Pro-Life Witness – Assonet, MA

On Saturday, November 9, Sr. Natalie Sayde attended the “Come and See” Ladies meeting at St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Assonet, MA. Sister presented a pro-life witness of the personal story of her conception, and how her parents felt pressured to abort by medical personnel.   Sr. Natalie Sayde only recently learned the full truth about her conception story and shared it with all the ladies as a testament to the power of life, love and prayer. 

The Choice Made by God

By Sr. Natalie Sayde Salameh, MSCL

One of the most topical issues in the mainstream media is abortion. It’s not surprising with the State of New York formally legalizing third trimester abortions and infanticide. All this coinciding with the release of the movie “Unplanned”, which is an awesome depiction of the true story of Abby Johnson, former abortion advocate and employee of Planned Parenthood turned Pro-life advocate and mother of eight children. 

Many, I think, fail to grasp the reality of abortion. Well, this reality has hit home for me on a very personal level as I have just recently come to know the full truth about the story of my conception, a story I want to share with you. This story is not really mine to share but that of my parents, and they have given me permission to share it.

My parents had three children, my two older brothers and myself. My eldest brother Peter is 11 years older than me, and Malcolm is 8 years older than me. When I was conceived in 1984, after an 8-year gap, the doctor who examined my mother told her that the baby would be born with serious birth defects; actually, he said that I would be missing an eye or both eyes and some limbs. This was before the advancement of technology including ultra sounds and sonograms. The doctor gave my mother a white slip of paper, which stated clearly at the top “Recommendation – Termination of Pregnancy”. 

The doctor advised my mother to abort me. My father being the typical Lebanese man who doesn’t go into exam rooms was outside in the waiting room. My mother emerged visibly distressed and crying and she told my father what the doctor had said. She showed him the white slip of paper from the doctor which would have ended my life. Now bear in mind, English is not my parents’ first language, so my father went straight in to see the doctor to ascertain exactly what was going on, while my mother was drying her tears in the waiting room.  

He asked the doctor, “did you give this slip of paper to my wife? What’s going on?” The doctor told my father the same thing he had told my mother about my being born with serious birth defects. What my father said in response to the doctor is to this day, the most moving thing I have ever heard my father say. He said, “are you going to take care of this baby or are we? Who are you to say that we have to end our baby’s life just because that baby may be born with some defects? We’re happy to keep this baby no matter what, I don’t care if the baby is missing both eyes and all four limbs, we will look after the baby because it’s ours”. The doctor then said the buzz word of the century to my father, “well, Mr. Salameh, it’s your choice.”  Choice! My father again responded beautifully, “the choice was made by God when he gave us this baby as a gift”. 

My parents left the doctor’s office and went to another doctor, who again examined my mother. It turns out that this doctor said that I would be born with both eyes and with all my limbs, with no defects whatsoever, and so it was. My mother carried me to term; actually, I was born after my due date. 

Now let’s rewind the tape for a second. Had my parents taken that white slip of paper and gone ahead with the abortion, the reality is that I would not be here. This is the reality of abortion which we cannot escape and cannot hide, that it destroys human life in the womb. Had my parents gone through with the abortion, the Maronite church would not have this sister serving it. Now think about this, how many nuns, priests, monks, bishops, popes, servants of God and His Church have been lost because of abortion? I exist because my parents chose life that day. 

For all expectant mothers out there, please cherish the gift of life in your womb. And for all the women who have had abortions, please know that you are so loved by God, and He wants to offer you healing. God wants you to know that He comes with mercy and forgiveness, not with judgment or condemnation. The sisters can help you find that healing by sharing some awesome resources with you. 

The sisters wish you a most blessed Season of the Glorious Resurrection! The Lord came to bring us life and life in abundance! (Jn 10:10)

Lost with a Pro-Life Purpose

With Bishop Gregory and Hanna at the March.

By Sister Marla Marie Lucas

     It was late afternoon and the day before the March for Life 2019 in Washington DC. I was planning on attending the vigil Liturgy that evening at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. This Liturgy is awesome with priests, seminarians, religious, and laity from all over the country praying for the pro-life cause.

Instead, I found myself far from the Basilica. I had met up in DC with a friend who was bringing a bus of  youth from her parish in Florida and they were going to drop me off on route to their evening destination. However, the bus driver was not very good with directions and ended up in opposite direction. He finally pulled the bus over in a plaza so that the teens could get a bite to eat before continuing on to their pro-life youth rally in Virginia. At this point I decided to look for a metro and make my way back to where I was staying because it was too late to return to the Basilica.

“Well Lord, this must be your plan for me tonight,” thinking to myself as I disappointingly walked down the dark street with snow blowing around me.  It was only when I reached the subway platform and looked at the map, that I realized the location -- Largo Maryland and the last stop on that line of the metro. How did we ever get here!?

There was only one other person waiting, a young woman in her late 20s. We boarded the empty metro together. I greeted her and asked if she knew the best way for me to get to my destination. After studying the metro map, she advised me to stay on the train and I should be where I needed to go in about 40 minutes.

I asked what brought her out this evening guessing she was on her way to work a night shift in downtown DC. The young woman replied that she had a very rough week and was going in to meet a friend. She repeated again putting your head down, “I’ve had such an awful month. It has been so rough.”

“Is there anything I can pray about for you,” I asked. Her eyes welled up with tears and she began to tell her story. She shared how her boyfriend of nine years had just walked out, even after finding out that she was pregnant with his child. She mentioned that her grandfather, a Baptist Minister, had advised her many times over those years to get married. She lamented that God had given up on her because everything seemed to be going wrong. 

We had quite a conversation and I assured her that God is truly looking out for her. Then I asked her about her pre-born baby and again she cried. Just the week before she went for an abortion and justified it saying, “I just couldn’t have a child at this time, I have another young child at home and I’m doing this all alone.”

“God is truly looking out for you!” I said, explaining how he put me here on this train to speak his word of love and mercy to her. “I was supposed to be an hour away from here in the opposite direction at church praying for pro-life. Somehow, I ended up in Largo. It was God’s plan to tell you how much he loves you and wants you to come back to him.”

I invited her to pray with me. We bowed our heads and I called on God the Father, asking his love and mercy for this young woman, and asked her to confess to the Lord and rely on him as her rock. We offered the Our Father and as we both said “amen”, the train pulled into her stop. 

My new friend jumped up, gave me a huge hug,  and kept saying that God had truly sent me to her. She smiled through tears of joy, “I will remember what you said to me. Thank you, thank you!”

Our Maronite faithful at the March for Life 2019

I may have missed the pro-life Mass that evening, but I was carrying out the pro-life mission.  The rest of my ride was a prayer of thanksgiving to God who always has a purpose even if we think we are lost.  

First Profession of Vows - Sister Natalie Sayde

On the March 19, the feast of Saint Joseph, Sister Natalie Sayde Salameh joyfully made her First Profession of Vows as a Maronite Servant of Christ the Light at Saint Anthony of the Desert Church in Fall River MA. What a festive and uplifiting celebration for all in attendance, family and friends coming from near and far! Sister’s parents Joe and Wendy, and her two brothers Peter & Malcom came from Sydney Australia to witness this beautiful milestone of Sr. Natalie Sayde laying down her life and consecrating herself to God as a Maronite Servant in the vows of obedience, chastity and poverty.

His Excellency Bishop Gregory Mansour was the principle celebrant of the Divine Liturgy with nearly twenty priests, deacons and subdeacons concelebrating from the various Maronite and local Roman Catholic parishes. We were also blessed to have other communities of religious (the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, the Missionaries of Charity, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, and the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation) join us for the Profession Liturgy and reception, which immediately followed the Liturgy.

We give thanks to God for Sister Natalies Sayde’s vocation and consecration. Thank you for all your support, prayers, love and best wishes. Please continue to join us in praying for more vocations to our Maronite Servant community. Share our website with other women who may be open to considering a vocation www.maroniteservants.org.

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During the weekend of April 6-8 we will be hosting a Discernment Retreat for women. If you are interested in joining us for a weekend of prayer and reflection or now of anyone between the ages of 18-35 who would be please share our contact details with them….

Vocation Presentation Holy Name – Fall River

On Monday, February 26, Mother Marla Marie and Sr. Natalie Sayde gave a vocation presentation to the girls of the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of Holy Name School in Fall River.  Sr. Natalie Sayde shared on her experience of being called to religious life and what the consecrated life means to her. Mother Marla Marie shared on what vocational discernment entails, and what the life of a consecrated religious consists of, namely, professing three vows, living in common with other sisters and serving the Church in its diverse needs.

Vocation Panel – Mount Carmel, New Bedford

 On Sunday evening, January 28, the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light participated in a vocation panel tailored to the two confirmation classes of the Roman Catholic parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in New Bedford, MA.

On the panel were Fr. Tom Washburn, a Franciscan Friar that serves in Buzzards Bay, Sr. Therese Maria and Sr. Natalie Sayde, and Deacon Maurice Ouellette, who serves the parish of St. Lawrence in New Bedford. Each of the panel members spoke on their personal vocation stories and how God touched their hearts to pursue their vocation. All throughout the stories we could see how God still speaks to many people, and how He alone desires our true fulfillment and happiness.

The teens enjoyed asking questions to different panel members, for instance, we were asked, “what do we do all day?”, “why do we wear a habit?”, “what kind of music do we listen to?” The sisters enjoyed spending the evening with the teens and getting to know them.