On the occasion of the Feast of the Blessed Virgin, a celebration in the ancient church of Umm Sharashuh held in Homs

Homs (ST): The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Homs held a religious celebration on the occasion of the Feast of the Virgin Mary in the square of the ancient church in the village of Umm Sharashuh.

In a statement, Archbishop George Abu Zakhem, Metropolitan of Homs and its dependencies, confirmed that holding the celebration in the 130-year-old archaeological church, proves our commitment to the roots of our ancestors and fathers, which we will not abandon, adding that we came here to shed light on this church and the village .

In turn, Engineer Mofeed Al-Fares, Mayor of Umm Sharshuh, indicated that this holiday is a special holiday for the people of the village and its church, which has been affected by vandalism and terrorism, pointing to the efforts made by the governorate to restore infrastructure services, and that the number of people who returned to the village is estimated at 30 families.

The official responsible for organizing the event, Mudar Rahal, referred to the distinguished attendance this year of the event, which was attended by about a thousand people from the village, praising the voluntary efforts made by the youth that were made for the success of the event, as they believed in the role of the village’s youth in participating in its reconstruction and bringing life back to it.

A number of villagers expressed their happiness and hope to return to their village through this event.

Reem Daoud, who was displaced from the village about 11 years ago, saw that this event is a sign of hope and goodness for the people to return to their homes.

Nizar Barshin stated that the event has a special religious and social significance, as the villagers used to gather in their village despite the great vandalism that affected it, as they wanted to express their belonging to their roots.