THE PEOPLE WHO CAME

During the late 19th century, a considerable number of Lebanese and Syrian people migrated to Jamaica, similar to the Jewish immigrants before them. These immigrants were mainly Orthodox Christians who were fleeing religious persecution by the Ottoman Empire.

Unlike many others before them, they were not indentured servants but arrived on their own free will, seeking safety and protection. Although some of them initially landed in Cuba, they were not satisfied there and eventually moved to Jamaica. They first learned about the opportunities available in Jamaica at the 1891 Great Exhibition.

Upon arriving, they found bustling towns and a robust economy that provided various opportunities. Initially, they worked in the banana industry, but when production began to decline, they turned to peddling goods door-to-door, securing financial support from others within their ethnic community. As their businesses prospered, they transitioned to dry goods shops, many of which are still operating in Jamaica today.

The people of Syria and Lebanon brought their unique customs to Jamaica when they migrated there, and still continue to maintain them while also adopting many Jamaican traditions. Syrian bread, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, kibbeth, and tabbouleh are some of the popular foods that have become a part of Jamaican cuisine.

Many individuals of Syrian and Lebanese descent have excelled in various fields including tourism, retail, manufacturing, and horse racing. Some notable personalities of Syrian or Lebanese descent include Miss Jamaica and Miss World 1993, Lisa Hannah; former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Edward Seaga; airline pilot, Maria Ziadie-Haddad; and business executive, Don Wehby.

'Out of Many One People' is the national motto of Jamaica, and the country has provided a home, safety, and opportunities for people from around the world. Jamaica is known for its rich cultural, racial, and religious diversity, and it continues to live up to its motto.

THE FIRST ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN JAMAICA

It is worth noting that Orthodox Christians have been present in Jamaica for over a century. Even before the establishment of an Oriental Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in 1972, there was a Syrian Orthodox community of immigrants in existence.

In 1910, the earliest recorded instance of Orthodox clergy on the island occurred when Father Antonio Michael, a visiting Antiochian priest, served the Divine Liturgy.

Historical records also mention Fr. Raphael Morgan, a Jamaican-born Orthodox priest living in the United States, who visited Jamaica in 1913 and stayed there for several months into 1914. During his visit, he toured the island and gave lectures on his travels, the Holy Land, and other related topics.

The Very Rev. Raphael Morgan was a Jamaican-American priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, designated as "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies, later the founder and superior of the Order of the Cross of Golgotha, and thought to be the first Black Orthodox clergyman in America. He spoke broken Greek, and therefore served mostly in English.

In December 1913, a noteworthy event occurred when a Russian warship docked in Jamaica. Father Raphael conducted the Divine Liturgy on board the ship along with the Russian priest. Several Syrian Jamaicans were present during the service, and Father Raphael used English to make it easier for them to follow.

Syrian and Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Divine Liturgy on Russian warship in Jamaica.

The Rossiya (Russian: Россия)

On the following day, the local newspaper published an article reporting that Fr. Raphael claimed to be in touch with the Syrian Orthodox Bishop of Brooklyn, St. Raphael Hawaweeny, for the benefit of the Syrians living in the area. Fr. Raphael hoped that the Bishop would take some action for the spiritual wellbeing of the Syrians.

Unfortunately, Fr. Raphael fell ill in 1914 and passed away in February 1915. It is uncertain whether he was able to do anything for the Syrians in Jamaica. Over time, many of the Syrians and their descendants converted to Anglicanism.

Our father among the saints Raphael of Brooklyn (November 20, 1860 - February 27, 1915) was born Rafla Hawaweeny in Beirut, Lebanon, to Damascene Syrian refugee parents. He was educated at the Patriarchal School in Damascus, the School of Orthodox Theology in Halki Island, Turkey, and at the Theological Academy in Kiev, Russia.

In 1904 he became the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in North America; the consecration was done by Archbishop St. Tikhon of Moscow and Bishop Innocent in New York City. He served as bishop of Brooklyn, New York until his death. During the course of his ministry as an auxiliary bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, St. Raphael founded the present-day primatial cathedral of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (St. Nicholas Cathedral), established thirty parishes, and assisted in the founding of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

Bishop Raphael was glorified (numbered among the saints) by the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America in its March 2000 session, and the glorification services by that Holy Synod took place in May of that year at St. Tikhon's Monastery with the participation of bishops representing the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and the Church of Poland.

He is commemorated by the Orthodox Church in America on February 27, the anniversary of his death, and by the Church of Antioch on the first Saturday of November, which is shortly before Raphael's own patronal feast (the Feast of the Archangels, November 8).

St. Cyprian's Anglican Church, Highgate, Jamaica. Archimandrite Gerasimos El Azar, a visiting Syrian priest, served the Divine Liturgy here in March of 1933.

The Kingston Parish Church, St. Thomas the Apostle Anglican Church, in Kingston, Jamaica. We know that the Orthodox Divine Liturgy was served in this church on at least, a few occasions in the 1920's and 1930's. On at least two occasions, in 1928 and again in 1933, Orthodox Paschal services were held here by visiting Orthodox clergy.

Fr. Basil Kerbawy was the dean of St. Nicholas Syrian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn.

Fr. Basil Kerbawy was the dean of St. Nicholas Syrian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn.

Basil Moses Kerbawy - Early Lebanese American Historian and Advocate

1940s: Members of the Lebanese community come out to the Palisadoes airport to meet George Shoucair, who has just arrived from Lebanon. He is the gentleman in the middle with a hat in his hand. Many amongst the first wave of Lebanese/Syrian immigrants worshipped in the Greek Orthodox Church but found none on arrival in Jamaica and so turned to the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches ­ the first of many adaptations that included the learning of a new language, and intermingling with Jamaican society, whose own cultural modes were being formed as different groups ­ the Chinese, Indians, Africans and Europeans struggled to make the island their home.

The Syrian community in Jamaica struggled to maintain a functioning faith community due to the absence of permanent clergy. Despite their efforts, the untimely death of St. Raphael of Brooklyn, a prominent figure in the community, and the passing of Fr. Raphael - a Jamaican-born priest - around the same period added to their challenges. However, the biggest obstacle they faced was their isolation from the larger Syrian community.

The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Garassinous El Azar, visiting Syrian priest to Jamaica.