Pope Francis on October 20, 2024, will canonize the Three Massabki Brothers in the Vatican. The three brothers, Francis, Abdul-Mooti, Raphael were martyred on July 8, 1860, during an Ottoman attack on a Franciscan Church in Damascus, Syria. They had the option to renounce their faith and convert or die. They chose to continue to profess their faith in Jesus Christ, which they were martyred. May their prayers be with us. Today within the Maronite Church in the United States, they are seen as patron saints to the National Apostolate of Maronites (NAM). To learn more about the Massabki Brothers, the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn webpage provides a variety of texts including Patriarch Mar Bechara El Rai's 10th Encyclical on the Blessed Martyrs.
