Fr. Steven Labat was 32 and a priest of the Emmanuel Community. He died recently in an accident during an excursion in Sinai, Egypt. He was incardinated to the Archdiocese of Paris, France. And they confirmed his death on May 9.
Born in 1990 in Montreal (Canada), in a Lebanese family, he moved with his parents to Cairo (Egypt) when he was just four years old.
Over the years, he discovered his vocation and was trained for the priesthood in Belgium.
At St Sulpice in Paris, France, he was ordained a priest this year and was sent to Cairo to study for a year, To familiarize himself with his rite origin, the Melkite.
The Emmanuel Community gained prominence at the end of the 20th century in Paris and is now recognized by the Holy See as a public association of faithful, comprising priests, consecrated persons, and families. It has a presence in about 60 countries with more than 11,500 members, including 275 priests.
The Archdiocese posted about the young priest on their Facebook page:
“Steven was a fraternal, joyful, and missionary man. We share the pain of his family, of the young priests ordained with him, of the Emmanuel Community, and of the Paris Seminary”.
The late priest, in an interview on their community website taken before his ordination, recalled that:
“The Lord had shown me that he had a place for me in his heart.”
The funeral of Fr. Steven Labat was held on May 10 in Cairo at noon (local time).
The Auxiliary Bishop of Paris and head of the Emmanuel Community, Monsignor Philippe Marsset, will celebrate a Mass in memory of Fr. Steven this May 21 at 2:30 pm in the church of San Nicolas des Champs.
