The Opening Mass for the academic year 2016-2017 took place on September 28, 2016, at the Notre Dame University-Louaize North Lebanon Campus (NDU-NLC). Present were NDU President Fr. Walid Moussa; NDU Choir Choirmaster and Composer Fr. Khalil Rahme; NLC Director Fr. Samir Ghsoub; and NLC University Chaplain Fr. Tarek Mechaalany. In addition to faculty members and staff, a large number of NLC students attended the Mass.
Fr. Moussa in his sermon said, “At the beginning of every academic year, we pray that we are able to achieve the goals we have set to better serve our community … We celebrate today’s Mass to ask God to guide us so that we can fulfil our mission amidst the challenges and difficulties, facing our country. Solutions seem absent in the foreseeable future. Terror, a tense economic situation, social unrest, electricity crises, and many other issues prevail today. The problem of the displaced Syrians is worsening day after day and the numbers are getting higher and higher, creating untold pressure in a country plagued by high unemployment rates.”
He also noted that the role of education and the role of students should be a priority in our daily task, especially students who in their quest for truth and justice without discrimination must preserve human dignity by abolishing all forms of ‘slavery’ and by implementing love and compassion in society.”
Following the Fr. Moussa’s sermon, NLC student Saydeh Semaan, accompanied by the captivating music of Fr. Rahmeh, enchanted the congregation with her beautiful voice.
For his part, Fr. Ghssoub welcomed the new students to NLC, saying, “The University is no longer a place where we simply go to acquire knowledge and other tools to help us progress in life; rather, it has become a venue where we interact with society at large…”