Sunday of Renewal of the Church
On this Sunday of the Renewal of the Church, the Bride-Church, prepares herself for the coming of her intimate Lord and Bridegroom; Jesus the Lord.We, likewise, her children, prepare ourselves through renewal and self-consecration for his new coming as we hear in the beginning of the Hoosoyo this Sunday.
This is our project for the following Sundays of this season of the Lord’s birth. As with the prophets of old, the Apostles, and the saints, the Church now prays and asks for a renewed heart – as we hear the psalmist: “A clean heart create in me O God and a steadfast spirit renew in me..”
(Ps 51:7/Ezekiel 36:26).
In the Gospel of St. John (that we read this Sunday), Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd who has come to gather his sheepfold and bring them to his Father’s house, that where He and the Father dwell, we too will dwell: for His word always comes – to dwell among us whenever we welcome it.
In the letter to the Hebrews we read that Jesus, the High priest of God, was sent by the Father to enter into the sanctuary of our hearts, to fill us with His love; so that – like Mary, the Renewed Temple – we too may become God’s dwelling place: Temples of the Holy Spirit.
The Fathers of our Syriac Church often speak of the Inner Chamber of our Hearts, and the Altar that is in the innermost sacred part of ourselves, to be renewed and prepared for the Lord; so that Christ may dwell in us as He dwelt in Mary (the keeper of the word). The walls of our Churches are nothing but only reminders and metaphors of the larger space that we need to open in ourselves, in our families, and in our communities for God.
This time of preparation and renewal of the heart is an invitation for us from the heavenly Father to welcome his Son – his Word – in our hearts; and to translate that into actions that bear fruit. Likewise, it is an invitation for us from the Word Himself – the Son – to enter his Father’s Kingdom in its fullness.
Society Meetings
Men’s Society Meeting: Thursday November 12th 6:30 pm in the Lebanon Room
Ladies Society Meeting: Tuesday November 10th 7:00pm in the Lebanon Room (The Ladies meeting is the second week of November due to the visit of the relics)
The Ladies Society will be accepting nominations for all four officers (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary). If you are interested in becoming an officer please talk to Denise Seifert, Teri Elking, Kathleen Wahby, or Gina Fanetti. The new officers will begin their term in January 2016.
FEAST OF SAINT RAYMOND CELEBRATION
Saturday, November 14th
John LeCuyer and Mary Cohen will be selling tickets after Sunday liturgies in the hall. You can also contact them via email John (jglecuyer@att.net) or Mary (mehlen@charter.net) to purchase tickets. The deadline to purchase tickets will be Sunday November 8th.
Choir Christmas Concert
The date of the Christmas concert has been changed to Saturday December 5th at 6:30 pm in the church.There will be cookies and drinks served after the concert in the Cedars Hall.
Subdeacon Candidate’s Corner
As part of our formation, one of the goals of our ministry is to help parishioners develop a greater understanding of our rich Maronite Catholic History and Heritage. In furtherance of that goal we will be adding a short explanation to each bulletin about some aspect of our faith. Over the next few weeks we will be providing short explanations about our Maronite Liturgy.
If you have questions about Catholic teaching or our Maronite tradition, or would like to suggest a topic, please email us or tell us the next time we see you. Thank you and God Bless.
The center and focus of all the Holy Mysteries is participation in the Eucharist. Baptism and Chrismation initiate us into the community of believers, but it is the Eucharist which is the source and cause of community. While Baptism "grafts" us as members into the Body of Christ, the Eucharist nourishes us with the Body of Christ. We have become adopted children of God the Father, and therefore brothers and sisters of Christ, it is the Eucharist which enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ. Thus the Eucharist is the Holy Mystery which completes the process of Christian initiation.
The Eucharist, like the other Mysteries, is a communal celebration. Salvation is not an individualistic matter. We are saved through and with others. The community of Christ is mutually supportive of its members. At each celebration of the Eucharist, the joys and sorrows, successes and failures, sufferings and triumphs of our brothers and sisters in Christ are experienced in togetherness. The strong come to assist the weak; the rich seek to help the poor; the joyful strive to comfort the sorrowing. All are impelled by the Word of the Gospel, and all of our sacrifices are united with the sacrifice of the Eucharist. Therefore, attending Sunday Liturgy is not merely a question of obligation, but is the very life and heart of the Christian community.
Qorbono (Quddas)
It is fitting that the Maronite name for the divine liturgy is Qorbono in Syriac and Quddas in Arabic. The Syriac term refers to the idea of "offering" and focuses on the sacrificial acts of Christ offering himself, and on our own willingness to render our lives as an oblation. The Arabic term refers to the idea of "making holy" and refers to the fact that in the liturgy the gifts, and by analogy the participants, are divinized by the action of the Holy Spirit.
Taken from A Commentary on the Holy Mysteries: The Holy Mystery of Offering (Qorbono)
By Chorbishop Seely Beggiani (https://www.stmaron.org/divliturgy.html)
By Chorbishop Seely Beggiani (https://www.stmaron.org/divliturgy.html)
KITCHEN’S Weekly Scoop
We will be
Schedule change: Rolling Grape Leaves Thursday November 19th @ 5pm and Sunday November 22nd @ 10:30am
Rolling Cabbage rolls mondays @ 8:00 am
Making Kibbi aras Tuesdays @ 8:00 am
serving Wednesday luncheon @ 11 am-2pm
The kitchen welcomes all help and are willing to teach if you are interested in learning
Thanksgiving Food Drive
Beginning Sunday November 8th please bring in can goods to the church vestibule.
The can goods will be donated to help others in need.
We will be collecting can goods until Sunday November 22nd.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on family and the many blessings we have in our lives. Let’s work together as a parish to help those who are less fortunate.
Mark your Calendars for Mission Sunday
Mission Sunday will be Sunday December 6th in place of Breakfast with Santa. The Men’s and Ladies Societies will be hosting a breakfast for the children of the parish . There will be one liturgy that morning at 10 am for the children to bring wrapped gifts to the altar and then the breakfast will follow. Children will still be able to get a picture with Santa. Any questions please contact the rectory 314-621-0056.
HISTORIC SPIRITUAL VISIT OF ST SHARBEL
The Cathedral Parish of Saint Raymond recently celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Beatification of Saint Sharbel Makhlouf by hosting the relics of Saint Sharbel from his Monastery in Lebanon. The four days of the visit were marked with prayer and veneration of this most Holy Saint of the Church. Many prayers and petitions were brought before the reliquary of Saint Sharbel by the faithful who were able to ask for his intercession.
In the name of Saint Raymond’s Cathedral Parish, and in my own name, I wish to offer words of gratitude and esteem to His Excellency, Bishop Elias A. Zaidan who arranged for the Relics of Saint Sharbel to be among us for this visit. In the same way, we are grateful to Bishop Zaidan for offering a Pontifical Liturgy in the presence of the relics and for being with us during the visit. I wish to thank His Excellency, Bishop-Emeritus Robert Shaheen for accepting our invitation to celebrate two Divine Liturgies during the visit of Saint Sharbel’s relics to our parish.
In extending the warm and hospitable reputation of Saint Raymond Maronite Cathedral Parish to the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, we also offer words of thanks and gratitude to Archbishop Robert Carlson, Bishop Edward Rice, and Monsignor Henry Breier for celebrating Holy Mass in the presence of the relics of Saint Sharbel. It was a unique joy, as well, to celebrate with Fr. Jose Santiago a Maronite Liturgy in Spanish for the Hispanic community. In a special way, I wish to highlight the visit of the children of Our Lady’s Parish School in Festus and the children of Saint Raphael the Archangel School in South Saint Louis. The children attended Mass and were extremely well behaved and very much aware they were in the presence of a Saint. God bless those who organized the visit of these wonderful students.
Many people were instrumental in making certain that our hosting of the relics of Saint Sharbel was well organized and that our parish was ready to welcome visitors with open arms. In your name, I do thank Deacon Lou Peters, Subdeacon Sir George Simon, our subdeacon candidates David Wahby and Anthony Simon, our servers, our readers, and our ushers. At the same time, we offer our thanks to John LeCuyer for providing the translations and the necessary music for all of the celebrations. Our thanks continues to the Choir, who provided the spiritual setting necessary for our celebrations. Our gratitude extends to the members of the Order of St. Sharbel who were present for the Pontifical Liturgy and who assisted in many ways throughout the visit. We highlight as well the participation of the Knights of St. Gregory who, by Papal Honor, represented the Holy See. I am grateful to the members of the Cathedral staff who worked long hours with zeal and dedication. And, as always, I sincerely thank the ladies who so graciously served as hosts in the vestibule of the Church by greeting visitors and by providing opportunities for the faithful to obtain candles, books, holy oil, incense, and medals of Saint Sharbel.
The visit of the relics of Saint Sharbel was a historic event that, more than likely, will never again happen in our lifetime. This moment of Grace and Spiritual Renewal, in preparation for the Year of Mercy, will be with all of those who were able to pray before the holy relics of our dear Saint Sharbel. May Saint Sharbel intercede for all of your intentions and may Saint Sharbel’s visit help our parish to grow in holiness.
God Bless you,
Chorbishop Moussa Joseph
Rector
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