Month: October 2017

Prince Gharios El Chemor attends red carpet at 3rd Asian World Film Festival

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from left to right: legend action director Art Camacho, Prince Gharios El Chemor and martial arts legend and actor Don “The Dragon” Wilson

HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor of Ghassan Al-Nu’man VIII  have attended last night the red carpet and opening of the 3rd Asian World Film Festival. The Prince is part of the festival’s board since its inception in 2015. Also members of the festival’s board with the Prince names like Award-Winning Actress Joan Chen, Executive Producer mogul Mario Kassar, Screen Actors Guild Award-Winning Actress Lucy Liu, International action star Steven Seagal, Director of Oscar Nominated film “Dallas buyers club” Jean-Marc Vallee and former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) brings the best of a broad selection of Asian World cinema to Los Angeles in order to draw greater recognition to the region’s wealth of filmmakers, strengthening ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries.

Uniting through cross-cultural collaboration, the festival champions films from  over 50 countries across Asia spanning from the Middle East to Japan and Russia to India.

More about the festival: http://www.asianworldfilmfest.org/ 

Coptic Bishop Angaelos receives the Order of Saint Michael Archangel in London

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His Grace Bishop Angaelos receiving the Order from HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor  

During his last trip to London, HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor has bestowed upon the His Grace Bishop Angaelos, the General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church for the United Kingdom, the rank of knight commander of the Order of Saint Michael Archangel. 

His Grace is widely recognized for his extensive advocacy work. As a result he was conferred with the honor of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty The Queen, for ‘Services to International Religious Freedom’. He has also been conferred with the Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Coventry Cross of Nails for Reconciliation. With a pastoral ministry spanning two decades, Bishop Angaelos also specializes in youth ministry and travels extensively around the world to speak at youth conferences and conventions.

More about His Grace Bishop Angaelos:

http://copticcentre.blogspot.com/p/hg-bishop-angaelos.html

More about the Order of Saint Michael Archangel:

http://www.michaelarchangel.org/

Prince Gharios El Chemor attends Coptic Orthodox service in London

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HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor with His Grace Bishop Angaelos

Last Tuesday, HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor of Ghassan has attended the annual Nayrouz service at St Margaret’s Church (Westminster’s) in London invited by His Grace Bishop Angaelos, the General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom.

Nayrouz or Neyrouz is a feast when martyrs and confessors are commemorated within the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Feast of Neyrouz also marks the first day of the Coptic year.

Joining members of the Coptic community at the service were international royalty, members of the House of Lords, the Office of the Prime Minister, House of Commons, the Foreign Commonwealth Office, the Diplomatic Corps, the Home Office, humanitarian and advocacy organisations, and various ecumenical, and inter-religious guests. Also, several bishops and priests from different denominations have helped Bishop Anagelos to celebrate the service.

Messages from Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury, were read.

Addresses were also delivered by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, The Lord Alton of Liverpool, The Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales and The Right Honourable Alistair Burt MP, Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and Minister of State for International Development.

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Prince Gharios El Chemor at the “prima fila” (VIP row) at Westminster (St Margaret’s Church) in London

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More about the event at http://copticcentre.blogspot.com/2017/10/report-at-annual-coptic-nayrouz-service.html

 

HIRH Prince Cheikh Antonios El Chemor The Honorary Founder of the modern Royal House of Ghassan

HIRH Prince Antonios El Chemor
The El Chemor Palace in Lebanon

Born in 1910 Cheikh Antonios El Chemor spent his early years between Kferhata his home town and his boarding school at the prestigious Aintoura one of the best schools of that time in Lebanon.
Once school finished, he was sent to Marseille, France to continue his education. Meeting with other Lebanese Fellows and discussing business in Africa he decided to move to Lagos, Nigeria and start his career in trading and commerce. He spent around 15 years and was very successful in trading with meat and clothes for the army.

Back to Lebanon in the mid-forties he became involved in the political and social life in Beirut and Kferhata.
The north was a very poor area and lacked of water, electricity, roads, hospitals etc…
The first project he invested in was to create a grid of potable water for the area. He made a mega project from his own money and distributed water to 48 villages and still used to this day.
He invested in roads for several villages helped financing churches, mosques, hospitals etc… and all these projects on a personal level.
Cheikh Antonios had a very good relationship with all political and business people in Lebanon and around the world.

He got married to the Her Royal Highness Princess Laudy Chehab in 1953 and had 3 children:

HIRH Prince Cheikh Selim El Chemor 1954
HIRH Prince Cheikh Michel El Chemor 1956
HIRH Prince Cheikh Khalil El Chemor 1960

As for social life his wife the Princess Laudy made a big difference in the North as she was directly involved in many humanitarian and tourism project such as helping the red cross acquiring different vaccines for the children, the Ehden Festivals as president, Tripoli old city as president of tourism in the North and she was the one how brought the Nazareth sisters school to Kferzaina for girls. All these projects executed with the help and blessing of her late husband.

Cheikh Antonios spent most of his life helping the poor the unprivileged and the people in need at all level, in creating small businesses for them or helping them find work in Lebanon and abroad in the private and governmental sector.

Unfortunately, life was not fair to him as he died at a young age 1971 leaving behind a long and lasting legacy and still remembered to this day.

For his unprecedented humanitarian legacy and his dedication in studying and promoting the Royal family’s heritage, he’s revered and recognized as the Honorary Founder of the modern Royal House of Ghassan. His oldest son HIRH Prince Cheikh Selim El Chemor is the current Honorary Head of the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan.   

TIRH Prince Gharios and Prince Cheikh Selim, the executive and honorary heads of the Royal House of Ghassan
HIRH Prince Cheikh Selim, HRH Prince Leka II of the Albanians and HIRH Prince Gharios
HIRH Prince Gharios, HE Presindent Bujani of Albania, HIRH Prince Cheikh Selim and HE Sheikh Elie
TIRH, Sheikh Camil. Sheikh Dr. Elie, Prof. Schirrmacher, HE General Michel Aoun the President of Lebanon, HIRH Prince Gharios, Sheikh Dr. Naji and HIRH Prince Cheikh Selim