MACRAM GASSIS

GASSIS--Bishop Macram Max. Bishop Macram Max Gassis, 84, Emeritus Bishop of El-Obeid and Darfur Diocese, Sudan and South Sudan, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 4, 2023, in his nephew's residence in Mechanicsburg, PA in the United States, surrounded by his loving family. Bishop Gassis was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988, and won the William Wilberforce Award in 2000 for his efforts to end religious persecution in Sudan. He was beloved worldwide for his extensive humanitarian work and advocacy on behalf of the people of his Diocese, which includes all of the Darfur region of Sudan and part of South Sudan. Bishop Gassis bravely exposed the plight of the Nuba and of Darfur to the world, testifying repeatedly as to the human rights abuses of the Sudanese Government in the United States Congress, in Parliament in the United Kingdom and at the United Nations. His powerful charisma and candor won the hearts and minds of many, including the respect and friendship of world leaders. As a result, he faced a major threat on his life and was exiled from Sudan, for decades forced to enter his Diocese only through unofficial channels. Bishop Gassis was born in Khartoum, Sudan in 1938, the son of the late Max Gassis and Fahima Girgis. He professed in 1957, was ordained priest in Rome in 1964 to the order of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, was appointed Apostolic Administrator of El-Obeid Diocese in 1983, and was appointed and ordained Bishop in 1988. He earned a Masters Degree in Canon Law from The Catholic University of America, and served as a Chaplain at the University of Khartoum. Although he administratively retired in 2013, the Bishop continued his extensive humanitarian work in Sudan and South Sudan. As his biography explains, he was "a very fearless Bishop," regularly entering his Diocese from exile in the middle of one of Africa's longest wars. During these unofficial visits, he supervised the construction of countless humanitarian projects for which he had raised funding, including the Mother of Mercy Hospital, the only healthcare facility for over a million people. He built hundreds of wells to provide villages with life- saving clean water. He built schools, churches, parish buildings, community farms, and seminaries. He sent numerous seminarians and teachers abroad for training. His effort in spreading the faith was equally outsized when he held baptisms and weddings for hundreds at a time. The Bishop's biography; "An Angry Shepherd," describes the charisma and inner strength that enabled the Bishop to accomplish so much: "He is a very friendly man and he likes to joke a lot. He laughs easily too. He is very accessible and openly accepts invitations to share a meal or just to talk." But behind this cheerful face, his biographer John Ashworth describes a heart that has been stung countless times and one that is in constant anger for the injustices that continue to bedevil Sudan and South Sudan. He often repeated a mantra that he believed is the key to lasting peace: "Peace through Justice." He advocated that for peace to hold we must accept each other's rights to freedom and human dignity. Despite his forceful personality, his greatest strength was his unending love and forgiving heart. As an apostle of Jesus, he loved the powerful and the meek equally. He seamlessly oscillated between ardent defender of the weak and the jovial loving father of his flock in his eloquent Sunday homilies. He frequently joked saying "Jesus didn't say go like one another, Jesus said go love one another." Bishop Gassis is survived by his nephews and nieces, Dr. Safwat Gassis and wife Catherine of Mechanicsburg, PA, Makram Gassis and wife Lily of California, Rita Gassis of Cairo, Egypt, Robert, Susan, Cecil and Sylvia. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers Albert, Adli and Nagi Gassis and sister-in-law Yvonne Samuel. Viewing will be Tuesday June 13th, 2023 from 11am to 1pm, followed by Mass, which will be celebrated at 1pm on Tuesday June 13, 2023 in St. Theresa Catholic Church, New Cumberland, PA. Most Rev. Ronald W. Gainer, Bishop of Harrisburg, PA, will preside as Celebrant. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested in Bishop Gassis' memory to the Comboni Missionaries. The Comboni Missionaries will direct the donations to continue funding the Bishop's projects in Sudan and South Sudan. To Donate click here https://combonimissionaries org/donate/ write "Bishop Gassis" in the comment section.