Fr. Saghbiny: “UA’s aim is not to graduate students from Lebanon but to graduate students for Lebanon.”

Antonine University (UA) celebrated its 28th anniversary on the Hadat–Baabda Main Campus, coinciding with the Feast of Our Lady of the Seeds, its beloved Patron Saint. This convergence imbued the joyous occasion with a profound spiritual significance, aligned with UA’s deep-rooted values. The event was graced by the esteemed presence of political, diplomatic, religious, municipal, academic, socio-cultural, and media figures, as well as members of the UA Council and the university community. Among the attendees were Abbot Joseph Bou Raad, Superior General of the Antonine Maronite Order (OAM); H.E. Mr. Elias Bou Saab, Deputy Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament; MPs Alain Aoun, Fadi Alame, Michel Moawad, and Tony Frangieh; in addition to Mr. Bashir Khodr, Governor of Baalbeck–El Hermel.

The ceremony, hosted by Ms. Hanan Merhej, Director of Media Relations at UA, took place at the Monastery of Our Lady of the Seeds and featured a concert of “La messe solenelle” by Gioachino Rossini, performed by the UA Choir under the baton of Maestro Fr. Toufic Maatouk. Following the musical performance, Fr. Michel Saghbiny, UA’s Rector, delivered his annual address on the UA Patronal Feast Day. In his speech, titled “The University, a Laboratory of Hope,” Fr. Saghbiny stated that “in these times of conflict, division, and extreme ideologies, amidst rights violations, hatred, and rampant hypocrisy, the University has a responsibility to shine a beacon of light into this profound darkness. Each day, we reaffirm the importance and centrality of our mission; we cannot afford to remain idle, nor can we simply wait for circumstances to improve on their own.”

The celebration concluded with a convivial cocktail.

You can access the Rector’s speech delivered on this occasion | [EN] [FR] [AR]