Sophia - Melkite Eparchy of Newton

A Living MemoryMary’s Wellby Rt. Rev. George BisharatFFifty years ago to the day, onMarch 8, 1958, I arrived to theUnited States of America. It wasa two-week journey by sea from Haifato New York City, followed by a flightto Cleveland, Ohio where I stayed atSaint Elias the Prophet Melkite Churchfor a short period of time. There, I hadthe opportunity to visit with my uncle,Fr. Ignatius Ghattas (of blessed memory),who later became the Archbishopof Newton for the Melkites.My thoughts and memories take meback almost fifty years when we, thenatives of Nazareth, celebrated theFeast of the Annunciation: a day ofmost blessings to the town’s people aswell as to the rest of the world. It wasin this little town of Nazareth that Godplanted the seed of His beloved Son,the redeemer of the human race.At that time, I was in daily contactwith the Church of the Annunciationwhere Mary’s Well is located. I hadrented a store located just outside ofthe church’s walls. In those days therewere no water pipes or faucets providedfor rental properties. Therefore, inorder to satisfy our thirst, we had tomake several trips to the church inorder to use its well to fetch water.Mary’s Well was the only waterspring in Nazareth at that time. Itswater is so sweet and so light that youcould not get enough from it. There isno doubt that this spring catered to thenourishing needs of the Holy Family.God could not but chose the best forHis only begotten Son.The naming of the spring of Nazarethas Mary’s Well dates back to the daywhen the Archangel Gabriel announcedto the Virgin Mary the good news, greetingher, as the tradition tells us, in thestreet amongst the people. The Archangeltried to inform the Virgin that he was amessenger of God. However, Mary wastaken aback as it was not customary formen and women, at that time, to engagein any public speech or contact of anykind. It was considered forbidden andwas frowned upon.On that very day, Gabriel momentarilydisappeared only to reappear again toMary while on her own saying: “Fearnot, Mary, for you have found favor withThe Grotto where the Holy Family is believed to have lived and drew water.God. Behold! You shall conceive, in yourwomb, and bring forth a son, and shallcall him Jesus.” (Luke 1:30-31)Many Fathers of the early Churchbelieve the Spring Grotto to be theplace where the Holy Family lived anddrew water. The Grotto is a narrow corridoraccessible from the central hall ofthe Annunciation Church. It leads to theapse containing Mary’s Well and consistsof a passage with a vaulted ceilingand crusader tile inlaid walls.The first Church of the Annunciationwas built in the 4th century near thespring and had remained in ruins afterthe Muslims’ invasions in the 7th centuryuntil its reconstruction by theCrusaders in the 12th century. TheChurch functioned normally for about acentury and many pilgrims visited theplace during the Crusaders’ era, whichwas favorable to Christianity and theHoly places. When the Crusaders’times came to an end, many churcheswere destroyed by the new conquerorsand remained in ruins for about 600years until the end of the 18th century.Most of the churches in Nazarethwere destroyed under Sultan Al-ZaherBeybars the Mamlouk in 1260,including the Annunciation Church.However, Prince Al-Zaher El-Omariallowed the Greek Orthodox to restorethe church in 1742. Funds were raisedand the church was rebuilt in 1750.The old Grotto was preserved andincorporated into the northern sectionof the church and not in the center asit had been in earlier structures.Mary’s Well was named after theBlessed Virgin Mary, a native ofNazareth and a virgin, who through themiraculous power of the Holy Spiritconceived Jesus Christ, the only begottenSon of God.Avery special and close affinity tiesme to the town of Nazareth: Nazareth,my native town, is also the home of theHoly Family; and I grew up drinkingfrom Mary’s Well, the same well thatJesus, the Virgin Mary and St. Josephdrank from. For the past fifty years, Imade sure not to miss any opportunityto visit Nazareth, making sure that myfirst stop takes me always to theChurch of the Annunciation and also toMary’s Well. Could you imagine myfeelings every time I make such a visitand take a sip of water?My prayers go out to all you faithfulout there, wishing that with God’s help,you will be able to visit the Holy Landone day, especially the town of Nazareth.Once in Nazareth look for the Well ofMary, and be ready to taste a drink ofwater truly made in heaven. †Ms. Souha Gibson contributed the abovearticle with the Rt. Rev. George Bisharat of St.Ann Melkite Church in North Hollywood, CA.38 SOPHIA • Winter 2008