GivingTuesday — A Global Generosity Movement
Thanksgiving Day, we gather together as a family to give thanks to the Lord.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday we focus on the needs and wants for ourselves as well as our families and friends.
This Giving Tuesday, join us in giving to help fellow Maronites of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn and throughout the world.
Circ# 22.80: 2022-2023 Ordo
Eparchial Desk Calendar 2023
Eucharistic Amazement
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The United States Bishops have invited us to reflect, over the next three years, on the great Mystery of the Eucharist. Thus, I would ask all our parishes, missions and institutions to enter even more fully into the joy and spirit of this time and to deepen our amazement, love and devotion to our Eucharistic Lord.
Lebanon Today
Joint letter of Solidarity with the Patriarch and all brothers and sisters suffering in Lebanon
Circular letter on National Eucharistic Revival
1 June 2022
Prot. No. 484/2/22
Circ. No. 22.44
Reverend and Dear Monsignors and Fathers, Deacons and Subdeacons, Brothers and Sisters;
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including all of its Eastern Catholic Bishop Members, have launched an initiative to foster a greater awareness of the true presence of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Eucharist.
They have chosen to call this effort a National Eucharistic Revival, which has as its official kickoff date June 19, 2022, the Feast of the Body of Christ (in the Latin Church in the USA). The general idea is to re-catechize the faithful in the essence of the Eucharist, not as a medieval magical source, and not as a mere symbolic sign, but as a real gift given to us by Jesus, ensuring his actual physical presence among us on this earth until the end of time.
This Eucharistic Revival will come to its culmination two years from now, with the celebration of a National Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in Indianapolis, IN, from July 17-21, 2024.
The national office of the USCCB, which is coordinating this Revival, has asked that every parish/mission participate in this kickoff by having a Eucharistic Procession on the Feast of the Body of Christ. In our Maronite Church, this feast is celebrated this year on Thursday, June 16. Bishop Gregory is strongly encouraging each parish/mission to join in these efforts by having a Eucharistic Procession either before or after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Thursday evening, June 16, or on Sunday June 19.
During these two years, you are being asked to gear several Sunday homilies toward the true meaning of the Eucharist, and to share with the faithful the many writings of the early Church Fathers on this matter. Also, in a special way during these two years, continue to make exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament available to the faithful at least once per month.
Should you like more information on this Revival or would like more resources, please contact me, as I am the liaison of our Eparchy to this committee.
I will conclude this letter with an excerpt of one of Saint Ephrem's Homilies which may be of some assistance to you (Lamy, Vol 1, pp. 399-566: Sermones in hebdomadam sanctam, diem resurrectionis et dominicam novam):
Our Lord Jesus took in his hands what in the beginning was only bread; and he blessed it and signed it, and made it holy in the name ofthe Father and in the name ofthe Spirit... He called the bread his living Body... He gave them (his disciples) the bread which his right hand had made holy: " ... Do not now regard as bread that which I have given you; but take, eat this bread, and do not scatter the crumbs; for what I have called my Body, that it is indeed. One particle from its crumbs is able to sanctify thousands and thousands, and is sufficient to afford life to those who eat of it.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Chorbishop Michael G. Thomas, JCD
Vicar General
Solemn Act of Consecration of humanity, and Russia and Ukraine in particular, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Dear Priests, Deacons and Subdeacons, Consecrated Men and Women, Lay Faithful:
Pope Francis asks us to join in a solemn Act of Consecration of humanity, and Russia and Ukraine in particular, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Holy Father himself will pray his solemn Act of Consecration in Rome at approximately 6:30pm (Rome), 12:30pm (Eastern time), March 25.
He asks us to join him in prayer in our churches, homes and places of prayer that day, Friday, March 25.
Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Basilica of Saint Peter
25 March 2022
O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbour’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!
Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.
We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In you we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.
That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!
Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.
- Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.
- Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.
- Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world.
- Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.
- Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.
- Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.
- Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.
- Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.
O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside.
Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26). In this way he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history. At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty.
Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world.
Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of the “Fiat”, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope”, water the dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace. Amen.
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Circular letter on receiving holy communion and sign of peace (Cir. 22.18)
March 3, 2022
Prot. No. 250/1/22
Circ. No. 22.18
Brother Priests, Deacons and Subdeacons, Consecrated Men and Women, Brothers and Sisters;
In my letter of 28 May 2021 (Prot. No. 356/1/21; Cir. No. 21.16), I reinstated the obligation for all to attend Divine Liturgy on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligations on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday June 27, 2021, I also stated the following:
Barring anything unforeseen, we hope to return to the normal exchange of the Greeting of Peace and totally eliminate Holy Communion in the hand, as of August 15, 2021, the Feast of the Assumption.
The Delta, then Omicron variants of the Corona Virus became that “unforeseen” situation. Thus, I have waited until it was safer to return to our ancient practice of communion on the tongue by intinction under both species.
On the Feast of Saint Joseph, March 19, 2022, I ask all pastors to return to this practice and no longer give Holy Communion in the hand. Likewise, the sign of peace is to be returned in the customary way.
I thank the priests once again for their faithful service as true pastors during these difficult times.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Gregory
American and European Bishops Unite in Support for the Church and People of Lebanon
Lent 2022 -- Lenten Observances
Cir. 22.19 Dear Brother Priests, Deacons and Subdeacons, Consecrated Men and Women, Lay Faithful,
Please find attached the translation of Patriarch Rai’s Lenten message, courtesy of Father Rodrigue Constantine and Bishop Elias Zaidan. I also enclose the Lenten Observances which have been formulated by Chorbishop Michael Thomas and issued by Bishop Elias and myself.
Wishing all of you a Blessed and Happy Lent.
+Gregory
Lent 2022 - Patriarch's Lenten message
THE TWELFTH LENTEN LETTER OF PATRIARCH CARDINAL MAR BSHARA AL-RAI
FASTING IN THE AGE OF THE SYNODAL CHURCH
ROME 2022
I would like to consider in this year’s Lenten letter three complimentary and interconnected ministries—the ministries of the word, of prayer, and of love—their personal and communal character in the journey of the synodal Church, as well as some pastoral directives concerning fasting and abstinence…
Circular Letter 21.57 - Re: passing of Robert Howard
Circular letter on Synod on Synodality
Pope Francis has invited all of us to be a part of the Synod in Rome to be held in 2023. This synod intends to focus on the need for the inclusion and participation of all the Christian faithful in the life of the Church. The term synod comes from two Greek words meaning "to journey together."
Our Eparchy would like to respond to the Holy Father's invitation and participate in the preparation for the Synod on Synodality by having discussions among the laity in our parishes and among clergy in the various regions.
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