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Sophia Spring12 Volume 42, Number 4 • Fall 2012 How great are your works, O LORD ! In wisdom you have wrought them all! OPHIA (Psalm 103:24) HE OURNAOL OF THE EPLKITE ATHHOLIC PARCHIY OF AEWTON SST J M C E N Inside: A Year as Your Steward Page 3 The Situation in Syria Page 6-10 48th National Melkite Convention Page 18-31 s s t t THE JOURNAL OF THE n n CORRECTION EPARCHY OF NEWTON FOR e e t t MELKITE CATHOLICS The tag line, in the Summer issue of n n OPHIA IN THE UNITED STATES Sophia , for the article on the activi - o o S OPHIA 4S51 West Madison Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870 • www.melkite.org ties at St. George Church in C C Phone: 714 985 1710 • Fax: 714 985 1765 • Email: [email protected] Milwaukee was inadvertently omit - ted. Christopher Warner, who con - Published quarterly by the Eparchy of Newton. ISSN 0194-7958. tributed the article, is a parishioner Made possible in part by the Catholic Home Mission Committee of St. George Parish. and a bequest of the Rev. Allen Maloof. PUBLISHER : MOST REV . N ICHOLAS J. S AMRA , E PARCHIAL BISHOP EDITOR -IN -C HIEF : Rt. Rev. Archimandrite James Babcock Submissions Deadline COPY EDITOR : Rev. James Graham All materials (photos/articles/ parish PRODUCTION : Deacon Paul Leonarczyk news) for the Winter issue of Sophia DESIGN AND LAYOUT : Doreen Tahmoosh-Pierson magazine are due January 1, 2013. SOPHIA ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Fran Colie, Rev. George Gallaro, Very Reverend Lawrence Gosselin, Deacon Paul Leonarczyk, Rt. Rev. Michael Skrocki, Rev. Justin Rose The Publisher waives all copyright to this issue. Contents may be distributed free and without spe - cial permission in publications that are distributed free. Wherever possible, please include a cred - it line, indicating the name of SOPHIA magazine. Unsolicited manuscripts, articles, and letters to the editor are welcomed. The editors assume no responsibility for lost manuscripts or photos. The content of all articles, past, present and future, remains the expressed personal opinion of the individual author and may not reflect, in its entirety, the opinion of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton. In This Issue Share with us! A Year as Your Steward ....................................................................3 Have you ever dreamed of being a So Many Blessings ............................................................................4 writer? Perhaps having your voice 24 Reflections and Observations heard on the printed page? on the Current Situation in Syria ................................................6 Is there a subject that you have wanted to address or Patriarch Appeals for Aid for Daraya ..............................................8 a story that you are excited Can Syria’s Christians Survive? ........................................................9 to tell? We would love to hear Melkites and Our Lady of Damascus in Malta ..............................11 from you! One Joy of Being a Priest ..............................................................14 SOPHIA welcomes updates and pho - What is Catholic Social Teaching (Part 3) ......................................15 tos from all of our parishes and also invites manuscripts, articles, and let - 2012 NATIONAL CONVENTION REPORT ters to the editor from parishioners. “I have called you friends…” ....................................................18 Submissions will be subject to review by State of the Eparchy Address ......................................................20 the editorial staff and only those approved Update from Office of Vocations ................................................27 by the publisher will be published. Educational Services Report ......................................................28 All submissions can be sent to: Report of 2012 NAMY Conference ............................................29 E-mail: [email protected] 2012 Report of the Melkite Association USPS: SOPHIA Letterbox of Young Adults (M.A.Y.A.) ....................................................29 451 West Madison Avenue A Time to Reunite ......................................................................31 Placentia, CA 92870 ARCHBISHOP’S APPEAL SOPHIA welcomes and encourages letters from readers. Please send them via e-mail to 2011 Honor Roll of Benefactors ................................................32 [email protected] or by USPS to SOPHIA Letterbox, 451 West Madison Avenue, Educational Services Publications Placentia, CA 92870. † Book List and Order Form ....................................................Insert 2 SOPHIA • Fall 2012 F F r r o A Year o m m t t h as Your Steward h e e by Most Rev. Nicholas Samra B B i Eparchial Bishop of Newton i s s h h o o p p t is now just more than one year that tions and books, youth ministry, clergy have 100% participation. We can work I have served as your Eparchial continuing education, seminary forma - miracles with your support. (See report IBishop, and I must admit, it has tion board, and several others. I have in this issue). been a very full year. I have faced appointed a new Vocation Director in With the other Eastern Catholic many challenges with the shortage of the person of Archimandrite John Azar Churches in the USA I have chaired clergy and still I have great pain not who has been diligently working to three Encounters for laity and clergy being able to provide pastors for the create more visibility for vocations in focusing on your spiritual ministry to “priestless” communities. I assure you our Church. I have visited some of the the Body of Christ. By Baptism and I am working very diligently on this parishes for a variety of events; how - Chrismation you are “ordained” to the issue and hope to fill some vacancies ever at the Clergy Conference I will royal priesthood of Jesus Christ, anoint - soon with God’s help. work with clergy for a three-year plan ed to be another Christ in the world. As bishop, I am God’s steward car - to visit all the communities – not just Three Encounters are planned with the ing and guiding our Church which is for a Liturgy and dinner, but hopefully same program but with a variety of entrusted to me. The word bishop is for a five-day visit to each parish at speakers. Check with your clergy for the commonly accepted translation of which time I will meet with the various the Encounter nearest to you and please the Greek episkopos , meaning “one organizations or ministries in the participate. These Encounters will assist who watches over,” an “overseer.” you to know your roles better, and assist (See Hebrews 12:15; 1 Peter 5:2; Luke me in developing the spiritual life of our 19:44; Acts 1:20; 1 Timothy 3:1; 1 churches, involving more parish mem - Peter 2:12). My duties as bishop bers in each community. extend to the spiritual realm as well as This year our brothers and sisters in the temporal or material. the Middle East, particularly Syria, are During this first year I have been under great pressure. Our Church there offering prayers to God for all of you my needs our prayers and support – not just flock, that He will call more and more to in Syria – but in all the Middle Eastern ministry, the ministry of the laity – the countries where our Melkite Church royal priesthood, as well as the ordained exists. So far we have sent over ministry of priests and deacons. Our $24,000 to help our Patriarch and Clergy Conference at the end of Bishops as they provide meager assis - September will focus on renewing our tance to those at our doorsteps because deacon formation program, which since of the horrific fighting and unrest. its inception in 1971, has blessed us with Hopefully the parishes that have yet to many men called to the ministry as dea - send in their special collection will do cons. Presently we have 60 deacons so very soon – the Church officials are serving the parishes in the Eparchy. We receiving many requests for help just are expanding our formation program for food, water and the basic needs of with more local parish supervision and a parish: youth, catechists, ladies’ and life. Note also that this special fund three year pre-program before the four men’s societies, parish councils, will remain open for any donations our year formation program. finance councils, building and property people choose to give; forward them to A new Presbyteral (priests) Council, maintenance councils, seniors, choirs, the Finance Office of our Eparchy. required by church law, will be elected servers, etc. In this way I will get to Pray fervently for an equitable solution by the priests in September, followed know our Church better and be able to to this political mess. by my appointments of the College of “oversee” all our needs and wants. I am grateful for all of your support Consultors (again required by church I take this opportunity to thank you – spiritually and materially. I am a ser - law) from the Presbyteral Council. for your support of the 2011 Bishop’s vant of God, an episkopos – an over - Protopresbyters will be named, each Appeal. You have been so generous seer and supervisor of my people. I am to head one of the five regions within and we truly need your support. I now a preacher of the Gospel – the Word of the Eparchy and will assist me tremen - ask each one who supported the God and a defender of the faith. And I dously with parish and clergy issues. Appeal to share your belief in this mat - need your prayers and your support to Other offices will be formed or ter with another parishioner whose serve you better. Help me help you for expanded: religious education, church name is not mentioned in the parish the life and growth of our Melkite arts and architecture, liturgical transla - listing so that in a few years we can Church in the USA and the world. † Fall 2012 • SOPHIA 3 r r o o t t So Many Blessings i i d d E E e e h h by Rt. Rev. Archimandrite James Babcock t t Editor-in-Chief m m o o r r hat can we do with so many tional programs, and training more siege as this historic, important city suf - F F blessings in our lives? The workers for the Lord’s Vineyard.
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