Maronite Servants Visit Australia

By Therese Touma

Sister Marla Marie’s presence “down under” was warmly welcomed by our Maronite community in Sydney during her visit from February 19 and continuing through March 4, 2009.
Among her travels, Sister Marla Marie met with Most Reverend Ad Abikaram, Bishop of the Saint Maroun Eparchy of Australia. ‘Maroniteness’, the vital word Bishop Ad strongly emphasised in their lively conversation, encompassing the living out of our whole Maronite Spirituality and tradition. Sister shared with Bishop Ad explaining the unique mission and charism of the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light, in imitation our Blessed Mother to serve as spiritual mothers alongside the priests in our parishes. Sister added how she perceives this “much needed mission of the feminine presence to be a source of new life in our Maronite Church”.
Voice of Charity, the twenty four hour Maronite Radio station in Sydney, interviewed Sister Marla Marie for some of their programs. In the interview, Sister shared her thoughts about the importance of making the Divine Liturgy the center of our lives and at the same time realizing who we are as Maronites and why we do what we do in the Liturgy. Personally, I appreciated how Sister used our own terminology to express the significance of learning and living out the treasures our Maronite spirituality (i.e. Divine Liturgy instead of Mass).
During her two week stay, Sister Marla Marie experienced a taste of Maronite flavor on visits to some of Sydney’s seven Maronite parishes. In three of her parish visits to the Youth, she gave informative presentations on the mission and spirituality of the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light. Specifically, at St Joseph’s in Croydon, Sister presented an insightful discernment talk on her personal “Witness to Vocation and Mission”.
I pray that the good news of the MSCL continues to spread, encouraging young women especially those within our Maronite community to be generous and open in considering a vocation to this new mission. To learn more, visit their website maroniteservants.org.

(Therese Touma is an applicant in the process of joining the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light. She is pictured below with Sister Marla Marie.)

Los Angeles CA - Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon

Please read the articles below contributed by two parishioners of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon - St. Peter's Cathedral Parish.

Reflecting on God's Call

(Picture: Rebecca El Khoury and Sister Marla Marie)

By Rebecca El Khoury

“Sister, I am not worthy.” Whenever my father would ask my sisters and I if we thought about becoming a nun, I found myself hesitant and always told him that if God calls me, then of course I would. But deep down in my heart, I always felt that I was not worthy. In my nineteen years, I have not had the opportunity to speak with a nun before, and have only occasionally even saw a nun when visiting the convent of Saint Rafqa in Lebanon. I was very recently blessed to meet Sister Marla Marie for the first time, and in her I saw what had been missing from our Maronite Church here in America: the feminine aspect of our church, a “spiritual mother.” I had questions, and wondered about many things; the one thought that was constantly on my mind was exactly what Sister Marla Marie addressed. When Sister told us how she first realized that God was calling her, and her reply was “Sister, I am not worthy,” it made me realize that like me, she too is human. And that I too, if I open my heart to God, can dedicate my life to Him and serve Him, yet it does not always have to be by taking the path of becoming a nun.

I find myself praying more so that I can listen to God and truly hear what He wants me to do with my life. I realized that unless I open my heart to Him, I may not hear God’s call. I must open my eyes and my heart to listen and see what God truly has planned for me and follow the path that He has written and set before me, whatever it may be.