In light of the dangerous escalation of armed conflicts in Lebanon and the Middle East, accompanied by the fall of innocent victims, the displacement of families, and the worsening of humanitarian suffering, the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon expresses its deep concern over the current situation and over the risk that the region may slide into wider confrontations with grave consequences for its peoples.

Our Patriarch, Bechara Peter Cardinal Rai has issued his Message for your Lenten journey. I pray that each of us will draw closer to Christ Jesus this Lent and always.

As we prepare for the joy of the Resurrection during Holy Lent, I invite you to reflect upon Saint Francis’ prayer, sacrifice and love for the poor as Pope Leo XIV proclaimed 2026 a special Jubilee Year in remembrance of the 800th anniversary of his death. Although most of us will not live out radical poverty like Saint Francis, we can still participate in his profound accompaniment and charity towards others by making a sacrificial gift.

At the 2026 Maronite Enrichment Days, Dr. Erin Galgay Walsh will deliver four sessions on St. Ephrem’s Hymns; Jacob of Serugh’s Mēmrā; Jacob of Serugh on the Widow and Her Two Small Coins; and the Syriac Life of the Holy Onesima.

During Lent, we are invited to encounter God in a deeper way through prayer, fasting and almsgiving and to answer our Gospel call to see the face of Christ in our sisters and brothers in need. CRS Rice Bowl is a Lenten faith-in-action program, inviting us to encounter God and our global family by practicing the traditional Lenten pillars and by reflecting on the Eucharist.

We are happy to announce that our MYA Northern Regional Retreat will be held February 28th at the St. John Paul II at the Immaculate Conception Maronite Church in Sleepy Hollow, NY and our MYA Northern Regional Retreat will be held March 14th at the Mary, Mother of the Light Church in Tequesta, FL.

We received the sad news of the passing of Suzanne Wakim, the mother of Fr. Rodolph Wakim, who died in Lebanon Saturday, January 3, 2026. Her funeral will take place at St. Sassine Church in Beit-Mery, Lebanon, on Tuesday, January 6. Fr. Rodolph has taken extraordinary and loving care of both parents and his brother. May they all rest in peace.

We invite you to join us as we prayerfully gather with fellow Maronites from across the United States to march for the unborn, and to witness the sanctity and dignity of human life from the womb to the tomb. The 2026 March for Life will take place on Friday, January 23rd in Washington, DC.

We have received the sad news that Reverend Haickel Paul Boackle entered peacefully into eternal life on December 9, 2025. On behalf of the Eparchy of Saint Maron, Clergy, Religious and Lay Faithful, Bishop Gregory offers his heartfelt condolences to his family and to all who cared about him.

O Lord God, bring peace to this world that we ourselves have messed up and bring it quickly, Lord God, for the sake of your people. We ask through Christ our Lord.

The Maronite Servants of Christ the Light will be hosting an online Maronite Faith Formation Series on the three pillars of Great Lent: Prayer, Fasting & Almsgiving starting Thursday February 19 in collaboration with the Saint Sharbel Center. 

I wish to invite you to support and share a recently released episode on Shalom World entitled “Beauty of Rites,” which presents Passion Week in the Maronite Church and the richness of her liturgical, spiritual, and ecclesial tradition within the communion of the Catholic Church.

Johnette Benkovic Williams will present a biblical understanding of women’s gifts at the 2nd annual Women’s Retreat, Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The weekend is an opportunity for faithful women to grow in their spiritual awareness of what Pope Saint John Paul II called the “feminine genius”.

On this feast day of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus in the Temple, we also commemorate World Day of Consecrated Life, instituted in 1997 by Saint John Paul II. Today, in a special way, we remember and pray for all the consecrated men and women who generously dedicate their lives in service to God, and the building up of the Body of Christ.

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