“Pray for us”. That is what Padre Elias Gorayeb would say. We stand before the Padre Elias Gorayeb Bust a tribute to an influential religious leader. Let’s delve into the story behind this monument.
Padre Elias Gorayeb was born on May 15 1881 and passed away on August 3 1960. He was the founder of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Líbano. With that he started the Maronite Mission in Brazil. Padre Elias Gorayeb originally arrived in Brazil in 1931.
The Padre Elias Gorayeb Bust was inaugurated on November 23 1997. It was part of the Independence Day celebrations of Lebanon on November 22.
Originally the Padre Elias Gorayeb Bust had a plaque on its pedestal. Sometime between November 2014 and February 2016 this plaque was removed. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 the Padre Elias Gorayeb Bust and its pedestal were vandalized. They were completely removed.
The inscription on the pedestal’s plaque once read Rio de Janeiro 23-11-1997. The Padre Elias Gorayeb Bust is located in Tijuca. Its coordinates are -22.92593 -43.23400.
Interestingly the bloco Braba Igual a Mãe celebrates the legacy of Fernanda Montenegro. Fernanda Montenegro is the mother of Fernanda Torres. The bloco departs from Rua Padre Elias Gorayeb in Tijuca. Fernanda Torres spent part of her childhood here.
During the parade the revelers pass the street where the DOI-I was located. The DOI-I was the Department of Information Operations of the 1st Army Police Battalion on Rua Barão de Mesquita. The ex-deputy Rubens Paiva was murdered here during the military dictatorship.
The party took place on January 12 shortly after Torres won the Golden Globe. Thales Browne a saxophonist created the bloco.
Padre Elias Gorayeb’s legacy lives on through this bust and in the hearts of those he touched. His influence as a religious leader and founder of the Maronite Mission in Brazil is unforgettable. The Padre Elias Gorayeb Bust stands as a symbol of faith leadership and community.