Do you have a Maronite Servants’ heart

Do you have a Maronite Servants’ heart?

The Maronite Servants of Christ the Light invite young women to consider a vocation to the consecrated life.  Here are some qualities that may show signs of a call to the Maronite Servants’ way of life:

·       Personal relationship with God in prayer

·       Thirst for a deeper knowledge of the Maronite Catholic faith

·       Devotion to the Holy Eucharist

·       Generosity and concern for others

·       Desire to live a good and holy life

·       Love for the Church and her teachings

·       Capacity and desire for spiritual motherhood

·       Capacity for friendship and communal living

·       Love for the poor and defenseless

·       Healthy self-image and normal social skills

If you are considering a call to religious life, it is beneficial for you to begin living these steps:

·       Stay close to the Mysteries (sacraments). Participate in Divine Liturgy every Sunday, and daily when possible. Confess your sins to a priest regularly-once a month or even more.

·       Get a spiritual director. Ask a priest or sister to meet with you once a month to discuss your spiritual life.

·       Pray everyday. With the help of your spiritual director, develop a prayer routine.

·       Do some spiritual reading daily.

·       Stay close to Our Lady. The Mother of God will not let you down!

·       Serve your parish. Seek opportunities to get involved in parish life.

·       contact with Sister Marla Marie at sister@maroniteservants.org.

Vocation Prayer

We therefore implore you, O Christ, guard your Church as one flock, under one pastor. Call to your service the young men and women chosen by you. Deepen the love of those you have called for the religious life and help them to become more perfect in following your precepts. May those whom you have chosen, hear your call to the works of evangelization. May your Church be an instrument of sanctification and salvation; let her increase according to your plan, and grow to full stature. Through her may we reach your kingdom, and glorify and praise you, forever. Amen.  (Prayer taken from the Maronite Divine Office)

Maronite Servants of Christ the Light

856 Tucker Road Dartmouth MA 02747

MaroniteServants.org   508/996-1753

Visit to Phoenix AZ

On Friday, June 6 to Wednesday, 11 June, the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light were in Phoenix, Arizona for service and apostolic formation.

Parish Visit to St. Joseph’s Maronite Church – Phoenix AZ

By Natalie Salameh

The weekend of June 7,  the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light greeted the parishioners of St. Joseph’s Maronite Church, with the support of Pastor, Father Ghattas Khoury.

On both the Saturday and Sunday Divine Liturgies, Mother Marla Marie addressed the parishioners and introduced the members of the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light to the congregation.  Mother Marla Marie informed and updated the parishioners about the mission of the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light and asked them to pray for vocations to the mission. The parishioners were warm and welcoming of our mission in the Maronite Church.

Both Liturgies were extra special as we commemorated the feast of Pentecost and rejoiced in the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Holy Apostles, with the Mother of God in their midst. We pray for all our Maronite people during this liturgical season of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit may inflame your hearts with divine love and new evangelical zeal.

National Life Teen Conference - Phoenix

Beginning Sunday evening to Wednesday June 11, the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light attended the annual Life Teen Catholic Youth Ministry Training Convention along with over 700 youth ministers from around the U.S., including a vast number of priests and Bishops

The presentations included a key note speakers and theologians such as Dr. Scott Hahn, who spoke to us about the significance of the Eucharist as portrayed in Sacred Scripture.
The conference  was invaluable in our ongoing formation and development as we continue to minister to our Maronite youth.

In addition to daily Liturgy, the conference also included time for prayer and adoration, and praise and worship. The conference gave us an opportunity to delve into hot topic issues the Church is grappling with in today’s world such as same-sex attraction, the atheist mentality and Theology of the Body. Our teens are often very curious to know the Church’s views on these issues. This conference has given the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light deeper insight and material to discuss with our teen and young adults groups.

Sr. Therese Maria climbed Camel Back !!

Summer Newsletter

Please click here to read our summer news.

We Offer to Serve

How may we serve you and your parish on the journey of faith in our Maronite tradition?  As spiritual mothers serving alongside our priests, we are able to offer: parish retreats, day of prayer for a sodality or parish groups, an overnight retreat at the convent (women only), children’s faith formation day, summer vacation bible camp, MYO or MYA workshops or retreat days, catechist training workshop.  Please contact Sister Marla Marie to schedule or discuss further how the Maronite Servants may serve you. 

Light of Love Retreat – Recharging with the Word

By Natalie Salameh

On Sunday, May 25 to Monday, May 26, the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light hosted an overnight retreat for young women at the Mother of Light Convent focusing on the theme of God’s sacrificial love for each of us.  This retreat was an opportunity to carve time out of busy schedules and recharge with the Word of God, and rediscover the meaning of true love.

It’s very easy for us today in our fast-paced, modern to lose the meaning of true love in our lives. As Sister Therese Maria explained in the retreat’s first presentation, we are all too familiar with the fleeting and superficial love offered by the world.  This is glaringly obvious whether we pick up a magazine or turn on the television. We live in a culture of individualism; it’s all about “me”, “my” and “I”. In our world, we are offered the “Hallmark” idea of love.

But what of Christ’s love for us? Christ was nailed to the cross with open arms and hands; he only knew how to give, not to give and take. This is the true, real and meaningful love that we are all searching for in our lives.

The women were able to see how Christ demonstrated true love in the Scriptures in a lectio divina (divine reading) on the Gospel scene of the repentant sinful woman who bathed the Lord’s feet with her tears and was forgiven her many sins (Luke 7: 36 – 50); and the First Letter of John, reminding us that God is love, and he who loves is of God.

In the evening, we watched the movie Frozen, and afterwards gathered around a bonfire discussing the film’s themes of sacrificial love and self-offering.

The next day, we delved into Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium (the Joy of the Gospel), in which the Holy Father warns us to beware of jealousy, enmity, division, vendetta and so forth. The Holy Father reminds us that we are so fortunate Christ came and gave us the “Law of Love”. He says:

How good it is to have this law! How much good it does to love one another, in spite of everything. Yes, in spite of everything! (#101)

That is after all, how God loves us! Despite our deficiencies, limitations and imperfections, he still gives us the supreme and awesome gift of being called sons and daughters of God.

Fr. Ed Nedder, Pastor of St. George Maronite Church in Rhode Island, was also in attendance to offer the Mystery of Penance and the Divine Liturgy.  The retreat concluded with a walk on the beach. There is often no greater reminder of God’s love for us than the creation he has given us to enjoy.