Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Fadi Rabbat

SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE RT. REV. ARCHIMANDRITE FADI RABBAT
The Right Reverend Archimandrite Fadi Rabbat was born in Achrafieh, Beirut (Lebanon) on December 19, 1977. He was Baptized orthodox on September 10, 1978, at Saint Elias Orthodox Church Beit-Mery, Mount of Lebanon.

As a young boy, he studied at the schools of the French Catholic Christian Brothers of Saint John Baptist de la Salle at Saint Mary School in Beit-Meri and later at Mont La Salle, Ain Saadé.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Beit-Mery Official Secondary School, he went on to study law, earning License Degrees in Lebanese law and General Law, as well as a Master’s Degree in Public Law (DEA) from Holy Spirit University - USEK - Lebanon. He continued studying law in France, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Public Law (DESU) and eventually a Ph.D. from Pierre Couvrat Doctoral School of Poitiers University.

He returned to Lebanon and started teaching law at his alma mater at the age of 24, making him the youngest law professor in the Middle East.
He is regarded as a prominent scholar, having authored numerous articles that have been published in Arabic, French, Spanish, and English, including two of his doctoral dissertations entitled “Le Juge et la preuve dans le contentieux administratif libanais et Français” (2014) and “L'Eglise orthodoxe d'Antioche, le mariage et le mariage mixte. Histoire, réalité et perspectives” (2016).

Archimandrite Fadi was always interested in theology and the Tradition of the Orthodox Church. He combined his love for the law and the church by studying orthodox theology (at ASU and I.T.O.S.S) and canonical law, earning a Ph.D. in canonical law from the Institute of Canonical Law of Strasbourg University in France.

Upon the invitation of His Eminence Hilarion Alfeyev, Metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary of the Russian Orthodox Church, Fr. Fadi joined Saints Cyril and Saint Methodius Institute of PostGraduate Studies (Moscow Patriarchate), where he was pursuing his doctoral studies and dissertation in Theology under the supervision of Dr. Marina Mikhailova. Due to the COVID pandemic, he transferred them to AHOS on August 23, 2021, under the supervision of Metropolitan Kyrilos Katerelos. His dissertation is titled: “L'expérience orthodoxe de la thérapie spirituelle: les dimensions psycho-sympoliques et théoanthropologiques” (“The Orthodox Experience of Spiritual Therapy: The Psycho- symbolic and Theo-anthropological Dimensions”).

On December 15, 2022, Archimandrite Fadi Rabbat defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Orthodox Studies. He becomes the first person to receive a Ph.D. from the Antiochian House of Studies (AHOS) in its 42-year history. Fr. Fadi defended his dissertation virtually before Metropolitan Kyrillos Katerelos, his thesis supervisor, and Metropolitan Grigorios Papathomas, both at the University of Athens; Fr. Michel Najim, Professor and President of AHOS; and others. Acting on the recommendation of the AHOS Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, Fr. Michel awarded Fr. Fadi the Ph.D. summa cum laude, "an excellent dissertation that brings an original and innovative contribution to the field or discipline."

On March 21, 2009, Father Fadi was ordained to the diaconate under the omophorion of His Eminence Elias (Kfoury), Metropolitan of Tyre and Sidon – Lebanon. From 2009 to 2011, he worked as Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Tyre and Sidon – Lebanon.

On August 21, 2011, he was admitted to the order of the priesthood at the Patriarchal Monastery of St. Elias Chwaya in Lebanon by the laying on of hands of His Eminence Antonio (Chedraoui), Metropolitan of Mexico and dependencies, of thrice Blessed Memory, who also granted him, in the same liturgy, the rank of Archimandrite.

Since then, Archimandrite Fadi was appointed by His Eminence Antonio, Judge and Vice President of the Ecclesiastical Court, Secretary and Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Mexico, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean Sea. In 2012, he was assigned to serve as rector of the Cathedral of St. George in Mexico City. While there, he translated many liturgical services into Spanish, and he evangelized many Latino Americans in their conversion to Orthodox Christianity and was a leader and spiritual guide to countless Orthodox youth.

He also lectured on diverse topics, including Eastern Patristics, Introduction to Orthodoxy, Byzantine Iconography, Administrative Law, Administrative Litigation and Human Rights, and was awarded three Doctorates Honoris Causa from Mexican universities: Universidad Instituto Americano Cultural, Organización Mundial de los Abogados, and Instituto Mexicano de Líderes de Excelencia. He has been member a of the National Advocacy Council of Mexico, the Mexican National Association of Doctors in Law, and the National Council of the Mexican-Lebanese Legal Society “Al Muhami.”

Archimandrite Fadi served as Founder and Dean of the Faculty of Bible Sciences at the University Olga and Rafael Ayau Cordon (CERA) in Guatemala, where he was a professor teaching orthodoxy, religions and spirituality, and is the author of the Spanish book entitled ‘Levítico,’ (Levitucus) published by Editorial Rafael Ayau on Apple Books.

On June 14, 2017, after the departure of His Eminence Metropolitan Antonio (Chedraoui) of thrice Blessed Memory, Archimandrite Fadi was appointed by His Beatitude John X, Patriarchal Vicar of Mexico and Central America. He remained is his position until November 4, 2017.
He then moved to the United States of America and served under Metropolitan Joseph Zahlaoui, former Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America, who sent him as an episcopal visitor to the Dioceses of Los Angeles and the West, and the Diocese of New York and Washington, D.C. He also served as interim pastor for a year and half at St. James Antiochian Orthodox Church in Poughkeepsie, New York.

He remains active in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. He is a tenured professor of Mystical Theology, Pastoral Theology, Homiletics and Ethos of the Orthodox Church and the Academic Dean of the Antiochian House of Studies (AHOS).
Within AHOS and in relationship with the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America and other ecclesiastical and organizational entities, he is coordinating several committees and centers: Orthodox Family Center, Media Center, Translation Center, and Academic Association.
He is a professor of Canon Law and Christology and Life after Death, teaching under the doctorate in ministry program (D.Min.) at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

He is fluent in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

Since February 1, 2019, he is serving, as pastor at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, at El Paso, Texas

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