Fr. Paul Joseph Joubeir
“My mission in life is to take Jesus through Mary with me wherever I go.”
Fr Paul Joseph Joubeir was born in Tripoli on 5 February 1935 to Wahib Joubeir of Aintourine and Marie Riaiche of Bnashee. He is the youngest (twin) of a family which is made up of 6 boys and 4 girls. When Paul was only 5 months his father died suddenly at the age of 42 and his mother was left with the task of bringing up 10 children by herself. Paul remembers that his mother had a big influence on his life. The most important thing that he learnt from her was how to pray the rosary. Paul’s grandfather was a priest, so from a very young age he was exposed to this holy vocation.
Paul started school with the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul in Tripoli. He then moved to Christian Brothers and continued his education at St Elias’ school of the Carmelite Fathers in Tripoli. Paul excelled in his education. He especially enjoyed studying maths and Arabic literature. In fact he topped his class in “Certifica” and “Prevet” and was the number one student in Arabic literature in all of Lebanon when he completed his “Baccalaureate”. At school, Paul played the flute in the school orchestra. At the age of 16, he co-founded with Fr Francois Tomb the Christian Youth Student Group which was affiliated with the worldwide “Action Catholique” which was recommended by Pope Pius XII. Paul was a very active member of the student body and represented the school in many social events. He was loved very much by all and from a young age, people noticed his love for Jesus and his spirituality - so much so that they would call him “Abouna Paul”. In fact the superior of the Carmelite Order had asked him to join the order and become a priest.
In 1955 and after completing his education, Paul left Lebanon and travelled to Brazil with his mother and was reunited with his other brothers and sisters. In Brazil he worked as business man in the clothing industry. While in Brazil, he founded with a group of 19-20 people a Lebanese folkloric group called “Groupo Folclorico Libanes” which represented Lebanon through the dabke dance and travelled from state to state performing the dabke during national Lebanese and Brazilian festivals. His excellent skills in public relations always meant that he could communicate well with anyone that he came into contact with.
While in Brazil, Paul remained very close to God. He would organise rosary nights and helped coordinate adoration every Friday night at the local church providing transport to the elderly in Brazilia so that they could come to the church and pray. In 1975, Paul’s brother Fr. Antoine Joubeir was ordained Bishop of Tripoli. Paul was very proud of his brother and recalls that this was certainly a big event in his life. He lived in Brazil for 31 years and was privileged to meet many high ranking officials; however joining Opus Dei was the highlight and turning point of Paul’s life.
On Christmas Eve in 1985, Paul arrived in Adelaide and stayed with his brother Antoine and his family with the intention of living in Australia. He entered into a partnership and operated a delicatessen for 3 years. All through his life he felt the calling to the priesthood and Msgr. Ndaira who was the parish priest in Adelaide witnessed this and encouraged him to pursue his vocation. It wasn’t until the death of his brother Bishop Antoine Joubeir in 1994 that he truly acted on his calling. Bishop Hitti was in Adelaide attending the requiem mass of the late Bishop Joubeir and he encouraged him strongly to become a priest because he saw the qualities of a good priest in him and his yearning to become one. On 17 November 1994 he was ordained a deacon before being ordained to the holy priesthood on 25 February 1995 at the age of 60. Fr Paul served in Adelaide for 5 months and then moved to Brisbane for 2 years before returning to serve in Adelaide for 6 years and finally arriving to Our lady of Lebanon Parish in Sydney in April 2004. Fr Paul is devoted to the Divine Mercy and compares his life to the second joyful mystery – the visitation and uses this mystery to guide him in everything that he does. He believes that his mission is to take Jesus through Mary wherever he goes with an abundance of joy and happiness – just like Our Lady carried Jesus in her womb and visited Elizabeth. Fr Paul’s welcoming smile and joyful nature are a testament to this lifelong mission.
Fr Paul considers himself to be a cousin, uncle or grandfather of everyone. He is related to everyone and his sense of humour and charisma is second to none. He truly transcends joy and happiness into the lives of everyone that he comes into contact with. Fr Paul’s favourite food is Mjaddara (bi loubyi) and kibbi nayi. His favourite singers are Fayrouz and Wadih Alsafi. His favourite movies are Safar Barlik (Fayrouz) and Ben Hur and his favourite colour is Marian blue. His favourite song is “bihibak ya libnan” (Fayrouz) and his favourite hymns are “Nearer to thee my God” and “Fi zili himaytiki”. Fr Paul can speak Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. His patron Saints are St Joseph and St Paul. Finally when I asked Fr Paul what was it that he would like to achieve that he hasn’t already achieved, he answered; “I would like to be a real saint, however I still have to work very hard for it.”
