Emotional shockwaves from the massive Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, are being felt among parishioners of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ two Maronite Catholic churches.

Father Emmanuel Nakhlé Ghorr, pastor of Holy Family Maronite Church in Mendota Heights, said a 6 p.m., Aug. 6 Mass will be dedicated to victims of the explosion. The Mass will be livestreamed on the church’s website, HolyFamilyMaroniteChurch.org, and on its Facebook page, Holy Family Maronite Church.

Lebanon’s residents had been struggling even before the explosion, he said, due to the country’s economy’s collapse and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Maronite Catholic Diocese in St. Louis has been encouraging contributions to Caritas Lebanon to help send supplies to Lebanon’s residents. The explosion has only increased the need, said Father Nakhlé Ghorr.

Hundreds of residential and business buildings are out of use now, he said “But monasteries and convents and schools, Catholic schools and other institutions are opening doors for refugees” whose homes are unsafe or destroyed, he said.

“It’s not like a war zone where the military are fighting,” Father Nakhlé Ghorr said. “It’s civilians, people who have kids, the elderly … going on in their normal life. And they were caught by this explosion.”

Father Nakhlé Ghorr said anyone able to send financial support can donate on the website CaritasLebanon.org

In addition to Holy Family, St. Maron in Minneapolis is a Maronite Catholic church.