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MYA Workshop Miami October 29, 30, 31, 2010 view album

The MYA had a great Halloween weekend in Miami!! 15 young adults went to Miami October 29-31st for a leadership workshop! Their weekend started with guest speaker Dorothy Polchinski who is the Associate Director of young adult ministry for the archdiocese of Atlanta, GA. On Saturday the guest speaker was Rev. John Cusick, the co-author of The Basic Guide to Young Adult Ministry. The group left Miami with new ideas to bring to Saint Anthony’s Young Adult Group as well as to the parish and community!

Maronite Youth Conference
October 22-24, 2010-11-01 Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center Litchfield, Connecticut (Pictures)

Magnificent beyond belief. I met people I did not know existed on this earth. They were from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. We had fun and learned things that we didn’t know before about our faith”—Hameed Mourani, 13, Westchester Maronite Mission. “What a great experience, something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Definitely no complaints, but I do hear that the salmon cakes weren’t too popular. Still, to bring so many parishes from four different states together, and having people of the same religion bond as a group is just great. I really do hope I’ll be back again next year and I hope everyone else does the same.”—Alex Minassian, 14, Westchester Maronite Mission Hameed and Alex, from the Westchester Maronite Mission in Westchester, New York, joined 56 other young people and their advisors from Maronite Youth Organizations who traveled to Litchfield, Connecticut, for the second Eparchial Region One Youth Conference over the weekend of October 22 - 24. The Wisdom House Conference Center in Litchfield provided the perfect setting for this spiritual retreat. Run by the community of Catholic sisters, the Daughters of Wisdom, the center is set on fifty-four acres of meadows, woods and brooks nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires. Vibrant New England fall colors surrounded us: on trees and bushes, the ground, and big orange pumpkins the nuns had placed outside their retreat house. As my son said, “It just made you want to stop and look, and really put us in the mood for a weekend of reflection and fun.” The MYO youth conference was organized by Fr. Jean Younes of St. Anthony Maronite Church, Danbury, Conn., and Fr. Jack Morrison of Our Lady of Purgatory, New Bedford, Mass. MYO groups came from five of the twelve Maronite parishes spread across the New England area—St.Anthony Maronite Church, Lawrence, Mass. (advisors Mounira Daher and Colette Maksoud); Our Lady of Lebanon, Waterbury, Conn. (advisor Hiam Atallah); St. Anthony Maronite Church, Danbury, Conn.; the Westchester Maronite Mission (advisors Frances Mourani and Sana Barakat); and Our Lady of Lebanon, Easton, Penn. (advisor Dora Elias). Chip Jowdy from St. Anthony in Danbury served as the retreat’s coordinator and did a good job keeping an eye on the schedule and making sure all of us were at the right place at the right time. The opening session on Friday night included “ice breakers” designed to get the youth mixing and mingling to find out about each other, especially important for retreat “first-timers.” The next day began with Safro (morning prayer) followed by the main presentation from Dr. Allan Ramey, a local physician who has lectured extensively on the theology of the body. He impressed all of us by his ability to make a complex philosophical subject something we could understand. His message to the youth was the necessity of bringing God and the church into personal relationships. He told them how the death of his 18 year-old daughter, and the unexpected death of his wife just three months before 9/11 left him alone to raise seven children, yet his faith was so strong, so contagious,  that one MYO participant later said that he seemed to “…place an aura around us all.” The beautiful fall weather inspired the retreat organizers to adjust the schedule to include a visit to Lourdes in Litchfield, just a short drive from the retreat center. Built of local fieldstone by two Montfort Brothers and seminarians, the replica of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France was opened in 1958 to encourage devotion to Mary. Fr. Jack led the group through the grounds to complete the Stations of the Cross. This was followed by some down time and an intense game of “touch football,” played by both boys and girls, on a large open field opposite the grotto. Back at Wisdom House, we prepared ourselves for the Mystery of Reconciliation. Fr. Vincent Farhat came in from Lawrence, Mass., to assist so that nobody would feel rushed. Several from the group spoke about how they had really enjoyed going to Reconciliation because, as one of them said, not only did she feel good knowing that her sins had been forgiven but it was also “…nice to have that weight off my mind.” Fr. Jean then joined the youth in an evening of dabke and games. All of the participants said how much they enjoyed getting together with other young people from the same heritage. The retreat ended on the right note with Divine Liturgy Sunday morning. We were blessed to hear our Maronite hymns sung beautifully in Arabic by the girls’ choir from Easton, Penn. Thank you to Basma Joseph, Cristina Koorie, Selena Koorie, Alessaundra and Gabriella Karam, Diana Karam and Sara Koury. These girls are all American-born  and do not speak the language, yet they were able to sing these difficult songs with perfect pronunciation.

Westchester, New York
Christmas Party

On December 20, 2008 the Hospitality Committee of
The Westchester Maronite Catholic Mission in
Westchester, New York, hosted a large Christmas
party at Saint Gregory Armenian Church. All of the Maronite
families in the community along with many other Lebanese
of all denominations were invited to this exciting and fun
event. Many in the community also volunteered their time to
make food for the party. During the celebration, Santa Claus visited with gifts for all the children! Also, booklets with Christmas drawings and songs in both English and Arabic
created by children in our very own Heritage Program were sold as a fundraiser. Proceeds from this fundraiser were sent to Lebanon, where it was used to buy school supplies for
children who are less fortunate and cannot afford them. A DJ provided Arabic and English music for the party. “
by Fawzi Abdo

Westchester, New York
Third Annual Parish Dinner

he Westchester Maronite Catholic Mission (WCMCM)
in Westchester, N.Y., gathered for its Third Annual Family Dinner on November 16, 2008 at Place Knights
of Columbus in White Plains, N.Y. Adults, teenagers and kids enjoyed the pre-festivities of Thanksgiving and
Christmas.
The Dinner was indeed a festivity by itself. The crowd of almost 180 parishioners made it an exceptional event. Father Jean Younes opened with a prayer, and the kids’ show that followed was equally enjoyed by adults! Following the show, dinner was served. Mr. Sami Khoueiri, the President of the Parish Council, recognized with a gift the efforts of Ms. Katia Daaboul in setting up and maintaining its website. It is important to mention that Ms. Daaboul has undertaken her task while residing in Lebanon. To check our website, please follow the link: www.wmcm.org.
At WMCM, we never forget our parents in Lebanon especially during this time of the year. For that reason, the dinner included a 50/50 raffle to help students pay their tuition in our home country. Even though the night ended, we promise you many more to come, especially our upcoming Christmas party on December 19. See you then!
by Rita Zihenni

Westchester, New York
Halloween Party

On October 19, 2008, Westchester Maronite Mission,
Westchester, N.Y., held its regular Liturgy in a special
setting where kids, adults and elderly learned about the
life of St. Nicholas and St. Barbara from Father Jean Younes during his Sunday homily. Kids came to this Liturgy wearing their Halloween costumes and anxiously waiting for the party afterwards.
Parishioners gathered in the church hall to celebrate
Halloween. They joined the MYO and Junior MYO and the Heritage Program in preparing food, beverages, games and
decorations. “
by Rita Zihenni

Westchester, N.Y.
MYA Fundraiser

it was 8:00 pm on the night of the Westchester Maronite Mission’s first fundraising dinner and the weather was the worst we had seen that summer. The light rain had quickly
turned into a torrential downpour and the thundering skies showed no mercy. The Maronite Young Adults had been preparing for the Father’s Day Hafli for the last six months, but were now seated quietly in the corridor collectively praying for the rain to stop and the guests to arrive. The minutes were ticking slowly. 8:00 pm soon turned into 8:30 and by 8:45 only ten people arrived out of our expected 200. Exactly one hour after the scheduled starting time [and typical of Lebanese clockwork], the guests started pouring in. Lebanese and Non Lebanese, Maronites and Non Christians- guests from all over the Tri State area gathered at St. Gregory’s Armenian Church in White Plains for the community event.
The guests were about to embark on a most creative evening filled with music, art, dance and inspirational surprises. Over 200 people enjoyed a cocktail hour filled with champagne, light jazz and a breathtaking live art performance. The EAR musical group served as an
entertaining backdrop for the art exhibition performed by EYE-- a group of renowned artists that collectively paints one large mural and auctions off each canvas to guests. Generous benefactors and art aficionados donated over $6,000 towards the auction which benefited both the artists and the Mission. Upon entering the main dining room, decorated in a unique combination of Father’s Day Blue and Lebanese thematic colors, guests were introduced to the Master of Ceremonies, Sammy Nakhle, and eighteen year-old singing
sensation, Eva Khoueiri. Eva set the tone for an exciting and inspirational evening
with her tantalizing renditions of the Star Spangled Banner and the Lebanese National Anthem. Sammy soon introduced the Administrator of the Mission, Fr. Jean Younes. Fr. Jean expressed his sincere gratitude to the parishioners of other churches who traveled
over two hours to support the Mission Lebanese fashion designer Reem Acra, gave an
inspirational speech about her success and the challenges she faced in building her fashion house - much like the challenges we face in building this Church. She noted that with God’s grace, everything is possible. Ms. Acra’s uplifting words set the tone for a wonderful evening of dinner and dancing to come. Dinner was an array of a delicious Lebanese feast
prepared by a popular local caterer. The reviews were wonderful and the guests were ready to get their “dabke” on with the celebrated Lebanese musical group, Amin and the
Sultans. The Arabic Electronic group played songs that ranged from traditional Arabic beats to original music from their new album, “Old is Gold.” It took only five minutes before the crowd rushed to the dance floor to join in traditional dabke. One guest, Walid Haddad, a French-Lebanese who was visiting New York on business, said it best when he
compared the energy of the evening with his memories of Lebanon, “This music, the people…it all reminds me of my town in Lebanon. It’s incredible. There isn’t a party in Paris that can match this.” The outstanding musical performances and art exhibitions by EAR, Amin and the Sultans and EYE along with the inspirational speeches, the dinner and dancing, the First Annual Father’s Day Hafli was a great success. Westchester, N.Y.
MYA Fundraiser The MYA raised nearly $15,000 at the Fundraising Dinner, and we are forever grateful for the community support of our Mission. This event gave us an pportunity to reflect on the past year’s accomplishment, fellowship with one another, and our commitment to the community. And we will always remember this time in our lives as a truly unforgettable experience.

by Tony Hokayem and Dana Barakat

Maronite Voice March 2008

Westchester Maronite Mission
Hosts First Casino Night

by Rita Zihenni

At the Sisters of Divine Compassion, Good Counsel Campus, the Westchester Maronite Catholic Mission (WMCM) in Westchester, N.Y., hosted on January 26, 2008, its first Casino Night. The idea came within a series of fundraiser events to raise money to buy a church for the Mission and as a part of multiple get-together to foster a good and healthy atmosphere among parishioners. Even though the night came out lucrative, there were
several other important outcomes worth of mentioning: The hall was professionally transformed into two separate rooms one of them dedicated to tables of poker, blackjack and craps while the other room hosted the Texas Holdem tournament. Fifty five holdem players gathered to compete for the first place. At the final table, people gathered around watching the nine finalists compete. The scene could be mistaken for any other major event happening in Las Vegas or Atlantic City! Prizes were not only limited to the first, second and third place winners among whom some have generously donated their winnings back to the Mission; organizers also sold raffle tickets to win prizes like an LCD TV, home stereo system and other important prizes all donated by parishioners. People enjoyed playing and having fun while taking pleasure in tasting very delicious hors d’oeuvre and drinking.
At the end of the night, everybody came out with a conclusion that the event was successfully organized and planned. The tournament was meticulously put together and
professionally conducted. As usual, WMCM has made it its habit to arrange successful events due to the team effort of all its parishioners. Everybody agreed that with little effort and with great mutual understanding among parishioners, the event was put together in a classy and professional way. Just as he started the night by wishing luck to all players,
Father Jean Younes, Administrator of WMCM, ended the night by distributing prizes to the winners and thanking everyone for their unconditional help. On that note, the night ended with other promising events to come.

Maronite Voice February 2008

The following was a speech given at a recent banquet by Dr.
Jean Kalache, a parishioner of the Westchester Maronite
Mission in Westchester, N.Y., about his hope for the Church
to reach out to her young people.

I t doesn’t take much for any churchgoer to realize that an age group is missing in our churches: the adolescent. We see parents coming to Mass, they bring their children with
them through obedience. When children reach adolescence, they are not interested anymore, they seem bored with the“old stuff.” From that point on, they are out there in the world exposed to all sorts of temptations and deceptions, from the physical to the more serious, spiritual deception, which is so great that even a firm believer can find it appealing.
For those who saw the movie “The DaVinci Code” one couldn’t help but notice how well it was presented. The topic was fascinating and so, too, was the presentation. The Word of God, like the DaVinci Code, is fascinating. But, unlike the movie, it is full of hope and alone can bring peace of mind and happiness. If, therefore, the subject is great, maybe we are failing in our way of presenting it. Are we so involved in Church that we are distracted from
the main purpose of our mission, summarized by Jesus to Peter in three words “Feed my sheep?” Jesus meant to teach them the Word of God. He also said that he has come for the
lost sheep. It is thus our duty along with Him to reclaim those lost sheep, the adolescents, in our community. Our youths are intelligent. If they are bored with the old stuff then, maybe as St. Paul said, is a time to give them meat instead of milk and to teach them the Word as Jesus did in clarity, person to person, and not in big groups or in parables.
May God help us reach our youth so that Christ’s message will be more appealing to them. .

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