Dear Parishioners,

Think before you press ENTER or speak out. From the happenings of this week I think we can learn something vital.

By now I’m sure most would be aware of the single incident of a verbal threat made from a passing motorist to a School Staff member near the School crossing that occurred on Tuesday afternoon.

As we know from our Church Press Release the Police were notified and attended swiftly and are fully investigating and this is where the matter should have rested in their very capable hands and resources.

By Wednesday morning a series of texts and posts started circulating through social media. Some of those texts had formulated their own version of the truth and others were fuelling hateful and unnecessary comments and emotions and this contributed to drawing high media attention.

In response I asked Parishioners, as faithful Australian Maronites, to act on the TRUTH only. I asked that our parishioners not respond to or circulate any other version of the truth on social media as it creates unnecessary panic and can fuel hatred and intolerance. This is very im-portant when it comes to media, as media can do more than just report the news, it can also drive it, even when the ‘news’ is not the truth,.

With the help of Mr Joseph Wakim, the College’s spokesperson for this matter, and the good management of the Maronite Sisters and Staff at the School and our Parish resources and media committee the truth was explained and some balance and calm restored. Thank the Lord no other incident has occurred since Tuesday afternoon and all School and Parish events including ten parish Masses, a College Mass and three Funeral Services and a wedding were conducted all without any incident.

As Christians, we need to always reflect on how we respond to or circulate news. Once we press enter, what we spread can be very damaging and have wide reaching effects. Catholic author and educator, Matthew Kelly, calls all of us to become the best version of ourselves. He challenges us to be counter-cultural. When so much of the culture around us inspires values in stark contrast to our core Christian values, we need to stand out and be ‘revolutionaries’ like Christ. Christ did not promote untruths, use violence or spread hate. Christ promoted love, peace, forgiveness, joy and hope. We all have the opportunity to become counter-cultural followers of Christ, promoting His message.

So next time before you hit the “enter” button, ask yourself - am I being a counter cultural follower of Christ? Am I turning my life over to Christ? Is this what Christ would do? Is this Christ’s mission for me? There is no time like the present to “enter” change!

Something wonderful is the supportive messages the College and Church has received from our fellow Australians from different ethnic Communities including a Muslim father who went to the trouble to PERSONALLY bring a card and arrangement and flowers to the Church saying how very upset, embarrassed and disgusted he and his family felt at the behavior of these individuals who do not reflect the attitude of the overwhelming majority of their community.

We pray for all communities at this time experiencing any form of persecution and hardship and we also pray that we can under all circumstances always respond to difficulties according to our Christian faith values.

Monsignor Shora Maree

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Dear Parishioners,

I’m pleased with all the priests to confirm that the Mass and Ceremony to Consecrate Our Lady of Lebanon as a Co Cathedral will be held on Saturday 11 October 2014 at 6pm. The Mass is to be celebrated by His Excellency Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay in the presence of His Excellency, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Apostolic Nuncio to Australia, who will conduct the Consecration Ceremony at the end of the Mass. This is a wonderful honour placed on our Church and Parish and a call to ongoing zeal and focus on our Mission as a Parish in our Eparchy and the wider Community.

Following this event we look forward to welcoming His Beatitude and Eminence, Bechara Boutros Rai, our Maronite Patriarch to Australia with our whole Diocese for his first visit to Australia.

Our Parish Welcome and Mass will be held on Sunday 26 October 11am Mass followed by a time for Parishioners to meet the Patriarch. We look forward to this most significant Pastoral Visit of our Patriarch to Australia with its theme of “One Shepherd, One Flock.” And we continue to pray for the situation in Lebanon and the Middle East especially for all the Christian Communities and those suffering.

Also we farewell, on his trip back to Lebanon and his family, Fr Youwakim and we say thank you.
The Priests, Staff and all the parishioners who have come to know him have felt blessed by Fr Youwakim’s presence and ministry over this last 3 months here at Harris Pk, along with Auburn and Guildford . This is the fourth year he has come to Sydney during his annual leave helping out fulltime in the Parish over this busy period with our preparations and celebra-tion of Feast Week and while some of our Priests are on Annual Leave visiting their families in Lebanon. We thank him for his always faithful and uplifting and supportive spirit that he brings to the team of Priests and our Mission and wish him God’s blessings for his ministry in Lebanon and for a safe trip home.

Our Thanks to Lord Mayor of Parramatta City Council, John Chedid, who on behalf of the Council presented all the Priests with plaques acknowledging the work of the Priests for the Community. All of us are humbly grateful for this very thoughtful gesture.

Finally our Congratulations to the Maronite College of the Holy Family 2014 Year 12 Students on their Graduation. We congratulate the Sisters including Sr Margaret on her first Year as Principle the Teachers and the Parents and we pray for the Students as they prepare to sit for their final Exams and look forward to their ongoing involvement in their Parish.

Monsignor Shora Maree

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