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Greetings and Good Wishes in the Name of Our Blessed Lord
It gives me great pleasure to warmly introduce you to Mr. Iyad Qumri a highly qualified Guide who is an Arab Christian from the Holy City of Jerusalem. He was recently made an Honorary Lay Canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul in Los Angeles, by the Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles. Licensed as a touring Guide by the State of Israel's Ministry of Tourism, he is fluent in English, Arabic and Hebrew.
As a Guide in the highly competitive tourism industry and a member of our St. George Cathedral's congregation Iyad is perhaps the only Anglican layperson in that challenging profession. Over the past few years he has guided some 300 Pilgrims from Episcopal Churches and from Anglican and collegial congregations in their pilgrimages. In this Iyad is assisted by his wife Simone who is the St. George's College's librarian and sons Sami and Rami who add the warmth of a familial tenor to each pilgrimage.
You will quickly find that Iyad's professionalism, personal integrity and depth of knowledge embedded in the biblical roots of the Holy Land enables those all who come on a pilgrimage - an individual, small group, or large one, to have an unforgettable experience tailored to specific spiritual interests and needs. This enriches pilgrim spirituality and provides a clearer understanding of this historic region - home to the three collegial Abrahamic Faiths - where the Prophets proclaimed the coming of the Messiah and our Lord lived his Human life on Earth, won the Victory over Death and Ascended to Heaven. At the same time, each pilgrim will also enjoy personal reflection, a time for relaxation, warmth of fellowship, restful refreshment and with new found friends in the communities visited.
Canon Iyad began his professional internship under the tutelage of the Rev'd Canon Dr. John L. Peterson. A biblical scholar and author, John served for some 12 years as Dean of St. George's College. The College is an Anglican Communion continuing education institution in biblical archeology, history, and related studies whose home is our Cathedral's compound.
May you be enriched and empowered as you join with us - the historical Christian community -- the Living Stones - in our communal Faith journey in the Land of the Holy One.
Salaam,
+ Suheil Dawani
The Right Rev'd Suheil S. Dawani, D.D.
The Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem
Jul 06 2009
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