5.27.2011

Maronite Servants Thank Weymouth Parish



The Sisters welcome parishioners and Fr. Larry Drennan for refreshments.
  On Tuesday 25th May, after 9:00AM Liturgy celebrated at Immaculate Conception Church in Weymouth, the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light hosted a reception to express gratitude to the parish community for their generous hospitality during our two year stay at the parish convent. Over twenty of the daily Liturgy participants attended.
In June 2009, Fr. William Salmon, pastor of Immaculate Conception, graciously supported our mission by welcoming us to affordably live in the parish convent. We are grateful for his goodness and the loving support of all his staff.

The Sister’s New Address
Please take note that the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light can be reached at their new address:
856 Tucker Road, Dartmouth MA 02747.

5.17.2011

Project Roots - Register

His Excellency, Bishop Gregory Mansour recently wrote to the clergy regarding Project Roots .  Please read the excerpt here and visit the website.  Support this important mission. 

"As you know the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon and the Eparchy of Saint Maron in collaboration with the Maronite Foundation throughout the world have established the program Project Roots which has been working diligently to connect our people with their Lebanese heritage. I would like to ask for your help at the local level by informing your parishioners about Project Roots and to remind them to register their marriages and the births of their children at the proper Lebanese Consulate. This would be a great help in connecting our people together."

Father Abdallah Zaidan, MLM has opened the Main Office (phone number 310-276-1939) in Los Angeles and together with both bishops and local pastors has assigned Regional Coordinators to help in this process. In our Eparchy, below are their names and contact information:

Regional Coordinators:
Najib Nasr (main office) (310)-801-9559 Los Angeles nnasr@projectroots.net
Monica Abinader (305)-509-2850 Miami monica@projectroots.net
Elias Azzi (617)-943-7960 Boston eazzi@projectroots.net
Nada Salem Abisamra (917)-755-0499 Washington nada@projectroots.net
Roula Eid (917)-975-6814 New York reid@projectroots.net

5.13.2011

When I grow up…


Kelly Colangelo with Sister Marla Marie at a youth rally.
 Sunday, May 15 is World Day of Prayer for Vocations, our guest blogger gives gives us inspiration and ideas on promoting vocations in the parish.

By Kelly L. Colangelo, Youth Minister of Immaculate Conception Church, Fayetteville NY

Just recently, I was in a room full of high school youth and a religious sister asked, “How many of you have a vocation?” I looked around --- everyone stood there not sure what to do and maybe 1 or 2 people raised their hand. She then added, “All of us have a vocation.”
From an early age, people would often ask me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” In first grade I wanted to be a princess…in 6th grade I wanted to be a lawyer…in 11th grade I wanted to be a psychiatrist…Then, it dawned on me, the problem with asking ourselves this question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” is that it leaves out Jesus. We should be asking “What does Jesus want for me?” or “What life will bring Jesus the greatest glory” and then we ultimately can say, “I want what Jesus wants.”

As Catholic youth leaders in our circle of influence we are responsible to teach and uphold the Gospel of Truth reflected in our ministry. We serve as an important tool in the Church and the lives of young people as they determine their life’s direction. "Every Christian community, every member of the church needs consciously to feel responsibility for promoting vocations…" - Pope Benedict XVI

Below are some suggestions to help you promote vocations and create awareness in your parishes. Those who often feel they might have a vocation sometimes hesitate before answering the Lord's call. These ways provide opportunities to dialogue with those considering a vocation to priesthood or religious life, and to support them in as many ways as possible.
1. Sponsor a parish Eucharistic Holy Hour for Vocations on a regular basis

2. Promote prayer for vocations to the priesthood and religious life in your parish through the General Intercessions at Mass.

3. Include “Vocation Blurbs” in your parish bulletin

4. Encourage and lead young people to pray to the Lord for discernment in their vocation. Is the Lord calling me to priesthood, religious life, married life, or the single life?

5. Keep the parish pamphlet racks well stocked with vocation related materials and display vocation posters throughout the parish and school buildings

6. Begin a "Vocations Crucifix Program" among the families in your parish. Booklets and prayer aids can be found on the web.

7. As youth leaders and parish vocation promoters we can promise our own daily prayers and sacrifices for an increase of vocations.

8. Host a "Vocation Panel" during your Life Night. Have door prizes, refreshments, scavenger hunt and speakers.

9. Have your Life Teen or Edge group send care packages to seminarians at time of midterms or finals. Invite seminarians to speak at parish programs while home on their breaks from study.

10. Publish a listing of all the seminarians, with names and seminary addresses. Encourage your Life Teen/Edge group and parishioners to send them cards and letters showing support and prayer. Some parishes feature one seminarian’s name and address in the bulletin each week, to keep this activity continuous.Next time you ask a young person what they want to be when they grow up…add, so what do you think God wants for you!

“The care of vocations, therefore, demands a constant “education” for listening to the voice of God.” -Pope Benedict XVI

5.12.2011

Dartmouth Renovation Progress Report

Diligent renovations are being carried out at the Mother of the Light monastery in Dartmouth. As we speak, we have electrical work, painting, tiling, landscaping and more being done in our new home to get it ready for our imminent move on June 1st.
We appreciate all the dedicated volunteers and benefactors who have stepped forward and generously donated their valuable time and resources to help with the large renovation expense and various work repairs around the house. A big thank you to you all for your support and prayers! You too are in our daily prayers. If you would like to contribute and help with our renovation expenses please click the "support our mission" link above.

Pictured in the photo collage is Cecilia Romero, who is from the Maronite parish of St. Joseph's in Atlanta, GA. She came for one week to help us with renovations and packing. Also pictured are the painter Samir, the contractor Robert, and Paul one of our volunteers. We are grateful for all their help and thank God for their commitment and goodness to us.

5.06.2011

Pope John Paul II, the Apostolic Churches and Lebanon

+ Gregory John Mansour,
Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
Holy Week 2011

One sign of holiness is the desire and ability in a person to love the world as God so loves. This theme is an entire symphony in the life of Pope John Paul II, played out in many of his efforts to reach out to others: his profound insights given over years of Wednesday Audiences and other writings, his fruitful outreach (leading up to the 2000 Jubilee) to all those who have felt they were far from the Church, and his love and insight into the role and importance of the Apostolic Churches. In all these areas, the Holy Father was both prophetic and courageous.
As a Maronite Catholic, I would like to reflect on his love for the Apostolic Churches, especially as this theme played out in his wise and prudent desire to convoke the Synod for Lebanon in 1995.
Pope John Paul II, like his predecessor Pope Paul VI, envisioned the Synod of Bishops as a means to continue the springtime renewal of the Church begun with the Second Vatican Council. There have been twenty five Synods since 1965, some based on different themes, such as the Family, the Eucharist, and the Word of God, others based on territorial considerations, such as the Synod for Africa, Asia, The Americas, Europe and the Middle East. In 1991 Pope John Paul II announced his desire to convoke a Synod for Lebanon, unique because it was the only time a Synod focused on just one country.

Pope John Paul II developed the extremely popular moral conception that “Lebanon is more than a country, it is a mission.” He viewed Lebanese society as a model for religious and cultural plurality, and Islamo-Christian dialogue at the level of life, culture and politics. For a man who grew up in mostly Latin Catholic Poland the Holy Father went beyond his cultural comfort level and developed a love for the Churches of the East and for the country of Lebanon that was refreshing and surprising to say the least. Some attribute his love for Lebanon to his gratitude for having accepted so many Polish seminarians and priests who need shelter during the Nazi and later Communist oppression of the Church. The Holy Father knew of them personally and mentioned this during his Lebanon visit.

Likewise, the Pope expressed his respect for Lebanon in many diplomatic and ecclesial interventions since his earliest days after his pontifical election in October, 1978. However, the succession of wars in Lebanon, started in 1975, and caused by internal, regional and international interferences, prevented any intervention. When weapons were silenced in the Fall of 1990, Pope John Paul II was quick to call for a Synod for Lebanon. He did this June 12, 1991, and followed his convocation by a message to all the Lebanese people as well as a letter to the Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon (July 1991).

The Synod’s objective was simple: spiritual renewal with penance and reconciliation within Lebanese society and a new solidarity among all the Lebanese. The Synod was addressed directly to the faithful of the Catholic Church - Maronite, Melkite, Armenian, Syriac, Chaldean and Latin - and indirectly to the four Orthodox Churches - Antiochene, Armenian and Syriac - as well as to Assyrian and Evangelical Christians. The Synod aimed to establish with all Christians a bond of prayer, consultation and cooperation. Also, Muslim communities - Sunni, Shiite and the Druze - were invited to the Synod in order to help both Catholics and Muslims understand the meaning of the Synod and to better cooperate together in overcoming misunderstandings and obstacles.
The Pope’s visit to Lebanon May 10 and 11, 1997 to celebrate the closure of the Synod for Lebanon and to deliver the Apostolic Exhortation had a tremendous effect on promoting Lebanon, the country, as a message and an ideal model to the East and the West. Likewise, on the ecclesial level, a renewal of Christians had begun by their working together in better harmony. They became more aware of their spiritual, social, cultural and political role in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East as well as of their apostolic mission. The upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II May 1, 2011 will attract thousands of Lebanese.
The recent Synod for the Middle East held in October 2010, an amazing celebration of unity in diversity which brought such hope to Christians of the Middle East, was greatly helped by the Synod for Lebanon held fifteen years earlier (along with the follow-up Special Assembly in Lebanon convoked for all the Eastern Churches in 1999). The solidarity, cooperation and friendships that were formed before, during, and after the Synod for Lebanon allowed the 2010 Synod the special graces needed to deepen communion and make better the witness.
Another grace directly attributable to the intervention of Pope John Paul II in Lebanon was just recently celebrated March 25, 2011: the enthronement of the new Maronite Patriarch Bechara Peter Rai. On this day, the Feast of the Annunciation, which for the last two years has been an officially established Christian-Muslim holiday in Lebanon, the background was set for the enthronement and the person enthroned as Patriarch, with his brother bishops surrounding him, with representatives of every Muslim and Christian communities present, and with every political leader likewise present, was the one whom Pope John Paul II had chosen twenty years previously to coordinate the beginning steps of the Synod for Lebanon, and who considers himself, along with the present writer, a spiritual son of Pope John Paul II.

These and many more graces were the result of the prophetic and courageous vision of one holy man who loved the world as God loves, who recognized in the Apostolic Churches of the Middle East a treasure, and who had the conviction and courage to call them not only to a greater Catholic-Orthodox unity, but also to better witness to non Christians the immeasurable treasures of Christ.

5.05.2011

Maronite Monks of Adoration Promo Video


Please watch this inspiring video of our Maronite Monks here in the US.  Learn about their foundation, mission, and devotion.