The months of July and August saw the Province caught in a series of activities and festivities. From July 17^th to July 23^rd, almost all the Fathers and Brothers from the seven countries of the Province met in our retreat house in Tanail, in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, for a Provincial session whose aim it was to launch an apostolic discernment process. On the eve of the session and again on the day after its end, two scholastics, Rabih Hourani and Jad Jabbour were ordained deacons in our church of Our Lady of the Consolata, in Tanail, while Youssef Abdel Nour was ordained sub-deacon in Minia, Egypt.

The session took place in the joy of meeting once again, or of a first meeting for some, and in a fraternal spirit. The work was divided into presentations by Fr. Provincial and his assistants, and sharing in small groups. These sharings were very frank and very fraternal. The Masses were celebrated in the three rites of the Province: Coptic, Melkite and Latin. In the final evaluation, everyone expressed his appreciation for this meeting and especially for the moments of sharing in small groups, as well as for the moments of informal sharing where we got to know each other (not an easy thing for many of us, given the extent of the Province. During a break in the session, we had an outing to Lake Qaroun, in the West Bekaa Valley and we ended our meeting with a very pleasant good-bye dinner in the garden of our retreat house.

On returning back to Egypt, the Fathers and Brothers there were busy with different ordinations. On the 31^st July, the feast of Saint Ignatius was celebrated in the church of the Collège de la Sainte Famille by the Coptic Catholic Patriarch, His Beatitude Mgr. Ibrahim Ishak, who gave Minor Orders to Amir Adel and Joseph Nabil, and the priestly ordination to Fady Georges. These ordinations were followed by a festive supper with the families and friends of the ordinands in the playgrounds of the college.

Notwithstanding the Provincial session, the Egyptian region decided to maintain the annual regional session and it was held in Marsa Matrouh, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Fathers and Brothers of the region wanted to take time to pray, reflect and share together about the documents of GC 36, and especially to take time to relax together. Fr. Provincial joined us and his presence was greatly appreciated by all. In the coming days, the beginning of September, before their return to Lebanon to continue their studies, Amir and Joseph will be ordained deacons.