Monsignor Labib Kobti |
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Pastor
at St. Thomas More Church, San Francisco |
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Monsignor Labib Kobti |
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Pastor
at St. Thomas More Church, San Francisco |
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Was sent then to serve as Secretary to the Apostolic Vicariate of Lebanon 1985-1986. Worked as Judge and Defender of Bond at the Latin, Syrian and Chaldean Ecclesiastical Tribunals in Beirut, Lebanon. Was sent back to Rome in 1987 to continue his studies in theology and was awarded his MA in Theology (Ecclesiology). He worked as assistant pastor at Jesus the Worker parish in Rome. Was recruited by the Vatican to Study at the Pontifical Academy that prepares the Vatican Diplomats in 1989-1990. Because of health problems at that time had to leave his studies. Was sent to serve as Parish priest in Marj Al Hamam, Jordan 1990-1992. Served as Judge and Defender of Bond at the Latin Tribunal of Amman, Jordan and general director all the Latin, Patriarchal Vicariate of Jordan for the Youth Groups, scouts, Legion of Mary, Family Groups; at the same time he served as spiritual director of the Association of Feminine religious Congregations of Jordan (about 13 different feminine, congregations and sisters), teacher and spiritual director at the Rosary Sisters and the Franciscan Sisters schools in Amman, Jordan. Was sent by Patriarch Michel Sabbah, 1992, to serve the Arab-American Catholic Community in California. He established two, missions, St. Joseph in Pomona, Los Angeles and St. Anne's of the Sunset in San Francisco and was commuting every week between the two missions for 6 years, serving at the same time the Arab-American Catholics in Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. He created a magazine Al Bushra (5 thousand copies) in English and Arabic. The Magazine used to speak about the Christian Arab Heritage, the challenges of the Christians of the Middle East and the human rights of the Arab People. He worked as a second judge and Defender of the Bond at the Maronite Tribunal in Los Angeles. In the summer of 1994 he created a website Al-Bushra that promotes justice, peace and truth on the issues of Middle East Human Right. The website got a lot of awards. He has been invited by many organizations and Universities to speak on the issues of the Holy Land as a Human Rights advocate. He also created www.bethlehem.org. In October 1997 he was chosen by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, (ADC) Los Angeles and Orange County as the man of the year and received the "Alex Odeh Humanitarian Award". In November 1998 he was assigned to serve only San Francisco as the Latin Patriarchate sent another priest to serve Los Angeles and Southern California. Was assigned by Archbishop William Levada as Pastor of St. John of God (1290 Fifth Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122), effective July 1999, besides his work as Pastor of the Arab-American Roman Catholic Community in northern California. His direct superior as a diocesan Priest is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. He speaks Arabic, French, English, Italian, Spanish. He is bi-Ritual Latin Rite and Maronite rite (the Maronite rite uses the Siro-Aramaic language of Jesus at their, liturgy). Served at SJOG through June 30, 2002. In 1999 he was invited to join the Knights of Holy Sepuchre, he was invested by Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles in October 1999 in Phoenix, Arizona. He was assigned, effective July 1, 2002, as pastor of St. Thomas More (1300 Junipero Serra Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94132). St. Thomas More became also the new sede of the Arab-American Catholic Community in North California.
He created an EXHIBITION on the Holy Land, where
people can visit the Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon, you may
see it at St. Thomas More Church or here on the
internet. Al-Bushra was the first in the world to broadcast LIVE on the internet in 1998 the midnight Mass from Bethlehem as well as Holy Thursday and Easter Masses from Jerusalem and also the Feast of the Annunciation Mass from Nazareth. 1) 1992 Youth Group Chaplain Award from
the latin Vicariate of Jordan
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