The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Just as Jesus came to seek out the lost, we too have been called to do the same. In our thriving parish at OLOL we continue daily to encourage one another and to provide foundations and guidance for those who seek to know more about the Catholic faith. The ongoing weekly faith formation programs have been a great success in bringing our parish family together, and this past week many gathered to hear about “Confession” as presented by Msgr. Shora Maree. Of course, the great highlight of the week has been the Maronite Diocesan Youth Convention “Arise.”
What an amazing weekend it was, with approximately 300 young Maronites uniting together from across the major cities of Australia, to share their heritage and their Maroniteness at Stanwell Tops in Sydney. Great friendships were formed, faith was strengthened, and hope was ignited with a desire for more of these events to be arranged on a regular basis. Our youth are the hope of today, and we must therefore continue to encourage and empower them to lead the Church into the future.
This week also, our Women’s faith formation group was blessed with a spiritual retreat, nourishing body and soul to persevere serving in the Lord’s vineyard with love. Our Clergy too have been graced this week with a wonderful outcome to the Clergy Meeting, which was attended also by our brother priests and bishops of the Melkite, Chaldean, and Armenian Churches. Unity of heart and mind was evident within our diversity, with Fr. Brian Lucas (Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference) giving a special presentation that inspired and educated those present. In the spirit of today’s Letter of St. Paul “So then you are no longer strangers…..through him (Christ Jesus) the whole structure is held together….in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God, in the Spirit.” May our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, continue to guide and bless you all.
