The falling asleep of Kh. Joanne Abdalah

[ThePilgrim]

Dear all,

With a heavy heart, and yet with joy in the coming resurrection, I ask your prayers for the soul of the newly-departed handmaiden of God, Khouria Joanne Abdalah, the wife of my spiritual father, Fr. John.

Kh Joanne fell asleep in the Lord on Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer. Her passing was peaceful and from what I heard, she was quite joyful to the end. Thankfully, they had a couple weeks to prepare, during which it was clear that this was coming. The last service she was able to make it to was the Liturgy on Holy Saturday morning, the Sabbath of Light.

Fr. John and Kh. Joanne are/were the co-editors of Word Magazine. Khouria was also involved in a number of other ministries, caring for the dying in hospice, and being the past president of Antiochian Women.

Khouria is survived by Archpriest John, Sbn. Gregory, Joseph, and Maria. Please remember them all in your holy prayers.

http://antiochian.org/node/17737

Grace and peace,
John

[Matrona]

May her memory be eternal!

[Philothei]

Memory eternal:crosseo:

[Kolya]

May her memory be eternal!:crosseo:

[ProScribe]

Eternal memory . . .:crosseo:

[Lukaris]

Memory eternal. Lord have mercy.:crosseo:

[Sothron]

Memory eternal. :crosseo:

[Mary of Bethany]

Eternal memory grant her, O Lord. :crosseo:

Mary

[Kreikkalainen]

Memory eternal.

[MariaRegina]

Eternal be her memory.

Eternal be her memory.

May her memory be eternal.

[jckstraw72]

memory eternal!

[Thekla]

Memory eternal !

[Shubunkin]

Memory eternal.

[nikolayalexandroff]

:crosseo: Memory eternal!

[ThePilgrim]

The obituary for Joanne is available here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08150/885694-122.stm

Her funeral this evening was beautiful, as it was a Paschal funeral, and so we all sang the Paschal canon as part of the funeral service.

As a testimony to the great love that she had for those around her, and the depth of their love in return for her, her funeral was attended by 8 hierarchs, including 6 of the 7 bishops within the Antiochian Archdiocese, headed by Metropolitan Philip, all of whom flew in from around the country at almost no notice to be there for the funeral of their friend, Joanne. The funeral was also attended by dozens and dozens of priests (50ish?) and more mourners than could be counted.

And yet, as the Epistle reading said, we do not mourn as those who have no hope, for we know that if Christ was raised, so also we shall be raised together with Him.

Christ is risen!

In Christ,
John

[buzuxi02]

Her Memory Eternal!

[Rowan]

May her memory be eternal!

[-Kyriaki-]

May her memory be eternal.

[cassc]

Eternal be the Memory of Khouria Joanne Abdalah