God Bless you!
Father Jean Younes
Administrator"

Sisters of the Divine Compassion
@ Good Counsel Campus
52 North Broadway                               
White Plains, NY 10603 (Direction Map)

The year 2010 is very special to all of us who are in anyway connected to our Maronite Church. His Beatitude Patriarch Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir has declared 2010 the year of Saint Maron. How are we going to observe the special occasion? The examinations of our roots are both spiritual and cultural. Maron had no idea that almost 2000 years after his death, he is being remembered far from the land of his birth. He was a hermit, who
wanted to remain hidden in a life of prayers and meditation. He was a light shining in darkness and we know a light cannot remain hidden. The Church that grew from his followers and his monastery became known throughout the area. He was a priest as well as a hermit. His holiness and miracles attracted many followers. For Saint Maron, everything was connected to God our Father, and God is connected to all things. Maron did not separate the
physical and the spiritual world and he used the physical world to deepen his faith and spiritual experience with God. He lived his life in the open air exposed to the forces of nature such as: the sun, rain, hail and snow. He wanted to know God’s presence in all things. By transcending such elements, he felt intimate with the Heavenly Father. He freed himself from the physical world and entered a mystical relationship of love with God. Our recent Maronite Synod reminded us that the Maronite Church is not an ethnic group nor is it a political party; rather, it is a church with all the same responsibilities to evangelize the world like any Catholic Church. From the beginning, the
Maronites were a missionary group and this should not change with us. We must be the modern day apostles of Maron and spread the Faith wherever we are. It is laity as well as religious who must carry the message of Christ with all whom they come in contact. In our own lifetime, we realize that the hermitage of Annaya and the Holy Valley of Saints still give us witnesses to the Maronite virtues that exist today. Let us plan now to celebrate the Year of Saint Maron with a fresh spirit and vitality that was shown by the early followers of this great Saint.

              

In the Maronite Voice Issue of January 2010

Westchester Maronite Mission, New York I thought the workshop weekend in Miami was a great opportunity to really coordinate what our goal is as Maronites living in America. Through this workshop we were able to hear from some experienced speakers on how to start a young adult group, how to attract new members, and how to retain the members in the group. It was an excellent way for our young leaders to learn a few pointers as to how to improve our individual groups across the country. Another great part of the workshop weekend was meeting all the young adults from around the country. I believe we've formed
some new friendships which will allow us to work together on future projects as well as attend each other's groups events.
Ronny Credi

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