Lord and the powerful intercession of his saint as they do at St. Agnes and in many places around the world.”
As parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mercy, Father Jamhoury, who recently purchased a car, said his priority will be assisting Father Milano by ministering to the parish and to parishioners.
He will also be active in creating a committee to focus on building a shrine dedicated to St. Sharbel Makhlouf on land owned by the Lebanese Maronitic Order.
He said he will be working with the Foundation of St. Sharbel Makhlouf on the shrine.
His hope is to “spread the healing presence of St. Sharbel, and work with God’s grace to establish a shrine (a church and a monastery) honoring this saint coming from the ‘holy land,’ Lebanon, a place where Jesus walked and taught many times in our area.”
For now he is enjoying his time back in the city he loves, and back in a diocese he has adopted and he believes has adopted him. He thanked Bishop Michael G. Duca and many others who consistently wrote letters and made calls to help facilitate his return.
“Indeed, I’m grateful to God for all their hard work and generosity,” he said.