Maronite Young Adult (MYA) Workshop 2018 – Washington D.C.
By Sr. Natalie Sayde Salameh
We had a successful National Maronite Young Adult (MYA) workshop in Washington, D.C. this past weekend on October 5 – 7. The theme of this year’s Workshop was Maronite Identity and Spirituality.
Father Tony Massad, Pastor of St. Rafka Church in Livonia, MI, and Sister Therese Maria, Eparchial Coordinator of the Maronite Young Adults and the MYA National Executive Board diligently worked together to offer an awesome weekend of spirituality, fun and fellowship for the 225 young adults who attended from across the country.
We were blessed to have His Excellency Bishop Gregory Mansour, of the Eparchy of St. Maron, with us for the weekend. Bishop Gregory offered a presentation on the meaning of true love within the context of dating and marriage. One of the guest speakers was Chorbishop Seely Beggiani, former Rector of the Maronite Seminary in D.C.. On Friday evening, during Divine Liturgy, Chorbishop Beggiani explained each component of the Maronite Liturgy as it unfolded, which many found very enlightening. On Saturday, Chorbishop Beggiani offered a presentation on different aspects of the Maronite Tradition, drawing on the imagery of our early Syriac fathers. We also had a presentation from Kate Fowler of the Catholic Apostolate Center on the impact of social media on our everyday lives.
We had various breakout sessions and small group discussions throughout the day focusing on different topics such as prayer and discernment, marriage, mental health, dating and friendship, and social media.
It was a beautiful weekend of blessings and a dynamic program of prayer, presentations, confession, Liturgy and ice breakers.
