Mar Elias Campus follows the laws of the State of Israel. The Board of Trustees is an essential body that supports the academic activities of the campus, helps in securing the budgets needed for the physical development and supervises its general activities. It consists of  members from the local Arab and Jewish communities and from interested and supporting personalities from the United States and Europe.  The Board of Trustees meets at least once a year to examine and discuss financial and academic reports that the local administration presents. The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees is Susan Drinan, a member of First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton, who was among the speakers during the graduation ceremony and the people presenting diplomas to the graduates. Read Susan Drinan's Commencement Speech.

Archbishop Elias Chacour, seated in the front row on the left, is the founder of Mar Elias Educational Institutions. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times and has received many international peace awards. He came to Ibillin as a young Melkite priest in 1965.  Educational opportunities beyond eighth grade in the area were almost nonexistent.  Father Chacour established a community center, library, and kindergarten in Ibillin.  He then began his dream of establishing a high school, which opened in 1982.  Mar Elias Technical College opened in 1994.  Currently Mar Elias Educational Institutions consist of a kindergarten, elementary school that now includes grades 1-8, technical college, and university, all of which are open to Christians, Jews, Moslems, and Druze, and where peace can be built on the top of school desks.

First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton has been a supporter of Archbishop Elias Chacour and the Mar Elias Educational Institutions since 1995 when a group of 37 church members and friends traveled to the Holy Land and first visited Ibillin.  Abuna Chacour has made several trips to Wheaton since then, including speaking to a combined First Presbyterian worship service that was held at Wheaton College in about 1998. 

We had the privilege of attending a presentation by and reception for Father Elias Chacour here at our church on Sunday afternoon, September 29, 2002, when he made another visit to the United States.  Following the reception was the organizational meeting of the Olive Branch Chapter of the Pilgrims of Ibillin.

At a Middle Eastern dinner, co-hosted by Friends Across the Generations and Pilgrims of Ibillin, held during his visit on Friday, May 16, 2003, nearly 350 people filled Stewart Hall and contributed $10,000 to Father Chacour’s work.

During Archbishop Chacour's visit to the Wheaton, Illinois, area the weekend of March 23-26, 2006, thanks to the members of Pilgrims of Ibillin and all their hard work, he spoke and preached to nearly 4000 people at 12 different events, including a Pilgrim's Breakfast here at First Presbyterian on Saturday morning, March 25, attended by about 275 people. Through the generosity of people who came to listen to him, 39 desks were dedicated, enough to fill a classroom, along with a computer, library and reference books, and elementary school kits.  $10,000 was raised for the Archbishop’s Scholarship fund so the neediest children can be helped.  In all, over $50,000 in gross revenues were raised at all these events.  Archbishop Chacour came to the Chicago area to speak about injustice and to find support for his schools and accomplished both of his goals glowingly.

On May 17, 2007, Archbishop Elias Chacour and Mark Braverman combined for a fund-raising presentation held at Christ Church of Oak Brook entitled "Two Views."  The evening also included dessert, book signing, conversation, and a raffle.  First Presbyterian volunteers helped with much of the planning, organizing, and publicity for this event.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Financial support is urgently needed to sustain educational programs.  Mar Elias University is a mission of First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton, and we have a separate account established here.  Checks can be made out to First Presbyterian with "Mar Elias University" in the memo line and sent directly to our church office: 

Your donations will go directly to Mar Elias University and are tax deductible.  For additional information Susan Drinan can be contacted by email at BLACKTHORNE369@aol.com.

You can also help Palestinian Christians by purchasing beautiful hand-carved olive wood items that come directly from Bethlehem and Beit Sahour - the town of the Shepherd’s Field next to Bethlehem. Proceeds go directly to Palestinian Christians to provide employment and education for the children at Mar Elias Elementary School, founded by Father Elias Chacour. For more information or to purchase these beautiful items, which were on display at our November 2005 Christmas Festival, contact Cerena Fischer at 630-289-4942 or by email at bethlehemimport2@aol.com. You can also view photos and obtain more information on the Bethlehem Imports website - http://www.bethlehemimports.org.

Our thanks to Susan Drinan for much of the information on this page.  Our special thanks to Yasmine Mattar, Graduate of Mar Elias Campus, Communication with minor in Marketing, and Journalist at Ashams Radio Station, who provided the summary translations of the newspaper reports and the photos, which were taken by herself, her friends, and her family.

Last updated Sunday, December 02, 2007

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