Maronite Voice - Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

Lawrence, MassachusettsBishop Visits with MYOBishop Gregory Mansour (center) with member of St.Anthony’s youth in Lawrence, Mass. Msgr. Azar, Pastor, ispictured to the left.by Msgr. Peter Fahed AzarFrom January 30 - February 1, 2009, His ExcellencyBishop Gregory Mansour, Bishop of the Eparchy ofSaint Maron of Brooklyn, visited St. Anthony MaroniteParish in Lawrence, Mass. He met with the Knights of Maryand the MYO. After a brief prayer with all of the groups,there was an opportunity for questions. He allowed the MYOto ask him questions openly about our culture and religion.He also shared with us his story of becoming a priest and hisopinions on recent topics. It was an honor to have BishopGregory answer our questions and share his experiences. Wilkes-Barre, PennsylvaniaLadies Christmas CelebrationThe members participated in annual projects which includeddistributing poinsettias and visiting the shut-ins of the parish;the Giving Tree Project for needy children coordinated byMary Ann Nockley; and a dinner social attended by thesociety members and their guests.Pictured from left to right are: Rosa Khalife-McCracken(Spiritual and Social Committee Chairperson), JoanneLangdon, Theresa Shiner (Ways and Means), Ann Hassy(Vice-Preisdent), Father Hanna Karam, Administrator, RosieMonseur (Altar Care), Subdeacon Crosby Sparks, LillianMadaya (President), Bernie Sherbenco, and AngelineKhalife. New Syriac Catholic PatriarchInstalled in LebanonAmid cheers and ululation, His Eminence IgnaceMoussa Cardinal Daoud installed the former head ofthe Syriac Catholic Eparchy in the U.S. and Canada asPatriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church, Patriarch IgnaceJoseph III Younan, on February 15, 2009.The ceremony unfolded in the presence of His BeatitudeMaronite Patriarch Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir and anecumenical assembly of patriarchs, bishops and priests frommost Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches, including thePatriarch of the Syro-Malankar community of India, AbhramMar Julios. The Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, ArchbishopLuigi Gatti and the Archbishop Emeritus of Washington,D.C., Theodore McCarrick, represented the western branchof the Church.Surrounded by bishops of his community, the Patriarchmade his way into the Church, head covered by a white veil.He moved forward among the lines of festive worshipers andremained behind the altar until the end of the religiousservice in accordance with a ritual that recalls Jesus’ retreatinto the desert.At the end of the Liturgy, he was enthroned by thebishops of his community, before whom he knelt and wholaid their hands upon him.Born in Hassake, Syria “where my parents found refugeafter fleeing Turkey,” he took parish duties as a priest inLebanon, in the same Syriac neighborhood that is home to thechurch in which he became patriarch. Before he was elevatedto the dignity of bishop he was sent to the United States toserve the Syrian communities in 1986. From 1995 until hisJanuary 2009 election as the new Patriarch of Antioch,Patriarch Younan was the head of the Newark Syriac Eparchyin the United States and Canada.Immediately following his enthronement, PatriarchYounan blessed the faithful as he was lifted three times in hischair. Patriarch Younan said, "It is a great honor I don'tdeserve, but I put my whole trust in the one who said, 'Youhave not chosen me; I have chosen you.'" The Altar and Rosary Society of Saint Anthony and St.George Church in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania,celebrated the Christmas Season in a very special way.The Maronite Voice Volume V Issue No. III Page 15 March 2009