FOCUS Leadership Conference 2020 - Phoenix AZ

By Sister Therese Maria Touma, MSCL

Sr. Therese Maria along with a few  Maronites attended the SLS20 Leadership Conference in Phoenix Arizona, December 30 to January 3. There were more than 8,500 Catholics from across the world present at this conference hosted by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, (FOCUS). The SLS20 conference which brings out amazing speakers to talk on discipleship, mission and evangelization is geared to college students, FOCUS missionaries and catholic leaders from parishes. Training and small group sessions are provided throughout the conference to impart tools and formation in discipleship and accompaniment. 

Our Maronite group participated in the Making Missionary Disciples track. As I reflect over my notes my ten biggest take aways are: 

• Getting the fire and zeal to share the faith for the salvation of souls and the glory of God. 
• The importance of cultivating a daily relationship with God in prayer and in frequenting the sacraments. 
• Knowing your core identity as a beloved son and daughter of God and sharing your testimony with others. 
• We are all made for mission. To give of oneself like Jesus without holding anything back. 
• The importance of caring for others and intercessory prayer, and being present to the moment in discipleship. 
• Developing good and virtuous friendships that help one to live out their faith. 
• Not being afraid to go out and share Jesus‘s hope and mercy by getting involved in people’s lives in order to earn their trust.
• Praying in small groups the Scriptures and allowing the Word of God to transform and inspire your journey of faith. 
• In sharing the Gospel we need two vital convictions:
• The Gospel is my story and part of my life. 
• The Gospel is everyone’s story. We are made for life-giving relationship with the Trinity. We break that relationship in sin. Jesus comes to restore us through his life, death and resurrection, and invites us into a relationship with Him. He wants each one of us to participate in sharing this good news. 

• Being spirit-filled evangelizers in sharing Jesus and not ourselves... this is our mission! 

We were so blessed to have participated in this awesome FOCUS conference. Next year’s SEEK conference will be from December 30- January 3 in St. Louis MO. For those who are interested you can see some of the live talks from this past conference at this link: https://sls20.org/
I pray that more of our Maronite Young adults and leaders from our parishes can experience this week of transformation and training. 

Reflection: Take Courage and Be Not Afraid

Sr. Natalie Sayde Salameh

Over the weekend of July 10 – July 12, Sr. Therese Maria and I attended the Portsmouth Institute Conference on Christian Courage in a Secular Age. The Conference was held at the Benedictine Portsmouth Abbey in Rhode Island, and featured a number of well-known Catholic speakers such as Brandon McGinley from EWTN publishing; Sr. Constance Veit from the Little Sisters of the Poor; Robert P. George from Princeton University; and Mother Olga Yaqoob, Foundress of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth.  

A recurring theme throughout the Conference was how do we, as Catholics, stand up and defend our Christian values and beliefs in this current secular age, an age that is increasingly relegating God to the sidelines, if not trying to obliterate His presence altogether from the public sphere. Let’s face it, as Christians, we are living in a tough world, a world that is constantly telling us that there are no truths to uphold, there are no moral absolutes, so why bother? Well, you and I know differently. Because as soon as we start espousing the views of the world, and telling ourselves that there really are no moral values to uphold or live by, then morally reprehensible things like abortion and euthanasia become ‘ok’. But you and I know that they are far from ‘ok’.

The whole line up of speakers over the weekend constantly touched upon and/or alluded to this recurring theme. I want to share with you one or two points from three of the speakers in the hopes that it might embolden you to stand up and speak out in defense of our faith when called upon or challenged to do so by the demands of our secular world.

Brandon McGinley spoke at length at how our secular culture is increasingly encouraging ‘freedom’ and ‘personal autonomy’, at the expense of procreation and fertility. Having a baby is becoming ‘ok’ in our society if it expresses the parents’ autonomy, that is, it is ‘planned’ (the term should be used loosely because we can plan nothing). The underlying current in all this is that people in society today like to feel in control and procreation becomes just one more thing that (they think) they can control. The use of contraceptive devices becomes a key tool in this web of attempting to control when life is produced or not produced. So what’s the remedy to this unhealthiness where God is clearly absent? Brandon calls it the “courage of fecundity”, that is, acknowledging that we are not in control, and relying on God’s grace to get us through any difficulties or trials we may experience, which may be the unexpected arrival of a little bundle of joy. The remedy is to be open to life!

Robert P. George of Princeton University asked the $64 million question – “are we ashamed of the gospel?” The gospel is not just the writings of the four evangelists and the epistles of St. Paul, its not just the New Testament as Robert P. George points out. The gospel is also believing in the Church’s teachings on the dignity of the human person, the sanctity of life and sexual morality. Are we ashamed of the gospel, in its entirety because we live in a culture which attempts to deny, suppress and silence us on these very issues? Food for thought….

Mid-Atlantic East Regional NAM Convention - Brooklyn

We attended and participated in the Mid-Atlantic East Regional NAM Convention on November 6 -8, 2015. Monsignor James Root and the community of Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York hosted the convention with the theme of “In His Great Love and Mercy.”  The talks were to help prepare for the Jubilee Year of Mercy called for by His Holiness, Pope Francis, which begins on December 8, 2015.

Saturday’s schedule began with Safro (morning prayer), followed by a wonderful presentation by Chorbishop Seely Beggiani, former Rector of Our Lady of Lebanon Seminary, Washington D.C. Chorbishop Beggiani highlighted how our Maronite prayers and Liturgies emphasize God’s greatest attribute, his Mercy. This mercy is so clearly manifested God’s ready willingness to forgive us, and how we, as Christians, are called to be “God-like”, that is, to show mercy to others in generously overlooking and forgiving them their shortcomings. Chorbishop Beggiani also reminded us of what we often forget, that is, we desperately need the mercy of others to overlook and forgive our failings. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Mt 5:7).   

Following Safro, Mother Marla Marie facilitated a workshop for the children from ages 5 – 12. The focus of the workshop was “God’s Great Love for Us”. Mother Marla Marie highlighted to the children that God’s greatest gift to us, and the best way He showed us His love, was by sending His only Son, Jesus, to die for us and save us from sin. The children were encouraged to think about other ways in which God has shown them His great love. The children were each given their own Frisbee to decorate, as they “soar high with their Savior”, to always remind them that God’s love is the only thing they need to help them soar to Heaven.

Sr. Therese Maria shared her vocation story with other 70 teenagers in the MYO Workshop presented by Bishop Gregory Mansour, and encouraged them to open their hearts to our merciful Savior. Sr. Therese Maria also spent time with the MYA and Fr. Vincent Farhat, Pastor of St. Maron in Philadelphia, in a Q&A discussion on some of the faith challenges our young adults face in our world today.     

On Saturday evening, we had a wonderful time mingling with our people and clergy at the Hafli (banquet).  Sunday morning Divine Liturgy, was celebrated by his Excellency, Bishop Gregory Mansour who reminded us how it is often difficult to forgive those who have hurt us, but it becomes easier when we remember who we are, that we, ourselves, are sinners in need of God’s mercy. Sayedna quoted an interview from August 2013, when the Pope was asked, “Who are you? Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” The Pope responded, “I am a sinner who has been looked upon by God”. 

Catholic Extension - “Serving at the Margins”

We participated in the Catholic Extension Young Professionals of Boston panel discussion on April 30 at the Hilton.  Sr. Therese Maria was on the panel with two other young adults who work in some of the unique areas of the Catholic Church in the US. The three panelists were given an opportunity to tell their stories and how they are carrying out Pope Francis’ call to serve those at the margins, and also to take questions from the audience.

Sr. Therese Maria shared her experience of serving in the Eparchy of St. Maron, and how this often entails lots of travelling to reach our Maronite people. The audience was surprised to learn that our Eparchy actually comprises the entire eastern seaboard spanning 16 states. Sr. Therese Maria explained that this means that we, as Maronite consecrated religious, need to be quite missionary in spirit, serving our people when, where and as required.

Ms. Devon Kemp, a panelist, shared her experience of working in the mission dioceses of Amarillo and San Angelo, both in Texas, where she was serving in campus ministry.  Another panelist, Ms. Casey Bustamante, currently serves the Archdiocese of the Military, which includes bases and installations across the country and globally.

The night concluded with a networking reception of the young professionals including a number of our Maronite young adults from the parishes of Brockton and Boston who came to show their support and encouragement to Sr. Therese Maria.

Witness of Charity

Pope Francis and the Witness of Charity In this Year of Faith

By Sister Therese Touma, from a paper submitted for her studies at Boston College

"In this Year of Faith, the People of God have also been urged to witness to their faith through increasing their practice of charity.[1] In seeing to our neighbor’s needs, we are serving and loving Christ himself, this is powerful. “As you did it to one of the least of these brethren, you did it to me.”(Mt 24:40)  Consequently, all Christians by the nature of their baptism are invited and challenged by the Gospel to carry the light and healing of Christ to all those who are in need especially to those who are broken, suffering and poor. It is through this call to love Christ that we are to reach out in humility and care for our neighbor by helping them in their physical needs, and journey of faith. I have witnessed and seen in my own ministry, the great impact of living a disposition of self-giving love, hospitality and forgiveness, especially when it comes to cultivating openness and dialogue in relationships. On the other hand, I also believe that if we truly desire to grow in holiness and intimacy with Jesus then our desire to reach out in love will grow and intensify, even amidst all confusion, poverty and persecution. We learn from Jesus, who was meek and humble of heart that the focus is always on loving and bringing humanity to salvation. I too perceive that the focus of the New Evangelization is on loving our neighbor (where they are at) and upholding their sacred dignity as son or daughter of God.

In the task of the New Evangelization, the witness of charity, joy and holiness assists people to visibly see that the living and transmission of the Catholic faith can be affective in bringing many others to the everlasting fountain of God’s healing love and grace. Without being conformed to him in love, without the presence of the Spirit, it is impossible to confess him as Lord (cf. 1 Cor 12:3) and recognize (and serve) him in the other. Charity can take many forms, on an individual and parish level, such as cultivating; a sense of hospitality, welcome, compassionate love, friendships, and service to those in need in the community especially in reaching out to those who have drifted away from the faith. Each baptized person, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit has an essential role to play in sharing and making known the saving love of Christ.

Pope Francis, in his charismatic being and witness of charity has put his own unique twist on the New Evangelization as he models by his compassionate (and fatherly) deeds the need to “go out” and serve the poor, oppressed and the marginalized.  In his “going out” he is mirroring the missionary identity of the church, and showing us what the church is not about, maintenance. Pope Francis’ solicit care and promotion for social justice is a powerful and silent proclamation of his faith and love of Christ.  According to Dulles, personal witness is the most effective form of evangelization[2] as “people today put more trust in witnesses than teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and action than in theories. The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of mission.”[3] It is refreshing to see the New Evangelization in action through the humble works and missionary efforts of Pope Francis. He is effectively saying this is how it is done; follow me in going out of yourselves so that we can effectively build up the Body of Christ together."

---

[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Door of Faith  (Porta Fidei), no. 14

[2] Avery Cardinal Dulles, Evangelization for the Third Millennium , 92

[3] Paul VI. Evangelization in the Modern World, no. 21

Nurturing the Faith - Fall River MA

By Sister Therese Maria Touma

On Sunday April 20 we presented a catechesis on the gift of faith to grades four to eight at the Maronite Faith Formation group of St. Anthony of the Desert, Fall River. In our time together, we focused on the gift of faith given at Baptism, the Creed (summary of our Catholic beliefs and profession in God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and practical ways in growing the faith.

We encouraged the children to develop their faith and relationship with Jesus through spending more time in prayer (talking and listening to God), praying a decade of the Rosary with the family, watching or reading the lives of the saints,  and doing good and loving deeds, especially to those who are in need. 

The women’s guild of St. Anthony of the Desert Church in Fall River invited us to give a presentation on Monday April 21.  Mother Marla Marie gave an inspiring reflection on Faith in light of the Resurrection.