Our parish a wellspring of life following mary
Dear Parishioners,
“Mary, Wellspring of Life” was the theme for our Parish Feast Week 2015. I’m sure part of St Ephrem’s inspiration for giving this title for Mary would have come from the Angel’s words to Mary at the Annunciation “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with You”
From this we can say Mary is the “Full Wellspring”, Full of God’s life and Grace in Jesus the Divine Son of God.
Carrying and keeping Jesus, who St Paul says is the one “in whom the fullness of God dwells” (Col 2.9), Mary is the great human role Model for us as a Church and Parish to be a wellspring of the one who is the fullness of God.
A Parish is therefore called to be a Spiritual Mother and full wellspring of God’s Grace in Jesus to all her sons and
daughters, parishioners of all age groups; for faith-filled Youth, Teens, Married Couples, New Families, Vocations, Prayer and Faith Formation Groups and Committees.
I acknowledge all volunteers who under the Leadership of the Priests and Committee Coordinators who have made this Feast Week such a wonderful spiritual wellspring of God’s Grace for all who have attended. Well done on your work this week and the work and mission you share in all year round.
I also acknowledge the generosity of parishioners as well as the Gold, Silver, Bronze, Events Sponsors and all
major Donors your generous support has helped the Parish raise to date $220,000 over the 10 Days of events.
This is a wonderful result to help the parish maintain her needed and large facilities especially the Co-Cathedral and the Community Centre to be those sacred and welcoming places, a Well Spring full of God’s Grace in Jesus all year round.
We give thanks with the Bishop’s Prayer and Blessing from the Parish BBQ Night:
All praise and glory are yours, almighty Father:
Strengthen us by your Spirit to be like Mary: to ponder your word in our hearts, To obey your will, to love Your Son and to sing your praises every day. May Our Lady, Patron of this parish, bless all its priests and parishioners, volunteers and benefactors, that they may continue to work together to serve You and Your holy Church. Almighty Father, bless all the families of this parish and everywhere that they may remain in the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the first school of faith and values for children. May our Australian society continue to value the irreplaceable roles of both the father and the mother in the life of children. We pray that with the help of wise leaders no child is willingly deprived of the right to achieve their physical, psychological, emotional and intellectual development within a loving family, consisting of a father and a mother.
We ask this prayer, through Jesus Christ Your Son, and through the intercession of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary,St Maroun and all the holy angels and saints. Amen!
Mother of God, Mother of Life”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It’s not hard to see why we call Our Blessed Mother the “Wellspring of Life”, as it was through her that we came to know Jesus the Christ, who gave meaning to life, and who is in His own words, “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”. We have many reasons to be joyful as we celebrate this wonderful Feast of the Assumption, especially in our Parish of Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral that bears her name. Our Patroness Mary, the Mother of God, teaches us the holy virtues of silence and humble obedience in her life of contemplation. These are not the easiest virtues to practice, but as our role model, Our Lady gives us hope that we too can reach the heights of Heaven by following her as she leads us to her Son.
In our Maronite Liturgy we often refer to the presence of the Mother of God throughout, as we remember her influence in being our light. We cannot forget the Holy Valley of Qannoubine, the valley of the martyrs who were strengthened in faith by clinging to Our Lady with hope. Our beautiful hymn “Ya Oum Allah”, loved and cherished by every Maronite, contains in its words all that we need to know of the compassionate and loving heart of our Blessed Mother who never ceases to intercede for her children.
We have such a beautiful family here at Our Lady of Lebanon, and it is mainly because we share the same love for our heavenly Mother, as her children. God has blessed us with families that pray together, and worship together, and work together to build up the Kingdom of God. I hope that I will see all of you joining us during the festivities of Feast Week, and again I thank everyone of our committee members and friends who have worked so tirelessly to make this Feast Week a time of spiritual fulfilment, and a joyful experience for all. May God bless you and your families, and may our Lady of Lebanon protect us all the days of our lives.
This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!
“Listen to Him”. A very simple message and a calling that we all want to follow when we place ourselves at the mercy of God. Young men and women who offer their lives to the service of the Gospel and the Church, are living examples of the Faith, Hope and Love that Jesus personified, and we are very blessed in our Parish family to see these holy vocations growing around us. Last weekend Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral was host to the Seminarians from Vianney College in Wagga Wagga. We were privileged to share our Maronite Liturgy and hospitality with these young men preparing for the Priesthood, and to welcome our own Maronite Seminarians – Dory Zaouk and Michael Boudaher - who study with them also.
The atmosphere at OLOL is buzzing away with excitement in preparation for Feast Week, and it promises to be more than just one week of activities. Our celebrations actually begin on Thursday 13th August and continue until Sunday 23rd August, so you have many opportunities to be involved in numerous ways throughout the festivities. Please encourage your families and friends to join us in celebrating one of the most memorable feasts of the Maronite Church – the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the Wellspring of Life. Make sure you check the calendar of events for every day of Feast Week, so you don’t miss out on the traditional and cultural experience of celebrating with us. Banners and flowers have adorned the church, but not without the generous help of our faithful committees and loyal friends, for whom this has been a task that required much perseverance and patience. We are truly grateful for all your hard work and tireless efforts in preparing the grounds and buildings for this major annual event.
Please continue to pray for our Community and for all its members, so that we may be united in heart and spirit, for the Glory of God. May His Blessings be upon you and your families always.
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