PARK SLOPE — It’s always bittersweet when a beloved pastor moves on to a new role. And for the parishioners of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Park Slope, it is with pride and sadness that they say goodbye to Father Antoine Rizk as he departs for Lebanon.
Father Rizk has served as pastor at the Melkite Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary for more than 17 years. In July, Father Rizk was elected superior general of the Basilian Salvatorian Order — an Eastern Catholic monastic order established in 1863 and located in Joun, El-Chouf, near Sidon, Lebanon.
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In his new role, Father Rizk said he oversees the order’s religious houses around the world, supports the formation of new members, fosters unity within the order, and helps direct its work in parishes, seminaries, monasteries, schools, and social centers.
Gregory Oussani, a parishioner at the Church of the Virgin Mary who has known Father Rizk for 17 years, said he is a learned and pious priest, as well as an innovative administrator. He said these qualities “will serve [Father Rizk] well” in his new role.
“I pray God grants him much success in his new ministry, fulfilling his priestly vocation of building God’s kingdom,” Oussani said.
Father Rizk said his election to the role of superior general wasn’t a complete surprise, as some members had spoken to him before the election. Regardless, he acknowledged the importance of the role and the work that lies ahead.
“It is a big responsibility, but a beautiful one, and I accepted it with humility and trust in God — and a strong sense of duty to serve the order and the Church with love and faithfulness,” Father Rizk said, adding that he is excited to return to Lebanon, especially to his family and the Monastery of the Holy Saviour.
“I’m very happy to spend more time there,” Father Rizk said. “It is my homeland, and it holds a deep place in my heart.”
Father Rizk also acknowledged that the plight of Christians in the region weighs heavily on his heart. Now, being close to the people and the land, he said, helps him better understand the needs of the community and how the order can help.
“As superior general, I hope to support Christians in Lebanon, Syria, and the region by strengthening our religious life and our presence in schools, parishes, and social centers, despite the war,” he said, specifically highlighting education, financial aid, and a strong Christian identity as ways the order can help.
“We are here to serve, to listen, to attend to the wounds, and to walk with the people in faith, especially the young generation who need encouragement to stay rooted in their homeland,” Father Rizk said.
Father Rizk’s new assignment will relocate him to Lebanon for the next six years.
While headquartered in the monastery, he will also travel to visit religious houses in other countries.
While there are no other members of clergy from the Diocese of Brooklyn serving in Lebanon, Father Rizk credits his strong ties and connections in the diocese with helping him serve in his new role.
“The Catholic Church is one family,” he said. “And whether in Lebanon, Brooklyn, or anywhere else, we are working together to serve God’s people with love and unity.
“So even though I am now based in Lebanon, I see my mission as including the entire Church family, both at home and across the world.”