Maronite Voice - Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

The
Maronite Voice
A Publication of the Maronite Eparchies in the USA
Volume II Issue No. 6 June 2006
After Receiving The Holy Spirit Through The Bishop’s Imposition of
Hand, The Priest Is Mandated To Go Proclaim God’s Mesage In Any
Capacity And Ministry He Is Assigned
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
According to the liturgical
calendar, our Maronite Church is
entering the season of Pentecost,
the feast that commemorates the
descent of the Holy Spirit on the
Blessed Mother and the twelve
apostles. That event marked the birth
of the Church. Filled by the Holy
Spirit, the apostles went around
preaching the Good News of salvation,
that Christ, the High Priest, the longawaited
Messiah, had come and saved
us. Therefore, they invited people to
believe and get baptized.
Following in the footsteps of the
apostles are the bishops and the priests
who dedicate their lives to the service
of the Gospel. St. Ignatius of Antioch
describes well the beautiful orders of
priesthood: “Let everyone revere the
deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as
the image of the Father, and the
presbyters as the senate of God and the
assembly of the apostles. For without
them, one cannot speak of the Church.”
In this year of the priest, I would
like to draw some comparisons
between the apostles awaiting the Holy
Spirit and the candidates to the
priesthood preparing for ordination.
The apostles lived with Christ three
years. They accompanied Him
wherever He went, they heard Him,
questioned Him, learned from Him,
believed in him. They developed a
personal relationship with Him.
The priest spends four years before
ordination, after college studies, at the
seminary – studying theology, the
Bible, the Church’steachings. He is
invited to establish a personal
relationship with the Lord as he
discerns God’s caling.
The apostles were not all perfect,
nor were they faithful all the time.
They had their doubts and difficulties.
They experienced high moments of joy
and support, as well as low moments of
depression and failure.
(Continues on Page 20)

Appeal to all Pastors, Choir
Directors, Cantors and Choir
Members
Please be inclusive in your choice of liturgical music. Even if the majority of
people speak Arabic or English this is no reason to use exclusively one
language. All people who worship need to feel part of the Eucharistic
celebration. Therefore we ask that every liturgy have an appropriate combination
of both Syriac, Arabic and English hymns from the Maronite Tradition. In this way
everyone invited to the banquet of the Lord can have a share at His table.
+ Bishop Robert J. Shaheen, Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon
+ Bishop Gregory Mansour, Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn �
Maronite Youth Conference
The Maronite Youth Conference will take place July 19-23, 2006 at
Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. The cost for the
conference is $250 per person (double occupancy) or $300 (single occupancy,
adults only). No registration wil be accepted without the pastor’s signature.
However, no applications will be accepted after June 27, 2006.
You may mail all applications to the Youth Office at 1555 S. Meridian Rd.,
Youngstown, Ohio 44511. For more information, please call Fr. Gary George,
Youth Director, at (330) 792-2371 or by email at abounag1@hotmail.com. �
Schedule of Bishop Robert Shaheen
June 1-14, 2006
Annual Maronite Bishops’ Synod, Bkerke, Lebanon
June 28-July 2, 2006
Pastoral visit of His Beatitude Patriarch Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir to the
Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, St. Raymond Cathedral, St. Louis, Mo.
July 3-9, 2006
Annual Clergy Conference and NAM Convention, Chicago, Ill.
Schedule of Bishop Gregory Mansour
June 1-12, 2006
Annual Maronite Bishops’ Synod, Bkerke, Lebanon. �
June 18, 2006
Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, Brooklyn, N.Y.
June 20, 2006
Meeting with the Eparchial Vocation Team and the 25 th anniversary of Fr.
Georges El-Khalli, St. John Maron Church, Williamsville (Buffalo), N.Y.
June 22, 2006
Installation of Archbishop Weurl, Washington, D.C.
June 23, 2006
Meeting with the New York Bishops, New York, N.Y.
June 25, 2006
Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, Brooklyn, N.Y.
June 28-July 2, 2006
St. Louis, Mo., for Patriarch Sfeir’s visit
July 3-9, 2006
Annual Clergy Conference and NAM Convention, Chicago, Ill.
July 12-13, 2006
St. Anthony Church, Lawrence, Mas., for Patriarch Sfeir’s visit
July 14-17, 2006
Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, Brooklyn, N.Y., for Patriarch Sfeir’svisit. �
The Maronite Voice
4611 Sadler Road
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Phone: 804/270-7234
Fax: 804/273-9914
E-Mail: gmsebaali@aol.com
http://www.stmaron.org
http://www.usamaronite.org
The Maronite Voice, (ISSN 1080-
9880) the official newsletter of the
Maronite Eparchies in the U.S.A.
(Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of
Los Angeles and Eparchy of Saint
Maron of Brooklyn), is published
monthly.
Send all changes of address, news,
p i c t u r e s a n d p e r s o n a l
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are available upon request.
Publishers
•Most Reverend Bishop Robert
Joseph Shaheen
•Most Reverend Bishop Gregory
John Mansour
Editor Msgr. George M. Sebaali
Consultor Fr. Abdallah Zaidan,
M.L.M.
Editing and proofreading
Mary Shaia
Anne- Marie Condlin
Michael Maynes
Printed in Richmond, Virginia.
Maronite Census
Register your family in the
Maronite Census
www.maronitecensus.net
email: usa@maronitecensus.net
or call
Eparchy of Saint Maron of
Brooklyn
at 1-718-237-9913
Eparchy of Our Lady of
Lebanon
at 1-314-231-1021
Leave your name and address and
you will receive the Census form
by mail.
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 2 June 2006

The Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn Mourns One of Its Senior
Priests, Chorbishop Norman Ferris
Chorbishop Norman J. Ferris, age
78, retired pastor of St. Anthony
of the Desert Church, Fall River,
Mass., died Friday, May 26, 2006 at St.
Anne’s Hospital.
Born in Fall River and the youngest
of four brothers and three sisters, he
was the son of the late John and Rose
(Kassab) Ferris.
After attending the James M.
Aldrich Elementary School, Davis
Grammar School, BMC Durfee High
School and Msgr. Prevost High School
all in Fall River, he went on to graduate
from St. Charles High School and
College in Cantonvilles, Maryland in
1947. He then entered St. Mary’s
Major Seminary in Baltimore and
received his B.A. in Philosophy in 1949
and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in
1951, and he completed his Theological
Studies with an S.T.B. in Sacred
Theology in 1953.
He was ordained a priest on May
23, 1953 by the late Bishop James L.
Connolly of the Diocese of Fall River.
With the Diocese of Fall River, he
served as Curate at St. Joseph Church
in Taunton and later at St. Mary Church
in Taunton. While in Taunton, he was
also Chaplain for Morton Hospital and
the Taunton Chapter of Catholic
Nurses, Ddirector of St. Mary’sHigh
School and Grammar School and
Counselor to Coyle High School for
Boys and Bishop Cassidy High School
for Girls.
In February of 1970, he became
Curate of St. Margaret Church in
Buzzard’sBay and the Mission of St.
Mary’sin Onset, Mass., and in August
he returned to Fall River as Curate of
Immaculate Conception Church.
In October of that year he was
named Administrator of St. Anthony of
the Desert Church, and he became
Pastor in 1975 and was incardinated
into the Diocese of St. Maron-USA.
In 1981 he was elevated to the
dignity of Chaplain to His Holiness
Pope John Paul II, and in 1996 he was
further elevated to the dignity of Prelate
of Honor to His Holiness Pope John
Paul II.
Monsignor Ferris was ordained
Chorbishop on November 3, 2002 for
the Eparchy of Saint Maron of
Brooklyn.
During his tenure as Pastor, he also
served as Spiritual Advisor and
seafaring companion to the cadets of
the Massachusetts Maritime Academy
in Buzzard’s Bay, a Consultor and
Protopresbyter of Region I to the
Diocese of St. Maron-USA and the
National Apostolate of Maronites
Executive Board.
In 1990 he was chairman of the Our
Lady of Lebanon Episcopal Chapel
Project, Eparchial Residence in
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Chorbishop Ferris also served as
Spiritual Director to the Order of St.
Sharbel, was a member of both the
Presbyteral Council and College of
Consultors with the Eparchy of Saint
Maron of Brooklyn, and was assisting
Chaplain at St. Anne’s Hospital.
He is survived by one brother,
Horace Ferris of Somerset, Mass., and
many nieces and nephews. He was also
brother of the late Monsour Ferris,
Ferris J. Ferris, Clara Pontes, Sadie
Francis and Anna “Vicki” Catalan.
The Prayer Service for Deceased
Priests took place on May 30, 2006 at
St. Anthony of the Desert Church in
Fall River, Mass., and the Funeral
Liturgy was celebrated on Wednesday,
May 31 with burial at St. Patrick’s
Cemetery in Fall River, Mass.
Their Excellencies Bishop Gregory
Mansour and Bishop Robert Shaheen
join the clergy and faithful of the
Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
and the Eparchy of Our Lady of
Lebanon in extending heartfelt
sympathy and the promise of our
prayers to the Ferris family and the
parishioners of St. Anthony of the
Desert Church. May God grant His
servant Norman eternal rest. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 3 June 2006
If the Lord
is Calling
You, The
Church
Needs
You!
A priest is a man of faith and prayer
who:
�is called to be a church minister
�proclaims the Word of God and
administers the sacraments
A priest is called to:
�be a servant, teacher, and
missionary
�build a parish community that
works to bring healing, justice and
peace to all
�preside at Eucharist
�administer the sacraments
���
If you feel that you have a vocation
to the Priesthood or religious life,
please contact your Pastor or write
to:
Fr. sharbel Maroun, Director
Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon
Office of Vocations
c/o St. Maron Church
600 University Ave., NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Or
Fr. James Root, Director
Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
Office of Vocations
c/o Our Lady of Victory Church
1000 Lindsay Road
Carnegie, PA 15106

Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, Brooklyn, N.Y., Celebrates Its Rector’s
50 th Anniversary of Priesthood
Left to right: His Excellency Bishop
Gregory Mansour and Msgr. Ignace
Sadek
by Mary Asmar Smith
On Sunday, April 30, 2006, Our
Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in
Brooklyn, New York, hosted a
banquet in honor of its Rector, Msgr.
Ignace Sadek’s50 th Anniversary of
Priesthood. To commemorate this
Golden Jubilee, over four hundred
parishioners and guests attended from
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
and Connecticut. Members of Msgr.
Sadek’sfamily came from Lebanon,
Canada and throughout the United
States to commemorate this joyous
occasion.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated
by Msgr. Sadek. His Excellency Bishop
Gregory Mansour presided along with
His Excellency Bishop Stephen Hector
Doueihi. Chorbishop Michael Thomas,
Vicar General; Fr. Jean Younes,
Cathedral Assistant; Chorbishop John
Faris, Associate Secretary General of
the Catholic Near East Welfare
Association (CNEWA); and Msgr.
Sami Hayek, Pastor of Our Lady of
Lebanon Church, Easton, Penn.,
concelebrated. Deacon Anthony
Khoury, also from Easton, Penn.,
assisted at the altar. The honored
guests in attendance included Ms.
Carolyn Ziade, Charge D’Afaireof the
Lebanese Mission to the United
Nations.
In his homily, Msgr. Sadek spoke
about the Gospel of the day, about the
disciples of Emmaus. He said this is
“anotherof the immortal short stories
of the world where the divine and
human appearances of Jesus on the road
and at table constitute a marvelous
human-divine play. This story is our
story. We are the travelers and Jesus is
our companion showing himself in
many different ways. Honoring the 50 th
Anniversary of Priesthood is
commemorating this companionship of
Jesus with his priest during this
pilgrimage on the road to the Heavenly
Emmaus.”
He also thanked all of his relatives,
friends and parishioners who came
from so far and the very large
delegation from his previous parish in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Following
the liturgy, words of tribute and
appreciation for the jubilarian were
rendered by Their Excellencies Bishops
Mansour and Doueihi. Bishop Gregory
highlighted “thelong and distinguished
ministry of our beloved brother in
Christ, Msgr. Sadek,” and took the
opportunity to use his life as an
example of what the Holy Priesthood
means to the Church, and what it
should mean to all.
A message of congratulations was
received from the Office of the
Brooklyn Borough President, Marty
Markowitz. President Markowitz said:
“Onbehalf of all Brooklynites, I salute
Msgr. Sadek for your longstanding
service to the Roman Catholic
community in Brooklyn Heights and
beyond.”
The upper and lower Cathedral
halls were filled to capacity and the
banquet began with an invocation by
Msgr. Sadek. The Golden Jubilee was
executed flawlessly by Claire Habib
and Ed Shiner.
Msgr. Sadek gave praise to God for
allowing him to lead the life that he was
privileged to live over the past seventyfive
years, fifty of them as a priest. He
thanked everyone present and also
shared some memorable and moving
personal moments from his fruitful life.
It was a moving and appropriate
conclusion to an exceptional
commemorative program.
For fifty years, Msgr. Sadek has
stood before the altar of the Lord and
offered the most Holy Gifts to the Lord.
To bear such a great responsibility for
so long means that Msgr. Sadek has
sacrificed more than others. May God
reward him for his patience and love. �
Prayer For Priestly
Vocations
Father, in every generation You
provide ministers of Christ and the
Church.
���
We come before You now, asking that
You call forth more men to serve our
eparchies in the ministerial
priesthood.
���
Give us priests who will lead and
guide Your holy people gathered by
Word and Sacrament.
���
Bless us with priestly vocations so
that we can continue to be a truly
Eucharistic Church,
strengthened in our discipleship of
Jesus Christ, Your Only Son.
���
Raise up, we pray, men who are
generous in their service,
willing to offer their lives and all their
gifts for Your greater glory and for the
good of Your people.
���
We make our prayer in the presence
and power of the Holy Spirit, through
Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Year of Prayer for Priestly Vocations
November 4, 2005 – November 4,
2006
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 4 June 2006

A Shepherd’s Visit to The Maronite Monks of Adoration
Nova Scotia, Canada
Bishop Gregory Mansour with the Maronite Monks of Adoration at their monastery
in Nova Scotia, Canada.
by Bishop Gregory Mansour
The chapel is dark as the monks
enter one by one for the final
prayer of the day. The time is
8:50 pm. Most of the monks know the
entire Sootoro (the night prayer after
the Ramsho) by heart so they don’t
need to put on the small reading lamp at
their place. They chant Psalm 91 – “On
Eagles Wings”- to a gentle melody
unlike any I have ever heard. One
monk said they borrowed it from the
Trappists. As we proceed to the final
prayer of the evening a small light is
shown on the icon of the Virgin Mary.
The Prior motions to me to give the
blessing. I walk in the sanctuary, lit
only by candles to the place of the icon,
I raise it above my head and give the
blessing with all the gratitude and
devotion I can muster, and hope to
receive as well the blessing of the
gentle Virgin. The only light now in
the chapel shines on Mary. We exit one
by one in silence…asilence we will
observe till Safro (morning prayer) at
5:20 am.
So began my first day with the
Maronite Monks of Adoration, at their
dependent monastery in Nova Scotia.
My other two days were equally
beautiful, graced with work, prayer,
conversation, study and a spirit of
intercessory prayer, penance and
sacrifice offered for the spiritual good
of others. The days reminded me of my
visit one year earlier to the Mother
House of the monks in Petersham,
Massacusetts. Abbot Driscoll, Prior
Dauphinais, and the monks are one of
the best kept secrets of the Eparchy of
Saint Maron of Brooklyn.
Contemplative by nature, these
monks represent the best of our
Maronite ascetical and spiritual
tradition. We find here men devoted to
Christ, and we will not find their likes
anywhere except Annaya and Qadisha
[Lebanon]. They live a life hidden
from the world for the good of the
world. They inspire us to a life of
virtue and prayer.
I hope you will take the time to
learn more about them and perhaps
even visit or make a retreat with them.
For more information refer to their
website at www.maronitemonks.org or
their addresses at:
Holy Trinity Monastery
Abbot William Driscoll
67 Dugway Road
Petersham, MA 01366
(978) 724-3347
Reverend Michael Gilmary Cermak
Reverend John Choiniere
Reverend Ignatius Dec
Brother Isidore Derouen
Brother Patrick Kokorian
Brother Augustine Martin
Maronite Monks of Adoration
Rev. Louis Marie Dauphiniais, Prior
Monastery, Nova Scotia B0H 1WO
(902) 232-2214
Reverend Martin Ferland
Reverend Giles Goyette
Reverend Maron Morgan
Brother Ephrem Martin
Reverend Elias Havel
Brother Robert Nortz
Brother Thomas Steinke. �
The following poem is written by
Brother Ephrem of the Maronite Monks
of Adoration:
To Mary Every Virgin,
Rose of the Holy Mysteries
O Heart most pure,
living memory of Jesus,
like the last rose of Autumn,
resplendent after storm;
Like the final rose, shadowless,
dropping tears of light,
you diffuse the aura of His soul
redolent with peace;
Like a chalice encompassing
the outpouring of His heart.
You draw us to His side.
Ephrem of the Holy Trinity, O. Mar.
May 17, 2006 �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 5 June 2006

Mother’s Day Festival At Saint
John Maron Church
Anaheim, Calif.
Bible Bee At St. Anthony Church
In Glen Allen, Va.
Left to right: Christina Craig, Bridget Shaia, Lawrence Talej
and Anthony Beasley.
May is a special month of the year in reverence of our
Blessed Mother, Virgin Mary. It is also a great time
to celebrate Mother’sDay. The social committee at
St. John Maron Church in Anaheim, Calif., planned its
second annual Mother’s Day Festival beginning with the
Divine Liturgy.
The festival was a great success! To show appreciation
and love to all the mothers, the husbands and sons
volunteered to set up, cook, serve, and even clean up for the
whole day event! The mothers had a sit-down lunch with
their children and family members under an outdoor canopy
on a beautiful sunny day. The tables were decorated with
beautiful flower centerpieces, which were made by all the
children in the Kid’s Club.
While the mothers enjoyed their lunch, the children’s
enjoyed two jumpers and arts and crafts. They made
beautiful flower bouquets out of pens along with a Mother’s
Day Poem, which made them very proud.
As for entertainment, Yes, we did include shopping! We
know how much moms love to shop. Many paintings were
displayed for all the moms to enjoy and purchase. The
The parishioners of Saint Anthony’s Church in Glen
Allen, Virginia, celebrated the final weeks of the
Maronite Formation Program with their first Bible Bee
on Sunday, April 30, 2006. In their weekly religious
education classes, the children prepared by studying
questions from the Faith of the Mountain series.
Between the two liturgies, over 250 Sunday school
children, parents and interested parishioners enjoyed a
complimentary breakfast buffet. The program began with
songs from the pre-school and kindergarten classes. Twentythree
finalists from the first through eighth grades then
competed in the Bee. Each finalist received questions from
their own grade level. First grader Anthony Beasley, received
a third place award. Seventh graders Christina Craig and
Lawrence Talej tied for second place. The winner of the
Bible Bee was seventh grader Bridget Shaia. The high school
students ended the program with a mini-debate on the topic
of capital punishment. This event was a highlight of the
Maronite Formation Program. Students ended the year by
preparing banners for the May Day Procession and writing
prayers for the NAM vocations contest. �
paintings were beautiful and varied in style, and the prices
were just right.
As for Father Antoine, he was happy to see everyone
having a great time. He visited with everyone and even
Directive for the Eparchy of Saint
Maron of Brooklyn
helped with the preparation and set-up of the festival.
Many thanks go out to all whot made this special day
possible. It takes a lot of preparations and hard work to carry
out a big event. A special thanks goes to the social
committee for their continued commitment and hard work.
Thanks to all who sponsored money, food, drinks, equipment
and crafts, and to all who put in many hours of labor and
time to make this a successful event. As for the parishioners,
this event couldn’thave possibly been a success without
you. �
On the occasion of a funeral, it is not a bad custom for
family or friends to give a eulogy, speaking about their
deceased loved ones. At the same time, it is necessary
to maintain the dignity of the Funeral Liturgy or Ginnaz and
the sacredness of the Church building. Therefore, in the
Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, eulogies by the laity
may be given at the wake, the cemetery or the mercy meal. In
the church, however, only the priest or deacon should speak.
No eulogy should be given by the laity in the Church. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 6 June 2006

Mission Sponsors Spring Hafli
Columbus, Ohio
by Adele Knieser Busch
On Saturday, April 29, 2006, Our Lady of Lebanon
Maronite Mission of Columbus, Ohio, sponsored its
3 rd Hafli at LaScala Restaurant in Dublin, Ohio. The
event, organized by parishioners Victor Ghanem and David
Saliba and attended by 230 parishioners and guests, featured
non-stop Arabic music provided by Elias Haddad of Detroit
and fellowship all evening long. There were guests in
attendance from Dayton and Zanesville, Ohio. According to
Fr. Pierre Bassil, Mission Administrator, “thiswas the best
Hafli yet, and there are more to come. This is a great
encouragement to our community.” The Bible teaches us to
“encourage one another” and a Hafli is a great way to bring
people together.”The Columbus Mission continues to move
forward. The parishioners remain faithful in prayer,
perseverance, participation and patience as they build their
spiritual home in the “Heartof Ohio.”To learn more about
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Mission visit:
www.ourladyoflebanon.info. �
52 nd Annual St. Maron Banquet
Birmingham, Alabama
by Jason P. Zarzaur
In February 2006, St. Elias Church in Birmingham,
Alabama held its 52 nd Annual St. Maron Banquet. The
Honorable William H. Pryor, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals
11 th Circuit, was the honored guest. He spoke about
Maronite heritage and the effect it has had on him as a
Roman Catholic, and how the community of the Maronite
church has touched and influenced his life and the
Birmingham community.
At the celebration of the Feast of St. Maron, The Faith of
the Mountain Award was presented by Chorbishop Richard
Saad to Christopher J. Wehby, an outstanding young adult
and St. Elias’s first winner of the award.
The Silver Massabki Brothers Award was presented by
Chorbishop Richard Saad, on behalf of NAM, to Kimberly
A. Boackle, for her outstanding service to her parish, eparchy
and NAM.
Chorbishop Saad presented te Parishioner of the Year
Award to Lavonne Williamson for her continued dedication
and service to St. Elias Church. �
St. Sharbel Annual Festival
Somerset, New Jersey
St. Sharbel’sChurch in Somerset, New Jersey, will
celebrate its annual festival Friday, June 23, through
Sunday June 25, 2006. The festival will feature live
music by Tony Michael and his orchestra, Lebanese and
American food plus games for the children with free
admission. Everybody is welcome. For further information
call Father Maroun Asmar at 732-828-2055. �
Guild of St. Anthony of the Desert
Antonine Sisters Adult Day Care
Left to right: Nahia Karam, Sr. Marie Madeleine, Director,
and Sr. Celine Nohra.
On Saturday April 22, 2006, the Guild of St. Anthony of
the Desert honored its members with an authentic
Lebanese dinner made by the Antonine Sisters at the
Adult Day Care Center in North Jackson, Ohio. The Guild
was started in 2002 and named after St. Anthony the Great
who established the first monastery in 305 AD. It is for this
reason that St. Anthony is generally known as the Father of
Monasticism. He is the patron of religious orders.
The purpose of the Guild is to support the Adult Day
Care Center. Patrons of the Guild make an annual donation
of fifty-five dollars and are included in the daily prayers of
the Sisters. Once a year, an appreciation dinner is given by
the Sisters.
The Adult Day Care Center and the Antonine Convent
are located next to the National Shrine of Our Lady of
Lebanon in North Jackson, Ohio. For further information
about the Guild or the Adult Day Care Center, the Sisters can
be reached at 2675 North Lipkey Road, North Jackson, OH
44451. Telephone: 330-538-9822. �
Our Lady of Lebanon MYO Hold
Lenten Retreat
by Leana Daou
The Maronite Youth Organization of Our Lady of
Lebanon Church, Chicago, Ill., held a one day Lenten
Retreat on Saturday, March 11, 2006. Twenty-eight
youths and ten adults participated and spent the day in prayer
and meditation.
The youths began their retreat on Saturday morning
evening with Divine Liturgy and Benediction of the Holy
Cross. Fr. Bechara Awada of Peoria, Ill., was the Retreat
Master. After lunch, he held an "interact session" with them.
Subdeacon John and Mrs. Bobbie Sfire, John Khouri and
Amanda Smith, served the youths a Lebanese dish and pizza.
Their day ended with a presentation and confessions. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 7 June 2006

Bishop Gregory Mansour Visits
St. Anthony Church
Lawrence, Mass.
Deadline for Next Month’s Isue
The deadline for next month’s issue of The Maronite Voice
is June 25, 2006. Pictures have to be original and preferably
in black and white. Digital pictures must be in “JPG”
format. �
Gala Spring Hafli
Scranton, Pennsylvania
by Joseph J. Soma,
M.D.
St. Ann’s first
Spring Gala
Hafli was
held at St. Mary's
(Ruthenian Greek
Catholic) Center
o n S a t u r d a y
evening, April 29,
2006 in Scranton,
P e n n . T h e
successful event
was chaired by
Kathryn Karam
Cawley and Paul
P. Ackoury, Esq.,
with reservations
and seating by
Jeanette Soma
by Christina C. Saadé
On Thursday, April 20, Bishop Gregory Mansour
arrived at Saint Anthony’sChurch in Lawrence
Massachusetts, for a pastoral visit.
On Friday evening, the Bishop spent a couple of hours
with the youth of Saint Anthony’s,who asked him questions
about his life and his views on many topics. They, then all
had dinner in the church hall, followed by a prayer session in
the church. Towards the end of the evening, the youth and
the Bishop all gathered on the altar like the flock around their
Shepherd for a memorial picture.
The following evening, the Bishop was invited to Saint
George’sChurch in Dover, New Hampshire, where The
Saint Anthony’s Church Traditional Choir provided the
music for the liturgy. Following the liturgy, refreshments
were served in the church hall.
On Sunday morning, the Bishop celebrated a Divine
Liturgy at Saint Anthony’s,served by the church choirs.
Following the service, the MYO (Maronite Youth
Organization) served pastries and refreshments.
The Bishop’s visit to Saint Anthony’s was fun and
provided a special opportunity for the youth to get to know
the Bishop and a great experience for the community with its
shepherd. �
Wagner. Tables
were named for
towns in Lebanon
and, as much as
possible, matched
the hometown of
the parents and grandparents of those seated at the table.
It included a delightful and ample mazza prepared by
Sonia El-Haddad El-Ghazal and her family. It was adorned
with Lebanese flags and included an assortment of Lebanese
food. It rivaled the banquet-type dinner which followed. The
serving of the mazza was assisted by Mary Theresa Mackarey
Fielding and Joe and Joanie Abdo.
Many people from New York, Connecticut and Easton,
Penn., offered greater variety to the traditional dancing. It
was a very joyous night with the music capably offered by
Tony Mikhael and his band from Cleveland, Ohio. The
combination of the food, great band and camaraderie made
for a most enjoyable and entertaining evening.
A studio was set up by Judy Soma with a traditional
Lebanese background for picture taking. A recently found
picture of Youssef Beyk Karam 1 Bishop Gregory Mansour (center) with the youth of St.
Anthony Church in Lawrence, Mass.
Members of St. Ann Church had their
pictures taken at their spring Gala. Poster
of Youssef Beyk Karam was the
background for the photos.
was blown up to poster size,
framed and was the centerpiece and background. The photo
opportunity was very popular with those attending the Hafli,
and provided a nice souvenir of the event. �
1 Youssef Beyk Karam, from Zghorta in Lebanon,
was a prominent Maronite leader who fought for the
independence of Lebanon from the Turks prior to World War
I. Many members of St. Ann Church in Scranton, Penn.,
migrated from Zghorta, Lebanon to the U.S.A.
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 8 June 2006

The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 9 June 2006

y Doreen Abi Raad
His Beatitude Patriarch Nasrallah
Peter Cardinal Sfeir will visit the
Maronite Church in the U.S.A., June
29- July 17, 2006. He will attend the
Annual Maronite Clergy Conference
and The Maronite Convention held in
Chicago, Illinois. The Maronite Voice
features this article to introduce
Patriarch Sfeir to its readers.
His Beatitude – A Pilar of Hope In An Uncertain
Future
Bikfaya, Lebanon.
“TheJesuit training had a great
influence on him: his respect for the
Church, his love for the people, his
open mind, his freedom of judgment
and especialy his discernment,”
pointed out Fr. Nehmeh.
After his ordination in 1950, a
week shy of his 30 th birthday, Fr. Sfeir
served as pastor in his hometown
mountain village of Rayfoun. Six years
later, he was assigned to Bkerke, the
headquarters of the Maronite Catholic
Church, as Secretary to the Patriarch.
He has remained at Bkerke ever since.
He was ordained bishop in 1961 and
served under two patriarchs before he
was elected the 76 th Maronite patriarch
in 1986. He was appointed cardinal in
1994.
Patriarch Sfeir is fluent in Arabic,
French, English, Italian and Latin, as
well as Syriac, the historical spiritual
language of the Maronites.
A Courageous Voice for
the People
For Lebanese Christians, he is their
hope in an uncertain future,
tainted by political leaders they no
longer trust. For Muslims, he is the
assurance of peace.
His chief advisor is the Holy Spirit,
backed by a keen intellect, artful
diplomacy, openness, prudence and
tenacity, crowned with humility.
“I had always envisioned
priesthood as my mission in life, and
believed I was incapable of doing
anything else,” he once said.
Although his parents were pious,
they did not encourage his vocation, as
he was their only son among five
daughters and the one to carry on the
family name. “It never occured to me
that I would become a bishop, let alone
patriarch,” said Cardinal Nasrallah
Boutros Sfeir, who celebrated his 20 th
His Beatitude “has a great
knowledge of Lebanese
politics,”said Farid el Khazen, a
Christian member of parliament and
professor of political science at the
American University in Beirut. “For
this reason, he was able to make such
an important impact on Lebanese
politics at a time when Lebanese
politics was difficult to handle: in
wartime Lebanon when he was elected
patriarch, and in postwar Lebanon when
Lebanon was under Syrian control.’
El Khazen is co-author of “The
Maronite Church and Politics” text
presented at the recent Maronite
Patriarchal Synod, in which the third
and final session concludes this month.
When Patriarch Sfeir met with
officials in the United States and
anniversary as Patriarch of the Maronite Canada in 2001 to present the Church’s
Catholic Church in April.
position against Syria’shegemony over
Even as a student at the Jesuit-run Lebanon, some sixty thousand
St. Joseph’sUniversity in Beirut where Lebanese expressed their appreciation
he double-majored in philosophy and for his speaking out on their behalf,
theology, the future patriarch was lining the coastal highway and up the
regarded as a wise man, said one of his mountain to Bkerke, nearly blocking its
fellow classmates, Father Saleh entrance, to welcome him home.
Nehmeh, of Notre Dame Church in ‘ThePatriarch should be credited
really for being the only voice calling
not only for Lebanese sovereignty, but
also for the values that we all need for
an independent, democratic and free
Lebanon,” El Khazen said.
Yet, whenever he is asked about his
courage to speak out, with his
characteristic humility, the prelate will
simply say: “Itis my obligation. It is
my duty.’
An Open-Door Policy
The doors of Bkerke are open to all,
without exception. As many as
200-300 people ) the poor, the
wealthy, families with children ) wait
for a face-to-face meeting with
Patriarch Sfeir each week after his
Sunday morning Liturgy.
The people know that he will listen,
with his big, dark eyes that are like
pools of mercy.
On the remaining six days of the
week, the Patriarch receives visitors
from 9:30 a.m. until noon. “For me, it
is a sign of their confidence in the
Church,”he said of the steady stream of
guests. “We have to be with our
people, with their difficulties, with their
questions.”
Maronite Archbishop Bechara Rai
of Jbeil, who served as vicar to
Patriarch Sfeir from 1986 to 1990,
summed up the Patriarch’sopenness:
“Heis always available to receive those
who want to meet him. He greets you
with a smile, and listens to you
patiently without giving the impression
that he is in a hury.”
International dignitaries ) including
presidents and prime ministers, U.N.
officials and secretaries of state )
typically meet with the Patriarch during
their visits to Lebanon. Muslim clerics
and diplomats posted in Lebanon visit
regularly as well. Impromptu evening
visits from officials are not uncommon.
There is a steady stream of
opportunistic Lebanese politicians and
government officials who regularly
descend upon Bkerke for an audience
with the Patriarch. Later, they appear
on the evening news, Bkerke as their
stage, delivering polished sound bites
about what they discussed with His
Beatitude.
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 10 June 2006

“Sometimes they tel me
something, and they go to the press,
telling another thing –the opposite of
what they have told me,”the Patriarch
explained. “It is the habit of any
politician,”he said, with a chuckle,
“becauseit is not their vocation to
always say the truth.”
A Man of Solid
Convictions
“Because he’s nice, because he’s
friendly, because he’s accesible,
people assume that he can easily be
manipulated and influenced,”el Khazen
said of the Patriarch. “And this is not at
all the case. He has very, very solid
convictions. And these convictions are
the convictions that we need for
Lebanon to survive.”
And what about betrayals by
politicians? The prelate responds with
a faint howl, followed by his bellowing
laugh. “I am used to that. You cannot
say that they are all sincere. What to
do?”he said, outstretching his palms, as
if in prayer.
“Iknow that he has been offered
incentives to engage in and support the
political proces,” said el Khazen.
“Syriasent him all kinds of people to
try to co-opt him -- the politics of
patronage, and so on -- by offering to
work with him, even directly. And of
course, he was never willing to accept
such ofers.”
In describing the Patriarch’strait of
prudence, Archbishop Rai explained,
“Hemakes his decisions calmly, and
after deep deliberation and careful
analysis of the pros and the cons. He
does not reveal his secret to anybody.
He weighs and evaluates the things, the
events and the persons involved. He
proceeds by thesis, synthesis and
conclusion.”
Said Monsignor Joseph Tawk,
Administrative Secretary to Patriarch
Sfeir: “Sometimes he gives some
opinion we don’t agree with, but
afterwards, we realize that he was
right.”
Politics aside, it is God who comes
first for Patriarch Sfeir. “Without the
help of the Holy Spirit, we cannot do
anything,” he said. “He prays
constantly, especially the Divine
Ofice,”noted Archbishop Rai. He is
also very faithful to the sacraments of
Reconciliation and the Eucharist and
has a deep devotion to the Blessed
Mother.
hour and a half each day. (Anyone who
“Heis very faithful to the Vatican,
the Pope and the Church,” said Fr.
has had the opportunity to visit the
Holy Valley can attest to the
Nehmeh, his former classmate. ruggedness of its terrain.)
A Pillar of Strength
His Beatitude once spoke of the
valey’simpact on him: “I spent a lot
of time wondering about the way my
Patriarch Sfeir turned 86 years old
in May of 2006.
There is nothing at all feeble about
him. Were it not for his white beard, he
could be mistaken for a middle-aged
man. His stamina, he says, “is a gift
from God.”
The prelate still writes all his own
predecessors, the Maronite patriarchs,
were able to reach the difficult places in
which they took refuge, and were
satisfied with the very little they had
and to preserve their faith. In the end,
I reached the conclusion that holding
fast to faith and convictions is not an
easy mater.”
homilies and speeches, and enjoys
working on the computer.
Those who know him remark about
how little he eats. “In a few minutes,
A Church Struggling for
Excellence
he has his lunch. Ten minutes, top,”
said Monsignor Tawk. Neither does he
drink coffee or alcohol -- in a land
where feasting and “takinga cofee”
socially are an integral part of the
Lebanese culture. The Patriarch is also
known for his impeccable table
manners.
Of his time spent in a monastery
school as a teenager, he once said:
“The most important thing I learned
there was developing willpower and
perseverance, a life of austerity, and
that a person should be content with
litle.”
The Patriarch is emblematic of the
way in which Maronites are described
in a 1994 book about the Maronites,
written by his personal secretary, Father
Michel Awit: “The Lebanese mountain
gave the Lebanese an iron will and
stern stubbornnes…Theywere open to
all ideas, hospitable, generous and
asured of their strength.”
Patriarch Sfeir’spersonality is a
mix of three characters: the priest, the
leader and the ancestral Lebanese of the
mountain, said Maronite Fr. Charles
Ksas, parish priest for Amioun and
Bziza villages in northern Lebanon.
“The young people lovehim, and older
people rediscover their heritage through
him.”
As a young seminarian, Patriarch
Sfeir realized his dream of visiting
Wadi Qannoubin -- the Holy Valley -where
the Maronite patriarchs and
monks of ages past sought refuge in
caves from persecution.
The summer Patriarchal Residence
in Diman overlooks the valley. There,
the Patriarch rises at 5 a.m. as usual and
The Patriarch often tells the faithful
that despite the difficulties of
these times, their circumstances
now are much simpler than “the
miseries and persecution that befell our
people throughout the ages. Our
Church is a church struggling for
excelence.”
What is Patriarch Sfeir’s dream for
Lebanon? “To be independent,
sovereign and to have the liberty to be
with the other countries, free of any
presure,”he said. “And ourinterest is
to have the best relations with our
neighbors, especially with Syria. But
we cannot accept that Syria governs us
and chooses our president, our ministers
and our parliamentarians. Otherwise,
we are not independent.”
“Wehave to rely on providence”
for the future, the Patriarch said.
“Thereis a providence that cannot leave
us.”
Patriarch Nasrallah Peter Cardinal
Sfeir “wil leave his mark as the
‘Patriarch of Lebanon’s Second
Independence,’” predicted el Khazen.
Antoine Saad, who is currently
working on his third volume of the
patriarch’sbiography, “TheSeventy-
Sixth,” wrote: “Despite al the
disappointments and challenges that
Lebanon experienced, the Patriarch held
firmly to the Lebanese dream based on
establishing a homeland in which all
religious communities coexist in peace
and fraternity. His faith in that dream
never waned. He strongly believes that
Lebanon either is a homeland with a
message, dialogue and openness to the
world – or it is nothing.”
walks on the mountain for nearly an
(Continues on Page 15)
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 11 June 2006

Maronite Outreach
Dedicated to the
Preservation of
Christianity in Lebanon
Maronite Outreach
Child Sponsorship
Program
As mentioned in previous
publications of The
Maronite Voice, the
Maronite Outreach has been
dedicated to supporting Christian
children and families in Lebanon.
This is based on our belief that
Christianity in Lebanon is best preserved by living the basic
Christian principles of charity, solidarity, and respect for the
individual. To date, the Maronite Outreach has facilitated the
sponsorship of 120 children who were facing the risk of
being pulled out of school or being placed in an orphanage.
We invite you to consider dedicating a small monthly
donation to touch the life of a child.
This posting is an effort to engage a sponsor for Yorgo,
a four year old boy from Faraya. Yorgo’s family consists of
his brother, Charbel (two years old) and his sister Tea (six
years old) and his mother Msihie. Msihie is thirty years old
and is unemployed. Msihie spends her entire day taking care
of her three children. With the poor economic situation in
Lebanon and her limited qualifications, she has had difficulty
finding a job. Yorgo’sfather, Danny, died from a heart attack
in September of 2005 at the age of thirty-six. Prior to his
untimely death, he was employed as a taxi driver. His
income was sporadic, and the family had little savings.
Yorgo and his family are presently under tremendous
emotional and economic hardship. They live in a small humid
house with no monthly income, other than the $100 that
Auxilia, a non-profit Christian organization, provides them in
the form of a food allowance. This meager income falls short
of providing for the basic necessities of education, books,
food, clothing, transportation, and medical coverage. Yorgo
is currently in Kindergarten One at a private school in Faraya
where the tuition is $1,700 per annum. In addition, the family
is faced with the cost of tuition for Yorgo’sister who attends
the same school. Yorgo and his sister Tea are not in public
school because there is none available nearby. In addition,
public schools in Lebanon are limited in numbers and suffer
from a serious lack in resources leading to behavioral and
learning problems. Therefore, pulling Yorgo and his sister
out of private Catholic school in order to save money is not
an option – the only other options are for them to be taken
out of school and start working (assuming they can find
work), or locating a generous sponsor willing to subsidize
their education and other necessities. The income provided
by a monthly sponsorship donation will ensure that Yorgo
stays in school, and will provide some solace for a family that
is hanging on hope by a thread.
Once the sponsorship is initiated, Maronite Outreach will
ensure that you establish a personal relationship with Yorgo
through the exchange of letters, pictures, and maybe through
a visit to Lebanon to meet him if you so desire.
To find out about the sponsorship program, please visit
www.maroniteoutreach.org or call (714) 724-7240. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 12 June 2006

Maronites in Washington, D.C., Celebrate the Dedication of Their New
Church
narthex with a
heavy stone
vaulted nave
that draws the
a t t e n t i o n
toward the
altar.
The halflit
interior
expresses the
mystery of
holiness. The
baptistery is in
the form of an
e g g s h e l l ,
s ymb o l o f
r e b i r t h i n
Christ. This
symbol goes
Chorbishop Dominic Ashkar, Pastor; Bishop Gregory Mansour and back to the
Bishop Stephen Hector Doueihi (Photo by Christine Morden).
Phoenicians,
then to the
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite
Parish in Washington, D.C.,
dedicated its new church On
Eastern Christian tradition. The
baptistery and the confessional are
located in the back of the church as
May 6 -7, 2006 , reaching a destination symbols of purification before entering
more than forty years in the making.
On September 24, 1961 Our Lady
the sacred space.
The overall expression of the space
of Lebanon Maronite Seminary opened
its doors in Washington, D.C., An open
is massive and suggestive, favoring
piety as in old Maronite vaulted
house at the Seminary on St. Maron’s churches, yet being interpreted in a
Feast Day in February of 1962 ignited totally new abstract fashion.
the spark to form a parish community. On March 17, 2005, Patriarch Sfeir
The Seminary Chapel was used as a consecrated the Altar while on a visit to
temporary home for the Maronites in
the District of Columbia.
meet with President George W. Bush.
On May 6-7, 2006 His Excellency
In 1976 a combination of Bishop Gregory Mansour, Bishop of the
church/parish hall was built adjacent to Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn,
the Seminary and allowed the Our Lady joined the parishioners of Our Lady of
of Lebanon community to officially Lebanon Church, their pastor,
become a parish.
Chorbishop Dominic Ashkar, and
As the number of Maronites in the former pastors His Excellency Bishop
District of Columbia increased and the Stephen Hector Doueihi and
parish expanded through the 1980s and Chorbishop Seely Beggiani for the
1990s, the need to build a new church official dedication of the new church.
grew as well. The church purchased On Saturday evening Our Lady of
adjacent properties on Alaska Avenue, Lebanon Choir presented a “reflective
NW., and in 1999 moved forward with concert”featuring Maronite hymns and
plans for a new church complex. On songs adapted to popular Lebanese
March 6, 2001, while on a visit to the music and written by the Maronite
U.S., His Beatitude Patriarch Nasrallah
Peter Cardinal Sfeir presided at the
Hermit Fr. Louis Khawand. Through
music and spiritual songs the choir led
ground breaking ceremony.
the attendees in a reflective journey of
Lebanese architect Alexis our salvation history starting with
Moukarzel designed the 18,000-square- Adam to the Resurrection of Christ.
foot Church. The plain massive Following the concert over three
rectangular Our Lady of Lebanon hundred people attended a banquet
Church features a massive vaulted reception in the social hall. In his
keynote address, Bishop Gregory
Mansour offered a meditative
comparison of the different scenes in
Washington, D.C.: “In Washington,
D.C., there are government buildings,
museums and houses of worship. The
government buildings help to make our
society more just. The museums bear
witness to our glorious and sometimes
ignominious past. The house of
worship are there to bring us closer to
God.
The new Our Lady of Lebanon
Church is not a government building in
order to make people more just,
although this is important. Nor is it a
museum to remind us of our past,
although this, too, is important. Rather,
it is a house of worship, created to help
us encounter God.
In particular, since it is a Christian
house of worship, and since
Christianity is not a religion of law, we
focus on the mercy of God, for the
church is the presence of Jesus Christ,
the Merciful One, in the world.
But what is mercy? Webster’s
dictionary gives three definitions. The
first, “compasion or forbearance
shown especially to an offender.”
Second, “compasionatetreatment of
those in distres.” Third, “compasion
that forbears punishing even when
justice demands it.”
Isn’this how God treated us in
Jesus Christ? Since, therefore, God has
so mercifully dealt with us, offenders of
His justice and His mercy, how then
ought we to treat one another, if not
with the same generous mercy that God
has treated us? Bishop Mansour then
thanked Chorbishop Ashkar for his
commitment and dedication to building
the new church. “Brothers and sisters,
your Pastor, Chorbishop Dominic
Ashkar, overcoming many obstacles,
has helped you build this house of
mercy, the place where Christ dwells.
Today is a new day for us. May we be
ambassadors of His love and mercy in
our world.”
On Sunday, May 7, 2006 Bishop
Gregory Mansour celebrated the Divine
Liturgy of dedication along with
Chorbishop Dominic Ashkar, Pastor;
Bishop Stephen Hector Doueihi;
Chorbishop Seely Beggiani; and Fr.
Nagi Kiwan. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 13 June 2006

The Chaldean Community of
Detroit Holds A Fundraiser Event
For Telelumiere/Noursat
Organizing committee with Bishop Gregory Mansour
(center) and Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim.
by Fr. sharbel Maroun
On April 28, 2006 the Chaldean community of Detroit,
Michigan, under the leadership His Excellency Bishop
Ibrahim Ibrahim held a special fundraiser to support
the mission of Telelumiere/Noursat, the only Arabic
Christians Network television that broadcasts 24/7
throughout the world.
The event was held at the Farmington Hills Manor in
Farmington Hills, Michigan. Approximately 570 people came
with a heart full of love and support toward the mission of
Telelumiere/Noursat. The great spirit of enthusiasm toward
this very worthy mission was very obvious among the people
who attended the fundraiser. The majority of the attendees
were members of the Chaldean community of the Greater
Detroit area who showed a deep support and manifested their
commitment toward the mission of evangelization. The
fundraiser was mainly sponsored by the members of the
Board of the Chaldean Voice, which is a local radio station in
Detroit.
Fr. Robert Rabbat, Vice President of the Board of
Telelumiere, gave the invocation before the dinner. Following
the dinner Fr. sharbel Maroun, President of the Board of
Telelumiere International gave his presentation that focused
on the mission of Noursat and of the necessity to support it
and to bring it to every Christian home, especially those of
Middle Eastern ties.
His Excellency Bishop Gregory Mansour, Bishop of the
Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn and also a member of
the Board of Telelumiere, gave the keynote address. He
thanked the Chaldean community with their Shepherd Bishop
Ibrahim for their incredible witness to Christianity and spoke
of the powerful role that Telelumiere is playing in the life of
the church in the Middle East and worldwide. His
Excellency Ibrahim Ibrahim praised the work of Telelumiere
and urged all his people to join this very worthy network
television and to support it in any way possible.
Fr. sharbel presented two honorary certificates to two
outstanding people who have supported Telelumiere: Mr.
Salman Konja and Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim. A gold medallion
was also presented to Bishop Ibrahim for all his efforts on
behalf of Telelumiere/Noursat.
The evening was enhanced by the beautiful voices of the
choir of Saint Joseph Church who presented a selection of
hymns. Music and entertainment were provided by the
Baghdad Band. This event also included a live raffle that
raised $5,240 and another fundraiser that raised $12,245 that
is in addition to the proceeds of the dinner tickets. His
Excellency Bishop Ibrahim presented to Fr. Sharbel a check
in the amount of $50,000 to support Noursat.
This wonderful night was crowned with the spirit of joy
and happiness as people were extremely generous and excited
to support Noursat in any way possible. May the Lord God
bless the Chaldean community and reward them with health
and peace. �
Various Awards at St. Maron
Church
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Emile and Claudine Alexander and Fr. sharbel Maroun.
Papal Blessing
T he
parish of Saint Maron of Minneapolis, Minn.,
honored Emile and Claudine Alexander and Fares and
Jean Daher with the Papal Blessing on the occasion of
their Golden Wedding Anniversaries.
Mr. and Mrs. Alex and Vera Sleiman received the Silver
Massabki Award for this year. Alex and Vera have been very
active and influential in the life of the church, on the parish
and the eparchy level. They have been very involved with the
Parish’s Trustees, Building Commitees, Religious
Education, Decorations, Men’s and Lady’s Club, and so on.
Ms. Isabella Rhawie received the Faith of the Mountain
Award. Isabella has been very active with the MYO, the
Dabke Group and Religious Education. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 14 June 2006

Parish Recognition at St. Maron
Church
Minneapolis, Minnesota
M rs.
Sadie Anton was
recognized for her
u n c o n d i t i o n a l
commitment to her parish and
especially toward the choir.
Sadie who celebrated her 97 th
birthday that week, has made
a huge difference in the life of
the community. When asked
by Fr. sharbel when she
joined the choir, she answered
in 1929. Besides her work in
the parish, Sadie still
volunteers three days a week
at a senior citizen home to
assist the elders.
At the same time Mrs.
Left to right: Sadie Anton, Fr. Rosemary Hennum was
sharbel Maroun and Rosemary granted a special award for
Hennum.
h e r h a r d w o r k a n d
commitment toward the choir
of St. Maron as organist for many years. �
Silver Massabki Award
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Anthony Anthony, Eva Anthony, Emilia Bianco and Fr. Paul
Mouawad.
On March 19, 2006, Feast of St. Joseph, Fr. Paul
Mouawad, Pastor of St. George Maronite Catholic
Church in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, presented the
Silver Massabki Award to Eva Anthony. She has been a
member of St. George since she was born, very active and a
devoted and mother of two children and a grandmother of six.
Eva is a member of the Holy Rosary Sodality, a member
of NAM, and is very instrumental in helping in all church
functions. A reception was held in the church hall after the
Liturgy. �
Silver Massabki Award
San Antonio, Texas
On Sunday, February 5, 2006 the parishioners of St.
George Maronite Church in San Antonio, Texas,
gathered in the large banquet hall for the presentation
of the National Apostolate of Maronites (NAM) Silver
Massabki Award, by Fr. John Nahal, Pastor. This year’s
recipient, Robert Beathe, volunteers in the church office,
serves as an usher, and is currently the secretary of the parish
council.
Frederick Tawil received NAM’sFaith of the Mountain
Award. Frederick is a full time student at Trinity University
and continues to volunteer as an usher, was the former Altar
Boy coordinator for several years and is currently very active
in the Maronite Young Adults. �
His Beatitude – A Pilar of Hope
In An Uncertain Future
Continued from page 11
As Pope John Paul II said during his 1997 visit:
“Lebanonis more than just a country. Lebanon is a message
of liberty and an example of pluralism for the East as well as
for the West.”
The Patriarch “wasable to enter the hearts of the
Lebanese and remind them that they have a homeland with an
international message, and that they have a responsibility
toward it,”Saad wrote in his first volume of “TheSeventy-
Sixth.”
His Beatitude said he is looking forward to meeting with
Maronites in the United States when he attends the upcoming
Maronite Convention in Chicago, July 3-9. “It wil be an
opportunity to be in contact with them, to see how they are
living and to excite them to be attached to their mother
country,” the Patriarch said. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 15 June 2006

Our Lady of Purgatory Award
New Bedford, Mass.
On Sunday, May 21, 2006 Fr. Charbel T. Semaan,
Pastor of Our Lady of Purgatory Church in New
Bedford, Mass., presented the “OurLady of Purgatory
Parish Award”to James Kalife. The parish award is given to
someone who has shown exemplary commitment, dedication
and service to the parish. Nominations were accepted from
fellow parishioners and the finalist was selected by the
pastor.�
Mother’s Day Celebration
Our Lady of Lebanon Church
The parish of Our Lady of Lebanon Church of Lombard,
Ill., celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, May 14,
2006 in memory of the deceased mothers and in honor
of the living mothers of the parish. The Marian Liturgy of the
Planting of the Fields commemorated the Mother of Jesus as
the fertile valley in which the Divine Word became flesh. A
special remembrance for the mothers were included in the
intercessions. Before the concluding blessing, Father Alfred
Badawi invited all the mothers for a special blessing and they
were presented with a medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary. �
Patriarch Sfeir To Visit the
Maronite Church in The
U.S.
His Beatitude Patriarch Nasrallah Peter
Cardinal Sfeir will visit the Maronite
Church in the U.S., June 29-July 17, 2006.
On Thursday, June 29 the Patriarch will arrive at
MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois. After his official
reception and a quick press conference, the Patriarch will
travel to St. Raymond’s Cathedral in Saint Louis, Misouri.
On June 30, 2006 the Patriarch will view a morning
presentation given by children participating in “Come,
Follow Me,”the annual Bible Camp of the St. Raymond
Cathedral. In the afternoon, the Patriarch will be received at
Saint Louis University, where President Rev. Lawrence
Biondi, S.J., will honor him with an honorary Doctorate in
Humanities for his untiring commitment to forging world
peace and dialogue between religions. The Patriarch will also
receive the highest Jesuit award, the Sword of St. Ignatius
Loyola, which is given to individuals who have distinguished
themselves in the service of humankind and the greater glory
of God.
On July 1, 2006 The Patriarch will deliver a special address
on Christians in the Middle East, the importance of
Lebanon’sfreedom and sovereignty, and the historical role of
the Maronite Patriarch as a leader of peace, bringing together
Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. The address will
be followed by a banquet reception at the Cedars honoring
the twenty year anniversary of his pontificate as Patriarch.
Information and scheduling for the Patriarch’svisit can be
found on St. Raymond’s Web site at www.straymonds.net
On July 3, 2006 the Patriarch will travel to Chicago, Ill., for
the annual Maronite Clergy Conference and Convention.
On July 12, 2006 Patriarch Sfeir will visit St. Anthony
Maronite Church in Lawrence, Mass., in the Eparchy of Saint
Maron of Brooklyn. He will celebrate a Divine Liturgy at
7:30 P.M., followed by a reception at Atkinson Country Club
in Salem, New Hampshire.
On July 13, 2006 Patriarch Sfeir will meet with religious
and civic dignitaries and with members of the press. An
evening banquet will be held at Atkinson Country Club.
On July 15, 2006, Patriarch Sfeir will visit the Cathedral of
Our Lady of Lebanon and the Eparchy of Saint Maron. A
banquet will be held in his honor on Saturday, July 15 at The
Excelsior Grand, Staten Island, New York (7:00 -8:00
Cocktail; 8:00 P.M. Banquet). Tickets are $125 per person
(before July 3, 2006. After July 3, tickets are $150 per
person. No reservations will be accepted after July 10, 2006.
For reservation, contact Edward Shiner at (917) 334-0711, or
by e-mail at eshiner411@aol.com or Claire Habib at (718)
232-8364, or by e-mail at chabib@juno.com.
On July 16, 2006 His Beatitude will celebrate a Pontifical
Divine Liturgy at 11:00 A.M., at Our Lady of Lebanon
Cathedral, Brooklyn, N.Y. A light reception to follow in the
Cathedral Hall. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 16 June 2006

Maronites To Gather
In Chicago For 43 rd
Annual NAM
Convention With
His Beatitude Patriarch
Sfeir To Attend
The National Apostolate of Maronites (NAM) will be
gathering clergy, members and friends from across the
U.S.A. in Chicago for the 43 rd Annual National
Convention which will take place at the Palmer House Hilton
Hotel from July 5 to July 9, 2006.
Sponsored by NAM, the parish of Our Lady of Lebanon
Church in Lombard, Illinois and their pastor, Father Alfred
Badawi, will host this year's convention.
His Beatitude Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir, Maronite
Patriarch of Antioch And All The East, will attend the
convention. This is the first time that a Maronite Patriarch
will attend a NAM convention. His Beatitude will attend the
annual clergy conference and will be accompanied by a
number of Maronite Bishops and clergy from the U.S.A. and
Lebanon.
NAM has been in existence since 1964 and has
sponsored national conventions each year since then. NAM
is the official organization of the laity, serving the Maronite
Church in the U.S. It is governed by a volunteer board of
directors, has official membership from all over the country
and sponsors various programs of service to the Maronite
Church such as religious education, youth ministry,
scholarships, vocations and annual conventions.
The NAM conventions have been an annual opportunity
for the Maronite Church of the U.S.A. to gather together for
spiritual renewal, education and socializing. There will be a
mixture of clergy and laity, young and old, Lebanese and
American-born, as well as people of several other ethnic
backgrounds who have become a part of the Maronite
Church. The conventions have become family gatherings as
well as vacation opportunities for many. The schedule is a
full mix of prayer services, workshops and seminars, business
meetings for both clergy and laity, and many evenings of fun
and dancing to both American and Middle Eastern music.The
NAM conventioneers enjoy socializing and partying, and
look forward to the opportunity to visit with friends and
relatives over good food and drink.
A magnificent gathering is expected at the Palmer House
Hilton Hotel. Conventioneers can take advantage of the
special room rate of $129 per night which is good from July
2 to July 10, 2006. The Palmer House Hilton Hotel is ideally
located in the heart of Chicago's loop, close to the Art
Institute, Grant Park, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, Marshall
Field, the Theatre District and the Magnificent Mile.
Conventioneers are withing walking distance of the "Taste of
Chicago," spectacular fireworks and the Grant Park
Symphony.
To register, or to get more details on the convention,
silent auction and Annual Journal, visit www.Namnews.Org
Or www.Nam2006Chicago.com. You may email NAM at
nam@namnews.org, or by phone at 914-964-3070, by fax at
914-964-3071. �
Dear Clergy and Religious,
An Invitation From the
Convention’sHost Pastor
In what may presumably be fashioned a “Double First in
History,” our Maronite Patriarchwill be in Chicago (July
3 to July 10, 2006) to do what no other Maronite Patriarch
has ever done before: His Beatitude will attend the Maronite
Clergy Conference for both Eparchies and the Maronite
Diocesan Convention, sponsored by the National Apostolate
of Maronites and hosted by Our Lady of Lebanon Church in
Lombard (Chicago), Illinois.
I am writing this letter to give you a final update on the
preparations leading up to this historic event in the life of the
Maronite Church in the United States.
On Monday, July 3 rd at 6:30 pm, His Beatitude will celebrate
the Divine Liturgy of thanksgiving to commemorate the 20 th
anniversary of his patriarchate at Our Lady of Lebanon
Church followed by a banquet in his honor at the Carlisle
Banquet Center in Lombard. Our two shepherds, Bishops
Robert Shaheen and Gregory Mansour, will be present, along
with archbishops, priests, religious, and lay people from
across the globe, to give thanks to God for His Beatitude’s
pastoral leadership to the Maronite Church worldwide. It
will be an experience to record in our hearts and minds, one
which we look forward to with great anticipation, and for
which we hold great expectations.
Throughout the week long Clergy Conference and
Convention, His Beatitude will speak on a variety of issues
chosen specifically from the decrees of the recent Maronite
Synod. Please refer to the Clergy Conference and
Convention schedule for topics, dates and times.
As you know, the Clergy Conference is a time of study,
personal reflection and communal liturgical celebrations. For
this purpose I have assigned the responsibility of Master of
Ceremonies to Deacon Louis Peter and Subdeacons John
Sfire and Dominique Hanna. Fathers Andre Mahanna,
sharbel Maroun, and Andre Estephan will be in charge of
liturgical music at the Clergy Conference only. Please make
sure you bring with you a Jibbee and the Prayer of the
Faithful, Volume Three.
In the event that your flight is arriving after 4:00 pm our
guest drivers will bring you directly to the Church to make it
on time for the Liturgy at the Church.
On behalf of my staff, clergy, Joseph & Vera Maalouf, the
Conventions Chairs, the Executive Committee Members and
parishioners, I welcome you to this Maronite historical event.
In Christ,
Rev. Alfred Badawi
Host Pastor �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 17 June 2006

y Tommy Tedros
Earlier this year, Ed Shiner
completed his tenure as the
Executive Director for the
National Apostolate of Maronites. Ed
has dedicated himself to the Apostolate
in that capacity since 1983 and decided
in 2004 that it was time for him to
move on and explore new
opportunities. The transitional period
between Ed and the new Executive
Director, Mike Naber, was finished in
March. Ed was the “face ofNAM” for
all those years as he tirelessly promoted
the Apostolate and informed us of our
responsibilities in enhancing it.
If you have ever been to an annual
Maronite Convention sponsored by
NAM, you know how omnipresent Ed
was. He made sure every facet and
every detail was covered so that your
convention experience was a pleasant
one. Ed was a constant at the quarterly
NAM Board of Directors meetings and
provided a historical perspective as well
as a helping hand for any committee
work that the board implemented. He
has worked with many NAM
presidents, board members and
delegates over the years, yet he
maintained the consistency of NAM
and exemplified how we should live
and practice the Maronite faith. Ed set
the barometer on how we should serve
the Apostolate and provided strategies
on how the Maronite clergy and laity
can work together as one throughout
the country. He will continue to be an
active parishioner of Our Lady of
Lebanon Cathedral in Brooklyn, New
York, where fund-raising projects and
other events will continue, and his
expertise will be welcomed.
The reason why the position of
executive director was established is
simple. In order to effectively realize
so many of the goals and ideas of the
apostolate, the NAM Board, in 1983,
recognized the need for a central office
where the business of the apostolate
could be consistently conducted on a
daily basis. With the approval of
Archbishop Zayek, the National Office
of NAM was established at the
Chancery in Brooklyn, New York. The
board realized that if NAM was to
progress in an efficient and organized
manner, it had to be overseen on a full-
Interview With Ed Shiner, Former NAM Executive Director
time basis with consistent followthrough
of the work of the board,
regular communication to clergy and
laity, and accurate record-keeping of
membership and related programs. At
the 1983 convention in St. Paul,
Minnesota, a full-time representative,
Ed Shiner, was appointed to serve as
the Secretary General of NAM. The
National Office of NAM was officially
opened in October 1983 and has served
the Apostolate since.
I asked Ed to reflect on the many
experiences he has been through, and to
share with the readers his thoughts and
feelings of where we’ve been and
where we are going as an Apostolate.
Q. What were some of your biggest
accomplishments during your term as
Executive Director?
Shiner: In answering this question,
my first thoughts were to discuss the
computerizing of the ofice –
establishing the database and
developing all the various programs
that did not exist prior to the 1980’s.
But on second thought I think my more
important accomplishments involved
people - meeting so many wonderful
people and establishing important
relationships with so many good
Maronites all over this country and
beyond. These relationships were not
only personal, but more importantly,
relationships that proved to be
extremely beneficial to NAM and its
growth and development. I have met
and interacted with so many great
people in the past twenty-two plus
years, people who have proven that the
Maronite Community is alive and well
in the U.S.A. and who have contributed
to the great development of NAM in the
past quarter century – more than I or
the NAM Office or the Board of
Directors could assume to have
achieved. It is these people, laity and
clergy, that will insure that NAM will
continue to flourish no matter who the
executive director is or who makes up
the board of directors and officers. I
like to think that, in short, the
experience of the past quarter century
has set the scene for an effective and
meaningful apostolate that will be
stewarded by many in the grassroots,
hopefully our up and coming youth and
young adults! (I hope they recognize
this as the “chalenge”I’mproposing!)
My hope is that this will, in fact, come
to pas – then that wil become my
greatest achievement.
Q. How about any regrets and
disappointments during that same
period?
Shiner: I can honestly say that I have
no regrets. I mean that sincerely.
Disappointments? Every venture has
disappointments, otherwise we would
never continue to strive to improve and
achieve more. I think that my biggest
disappointment has been in the area of
NAM delegates. I believe that we (the
board and I) worked tirelessly for many
years to establish an effective network
of working delegates, but, for various
reasons, we never really developed that
crucial “workingstaf”of delegates –
NAM representatives – to cary on the
work of the apostolate on a parish level.
Of course there have been some stellar
delegates that have done incredible
work in their parishes, but they have
been in a minority. I know that this
issue continues to be a challenge to the
current board, and I hope that our
bishops, pastors and all of those very
qualified laity in the grassroots will
recognize the great importance and
need for effective and hard-working
delegates who wil “step up to the
plate” and serve the apostolate in this
vital NAM network. (you may refer to
my last article in The Maronite Voice –
“NAM Delegates; a ‘delicate’ isue.”)
Q. What part of the job will you miss
the most?
Shiner:. Ironically, the part of the job
I will miss the most is probably the
most challenging and difficult: the
coordination of our annual convention.
I like to think that I excelled in this
aspect of this job, and I really did enjoy
pulling all the various aspects and
minute details together to make it all
work as efficiently as possible for all
involved, and to insure that it proved to
be the important fund-raiser for NAM
and the host parish that it is supposed to
be! It was stressful, harrowing and lots
of hard work – but I enjoyed it!
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 18 June 2006

Q. What are you doing with your time
nowadays?
Shiner: I’m doing a few diferent
things. I’ve accepted a part-time
position with an event planning
company in Manhattan. This part-time
position is providing some interesting
experience. It’snot very involved at
this time, but with some major events
coming up it may become more
“intense.” I’m also interested in the
field of performance arts management,
so I’m pursuing some ful-time
administrative positions with some
choruses and orchestras in New York.
I’malso making some time to get back
to practicing the piano –something I’ve
been missing a lot lately. And I’m very
much involved in the choral group that
I sing with and we just finished our 35 th
Anniversary concert, which I helped
coordinate on various levels. I’ve also
had the pleasure of singing in Carnegie
Hall twice (March and April) with two
different choral groups- great
experiences! And the Cathedral of Our
Lady of Lebanon in Brooklyn keeps me
busy with various projects; we just had
a celebration for the 50 th anniversary of
ordination of our Rector, Msgr. Ignace
Sadek, and we are beginning to work
on preparations for the Patriarch’s visit
in July –the week after the convention.
And every so often I try to make some
time to enjoy New York City –another
thing I never seemed to have enough
time to do.
Q. How hard will it be to spend your
vacation this coming July in Chicago as
a NAM conventioneer only?
Shiner: I find it strange to see the word
“vacation” associated with our
“convention.” Ever since my first
convention in 1978 (Flint, Michigan) I
never really regarded it as a “vacation!”
First of all, I cannot promise that I will
be in atendance at this year’s
convention because I’mnot sure what
my life and schedule will bring in terms
of a new career and work schedule.
I’mgoing to do my best to be there for
at least the weekend. If I do attend I
know I will be there to work and to help
out. There’s just no way that I wil
attend our Maronite Convention and not
be part of making it happen! No doubt
my work and stress level will certainly
be lessened, but my presence will be
one of service and assistance. �
Church Recognizes Migrant Workers in
Lebanon
by Doreen Abi Raad
Recognizing the plight of migrant
workers in Lebanon, the
Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs
in Lebanon decreed, during its annual
meeting in November 2004, that a
National Day for Foreign Workers in
Lebanon would take place each year on
the third Sunday of May.
Nearly 2,000 Afro-Asian migrant
workers celebrated the first national day
in their honor May 21, 2006 as special
guests at Bkerke, the national
headquarters of the Maronite Church.
“Indeed the treatment of the
foreigner residing in your country
ought to be similar to the way you treat
a son of your country, according to
what is said in the Book of Leviticus:
“Youshall treat the alien who resides
with you no differently than the native
born among you; for you too were once
aliens in the land of Egypt (Lv. 19:33-
34),“said Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah
Peter Cardinal Sfeir in his letter
commemorating the day. The Patriarch
was in Rome at the time.
Approximately 100,000 migrant
workers from Africa and Asia are
registered in Lebanon, most of whom
are women who typically work as
housemaids. The largest communities
represented are from Sri Lanka, the
Philippines and Ethiopia.
They “arexposed most of the time
to inhuman treatment by employers and
the families where they work and live,”
Patriarch Sfeir said in his letter.
“Thismatter touches the honor of
Lebanon and the Lebanese, who ought
to know better than others the kinds of
discrimination and even humiliation
that migrants in foreign countries are
exposed to, whereas the duty of
hospitality, sound morals, the charter of
human rights, and religious teachings
command that the stranger be treated
wel,” His Beatitude said.
“Furthermore, these are the people
who help the Lebanese by doing work
that they themselves might disdain to
do. And they most often confide to
them the education of their most
precious ones, their own children. This
is what should make them treat them
(the workers) well, whereas very often
they are subject to accusations of things
they may be quite innocent of, such as
stealing. And they are exposed to
beatings, poor nourishment, and
deprivation of their salary, confiscation
of their passport, humiliations, and
sometimes imprisonment. All these
treatments are unethical, unbefitting the
dignity of a human being, whether
employer or employee,”Cardinal Sfeir
said. The Patriarch thanked the
Episcopal Commission for Missionary
Cooperation among the Churches,
which is headed by Maronite Bishop
Antoine-Nabil Andari, for its
undertaking “toremind the Lebanese in
general of their duties towards these
people who are created in the image
and likenes of God.”
The festivities at Bkerke included
cultural songs, dances and prayers from
the communities represented among the
migrant workers. Afterwards, the
group, in a caravan of fifty-three buses,
traveled up the mountain to Our Lady
of Harissa for a Mass celebrated by
Bishop Andari and priests who minister
to the migrant worker community.
The purpose of the National Day
for Foreign Workers in Lebanon, said
Bishop Andari, “isto show the pastoral
commitment of the Church, and at the
same time to raise awareness among the
Lebanese for the respect of African and
Asian migrant workers.
This awareness is important,
Bishop Andari said, so that workers
will not be mistreated and people “wil
respect the human rights, beliefs,
nationality and social status of the
workers.”
Doreen Abi Raad, an American
journalist married to a Lebanese man,
writes from Bikfaya, Lebanon. �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 19 June 2006

The Maronite Voice
St. Anthony’s Maronite Catholic Church
4611 Sadler Road
Glen Allen, Virginia 23060-6108
The Priest Is
Mandated To Go
Proclaim God’s
Message In Any
Capacity And Ministry
He Is Assigned
Continued From Page 1
In seminary life, not all candidates
make it to the priesthood; some feel
they could serve God better in a
different way. The priest also goes
through periods of struggle and
challenges, and he enjoys periods of
joy and success, as well.
The apostles were waiting for the
Holy Spirit in the upper room,
“constantly devoting themselves to
prayer” (Acts 1:14).
The priest needs to spend hours in
prayer with the Lord on a daily basis.
Prayer helps the priest to establish a
personal relationship with the Lord and
to find joy and peace in his ministry.
The apostles received the Holy
Spirit on Pentecost: “Suddenly there
came from heaven a sound as of a
violent wind which filled the entire
house in which they were sitting; and
there appeared to them tongues as of
fire; these separated and came to rest
on the head of each of them” (Acts
2:2-3). The fire burnt away all
weakness and impurity, illumined their
way through life, and warmed their
hearts with love and joy.
The priest receives the gift of the
Holy Spirit on ordination day as the
bishop prays over him: “Grant him to
receive the great gift of Your Holy
Spirit, with a spotless life and an
unwavering faith. Enable him to
preach the gospel of your Kingdom. . .
He awaits Your great gift through the
imposition of hands he is receiving
now from us, that priesthood and the
grace of the Holy Spirit may be
bestowed upon him”(Maronite Liturgy
–Ordination of the Priest Ritual).
Then the priest will go on to perform
his ministry. “The gift of the Holy
Spirit permits the exercise of a sacred
power”(Catechism of the Catholic
Church, paragraph 1538).
The apostles were given the ability
to speak different languages so that
they could go to different parts of the
world announcing the great news of
salvation and the kingdom. “They
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak different languages as
the Spirit gave them power to express
themselves”(Acts 2:4). They were not
afraid anymore as they spoke boldly
teaching the people and “baptizing in
the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit.”
The priest, after receiving the Holy
Spirit through the bishop’simposition
of hand, is mandated to go proclaim
God’smessage in any capacity and
ministry he is assigned: “Through the
imposition of hands received today and
through the descent of the Holy Spirit
grant him to minister in your service,
and to present your offerings. . . .
Bestow upon him the gift of the Word,
and open his mouth in knowledge, that
he may put to shame, admonish and
correct all those who stray away from
the truth. . . . May he follow You and
your will, all the days of his life, doing
and accomplishing what is proper and
right in your eyes”(Maronite Liturgy –
Ordination of the Priest Ritual).
At the Pentecost, Mary, the Mother
of God, was present with the apostles.
In the life of the priest, our Blessed
Mother would accompany our journey
and intercede her Son on our behalf.
We have been blessed with the
beautiful ministry of our priests.
However, we need priests in our
diocese in order to serve you, the
people of God, more and better. We
extend our hands and hearts to any
candidate who wants to discern God’s
calling. We ask you to encourage and
support, by word and deed, men of
good Christian character who are not
afraid to lay down their lives for Christ,
to dedicate themselves for the service
and upbuilding of the Church. Let us
keep praying, asking the Lord to send
the Holy Spirit upon good candidates,
and may He dwell within us all.
Yours in Christ,
+ Robert J. Shaheen, D.D.
Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of
Lebanon �
The Maronite Voice Volume II Issue No. 6 Page 20 June 2006
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