Maronite Voice - Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

Eparchial AssignmentsHis Excellency Bishop Robert J. Shaheen, Bishop of theEparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon has made thefollowing Eparchial appointments:Msgr. Louis Baz, Pastor of St. Anthony ofPadua Church, Cincinnati, Ohio is assigned asPastor of St. Maron Church in Detroit, Mich.,effective on February 26, 2009.Rev. John Paul Kimes, formerly AssociatePastor of St. Sharbel in Warren, Mich., andAdministrator of St. Rakfa Mission in Livonia,Mich., has been assigned at the request of theHoly See to the Congregation of the Doctrineof the Faith in Rome, Italy, for the next fiveyears.Chorbishop Michael Kail is appointed asAdministrator of St. Rafka Mission, Livonia,Mich., and remains Pastor of St. SharbelChurch, Warren, Mich.Rev. Thomas Craven, Jr. will be on a leave ofabsence, at his request, beginning March 1,2009.Rev. David Fisher is assigned as temporaryadministrator of St. Anthony of Padua,Cincinnati, Ohio, beginning February 26 through March 25,2009.Chorbishop William Leser is assigned as Administrator ofSt. Anthony of Padua, Cincinnati, Ohio, beginning March 25,2009. Attention All Maronite Parishesby Ramona Milford, ChairpersonThe Maronite Historical Committee has begun its workin compiling the “story” of the Maronite Church withinthe United States into three segments. One of the threewill be the story of each parish and mission from the time ofits dedication to the present.As some of our parishes approach their 100 thAnniversaries and as new missions are formed, there is a lotof story to tell. If you want your parish/mission to be a partof the big picture then please gather up your pictures,documents and other materials that tell us its story.How did your parish begin? Who were the religious toserve that parish? What organizations make up your parish?If we allow the history of the Maronite Church in theUnited States to fade like aging documents then the loss tofuture generations will be our own fault. Let us worktogether to take the precious jewel of our Maronite Churchout of the vault and bring it into the light for all to appreciateand admire.So get busy and dust off those old scrapbooks, movies,documents, pictures, etc. and then contact me by Email atramonamarie26@att.net or by phone at 618-234-9800 ext.241; or by mail: 9860 Tesson Creek Estates, St. Louis, MO63123. Sister Marla Marie Visits Australiaby Therese ToumaSister Marla Marie’spresence “downunder” waswarmly welcomed bythe Maronitecommunity in Sydney,Australia, during hervisit from February 19through March 4, 2009.Along her travels,Sister Marla Marie metwith Most Reverend AdAbi Karam, Bishop ofthe Eparchy of SaintMaroun of Australia.‘Maroniteness,’ the vitalword Bishop Adstrongly emphasized inMaronite Bishop of Australia, AdAbi Karam and Sister Marla Marie.their lively conversation, encompasses the living out of ourwhole Maronite Spirituality and tradition. Sister shared withBishop Ad the unique mission and charism of the MaroniteServants of Christ the Light, in imitation of our BlessedMother to serve as spiritual mothers alongside the priests inour parishes. Sister added how she perceives this “muchneeded mission of the feminine presence to be a source ofnew life in the Maronite Church.”Voice of Charity, the twenty-four hour Maronite Radiostation in Sydney, interviewed Sister Marla Marie for someof their programs. In the interview, Sister shared her thoughtsabout the importance of making the Divine Liturgy the centerof our lives and at the same time realizing who we are asMaronites and why we do what we do in the Liturgy.Personally, I appreciated how Sister used our ownterminology to express the significance of learning and livingout the treasures of our Maronite spirituality (i.e., DivineLiturgy instead of Mass).During her two week stay, Sister Marla Marieexperienced a taste of Maronite flavor on visits to some ofSydney’s seven Maronite parishes. In three of her parishvisits to the youth, she gave informative presentations on themission and spirituality of the Maronite Servants of Christthe Light. Specifically, at St. Joseph’s in Croydon, Sisterpresented an insightful discernment talk on her personal“Witness to Vocation and Mission.”I pray that the good news of the MSCL continues tospread, encouraging young women, especially those withinour Maronite community to be generous and open inconsidering a vocation to this new mission. To learn more,visit their website at maroniteservants.org.(Therese Touma is an applicant in the process of joining theMaronite Servants of Christ the Light.) The Maronite Voice Volume V Issue No. III Page 3 March 2009