Volume 15 | Issue 8 | October 2018 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. Maronite BISHOP’S MESSAGE Rejoice and Be Glad 3 by Bishop A. Elias Zaidan SCHEDULES Bishop Elias Zaidan 4 Bishop Gregory Mansour Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite 8 Seminary by Fr. George Hajj PARISH SPOTLIGHT Holy Family Maronite Church 12 St. Paul, Minnesota by Antoinette Zeina 14 Subdeacon Ordinations VATICAN NEWS Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis 16 to the People Of God NAM 18 NAM Scholarships Ninth Annual Benefit Dinner in 19 Manhattan For the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn Raises Over $100,000 Cover photo courtesy of Mor Gabriel Monastery, Midyat, Turkey and HMML 2 | THE MARONITE VOICE THE MARONITE VOICE A bi-monthly publication of Saint Maron Publications under the auspices of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn and Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. ISSN 1080-9880 Publishers 2018 Maronite Youth Organization Most Reverend Gregory John Mansour Most Reverend A. Elias Zaidan 20 Annual Retreat by Peter Harb Editor Chorbishop John D. Faris PRIEST SPOTLIGHT Managing Editor 22 Msgr. Peter Azar by Suzanne Tavani Rev. Aaron Sandbothe Art and Design Director Ms. Glory Rasi Catholic Relief Services Celebrates 24 75 Years by Joseph Chebli Production Coordinator Mr. James Salamy Parish News Editors GOING DEEPER INTO THE SPIRITUAL LIFE… Dr. Mabel George Howard (Eparchy of Saint Maron) Caring for Oneself as We Care [email protected] 26 for Others by Vivian M. Akel, LCSW Rev. Pierre Bassil (Eparchy OL of Lebanon) [email protected] Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn Re- 28 viewed and Revised Policy Feature Writers on Sexual Abuse of Minors by Suzanne Tavani Antoinette Zeina Priests or Deacons • All submissions for publication must be in an electronic format. Internet and Social Media Guidelines for Images must be of high resolution and quality (300 dpi, jpg format). 30 the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn • Subscription rates are $25.00 per year. Eparchy of Our Lebanon of Los Angeles • Advertising rates are available 31 Reporting Child/Vulnerable Adult Sexual upon request. Abuse in the Eparchy Contact Us Phone: 804.762.4301 Email: [email protected] Parish News Mailing Address: 32 4611 Sadler Road Glen Allen, VA 23060 Office Hours The Word Was Made Flesh Here: Monday – Wednesday – Friday 38 Nazareth Today 9 am – 4 pm Printed in Richmond, Virginia 39 From the Editor OCTOBER 2018 | 3 Rejoice and Be Glad by Bishop A. Elias Zaidan n life, many of us admire the published on March 19, 2018, this “call to holiness” is universal, saints, ask for their intercession about the opportunity, the it is meant for each and every one for various favors but very few invitation for everyone to become of us, regardless of our status in probably think about becoming holy. The title is a reference to life. Bishops are called to holiness, Ia saint. In fact, whenever I ask a the Gospel of Matthew 5:12. The priests and deacons are called group of people: “What are your whole of verse 12 reads “Rejoice to holiness, monks and nuns are plans? What do you like to and be glad, because great called to holiness and YOU are do, to be?” The answer is your reward in heaven, called to holiness. Husbands and comes to anything for in the same way they wives, children and the youth, but holiness. persecuted the prophets single and married, professionals, Therefore, our who were before you.” those in business, those retired Holy Father These words from the — all are called to live lives in reminds us with Gospel of Matthew conclude harmony with the will of God. the words: the first part of the famous This is a joyful occasion where we “REJOICE Sermon on the Mount hear God’s call and respond. AND BE containing the Beatitudes. GLAD”, the Pope Francis also holds up the beginning The Holy Father writes saints who have gone before us as of his most about our call to holiness, models who can sustain us on this recent but also stresses the joy journey of holiness. Those whom Apostolic that should be found in we already recognize as saints can Exhortation, the Gospel (which means be a great support for us as we Gaudete et “Good News”). Our strive for holiness. They were once Exsultate pursuit of holiness, that like us, that is, sinners, but, with is, being in harmony with the help of God, they determined the will of God, should be to strive to holiness. He also points a source of great joy and out that the saints themselves are happiness for us. A life joyful as it is possible for every of holiness should not Christian person to find joy in be gloomy or dismal their life “in the Holy Spirit.” or in any way saddening. Keep The Pope has a broad view in mind that a of “saints” to include those in saint is always our own families and even our happy despite the neighbors who lead or have led difficulties and lives of virtue, often called “heroic challenges he/she virtue.” Holiness is universal the faces. Because Holy Father reminds us — it is 4 | THE MARONITE VOICE for all people, at all times, in all Pope Francis goes on to write, “At sin does not exist. These are false places. Certainly the great martyrs its core, holiness is experiencing, ways of thinking that cannot lead of history have achieved holiness in union with Christ, the us to true holiness. Holiness can through their ultimate sacrifice, mysteries of his life. It consists only come about in us with the but martyrdom is not the only way in uniting ourselves to the grace of God. to achieve holiness. The Pope gives Lord’s death and resurrection examples of how little things can in a unique and personal way, In his Exhortation to us the Pope build, one upon the other, to move constantly dying and rising anew uses the Beatitudes, as spoken by us to leading holy lives. St. Teresa with him” (Para. 20). It is not Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) once just that we model ourselves after (5:3-12) as the guides to our said: “Not all of us can do great Christ (which we must do), but life in Christ. The Beatitudes, things. But we can do small things more than that, we identify our that most of us are very familiar with great love:” Of course this is very selves with him. We unite with, are fundamental to our an echo of St. Therese of Lisieux ourselves to him, thus uniting Christian life; they are like the (Little Flower) who wrote “Do ourselves to the Second Person of Ten Commandments of the New small things with great love.” Every the Most Holy Trinity — we enter Testament. The Holy Father day, life presents us with choices. into the very life of God. exhorts us, “Let us allow his words We can choose the path to holiness (the Beatitudes) to unsettle us, each day in what we say and in The first thing to help us on our to challenge us and to demand what we do or we can choose not road to holiness is for us is to a real change in the way we live. to do that. That is, how we speak always remember who we are. Otherwise, holiness will remain to others and how we treat others That is, we are Christians, who no more than an empty word” are expressions of holiness. This is through Baptism and the Holy (Para. 66). But if we do live our “everyday holiness”. Eucharist, are incorporated lives as outlined in the Beatitudes into the very life of Christ. If we and the Sermon on the Mount, we This call to holiness is not new. should fail to remember this, let can “Rejoice and be glad, for your In the Old Testament, the Lord us always remember to whom reward will be great in heaven” (Mt called his people to holiness we belong: we belong to Christ. 5:12). (Leviticus 20:26). In the Epistle of In one of his homilies, the 5th St. Peter, the Apostle writes to us: century Pope, St. Leo the Great, Pope Francis concludes his “but, as he who called you is holy, advised us “Christian, remember message to us by asking us to be be holy yourselves in every aspect your dignity…” In other words, open to the Holy Spirit in our of your conduct,” (1 Peter 1:15). remember who you are. lives, as was the Virgin Mary, who, Christ also invited us as well: “So he says “lived the Beatitudes of be perfect, just as your heavenly Of course, the Holy Father also Jesus as none other”. He also gives Father is perfect,” (Mt 5:48). cautions us about obstacles and us a short meditation on the Holy When the priest invites us to hurdles that the modern world Spirit: “Let us ask the Holy Spirit receive the Holy Eucharist at the throws in our way. He warns to pour out upon us a fervent Divine Liturgy he proclaims “Holy about ideas that claim that we can longing to be saints for God’s Gifts for the holy!” In other words: somehow use a purely intellectual greater glory, and let us encourage That which is Holy is for the holy approach to holiness or another one another in this effort. In this (us)! In inviting us to receive the way of thinking by which we can way, we will share a happiness that Body and Blood of Christ, the achieve holiness or perfection the world will not be able to take Church presumes us to be holy.