Reflection on my Trip to the Holy Land

By Sr. Therese Maria, MSCL

The week of September 8th, I along with twenty others from diverse backgrounds were given the unique opportunity to visit the Holy Land on the Philos Catholic Tour. A gift that I am grateful for and will always treasure, especially the meaningful encounters, and interactions we had with the local residents and each other.

There are so many layers to unpack from this trip as we met with Christians, Jews, Muslims, government officials, Church leaders and journalists who are working on the local ground with the Philos Project to help promote dialogue, positive engagement and peace in the Middle East. One of the things I observed first hand was the pluralistic landscape of Israel and the intricate and complex situation, and dialogue that is occurring between Christians, Muslims, Jews, Palestinians and Israelis as they “strive” to peacefully co-exist.

In addition to visiting the holy sites of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Magdala to name a few, our focus for this trip was to learn more about the Christians and their role in the Middle East. Unfortunately, due to the lack of political stability, persecution, ongoing discrimination, and poor job opportunities thousands of Christians are leaving Israel and other places in the Middle East to seek security and stability. Today, Christians are a minority of less than 2% of the population in Israel, and after hearing from Christians in their own villages about their daily struggles, I have come to see even more why we need to materially and spiritually support Christian families. Their impact and presence in the Middle East is a much needed witness, especially in the areas of education and healthcare.

Each day, I found myself switching gears as a tourist visiting the holy sites to a pastoral/service mode in visiting various places such as the Saint Rachel’s center for undocumented refugee children. Also, being present in attentively listening to the difficulties of Christians who seek to be free, to be seen, to be healed, to be accepted and to have their human dignity and rights recognized and respected. In these vulnerable and raw moments, the group bonded, as various people expressed their heart-breaking stories. I assisted to translate from Arabic to English so that the group could better understand their narrative and enter into their plight. 

During the trip, I felt that I was truly living out my spiritual motherhood as a Maronite Servant of Christ the Light, leading prayer, answering questions on the faith, and letting those sharing their stories know that they are being heard, seen and loved. Let us continue to intensify our prayers for peace in the Middle East and for our fellow brothers and sisters, and those whose voices need to be heard.

On a final note, it was such a blessing to take your prayer intentions with me as we remembered each of you and your loved ones in our Liturgies and prayer times. 

Assumption Pilgrimage 2019 - Ohio

By Sr. Natalie Sayde Salameh, MSCL

We enjoyed several days of prayer and visiting with friends at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, North Jackson, Ohio in celebration of the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

The pilgrimage began on Tuesday, August 13, with a Divine Liturgy of the Roman Rite followed by a candlelit procession and blessing with the Icon of Our Lady of Lebanon.

The Maronite Servants had a table in the Cedars Hall where we were able to speak with many people one on one, and see many new (and not so new) faces. It was great to catch up with the people that visit the shrine each year for these solemn days of triduum in honor of Our Lady’s Dormition.  

On both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Sr. Therese Maria and Rosa Calabria spent time in prayer, adoration and fellowship with the MYO, and with their Excellencies, Bishop Elias Zaidan and Bishop Gregory Mansour also in attendance. 

On Wednesday evening, August 14, we were blessed to celebrate a Byzantine Divine Liturgy, offered by His Excellency, Archbishop William C. Skurla, of the Metropolitan Archeparchy

of Pittsburgh, PA. Following Divine Liturgy, the Byzantine Tradition has a very beautiful ritual of burying the Mother of God on the vigil of her Dormition, a ritual they call the “Funeral of the Theotokos, the Ever-Virgin Mary”. We processed behind the tomb and shroud of the Virgin Mary, which was later placed in the chapel for all to venerate.

On the day of the Feast of the Assumption, Thursday August 15, we had the great privilege of celebrating two Divine Liturgies. The first at noon, known as the “Healing Mass”, where all the faithful afflicted in mind, body or soul are given the option to be anointed by the Bishops or priests with blessed oil. In the evening, we celebrated the Maronite Pontifical Liturgy outside beside the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon. The Liturgy was followed by a huge candlelit procession around the entire shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, with a great number in attendance. The procession concluded with a beautiful display of fireworks above the shrine, and festivities in the Cedars Hall.

We remembered you in our prayers during these holy days of pilgrimage at the Shrine. Our Lady of the Assumption, pray for us.

Assumption Pilgrimage – Ohio

By Sr. Natalie Sayde Salameh

We enjoyed several days of prayer and visiting with friends at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, North Jackson, Ohio in celebration of the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

The pilgrimage began on Sunday, August 13, with a Divine Liturgy of the Roman Rite celebrated by His Excellency, Bishop George Murry of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, followed by a candlelit procession and blessing with the Icon of Our Lady of Lebanon.

On Sunday afternoon, before Divine Liturgy, Mother Marla Marie gave a presentation to the pilgrims on the message of Our Lady of Fatima, in honor of the Centennial celebrations.

As usual, we had a table in the Cedars Hall where we were able to speak with many people one on one. This year the layout of our table was a little different. Once again, as at NAM this year, devoted parishioner, Cecilia Romero of St. Joseph’s parish, Atlanta, had crocheted an assortment of baby items which she generously donated to the sisters as sale items on our table. We also promoted the pro-life message with magnets and precious feet pins that we gave away. 

On both Sunday and Monday nights, we spent time in prayer, adoration and fellowship with the MYO of the parishes of Youngstown and Cleveland with their Excellencies, Bishop Elias Zaidan and Bishop Gregory Mansour also in attendance. Both Bishops spoke to the teens on the virtues of Our Blessed Mother and the various apparitions of Our Lady in Guadalupe and Brazil, respectively.

On Monday evening, August 14, we were blessed to celebrate a Byzantine Divine Liturgy, offered by His Excellency, Bishop Bohdan Danylo, Bishop of the Byzantine Eparchy of St. Josaphat Parma, Ohio. Following Divine Liturgy, the Byzantine Tradition has a very beautiful ritual of burying the Mother of God on the vigil of her Dormition, a ritual they call the “Funeral of the Theotokos, the Ever-Virgin Mary”. We processed behind the tomb and shroud of the Virgin Mary, which was later placed in the chapel for all to venerate.

On the day of the Feast of the Assumption, Tuesday August 15, we celebrated the Maronite Pontifical Liturgy outside beside the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon. The Liturgy was followed by a huge candlelit procession around the entire shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, with a great number in attendance. The procession concluded with a beautiful display of fireworks above the shrine, and festivities in the Cedars Hall.

We remembered you in our prayers during these holy days of pilgrimage at the Shrine. Our Lady of the Assumption, pray for us.

Pilgrimage to Fatima Shrine in Holliston, MA

Pilgrimage to Fatima Shrine in Holliston, MA

To commemorate the Centennial  Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima, the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light facilitated and led a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Holliston, MA on Sunday, May 21^st. The Shrine is maintained by the Xaverian Missionaries in the U.S.A. We were joined by families from St. Anthony of the Desert parish as we prayed the rosary at a beautiful outdoor shrine. This Shrine has an enormous rosary made of very large stones, held together by a chain donated by the U.S. Navy. On each of the large stones, appears the “Hail Mary” prayer written in different languages. Following the rosary, we gathered together in the  Church where Fr. Rocco offered Exposition and Benediction of the Holy Mysteries, and we offered Maronite Evening Prayer (Ramsho).

Maronite Holy Door Pilgrimage – Worcester MA

By Sr. Natalie Sayde Salameh

The Maronite Servants of Christ the Light in collaboration with Fr. Alex Joseph, pastor, facilitated a regional pilgrimage to Our Lady of Mercy Church in Worcester, MA, on Sunday, October 16^th. In the Eparchy of St. Maron, this is one of the sites of pilgrimage with a Holy Door. Our Lord stands at the door of our hearts knocking. We are called, especially in this Jubilee, to open our hearts to God’s abundant mercy. 

It was a beautiful, grace-filled day. The pilgrimage began with Divine Liturgy followed by brunch in the Church Hall.  Afterwards, all gathered in the Church for exposition of the Holy Mysteries and adoration.  The congregation entered at the vestibule offering prayers for the intentions of Pope Francis, and then each pilgrim processed through the Holy Door while receiving a blessing of holy water from Father. The Maronite Servant Sisters facilitated the adoration while Fr. Alex heard confessions.