Sophia Fall13 - Eparchy of Newton

SOPHIA Volume 43, Number 4 • Fall 2013

THE JOURNAL

OF THE

MELKITE CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF NEWTON

Inside: What Will Our Church Be Tomorrow? Page 6

A Journey Through Time Page 9

Maaloula Falls to Syrian Rebels Page 18

How great are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you have wrought them all! (Psalm 103:24)

Contents

CORRECTION In the article on Bishop Nicolas Antiba in the last issue, the correct name for the university should have been Antonine University, not Antoine. We apologize for this error.

SOPHIA

THE JOURNAL OF THE EPARCHY OF NEWTON FOR MELKITE CATHOLICS IN THE UNITED STATES

PO Box 189, Temecula, CA 92593 • www.melkite.org Phone: 714 600 3660 • Fax: 714 695 7500 • Email: [email protected]

Published quarterly by the Eparchy of Newton. ISSN 0194-7958. Made possible in part by the Catholic Home Mission Committee and a bequest of the Rev. Allen Maloof. PUBLISHER: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: COPY EDITOR: PRODUCTION: DESIGN AND LAYOUT:

MOST REV. NICHOLAS J. SAMRA, EPARCHIAL BISHOP Rt. Rev. Archimandrite James Babcock Rev. James Graham Deacon Paul Leonarczyk Doreen Tahmoosh-Pierson SOPHIA ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Fran Colie, Rev. George Gallaro, Very Rev. Lawrence Gosselin, Deacon Paul Leonarczyk, Rt. Rev. Michael Skrocki, Rev. Justin Rose

Submissions Deadline All materials (photos/articles/parish news) for the Spring issue of SOPHIA magazine are due December 1, 2013.

The Publisher waives all copyright to this issue. Contents may be distributed free and without special permission in publications that are distributed free. Wherever possible, please include a credit line, indicating the name of SOPHIA magazine. Unsolicited manuscripts, articles, and letters to the editor are welcomed. The editors assume no responsibility for lost manuscripts or photos. The content of all articles, past, present and future, remains the expressed personal opinion of the individual author and may not reflect, in its entirety, the opinion of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton.

In This Issue An Extraordinary Woman of Faith ........................................................3

Share with us!

Have you ever dreamed of being a writer? Perhaps having your voice heard on the printed page? Is there a subject that you have wanted to address or a story that you are excited to tell? We would love to hear from you!

Time Out From Madness? ....................................................................5 What Will Our Church Be Tomorrow? ................................................6 Holy Tradition – What it is…What It Is Not ........................................7 A Journey Through Time ......................................................................9 Priest Hero: Fr. Elias Abboud..............................................................11 No Stupid Questions ..........................................................................12 The Holy Synod of the Melkite Church: Final Report ........................13 Bishop’s Letter to the President ..........................................................14

SOPHIA welcomes and encourages updates and photos from all of our parishes and also invites manuscripts, articles, and letters to the editor from parishioners. Submissions will be subject to review by the editorial staff and only those approved by the publisher will be published. All submissions can be sent to: E-mail: [email protected] USPS: SOPHIA Letterbox PO Box 189 Temecula, CA 92593 Phone: 714 600 3660 Fax: 714 695 7500 2 SOPHIA • Fall 2013

The Crisis in Syria and the Humanitarian Aid Challenge....................16 Maaloula Falls to Syrian Rebels ..........................................................18 Rumors: Hagia Sophia turned into a Mosque ....................................19 Coptic Mounument to Survival, Destroyed ........................................20 St. Ann Parish Come to Aid of Sister Church ....................................21 A Domestic Diakonia to Save the Family ..........................................23 49th National Melkite Convention info ..............................................24 Thanks, Deacon Joe! ..........................................................................26 MAYA Members Annual Retreat ........................................................27 Around the Eparchy............................................................................28 National Association of Melkite Women ............................................30 Letters ................................................................................................32 Encounter: “Together in Christ” 2014 ................................................34 Bishop’s Appeal 2012 Thanks ............................................................35

by the Most Rev. Nicholas Samra Eparchial Bishop of Newton

M

y knowledge of and friendship with Frances Colie goes back to my youth, over 50 years ago. We were both born and raised in the same parish—St. Ann in Paterson (now Woodland Park), New Jersey. I’m sure Fran was present at the open house celebration following my priestly ordination on 10 May 1970 in the old St. Ann parish center, where we both had helped out in the parish religious education program, she as a teacher and I as a seminarian-aide during the 1960’s. Fran took her role as an educator seriously beyond her professional role in school as teacher, principal, and counselor. She was deeply devoted to her own religious formation too. The John XXIII Institute, run by Byzantine Jesuits at Fordham University in New York, offered courses on Eastern Christian Studies, and Fran determined, even at her own cost, to complete the program and obtain her theo-

logical degree from the Institute, along with her other advanced degrees in school administration. This Eastern Christian Studies Program opened her up to becoming an ikon of an ideal Christian mother and educator for our entire Melkite Church in the USA. In addition to her involvement at St. Ann in the mid 1980’s, Fran worked hand-in-hand with the priest-coordinator of our Eparchial Religious Education Office to create the Theosis program, to this day an enriching weekend retreat and faith formation program for our laity. The Theosis Weekend functions as a springboard for follow-up study and prayer groups in the parishes and has even gone beyond our Melkite churches to all other Eastern Catholic Churches in America. At St. Ann, Fran was coordinator for years of the religious education program for teenagers and adults, both during my time as pastor there (19811988) and after. Since 1971 our Melkite Church has been directly involved with the other Eastern Churches in the USA, particularly the other Byzantines (Ukrainian, Ruthenian, and Romanian), in preparing religious education textbooks and resources for young and old. This relationship that began in the late 1960’s was cemented around 1971 under Archbishop Joseph Tawil, a leader among the Eastern Catholic bishops in America and Canada. A library of books for Religious Education, particularly the “God With Us” Series for children’s catechesis, was developed over the years by the ECDD, presently ECED (Eastern Catholic Eparchial Directors of Religious Education), under the umbrella of the ECA (Eastern Catholic Associates), which represents all Eastern Catholic bishops in the USA. With her expertise in education and her degrees in Eastern Religious Studies, Fran became involved in ECED, even serving as chairperson for several terms. She was a motivator! In the mid 1990’s we needed an assistant director for our Eparchial Educational Services Office and Fran joined the office in this capacity. In

August 2002, our Emeritus Bishop John Elya appointed her full-time director of this Office, and she has served well until her retirement this year. She was the first woman to head the Office, and she handled it very faithfully with all her strength. During her tenure, Fran conducted numerous parish visitations to help form catechists, giving courses herself, as well as encouraging the faithful to get more involved in one of the most important aspects of Church—passing on the faith. I quote from one of her letters to the clergy and catechists: “Education and evangelization are top priorities in our Church. The growth of our Church depends upon the education of the faithful. We rely heavily on our catechists to achieve this goal and we support and encourage religious education as a vital ministry in the life of the Church.” Along with her involvement in the ECED and as our Religious Education Director, Fran represented the Eastern Catholic Churches on the Advisory Board on Catechesis of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). She represented the Eastern Catholic Churches on the United States Bishops’ National Council on Catechetical Leadership, participating in its Catechetical Leadership Conference, which meets yearly around the country. She also served on the Committee on Enculturation of the USCCB Department of Education and was the major force for including the book American Eastern Catholics in the Pastoral Spirituality Series published by Paulist Press. Frances has been an author and a speaker; she prepared several articles for Eastern Christian journals and gave presentations to numerous groups among Latin and Eastern Catholics. I have saved two of her printed talks/presentations in my archive file: “The Mission of Eastern Christian Education in the Western World,” in Diakonia, Vol. 8:4, 1973, pp. 338-349, and “Mary: Model for Christian Life and Community,” a talk presented at the University of Continued on page 4 Fall 2013 • SOPHIA 3

From the Bishop

Dr. Frances Nejmeh Colie – An Extraordinary Woman of Faith

From the Bishop

Dr. Frances Nejmeh Colie Saskatoon, Canada, and published as Chapter 9 in Windows to the East: Eastern Christians in a Dialogue of Charity, published by Novalis, St. Paul University, Ottawa, 2001, pp. 209-223, and edited by Jaroslav Z. Skira and Myroslaw I. Tataryn. At all our Clergy Conferences and Diocesan Pastoral Council meetings, even if not physically present, Fran made a detailed report from the Education Office: what it offered through her services, resources, new programs and future plans. She created a “Saturday-only” program for inparish catechist formation as an alternative for parishes where distance, travel, and time were obstacles to attendance at other programs. In most cases she was the master catechist leading these days in many parishes and regions across the country. In 2006-2007, to enhance the programs of the Office, she formed an Advisory Board of clergy and lay members who assisted her with many ideas and plans. Again I quote from her report given at the Florida convention 2007: “The 21st century cautions us to be aware of the need for a more professional catechetical approach—that means encouraging and cooperating with our catechist formation program. We must know our tradition— be proud of it—be nourished by it and live it. Is there a better way to evangelize than to witness to others “what a great way to live?”! Workshops at Melkite Conventions always reflected Fran’s involvement, provided she received cooperation from the host parish. She planned the convention theme with the priest and parish leaders, chose workshop titles and speakers, and also helped determine the book to be published in conjunction with

Continued from page 3

the convention for spiritual growth. Fran helped revitalize the Society of Publicans, which has a chapter in each parish praying for the spiritual life and growth of our Church. Her monthly newsletter, The Link, first in print, then in electronic form on the Eparchial website, was a welcomed resource for catechists and any others interested in catechesis. She put her all into planning the newsletters properly. More recently, Fran has been preparing high school catechetical material and hopefully soon we can see the fruit of her labor. She is writing a

parishes, adding to it a “show and tell” on how to use the resources. She created catalogues of resources from our Educational Services Office and even prepared a Speakers Bureau, a list of available speakers and topics for presentation in English or Arabic. Putting all this together from my files and knowledge of Dr. Frances Colie, I am still amazed how far we have come because of her contributions. Our new director, Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo, met with me recently at the Eparchial Chancery to discuss his role in this office. After looking over all of our resources from God With Us Publications and our own Educational Services Publications, he told me how amazed he was to see all that we had produced for our faithful. I answered that the main force behind it all was Fran Colie! A tremendous job, Fran, and well done too! God bless you now in your retirement years. You have truly been the ikon of Christ for the life and growth of this Eparchy for many years—and the years to come will benefit because of your love for God, the Church, and your ministry of passing on the good news. In recognition of her great services, I will bestow on Dr. Frances Colie the Archbishop Joseph Tawil Award for Vision and Excellence and also make her a lifetime member of the Order of St. Nicholas, which she has so generously assisted since its inception in 1990. We know of your recent health issues, Fran, and keep you and your husband John in our prayers, asking God to grant you both good health in these retirement years. Our Eparchy is stronger today because of your phenomenal work. Thank you and may God’s abundant blessings be yours! †

Thank you and may God’s abundant blessings be yours!

4 S ophia • Fall 2013

high school program on morality. Fran is also the author of the six-session mini-course on the Jesus Prayer for high school students and adults, which is so rich and well written. Fran always reviewed other catechetical material from other jurisdictions and made recommendations to our catechists for supplemental curriculum. For some time Fran presented a mini-course on the importance of catechesis to our candidates at the annual Deacon Formation Program, touching on the vocation of the catechist and the need for an integrated program in our

by Rt. Rev. Archimandrite James Babcock Editor-in-Chief

T

ime out? Time out from madness? Tonight I listened to President Obama’s speech on Syria. So it seems we have a time out. Last Saturday, I stood on the corner of the main intersection in Temecula holding an American and a Syrian flag together with some of the members of Virgin Mary Community and a few other protesters. That evening and again on Sunday we all prayed for peace in Syria. While this was going on, the Islamist forces were destroying one of the most ancient Christian cities in the world. Maaloula is the last place where Aramaic, the language and dialect of Jesus, is still spoken. The rock that opened to let St. Thekla, the first woman Christian martyr, escape, has at the top a Melkite men’s monastery and at the bottom a Greek Orthodox women’s monastery. As each shell was fired, the Islamists shouted, “Allahu akbar, God is Great.” It has been reported that the priests were tortured and killed. The nuns hid in caves. The girls of the city were raped and there were forced conversions to Islam under threat of beheading. We cannot, of course, expect our president to solve all the complicated problems in that tragic nation, the home of our Patriarchate. I do believe, however, that God hears our prayers. I hope the step

back that was announced by the president, and the events that led up to it, were a result of our prayers. Still more prayers are needed, as the danger remains that Christianity could be wiped out in Syria and in Egypt, too. Furthermore, we must remain engaged in dialogue with our elected representatives and patiently share our concerns. Our silence mutes our message to them. As Christians, our voice must be heard and frequently.

On another happier subject, I hope you enjoy reading SOPHIA magazine. As you probably know, it is made possible by your support of the annual Bishop’s Appeal. This magazine is expensive to produce, but it is one of the best ways for our leadership to communicate with you and for you to learn what is going on in our Church. Please show your support and give a very generous gift to this year’s Bishop’s Appeal. Bishop Nicholas thanks you and I thank you, too. In this issue we honor one of our American church’s great leaders. Be sure to read His Grace’s tribute to Frances Colie, PhD, who served as Director of Religious Education for many years. Also, our new Director of Religious Education, the Reverend Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo, shares some thoughts with us. Be sure to read about our former community of Rugby, North Dakota, in a fascinating historical and personal article by Jan Thompson. You will also find a new feature, “Around the Eparchy,” with some brief and some more detailed reports of activities in our various parishes and communities. Don’t forget to pray daily for Syria and don’t forget to support the Bishop’s † Appeal. May God bless us all.

Lord, I want to be a priest! How do I contact the Melkite Vocation Director? Fall 2013 • S ophia 5

From the Editor

Time out From Madness?

Future Melkite Church

What Will our Church Be Tomorrow? by Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo

I

recently returned from a trip along the East Coast where I delivered a lecture on “Mary’s Faith” at an Eastern Catholic Church. It was an eyeopening experience in many ways. Not only did my research give me much to ponder as I considered the role of faith in the life of the Holy Theotokos, but also the parish community that welcomed me for this presentation gave me much to consider about the future of our Melkite Church in the United States. There were no fewer than five Catholic and Orthodox Churches within two blocks around the suburban community where I was speaking. However, the neighborhood, once a thriving example of apostolic Christianity, has undergone a sad transformation. It is rife with violence and drug use. The older generation that labored to construct the church buildings as beautiful monuments to their faith have moved to more desirable parts of the city, and now come to the church only on Sunday. For most of the week, then, the parish grounds are empty. The convent once filled with nuns is deserted; the large school building once teeming with eager students is vacant; and the parish hall, once a place of joyous social gatherings for the community, is hardly used. For all practical purposes, the church where I was to speak on Mary’s faith was abandoned. Faced with this frustrating situation, and after some time of prayerful reflection, I remembered a similar occurrence related in the book of Judges, after the great prophet Joshua had reposed in the Lord. “The people,” the Book of Judges tells us, “served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work which the Lord had 6 S ophia • Fall 2013

done for Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten years... and all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, who did not know the Lord or the work which He had done for Israel” (Judges 2:7-10). After reading over this passage, I began to wonder, “Why did the next generation not know the Lord or the work which He had done?” The answer, though difficult to admit, is simple. Clearly, the older generation did not teach the next generation about the Lord and the great works He had accomplished. The result was tragic. Within one generation of the great Exodus—the crossing of the Red Sea, the giving of the ten commandments, the revelation of God on Mount Sinai, the parting of the Jordan River, and the miraculous conquest of Jericho—the people did not remember the Lord or the work He had done for them. Is the situation any different for us today? Not long ago our Melkite Church in the United States was growing, establishing new missions and ordaining priests to serve them. Not long ago we received our own bishop for the United

States, and established a seminary for future vocations. Not long ago the great work of God for His Melkite people in the United States was known by our people. Today, we encounter a very different and difficult situation. We appear to be losing ground. Many of our teenagers and young adults, seduced by the worst of American culture, seem to have forgotten their religious inheritance. Many adults who grew up in our churches rarely attend church on Sunday and some have left to seek spiritual fulfillment elsewhere. Our elderly, many of whom struggled as first-generation immigrants to this country, are tired, worn down from a life lived in service. What will our Church be tomorrow? Certainly, anyone reading this magazine is interested in the future of our Melkite Church, interested in ensuring that our beautiful way of life continues to affect future generations. Certainly, anyone reading this magazine wants to make our parishes places of dynamic life, engaged in a relationship with God and with each other. But the gift of a thriving faith community is not automatically given simContinued on page 9

by Dr. Frances Nejmeh Colie

Part One Historical Introduction to Tradition

W

e hear a lot about TRADITION. We are told, “This is our tradition” and “We must preserve our tradition.” But what is Holy Tradition? The thing that first strikes a stranger who encounters Eastern Christianity is usually its air of antiquity, its apparent changelessness. When two Christians are asked to summarize the distinctive characteristics of their Church, they usually refer to the same thing: its changelessness, its determination to remain loyal to the past, its sense of living continuity with the Church of ancient times. Centuries earlier Eastern Patriarchs said exactly the same thing: “We preserve the Doctrine of the Lord uncorrupted, and firmly adhere to the Faith He delivered to us, and keep it free from blemish and diminution, as a Royal Treasure and a monument of great price, neither adding anything nor taking anything from it” (George Florovsky, Orthodoxy, A Faith and Order Dialogue (Geneva, 1960). John of Damascus adds: “but we keep the tradition just as we received it.” A contemporary explanation of Tradition by the eminent theologian, Archimandrite Robert Taft, S.J., says, “Tradition is not the past; it is the Church self–consciousness now of that which has been handed on to her not as an inert treasure but as a dynamic inner life” (R.F. Taft, SJ, Beyond East and West, Oregon Catholic Press,1984, p. 14). Fr. Taft goes on to say that “catechesis must be a reflection on the

whole of that reality, the whole of tradition, not on just its present manifestation.” He further adds that one of the great contemporary illusions is that a catechesis can be constructed without a profound knowledge of the theology and liturgical tradition. He goes on to say, “There can be no catechesis without [this knowledge]” (Beyond East and West, Oregon Catholic Press).

If we want to understand our tradition, we must know something of our history. Christianity originated in Palestine, spread rapidly throughout the Mediterranean, and by the end of the fourth century was recognized as the official religion of the late Roman or Byzantine Empire. Seen in its historical context, it was a unified religious movement, although diverse in many respects. It was fundamental and

dynamic in its historic development. Our Church is called the “Eastern Church” to distinguish it from the Church of the West. “Eastern” is used to indicate that in the first millennium the influence of our Church was concentrated in the eastern part of the Christian world. Greek was the first language of the ancient Christian Church from which our Faith was transmitted. The New Testament was written in Greek and the early writings of Christ’s followers were also in Greek. We use the word “orthodox” to indicate our conviction that we believe and worship correctly. We emphasize Apostolic tradition, continuity, and doctrinal and liturgical conservatism over a 2,000 year history. Christianity was the principal influence in the Byzantine Empire, shaping its culture, laws, art, architecture and intellectual life. The harmony between the civic and ecclesiastical spheres, Emperor and Church, was rarely broken so as to present a truly unified Christian Empire, a Christian-inhabited world (ecumene). This stunning relationship of faith and culture is a distinctive legacy of the Eastern Church. Christianity remained essentially undivided. Its five major administrative centers were located in Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The great Ecumenical Councils, the first of which was convened in AD 325 (just a dozen years after Christianity became legal), articulated Christian doctrine and order to support order in the Empire. At these Councils, all leaders and centers of Christianity were represented and shared in the deliberations. The first great schism or separation took place in the fifth and sixth centuries, chiefly over different underContinued on page 8 Fall 2013 • SOPHIA 7

Tradition

Holy Tradition – What It Is...What It Is Not!

Tradition

Holy Tradition


standings of the person of Christ. Two groups of ancient Eastern Churches are quite similar to the Orthodox Church in lifestyle and worship, but separated because of theological disagreements (which mirrored linguistic, political, and philosophical differences). Altogether they comprise approximately 22 million faithful. One is the Nestorian or Assyrian Church of the East, which emphasizes the separateness of divinity and humanity in Christ, instead of the orthodox teaching that His divinity and humanity are inseparable. Hence, Nestorians refer to Mary as “Mother of Christ,” not as “Mother of God.” The other, much larger, group is called Non-Chalcedonian because it does not accept the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451), which defined the orthodox doctrine that Christ has two natures—perfect God and perfect man—inseparably united in one Person. The Non-Chalcedonian Churches are sometimes called

“Monophysite,” meaning a belief that Christ had only one divine nature. They include the Coptic Church of Egypt, the Ethiopian Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Church of St. Thomas in India, and the Jacobite Syrian Church of Antioch. After the Seventh Ecumenical Council in AD 787, the basic unity of faith and ecclesiastical life between East and West began to disintegrate, due to a variety of theological, jurisdictional, cultural, and political differences. This eventually led to the Great Schism between East and West in AD 1054. This unfortunate division was aggravated to the point of a complete break in communication between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. Centuries later the protests against Rome in Western Europe gave rise to the Protestant Reformation. In our day, the non-Chalcedonian Oriental Churches, the Byzantine Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, and the many Protestant

What Will Our Church Be Tomorrow ply because we want it to be. Our parishes will not continue on their own. Our children will not remain Christians simply because we want them to be Christians. We must do something about it! An old adage states, “You cannot give what you do not have.” This saying reminds us that we cannot expect those under our care to be faithful unless we ourselves are faithful. We cannot expect our children to be committed Christians if we ourselves are not following Christ closely. We cannot lead others unless we first know the way. We cannot give what we do not have! If we sincerely hope that our Melkite Greek-Catholic faith will continue as an authentic expression of apostolic Christianity in the United States, if we really do desire our children to continue 8 SOPHIA • Fall 2013

Churches and groups compose the wide spectrum of Christendom. After the Great Schism, Eastern Christianity continued to develop apart from Western Christianity; persistently conservative and relying on its dynamic concept of Holy Tradition, it preserves the classical forms of Christian life and dogma to this very day. It is very much a “popular” Church, closely identified with the national life and aspirations of its people. In traditionally Orthodox lands it is difficult to separate religious and secular life, since they are one in the minds of the people. Orthodoxy has absorbed, and in some cases even shaped, the cultural traditions of many nations, chiefly in the Near East, the Balkans and Greece, Eastern Europe, and Russia. It is, for many of these nations, the national religion. In other lands, of course, it is † a tiny minority group. Part Two of Holy Tradition will be continued in the Winter Issue of SOPHIA.


faithfully in their walk with Jesus Christ, we first need to ensure that we ourselves are well-formed in the faith of our forebears. We who are given the gift to teach our children about the great works of God must be serious about our own walk with Christ before we can expect that our children will do the same. If we read the Sacred Scriptures regularly and reflect daily upon the great works that God has done for His people, then we can be certain that those who look to us for guidance will value the great treasure of our Melkite Church. If we pray fervently, waking up in the morning to glorify God for a new day and retiring to sleep in the evening with thanksgiving on our lips, then we can have hope that our children will do the same. If we attend Church regularly and make a serious effort to come early to Divine Liturgy to prepare ourselves for

the Holy Mysteries, then we can be confident that those who emulate us will continue in this practice. We who are given the charge of forming the next generation of Christians must make sure that we ourselves are well-formed in the faith we profess. If we take our God-given job seriously, and first cultivate the practice of our Melkite faith in our own lives, then pass it on to others, we can be sure that the “next generation” will know of the great works God has done for His people, and love the faith that they have received. What will our Melkite Church be tomorrow? It will be a continuation of what we make of it today. † Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo is the Director of the Office of Educational Services of the Eparchy of Newton.

by Jan Thompson

Mike Nedoff

A

Father John Nedoff

s a fine art scenic photographer, I spend many hours in beautiful places trying to uncover some extraordinary scene—the essence and purity of what God has provided for us. I strive to save that special moment so that it can be viewed over and over again. Pictures can transport us instantly, bringing out emotions and reminders of other times and other places. They are the legacy I leave for future generations. I don’t know why or how this passion for photography happened; it was just always part of who I am. As a child, I loved to look at my grandmother’s family photographs; unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to ask more about the people in the photos. I knew who they were—auntie this or uncle that—but not much more than their names. Many of the photos had Arabic writing on them, which, of course, I could not read. My grandfather’s bibles were also written in Arabic. He read them every day; he would finish one and then go to the other. He loved God and his church. It was many years later that I would more fully understand how much my grandfather contributed to his church—the church that would become St. Anne Melkite Church in North Hollywood, California. With the help of my uncle, Charles Nedoff, my grandmother’s photos, and many hours spent researching my family roots, I have come to recognize the importance of my family and their importance to their church.

Edward Nedoff

When my grandparents moved closer to family in their older age, they gave me the buffet that held all of those old photographs. I cherished them, looked at them occasionally, and remembered all of the grandmas and grandpas and aunties and uncles from my past. One photograph, though, kept haunting me. The man in the photo, I learned later, was my grandfather’s brother, Edward Nedoff. I spent many hours restoring Edward’s photograph—his eyes were constantly looking me as if to say, “find my family.” I had always been interested in my roots and one day decided to start my research. If only I had asked more questions when I had the chance! There is Arabic writing on the cardboard frame of Edward’s photograph. The translation reads: This is my drawing on the paper, I drew it by myself; Don’t think I will forget you; you have a place in my heart. Please remember me when you see the sunrise and when the dark comes down, And when the birds sing, and when you feel a gentle breeze. Edward gave the photo to his brother, my grandfather, Mike Nedoff, when they would be separated from each other for some time. They came to the United States in April of 1902. They were told to go and help out on their uncle’s homestead in Rugby, North Dakota. My grandfather was 14 years old and his brother was 16. They sailed

Charles (Kalil) Turk

together from Beirut, Lebanon. It took 16 days to cross the ocean. They brought along “clothes, biscuits, and stuff like that.” Their father, John Nedoff, was a Melkite priest in Zahle, Lebanon. They had served as altar boys and were very devout throughout their lives. I kept those bibles over the years even though I couldn’t read them; they were part of what was in the buffet with the photographs. When I hold those bibles in my hands, it gives me great comfort to know that they turned those pages and held those books. The strong faith of the Nedoff men has affected many generations, indeed. By the time Mike and Edward came to the US, many Lebanese were already in the Rugby area. One of the first was my great-grandfather, Charles (Kalil) Turk, who arrived from Zahle in 1891. Land records show that he homesteaded 160 acres in Pierce County and was classed as one of the Syrian pioneers there. Other families that came about the same time were the Shikanys, the Lyons, and the Habibs. They would all eventually become part of my family tree. They came for the free land, but the work was difficult. For many, farming was a stepping-stone to life in the new world. Charles Turk farmed his land until the papers were signed, but eventually made his living as a merchant. I would also like to make a note about the young women who came to Continued on page 10 Fall 2013 • S ophia 9

Melkites on the Prairie

a Journey Through Time

Melkites on the Prairie

A Journey Through Time


Lebanese/Syrian Christians in Rugby, North Dakota gather around visiting bishop and priest in front of prairie school house.

America, as life was certainly not easy for them. They did much hard work and made many sacrifices to help their husbands. Many sold the treasures they brought from their homeland to buy cows and stock for their farms. To keep your homestead, you had to live on the newly-acquired land for five years while improving it and also making a living from the land. Most spoke no English and they knew nothing about farming—they had to learn as they went along, observing other farmers. The children who were old enough also worked on the farm. They were good Christians. They were people who had practiced their religion in their homeland. They had prayer meetings, read the Bible, and recited the Rosary. About once a year, a Catholic priest would come by horse and buggy to baptize, hear confessions, celebrate liturgy, and perform marriages. But soon the families wanted their own priest who could speak their language, so they asked for permission to get a priest from their own homeland. But they had to have a church and home for the priest. As poor as they were, they still wanted to hear God’s word. They all gathered together and built a church—the church that would be St. George Melkite Church. My great-grandfather, Charles Turk, 10 S ophia • Fall 2013

was Melkite and with his family constituted a large part of the congregation at St. George. The first-born Turk child, Sabaya, was my grandmother. She and another 12 children would make up the entire Turk family. St. George was a small frame structure, on Section 24 in Meyer Township. Gathering the little congregation was Fr. Elias Aaguel, who was sent to Rugby by His Beatitude, Peter IV (Geraigiry), the Patriarch of the Melkite Catholics of Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and all of the East, at the turn of the century. But Fr. Aaguel stayed only for two months. By June of 1903, Fr. Seraphim Roumie had arrived and taken charge of the St. George congregation. When he arrived, he found at least 75 Lebanese men and women who had filed free homestead land claims. He brought about the completion of St. George Church, some 10 miles southeast of Rugby. In 1906, the church building was moved to Rugby, where it continued as a Lebanese focal point. While researching the North Dakota Archives, I found a wonderful photograph of St. George’s congregation with the local priest and a bishop, standing in front of a local school. The caption on the photo from an unidentified newspaper reads, “Syrians

who lived south of Rugby in 1914 gathered with a priest and bishop from St. Paul, MN outside the Reno Valley School. The children in the foreground are from left with father’s name in parentheses if known: Victoria Munyer (Frank), Cecelia Razook, Agnes Munyer (Frank), Rose Schackor, Mike Munyer (Assif), Fred Munyer (Assif), unknown boy, Dann girl, Laura Schackor, Edward Munyer (Assif). Behind them from the left are Sawaya boy, Emma Schackor, Linda Dann, Skaff boy, Eva Wizer, unidentified boy, Alex Munyer with brother, George in front, unidentified woman, and George Wizer. In third row extreme left to right are Rose Munyer (now Mrs. Saloum), Hazel Wizer, unidentified woman holding baby with Mrs. Frank Munyer partially hidden behind, Mrs. Selma Sawaya with Frank Munyer holding son, Roy, with Mrs. Alex Schackor holding son, Theodore, in front, Alex Schackor (wearing cap), Joe Skaff, Joe Saba (cap), Sam Wizer, unidentified man (hat) and woman, Zimrod Razook, Mrs. Joe (Ida) Saba, Mrs. Barbara Wizer, Mabel Wizer, Martha Munyer, with Jack Muffenbier behind, Mary Munyer, and Mrs. Joe Abraham with child. Fourth row: Sam Sawaya with son, Joe Abraham, Abe Razook, Joe Munyer, Albert Dann, Mrs. Dann, unidentified woman, George Razook stands behind priest and archbishop, and to the right of them are unidentified man and and Mrs. Assif Munyer holding Sam. Unfortunately, in 1910 a fire burned the church beyond repair. The Lebanese subsequently built another smaller church within the Rugby city limits. By my calculations from children’s birthdates and the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census reports, Charles Turk lived in Rugby for about 24 years. Around 1915, he moved his family to Scobey, Montana. In 1919, my grandmother, Sabaya Turk, married my grandfather, Mike Nedoff, thus connecting the Turk and Nedoff families. My mother was born in Scobey in 1921, and a few months later the entire Turk and Nedoff families moved to Los Angeles, where they found their way to what would become St. Anne Melkite-Greek Catholic Church. Mike Nedoff, Charles Turk, and Charles Ara, Sr., were all involved at St. Anne from the time they arrived in Continued on next page

Prepared by Archimandrite John Azar from sources provided by Fred Abboud of Omaha, Nebraska, a great-great-great grandnephew of Fr Elias Abboud

flooded with people, not only from his own community but also by others who came from near and far. He also celebrated special prayer services to the Mother of Perpetual Help every Tuesday evening. “Seek ye the Kingdom…” from the Gospel of Matthew was his favorite saying. He was a special friend to the children. He lived in a five-room parish house, where he planted and cultivated a small garden of shrubs, trees, and flowers. He cooked his own meals and did his own housekeeping. “If Fr. Elias has anything and you need it, you can have it,” was a common saying among the people. Serving at St. Savior and at other circuit locations, he died penniless at the age of 79 and is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Omaha. Whether a priest serves a large or small number of people, he basically does what he was ordained to do—to serve God’s people. Fr. Elias heard the voice of Christ saying, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men,” more than likely struggled greatly in his ministry, and stands in our history as a “priest hero” among the pio† neer clergy in America.

F

r Elias Abboud was born in Fourzol, in what was then Syria but now is Lebanon. He received a special dispensation that allowed him to be ordained a priest of the Basilian Salvatorian Order at the unusually young age of 22. At the request of Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Scannell, Fr Elias came to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1893 to do parish work among the Syrian colony there. Fr. Elias served the Syrian people, first in a Roman Catholic building; later at their St. Savior Greek-Melkite Syrian Catholic Church on Thirteenth Street, which was built some years later through the efforts of his people and numerous friends. Sometimes having only six to ten people at the Sunday Divine Liturgy, he faithfully served the small community for 50 years. Despite the low weekly attendance, during Holy Week the church would be

Memory Eternal

PRIEST HERo

A Journey Through Time the Los Angeles area. They attended liturgy and brought the whole family. My grandfather was the cantor. He sang the responses every week, never missing a Sunday. I remember hearing him from time to time sing those beautiful prayers. I was too young to understand then; it just sounded wonderful and soothing. My ancestry research has had a very meaningful purpose for me. First of all, it has brought me closer to my family— bringing back to the forefront of my memory those wonderful days with my grandfather. But more than that, it has helped me to understand more fully his dedication to God and his family. I now know where my own spirituality comes from. I find comfort in knowing that all those who came before me are part of

me; not only their physical traits, but also their faith in God, and from that, God’s presence within me. My research also led me to Fr. James Babcock. I found Fr. James on the Internet and called the number listed on the web page. I was surprised to learn how close by he was to me and that he was happy to come to my house with Hanna Maria as interpreter to see the old Melkite bibles and prayer books. We had a wonderful discussion about the books and my family history, and enjoyed looking at the old photographs I have saved over the years. Fr. James helped me understand about the Melkite tradition and my grandfather’s part at St. Anne parish. Over and over, I seem to find myself learning new things about the past that

are quite relevant to my life today. Leaving a legacy has always been very important to me because I didn’t feel that my parents left one for me. I now realize that the legacy has always been there. It began with my grandfather, and his father, and all those who came before them. The legacy is simply this—my strong faith in knowing that God is always within me. I began this journey looking for more information about my ancestors, but in the end I found that through them I learned more about myself. All in all a very good place to be! †

Jan Thompson is a fine art scenic photographer and photo restorer in Carlsbad, CA. She can be reached at: www.trailsidememories.com.

Fall 2013 • S ophia 11

Our Heritage

priest hero: Fr Elias abboud

Seeking Answers

No Stupid Questions by Fr James K. Graham

“F

ather, this is probably a stupid question, however…” Probably every priest has heard this over and over again. Probably many lay people have said it, perhaps over and over again. It sticks in my mind because I heard it not long ago from a woman in her 80’s, who remembered being told not to ask stupid questions by the French nuns when she was in school in Egypt, and remembered her daughters’ being told the same thing years later in the USA. What makes people think their questions about the Bible, the Faith, the Church are stupid? More to the point, perhaps, who makes them think their questions are stupid? No one should be made to feel that

DO YOU

Yet, someone, somewhere, sometime, has made people feel that their questions are stupid. Was someone too busy to bother with the question? Was someone too lazy to answer the question? Did someone not know the answer to the question? None of these is an acceptable excuse for making people feel stupid about asking questions. If we are too busy, we should say, “I don’t have time to give you a good answer right now, but come to see me, or phone me, or email me, and we’ll talk about it.” After all, teaching is our job just as much as writing reports or paying bills or attending committee meetings. Laziness means the teacher (clergyman, monastic, lay person, or parent) is not taking his or her job seriously, and

asking us questions respect us enough to expose their ignorance and they trust us to know the answers and to help them. We need to remember that there was a time when we didn’t know the answers, either. Often, we still don’t. But we have had the advantage of studying and researching and learning where to find the answers—and of asking people wiser than ourselves, who didn’t try to shut us up for asking stupid questions. In Chapter 8 of the Acts of the Apostles, an angel of the Lord tells the Apostle Philip to go out on the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza. On the road, Philip meets a high official of the Queen of Ethiopia, who is returning home in his chariot after worshipping in the Holy City. Philip hears the

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE READING?

“How can I, unless someone explains it to me?“ his or her sincere questions about the Bible, the Christian Faith, and the Church are stupid. If someone wants to learn and wants to understand, there are no stupid questions. This includes possibly silly questions, like “If Adam was created by God out of the dust of the earth, did he have a belly button?” It also includes annoying questions, like “Why can’t Catholics receive Holy Communion in Orthodox churches?” And it includes difficult questions, like “If we believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, why does St Paul write that God raised Him from the dead?” People who are responsible for teaching the Christian Faith—bishops and priests and deacons, nuns and monks, church school teachers, and parents—need to remember, and to remind ourselves, that if people want to learn and understand, there are no stupid questions. 12 SOPHIA • Fall 2013

should probably seek spiritual guidance to overcome the problem. When people depend on us for information and instruction, we have to get over our self-centered unwillingness to provide that information and instruction. And if the teacher doesn’t know the answer, there’s no need to feel ashamed or threatened and to turn that shame or insecurity back on the questioner by scolding, “No stupid questions!” Instead, we should remember the advice given me by a wise and experienced university professor. He said, “When a student asks me a question and I don’t know the answer, I respond with six simple words: ‘I don’t know. Let’s find out.’” When people ask questions, they are already interested; this gets them involved. We who have the responsibility for teaching have to remember that everyone deserves respect, especially when trying to learn and understand. People

Ethiopian reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah, and comes alongside him, asking, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian official answers, perhaps in a tone of perplexity, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” Philip gets into the chariot, reads along with the Ethiopian, and answers his questions: “Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture passage, proclaimed Jesus to him.” All of us are called to be apostles— the ones sent by the Lord to teach all nations. Like Philip the Apostle, we have to be willing to go along with people, answer their questions, and proclaim Jesus to them, because when people want to understand the Faith there are no stupid questions. † Fr. James K. Graham has been a priest for 20 years. He is pastor of St Joseph Church in Lansing, Michigan.

10 May 2013/ Ain Traz, Lebanon

O

n the morning of Monday 17 June 2013, Patriarch Gregorios III, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem, opened the work of the Holy Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, in the Patriarchal Summer Residence of Ain Traz with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, in the presence of members of the Holy Synod. The work of the Fathers can be summarized as follows: 1. The Fathers have not lost sight of the worrying specter of the security situation prevalent in Syria, Lebanon, and the whole region, and are especially pained by the violence that sows death and destruction here and there, causing damage to some of our eparchies. So they call on all parties, especially in Syria, to renounce violence and recourse to weapons, and put reconciliation and unselfish national interests above every personal or collective interest, urging the major countries involved in the Syrian crisis to stop the supply of arms and agree on a peaceful solution, allowing the restoration of peace, security, and prosperity. 2. The Fathers reported on the situation of their parishes, especially parishes in Syria, which are seriously damaged as a result of bloody events that have been taking place in the country for more than two years now. And they resolved to lend a helping hand to help parishes cope with the different aspects of the crisis, and committed themselves to setting up for this purpose “a solidarity committee to develop an action plan and contact sources of assistance.” The Fathers appealed to the international community and all competent individuals and institutions to lend a helping hand to displaced persons, who have attained the numbers of millions, many of whom are living in conditions below minimal limits of human dignity on more than one level. 3. And in the face of the tragedy, the Fathers call on their children everywhere to pray for an end to this tragedy and crisis, in the certainty that prayer today is

virtually the only weapon targeted at salvation. They also ask them to pray for those who have died, and for the return of abductees, especially Archbishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi, and monks Michael and Isaac, urging their liberation and that of other abductees. 4. We add our voice to the voice of the Pope in his speech on 20 June at the 86th Plenary Assembly of the Reunion

of Organizations for Aid to the Oriental Churches (ROACO): “I would like once again, from the bottom of my heart, to appeal to the leaders of nations and international organizations, to believers of every religion, and to all men and women of good will to put an end to all the pain, all the violence, and all religious, cultural, and social discrimination. May the conflict that sows death leave space for the encounter and the reconciliation that bring life. To all those who are suffering, I strongly say: ‘Never lose hope! The Church is with

you, accompanies you, and supports you!’ I ask you to do everything possible to alleviate the serious needs of the affected populations, especially in Syria, the people of beloved Syria, and the ever more numerous refugees and displaced persons. St. Ignatius of Antioch addresses the Christians in Rome, saying: ‘Remember in prayer the Church of Syria.’ I repeat to you: remember in your prayers the Church of Syria. Jesus Christ will watch over it and your charity. I entrust the countless victims to the Lord of Life and implore the Most Holy Mother of God to console all of those in the ‘time of great distress.’ It is true; what’s happening in Syria is a great distress!” 5. In this regard however, the Fathers wished to state their personal, deep thanks to their brother bishops and their children in the expansion for their assistance, donated to their fellow bishops of our stricken eparchies in Syria, and to their children, displaced people, beseeching Christ the Giver of all, to recompense them many times over for their gifts. 6. As far as Lebanon is concerned nowadays, the Fathers expressed their fear for democracy in this country, which has long exemplified the big advantage of democracy, especially in the Arab world. They called for the promulgation of a modern electoral law to establish equality among all citizens, taking into account the rights of everyone, and for speeding up the formation of the government in order to avoid a vacuum. 7. The Fathers then studied amendments made by the Legal Committee to some items of particular law relating to the conduct of the Holy Synod and the ecclesial law courts, made comments on these amendments, and then endorsed them. 8. The Fathers also studied the PostSynodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Middle East, “Communion and Witness,” and how to offer this guidance so that people in their eparchies and parishes can apply and live by the spirit expressed in it. Continued on page 17 Fall 2013 • SOPHIA 13

Spiritual Leaders Gather

The Holy Synod of the Melkite Church: Final Report of June 2013 Meeting

Syrian Christians

The Crisis in Syria and the Humanitarian Aid Challenge Ain Traz Meeting hosted by Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III 1-2 August 2013

R

epresentatives of Aid to the Church in Need, Caritas, Cor Unum, the Good Shepherd Sisters and other charitable institutions hosted by Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III at his Ain Traz summer residence, met with him and other Church representatives over the first two days of August to study common approaches to humanitarian aid in crisis-torn Syria. Organised by ACN’s Fr Andrzej Halemba, the meeting allowed HB Gregorios III together with Abp Mario Zenari, Papal Nuncio to Syria, Mgr Paolo Borgia of the Lebanese Nunciature, Abp Samir Nassar of the Maronite Church in Damascus, Mgr Giampetro dal Toso of Cor Unum, representatives of the Syrian Catholic bishop of Homs and representatives of Caritas Syria, Caritas Lebanon, Caritas MONA, CNEWA, Fundazione AVSI, CRS Lebanon, Good Shepherd Sisters and ECHO to deliberate co-ordinated courses of action and study appropriate methodologies for relief work. Spiritual support and loving solidarity, together with prayer, underpin financial and practical assistance. Many families in Syria are suffering from the crisis and children’s education is frequently jeopardised. Though a coordinated response to these problems is often difficult due to lack of personnel and resources, Caritas MONA can serve to coordinate responses from different branches of Caritas. Despite a lack of non-governmental organisations in Syria authorised to carry out relief work, the Church is free to step in to meet the need, and NGOs may work through Caritas Syria. The Melkite Patriarchate of Damascus presented reports about the emergency relief work done by the Patriarchal Committee. Similar reports were given about the Archeparchies of Homs and Lattakieh. The Melkite Eparchy of Zahleh (Lebanon), for example, in coordination with other institutions, is currently offering various kinds of relief and assistance to some seven hundred Syrian families, 16 SOPHIA • Fall 2013

though its task will become more difficult as winter approaches. Sisters of the Good Shepherd are doing similar relief work at Deir elAhmar with about eight hundred displaced Syrian families, of which thirtytwo are Christian. This illustrates that the Church’s assistance is open to all without distinction, as Syria’s Muslim families gladly recognize. On day two of the meeting, Mr Bruno Rotival of ECHO (the Humanitarian Aid department of the European Commission) was able to consult with representatives of the Churches and charitable institutions present and advise them about the best way to proceed in order obtain financial assistance and project guidance from the European Union. At present, ECHO finances life-saving food, shelter and health care for Palestinian and Syrian refugees and displaced persons in Lebanon, but social and educational funding for projects in Syria is hardly available due to the multiplicity of demands on Europe’s charitable funds and practical difficulties at local level. For the future, a partnership agreement could be s i g n e d between local

Caritas organisations and those in European countries, such as France. Another avenue of approach may be for the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate to coordinate its efforts with those of UN institutions, such as UNICEF, with which it already has a partnership agreement, besides working with the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Co-operation is the key to success in building a better future for everyone in Syria and the region.

Good Wishes for Eid ul Fitr Dear Muslim Fellow-Citizens! I send you cordial good wishes for Eid ul Fitr. We rejoice with you as we reflect on this festival’s sublime, spiritual values, especially that of surrender to God’s will. We are suffering with you and with all our Muslim brothers and sisters, especially those of the Arab world, in the face of those tragic situations that have made all our hearts bleed, since any Arab blood shed is blood of sons and daughters of the same family. We are praying for peace and secu-

rity and especially for unity of the Arab and Muslim world. We believe that this unity is the foundation for peace and prosperity in the Arab and Muslim world, and the purity of authentic Islam, alongside which we have lived for 1434 [Islamic] years. Together we have built a common Arab Muslim-Christian humane, open society. Dear brethren, We believe that division of the Muslim Arab world is the real danger for Muslim and Christian Arabs and for Islam and Christianity. That is the real danger for our living together, civilisation, tradition, future, mission and role in our Arab East

and throughout the world. We congratulate you with all our heart. We pray for the fulfilment of a shared Muslim-Christian Arab vision, for a better future for our rising generations, and to meet the aspirations, shouts and slogans of the real Arab revolution that spring from a desire to seek to ensure a worthy, better life for the sons and daughters of this East that is so dear to us all. Our best wishes for a happy feast, our affection and sincere good wishes for peace to return to the land of peace!

† Gregorios III Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Of Alexandria, and of Jerusalem

SYRIAN RELIEF Donations from parishes and individuals in 2012 $52,500.00 Donations from parishes and individuals in 2013 $65,992.00 Personal Money from Bishop Nicholas for several families in 2013 $6,000.00 Total $124,492.00 Money wired to Patriarchate in Lebanon and dispersed according to need in the different eparchies of Syria. Part of the total was $8000.00 raised specifically for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Aleppo for needy families. The account remains open and donations will be accepted. Send gifts to:

Eparchy of Newton-Syrian Relief Office of the CFO 802 Rifle Camp Road Woodland Park NJ 07424

The Holy Synod


They made the following recommendations on the subject: a. To ensure distribution of the guidance to eparchies and parishes for detailed study. b. To hold a conference about the guidance involving bishops, priests, monks, nuns and lay-people. c. To encourage joint activities with fellow-citizens to consolidate bonds of love and co-operation, based on the principle of citizenship. d. To call to repentance, reformation, and irreproachable witness at the level of individuals and institutions as a way to convince others honestly of

evangelical values. 9. The Fathers also heard a report on the Major Seminary of St. Anne from its Rector, Archimandrite Naim Gharbi. The Fathers discussed it and expressed their observations on it and issued a recommendation for the introduction of the topic of “pastoral leadership” to be taught in seminaries. 10. The Fathers elected a list of three candidates for the Eparchy of Argentina so that the Pope can appoint one of the candidates as bishop. 11. The Fathers also elected Archbishop Elie Haddad as President of the Patriarchal Appellate Tribunal,

Archbishop George Haddad as Chief Judicial Vicar, and Archbishops Joseph Absi and George Bacouni as Assistant Judicial Vicars in the Synodal Court, and Archbishop Michael Abrass as Promoter of Justice and Archbishop Elie Haddad as a Defender of the Bond in the same Synodal Court. 12. Finally, the Fathers expressed the firm hope that, God willing, the black cloud will dissipate to reveal a new earth and a new heaven, and God will wipe every tear from our eyes because Jesus promised and his promise does not fail, that He will be with us to the end of the age. † Fall 2013 • S ophia 17

Syrian Christians

Prot. 346/2013R Rabweh 8 August 2013

Latest Disaster in Syria

predominantly Christian Maaloula Falls to Syrian Rebels

The Associated Press reported on 11 September that Syrian rebels led by alQaida-linked fighters seized control of predominantly Christian Maaloula, northeast of Damascus. Heavy fighting forced hundreds of residents to flee, activists and local residents said. The battle over Maaloula, an ancient village that is home to two of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria, has thrown a spotlight on the deep-seated fears that many of Syria’s 18 S ophia • Fall 2013

religious minorities harbor about the growing role of Islamic extremists on the rebel side in the civil war against President Bashar Assad’s regime. After the initial clashes in and around Maaloula, rebels captured the village following fierce fighting, according to the Britain-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Observatory director Rami AbduRahman said the assault was led by Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida-affiliated

group, as well as by the Qalamon Liberation Front. He said around 1,500 rebels were inside Maaloula, while the army had the village surrounded. Syria’s state news agency provided a dramatically different account of the battle, saying the military reported “progress” in its offensive in Maaloula. Residents described fierce battles in the streets that forced them to flee as opposition fighters flooded the village. One resident said the rebels—many of them wearing beards and shouting, “God is great!”—attacked Christian homes and churches shortly after seizing the village. “They shot and killed people. I heard gunshots and then I saw three bodies lying in the middle of a street in the old quarter of the village,” the resident said by telephone. “Many people have fled the village for safety. Now,” he said, “Maaloula is a ghost town.” Another resident said that one of the churches, Demyanos (St Damianos), had been torched and that gunmen stormed into two other churches and robbed them. A third resident reached by phone said he saw militants forcing some Christian residents to convert to Islam. “I saw the militants grabbing five villagers and threatening them: ‘Either you convert to Islam or you will be beheaded,’” he said. Two other residents said they heard rumors about such conversions but did not see them. The reports could not be independently verified. All three residents spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. Maaloula had been a major place of pilgrimage before the civil war. Some of its residents still speak a version of Aramaic, the language of biblical times believed to have been used by Jesus. The Melkite monastery there is located on the top of the rock through which St. Thekla, the first woman Christian Martyr, escaped before she was caught and killed. At the base of the rock is a Greek Orthodox monastery of nuns who are said to be hiding in underground caves. The situation highlights the fears among Syrian Christians that the alternative to President Assad’s regime would not tolerate minority religions. †

by NAT da Polis Two other churches in Nicaea and Trebizond that served as museums have already been converted into mosques. With Hagia Sophia in Constantinople as the symbol of Ottoman conquest, Erdogan’s neoOttoman plans need such a symbol to cover up Turkey’s economic and social crises. For Bartholomew I, Hagia Sophia could only reopen to worship as a Christian church. Istanbul (AsiaNews) – Increasingly, rumours are circulating about the future transformation of the Cathedral of Saint Sophia into a mosque. This is worrisome because two other temples, also dedicated to Saint Sophia, were recently transformed from museums into mosques. The two churches in question are Hagia Sophia in Nicaea (Iznik), where the first ecumenical council was held, and Hagia Sophia in Trebizond (Trabzon). For the record, with the fall of Constantinople (1453), all of the city’s churches were converted into mosques, but with the advent of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the most important monuments were turned into museums. Skylife, the free magazine handed out on the planes of Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s national carrier, gives further credence to the rumours about the Hagia Sophia mosque. As an important platform to showcase the AKP government’s success to the world, the magazine recently published a long article in English and Turkish to get people accustomed to an already in its planning phase. On the cover, the aim of this idea is clearly spelled out, with an image of the

Cathedral of Saint Sophia described as the ‘Mosque of the Sultans’. The article emphasises the transformation of the cathedral into a mosque (in 1453) and its subsequent history. The long history of the church before the fall of Constantinople is largely ignored. By carefully reading the article, one gets the idea that the main cathedral of Orthodox Christianity is the highest symbol of Constantinople’s conquest by the Ottomans and a kind of reference point for the sultans. The article seeks to show that Sophia reached its peak, glory and splendour only after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. In the same article, Prof Semavi Eyice notes that Hagia Sophia’s survival was due to Sinan, a 16th century Christian architect who converted to Islam under the Ottomans’ janissary policy. For his part, Prof Ahmet Akgunduz points out that Sophia is the living memory of Mehmet the Conqueror, and therefore must be restored as soon as possible

to “its” spirituality, that of a mosque. From a certain point of view, these rumours and views are not surprising, given how things have evolved in Turkey under the AKP party and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It is generally agreed that an attempt is being made to polarise Turkish society, extolling the Ottoman past and traditions, to cover up the crisis that is beginning to be felt in this part of the world, characterised by the Turkish lira’s fall vis-à-vis the euro and the dollar, the Syria crisis, and Erdogan’s interventionist policy after the Gezi Park standoff ahead of next year’s election. Speaking to Turkish newspaper Milliyet on the possible transformation of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said that if Saint Sophia could reopen as a place of worship, it should be as a Christian church; otherwise it should remain a museum. † Fall 2013 • SOPHIA 19

Isalm in Constantinople

persistent Rumors Suggest hagia Sophia Will Be Turned into a Mosque

Coptic Christians

A Coptic Monument to Survival, Destroyed by Samuel Tadros, The Wall Street Journal

T

he Egyptian army’s crackdown on Mohamed Morsi’s Cairo supporters unleashed the largest attack on Coptic houses of worship since 1321. No one knows exactly when the Virgin Mary Church was built, but the fourth and fifth centuries are both possible options. In both cases, it was the time of the Byzantines. Egypt’s Coptic Church—to which this church in modern-day Delga belonged—had refused to bow to imperial power and Rome’s leadership over the nature of Christ. Constantinople was adamant it would force its will on the Copts. Two lines of popes claimed the Seat of Alexandria. One with imperial blessing sat in the open; the other, with his people’s support, often hid, moving from one church to the other. Virgin Mary Church’s altar outlasted the Byzantines. Arabs soon invaded in A.D. 641. Dynasties rose and fell, but the ancient building remained strong, a monument to its people’s survival. Virgin Mary Church was built underground, a shelter from the prying eye. At its entrance were two ancient Roman columns and an iron door. Inside were three sanctuaries with four altars. Roman columns were engraved 20 SOPHIA • Fall 2013

in the walls. As in many Coptic churches, historical artifacts overlapped earlier ones. The most ancient drawing to survive into the 21st century: a depiction, on a stone near the entrance, of two deer and holy bread. Layers and layers of history, a testament not only to the place’s ancient roots but also to its persistence. Like other Coptic churches, the ancient baptistry was on the western side, facing the altar in the east. Infants were symbolically transferred through baptism from the left to the right. The old icons were kept inside the church; the ancient manuscripts transferred to the Bishopric in modern times. Once there were 23 other ancient churches next to it, all connected through secret passages. Only Virgin Mary Church remained. Decline and survival, loss and endurance, the twin faces of the story of the Copts who built it. Why Virgin Mary Church endured until modern times is a mystery. Some churches in Cairo survived because Coptic popes made them their residence. Being built on a place Jesus and his mother had visited gave others in Egypt a claim to fame and a chance at survival, while in still others the miracles performed by the patron saint

were a reason for pilgrims to visit and donate. Virgin Mary Church had none of these. For hundreds of years, its sole claim to miracles: a Roman column that, according to parishioners, produced oil once a year on Good Friday. The church was probably too small and too remote from the center of authority to merit notice. Its flock never abandoned it. Most of the Copts had converted to Islam over the centuries, but in Delga a critical mass remained that kept putting candles in front of the old icons. Then, in 1829, a boy named Boulos Ghobrial was born in a village nearby. He was baptized in Virgin Mary Church’s ancient baptistry and taught to read and write in its small school. He would become St. Abram, the Bishop of Fayoum, a man of deep spirituality, who performed thousands of miracles and resembled his master in his poverty. He died in 1914, and the Holy Synod would declare him a saint in 1963. Many churches would be built under his name, and his residence in Fayoum would become a huge attraction to pilgrims. His birthplace would reap some of the benefits. Two newer churches were built next to Virgin Mary Church: St. George, about 100 years ago, and the modern St. Abram. Other buildings were soon added. A church that was a shelter from persecution under the Byzantines became a shelter from increasing discrimination and banishment from the public space in modern times. A large meeting room was built, as were a theater and retreat house. In the open space, a soccer field. Church permits became harder to get in Egypt and the small complex served 30,000 Copts. Miracles are rare in modern times. More common is hardship, and plenty befell the churches of Delga. St. George was attacked a number of times and its domes destroyed. An enthusiastic bishop built two minarets only to have the Egyptian police destroy them. More threatening than a persecuting state was the mob. The ancient churches were attacked several times in the past. On July 28, Molotov cocktails

and destroyed, five partly damaged, and 10 attacked without sustaining heavy damage. In this maelstrom, the ancient Virgin Mary Church was not spared. In a day of brutality, the people of Delga distinguished themselves. All three of Delga’s Coptic churches were destroyed. So were a Catholic and a Protestant church in the city. In place of Virgin Mary Church, the mob placed a sign: The Martyrs Mosque. Other areas in the country attempted to compete. The school run by Franciscan nuns in Beni Suef was destroyed. It had been opened in 1889 and provided education to thousands of Egypt’s girls. A symbol of a bygone time. Lost with the building were many artifacts, statues and paintings. A museum in Malawi was also destroyed. About

1,200 ancient artifacts have been looted. A Coptic exodus has been under way for two years now in Egypt. The hopes unleashed by the 2011 revolution soon gave way to the realities of continued and intensified persecution. Decades earlier, a similar fate had befallen the country’s once-thriving Jewish community. The departure of the people is echoed in the decay of the buildings. The landscape of the country is changing along with its demography. A few synagogues stand today as the only reminder of the country’s Jews. Which churches will remain standing is an open question. † Mr. Tadros is a research fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and the author of “Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity.”

ST. ANN PARISH COMES TO THE AID OF SISTER CHURCH

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hen a disastrous fire consumed St. Nicholas Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church in Danbury, Connecticut, the tragedy had a silver lining. It brought the parishioners of St. Nicholas and St. Ann Melkite Church together for worship again. This year the two parishes united at St. Ann Church for Vespers and Divine Liturgy for the feasts of the Transfiguration and the Dormition. For the Transfiguration, Archimandrite Michael Skrocki of St. Ann was principal celebrant, and Father John Cigan of St. Nicholas served as principal celebrant for the Dormition Liturgy. They were assisted by Deacon Steve Russo of St. Nicholas and Deacons Tom Davis and Steve McGrath of St. Ann. Cantors from both churches provided music enriched by both Melkite and Ruthenian chants.

Both St. Nicholas and St. Ann had constructed new churches twenty years ago. St. Nicholas parish moved right from their old church to their new one, but St. Ann was without a church building for several years. During that time, St. Nicholas invited St Ann to worship with them, and the two parishes held holy-day and Holy Week services together at the old St. Nicholas Church on Roberts Avenue. The Liturgy would be celebrated according to the customs of the principal celebrant, incorporating music from both traditions. St Nicholas plans to rebuild, but in the meantime the presence of the clergy and people of St. Nicholas is a blessing for St. Ann’s community.


Coptic Christians

and stones were thrown. The churches survived that day. But survival was not destined two weeks later. The army’s violent crackdown on Mohamed Morsi’s supporters in Cairo unleashed a wave of attacks on churches the like of which Copts had not seen in centuries, thus laying waste to examples of a unique byway in the history of architecture, religious structures that are a hybrid of Egyptian, Greco-Roman and Christian Byzantine styles. Dozens of churches were burned and destroyed in the largest attack on Coptic houses of worship since 1321. A complete tally is still to be written. But in its latest report, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Egypt’s best human-rights organization, documents a total of 47 churches attacked, of which 25 were burned, seven looted

by Papas Giorgios

R

eturning to the family of Nazareth, by rediscovering its original basic sacramental dimension, constitutes a mandatory priority in today’s Church life. Ethical relativism and a diffuse sense of distrust in traditional morality have generated a lethal virus which now threatens the very existence of society. In this environment the family seems the first target of ruthless attacks. Weakened by the blows of a culture that is heir to erroneous ideologies, the family has lost its own identity and mission. Blessed John Paul II foresaw the importance of elevating the dignity of the family and beatified a few Christian spouses, the Beltrame-Quattrocchi couple from Italy, for instance, thus indicating that marriage represents a call to holiness. Furthermore, in his 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio, the saintly pope delineated the characteristics proper to the vocation to which each Christian family is called by the Trinitarian love of God. The communion of love between God and people finds a meaningful expression in the marriage covenant between a man and a woman.

“For this reason the central word of Revelation, ‘God loves His people,’ is likewise proclaimed through the living and concrete word whereby a man and a woman express their conjugal love. The bond of love becomes the image and the symbol of the covenant which unites God and his people,” the pope wrote. “The Spirit which the Lord pours forth renders man and woman capable of loving one another as Christ has loved us. Conjugal love reaches that fullness to which it is interiorly ordained, conjugal charity, which is the proper and specific way in which spouses participate in and are called to live the very charity of Christ who gave Himself on the cross.” The family is the origin and the center of Christian life. It is therefore necessary that its sacramental dignity more clearly appears before all people, with its domestic diakonia (service) and exemplary ways. As Christians, we cannot allow new social models, “expressions of weak love,” to crop up in our society. A remedy could be the solemnization of the family institute, foreseeing a sound liturgy to be entrusted to the

father of the family, as caretaker of the domestic home, a kind of domestic diakonia. This seems extremely necessary because of the continuous attacks the family has received. This healthy daily exercise, besides strengthening the family ties, could represent a way for reinvigorating the entire pastoral and missionary activity of the Church. It would be also a way to reorganize the civil society by giving new breath to it, since to create sound and strong families means to act concretely for the well-being of human society. In the light of faith and by virtue of hope, the Christian family too shares, in communion with the Church, in the experience of the earthly pilgrimage towards the full revelation and manifestation of the kingdom of God. Therefore, it must be emphasized once more that the pastoral intervention of the Church in support of the family is a matter of urgency. Every effort should be made to strengthen and develop pastoral care for the family, which should be treated as a real matter of priority, in the certainty that future evangelization depends largely on the domestic church. † Fall 2013 • S ophia 23

Church in the Home

A Domestic Diakonia to Save the Family

Living Church Heroes

Thanks, Deacon Joe! Gratitude to Lansing’s Two-Year “Temporary Administrator” by Su Butler

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ho is Deacon Joe? A Melkite deacon? A devoted servant of God? A super hero? All of the above! Let me explain. In March 2011, St. Joseph Melkite Greek-Catholic Church of Lansing, Michigan, suddenly found itself without a pastor. With just a few weeks’ notice, Fr. Lawrence Gosselin, the pastor of four years, retired and moved to Washington state for reasons of health. Archbishop Cyril Bustros called two clergymen out of retirement to fill in for a couple of months until a permanent pastor could be assigned to the parish. Father Alam Alam became the parish’s interim administrator, assisted by Fr. Protodeacon Joseph Daratony (always known affectionately as “Deacon Joe”). Deacon Joe had been retired for only a week when he was called back into service! The shortage of priests in our Eparchy, along with other complicating factors, including Archbishop Cyril’s moving to Lebanon to assume his new office as Metropolitan of Beirut, caused the two months to stretch into three and then four. Finally, Fr. Alam, who along with Deacon Joe had been enjoying the affectionate regard of the parish, had to depart to fulfill another responsibility. St. Joseph Church reluctantly said farewell to Fr. Alam and his wife Salima, who had also become dear to us. What next? Deacon Joe received a letter from our new Eparchial Bishop, Nicholas, naming him as the interim administrator of the parish. When asked about his reaction to the letter, Deacon Joe said he was “shocked and surprised,” having never before been a parish administrator. Deacon Joe had been a bi-ritual deacon for the previous 35 years. He had ministered in nursing homes and prisons and had served as a hospital chaplain. Looking back, Deacon Joe called his service as St. Joseph’s administrator “the frosting on the cake.” Once he recovered from the shock, Deacon Joe plunged into parish work. He met with parishioners, generating ideas to stimulate the parish. He arranged for a Lenten retreat, inviting Fr. Romanos Russo to present a program 26 SOPHIA • Fall 2013

Protodeacon Joseph Daratony proclaiming the Holy Gospel in St Joseph Church.

Protodeacon Joseph Daratony, with his wife Diakonissa Marge, at a parish cook-out. All photos courtesy of Fawaz Fawaz.

over several days. The event was so successful that it almost resulted in Fr. Romanos’ being assigned to St. Joseph. How did all this enthusiasm come from someone who thought he had retired? “I fell in love with the people,” said Deacon Joe. “I enjoyed it tremendously.” He considered it a great honor and found his new role very fulfilling. However, as a few months stretched into over a year, he “became more and more tired.” Deacon Joe and his wife Marge commuted 65 miles each way for the Sunday Typika service, and sometimes for other events during the week. However, there was never a word of complaint from Deacon Joe and Marge. “I always thought you had a lovely church,” Marge said. “I enjoyed the warmth and love of the people.” In spite of the sacrifices and the challenges of taking on responsibilities for

which he was never trained, such as the practical and financial matters of a parish, Deacon Joe always had a smile. He typically would end his Sunday homily with a joke, to remind us to be a people of joy. Finally, in March 2013, Fr. James Graham was assigned as the pastor of the parish. After nearly two years of his surprise job, Deacon Joe was able to return to “retired” status, and freed to come and serve as deacon at St. Joseph Church whenever his schedule would allow, without the demands of being its administrator. What do the parishioners of St. Joseph's have to say about Deacon Joe and Marge? Here are some samples: “Deacon Joe’s friendly attitude and respectful manner created an atmosphere of affection in the parish. His devotion to serve the word of God has earned him the gratitude of all the parishioners.” “Deacon Joe’s efforts and support kept St. Joseph alive and thriving. We are forever grateful. And we especially appreciate his loving wife, Marge, who always assisted and helped the parishioners whenever she could.” “Deacon Joe and Marge visited the ill and house-bound and traveled through snow storms to maintain our church.” And lastly, a note from Fr. Alam Alam: “Deacon Joe Daratony volunteered to drive for two hours every Sunday to assist me in celebrating the Divine Liturgy. He regularly did it for four months, from March to June. Given my frail voice, he was a godsend, not only for me, but more importantly for the whole community. I’ll never forget his tactful initiative. I admire the Daratonys’ devotion to their Church and wish them and their loved ones many blessed years to come.” Hats off to our super heroes Deacon Joe and Marge! Thanks for being there to guide us on an unexpected journey! A grateful parish will always remember your kindness. † Su Butler and her family are long-time members of St Joseph parish in Lansing, MI. She has most recently served as President of the Ladies’ Society and Secretary of the Parish Council.

by Richard McNeil

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rom the 24th through the 29th of July 2013, members of the Melkite Association of Young Adults (MAYA) from parishes throughout the country met at Caldwell College, a small college in northeastern New Jersey, for the annual MAYA National Retreat. I have recently been elected Co-Chair of the MAYA Board and have been asked to reflect on this year’s retreat. As I sought inspiration, I noticed my copy of Steward of the Mysteries by our Eparchial Bishop Nicholas, sitting on my desk. I must admit that I have only begun to read this collection of talks given by Bishop Nicholas and have yet to complete the book, but while browsing the Contents section I noticed a piece entitled “Melkites: Alive Today, Stewards for Tomorrow.” Reading this piece, I began to see our retreat in a new light. In “Melkites: Alive Today, Stewards for Tomorrow,” Bishop Nicholas calls on all of us to be leaders of the church as a living, breathing thing. His Grace points to the Acts of the Apostles for the structure of the church as a community in the Holy Spirit whose functions are to worship, nurture, serve, and witness. At the retreat, we did these things almost every day. We worshipped daily by praying various offices: Typika in the morning, Vespers in the evening, and Compline at night to end the day’s activities. We had the pleasure of celebrating Artoklasia during Vespers for the feast of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon. We all shared in the bread and wine in a way many in attendance had never witnessed. Numerous lessons and discussions presented by our spiritual leader, Father

Justin Rose, and our peers in MAYA, nurtured our faith. The theme of this year’s retreat was “Approaching the Face of God: Prayer in the Melkite Tradition.” Much of the retreat focused on the application of our Melkite traditions and theology as expressed in our prayer services, music, and icons. Sessions included “What We Believe is What We Sing” and “Icons: Our Faith in Paint and Wood,” in which we analyzed various musical pieces and icons to reveal their deeper, theological meaning and significance. The MAYA group continued its ministry of service, as in past retreats, through a service project. This year we went to a local food pantry and shelter, St. Peter’s Haven in Clifton, NJ, to put together Back-to-School packages for children in need as well as helping with some maintenance on one of the shel-

ter’s transitional homes. Though evangelizing is not one of the major goals at a MAYA retreat, one instance did arise. One of the students of the college, who happened to be working the front desk at the dormitory, inquired about our services in the chapel only steps from the front desk. After an invitation to our Compline service, the student, a member of the Hindu faith, commented on the deep spirituality of our services. He also said that the service seemed to be truly centered on the forgiveness and love of God. The fulfillment of the four essential functions of the church made me realize that we, as the members of MAYA, are the “lively stones” whom Bishop Nicholas discusses in his book. The “lively stones” are those who have come to life in Christ and actively work to contribute to the Body of Christ, the Church. In casual conversations during the retreat, I discovered the extent to which a number of our members have already become “lively stones” in their own parishes. One member was instrumental in the planning of a widely successful celebration, both spiritual and social, of the parish’s patron saint. Several members serve as religious education teachers in their home parishes while others serve as members of the choir or as ushers. One member has even begun taking steps toward priesthood by enrolling in the seminary. Our retreatants displayed an astoundingly wide range of involvement and passion. Though fewer MAYA members attended this year than in years past, we in attendance showed that we are Continued on page 29 Fall 2013 • SOPHIA 27

Young Adults

MaYa Members Gather for annual Retreat

Around the

EPARCHY Holy Cross – Placentia, CA

St. Joseph – Lansing, MI

Parishioners from Holy Cross Parish in Placentia visited four Roman Catholic Churches in Orange County in July to observe how they run their summer Vacation Bible day camps. Holy Cross Church will have a Vacation Bible Day Camp for children ages 5-12 every year in the last full week in July. Next year, this fun and educational program will run from Monday 21 July through Friday 25 July. Registration is open to everyone. Come visit Orange County next year with your family and register your children in this wonderful spiritual activity. For further information contact Father François Beyrouti at [email protected].

In Lansing, Michigan, St. Joseph Parish hosted its annual Middle Eastern Food Festival in April. This event, started when Fr Basil Samra served as pastor, was organized by the Ladies Society. As they had planned, after the Festival the Ladies Society presented a local homeless ministry with a check for $800, representing 10 percent of the festival profits. With the recent appointment of Fr. James Graham as pastor, after a period of two years without a pastor, St. Joseph is now abuzz with new activity for young and old, including newly elected councils, a NAMY group, and commissions for evangelization and worship.

St. Jacob – San Diego, CA St. Jacob Community in San Diego recently held a family night celebration. Participants enjoyed vespers for the Feast of Transfiguration as well as dinner, dancing, and raffle.

St. John of the Desert – Phoenix, AZ St. John of the Desert Parish in Phoenix has a small group of ladies who meet once a month to knit or crochet lap blankets while socializing over a cup of coffee and then have lunch together. When 10 or 12 blankets are ready the knitters go together and donate them to organizations that can use them, such as hospices and Maggie’s Place, a home for unwed mothers.

St. Jude – Miami, FL St. Jude Parish in Miami is busy “byzantinizing” the church: an iconostasis is being installed along with ikons of the Great Feasts on the walls. In addition to the venerable, longexisting Ladies’ Society, a second Spanish-speaking group is being formed, which will also affiliate with NAMW. The parish’s charitable activities include feeding about 300 homeless people a week.

St. Philip the Apostle – San Bernardino, CA Members of St. Philip the Apostle Community in San Bernardino continued some local traditions this summer. Each Thursday afternoon and evening members of the community and members of St. Mina’s Coptic Orthodox Church join several people of the parish to prepare and serve dinner to about 100 to 120 of the working poor and homeless who live in the area. Members also celebrated the start of another liturgical year with a picnic. After Morning Prayer and Divine Liturgy most of the parish gathered at a local park for an afternoon of food, music, conversation and fun.

Church of the Virgin Mary – Temecula, CA For Virgin Mary Community in Temecula a “Come and See” children’s program proved to be a huge success recently. Children learned to sing hymns from the liturgy, studied the Bible, the saints and the Holy Mysteries. The program was so popular that the children asked to continue it in the fall. 28 SOPHIA • Fall 2013

Our Lady of Redemption – Warren, MI For Our Lady of Redemption parish, Warren, Michigan, the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on 15 August takes on a special meaning as a time for solemn reverence, reflection, and prayer. It is a time to show our love and gratitude to the Blessed Mother and acknowledge all she does for us and our church. At OLR, it is also a time for local tradition and unity. Our parish looks forward to this time of year and the festivities that come with the feast. This year, parishioners, including many from OLR’s Melkite Association of Young Adults group, hosted a picnic after the Divine Liturgy on Sunday 18 August in recognition of the Eid El Saydeh. After a weekend of services and prayer, this closing event full of faith, fun, and family gathered parishioners to honor of our church’s patron, the Holy Theotokos. The afternoon included a full barbeque, live music, games, and much more. The large crowd that attended the picnic enjoyed it all. Ultimately, the success of this event can be measured in the sense of camaraderie created by this long-standing parish tradition. Our Lady Redemption parish hopes this event continues to grow with each year, reports Catia Sabak, of the OLR MAYA Board.

St. Anne – North Hollywood, CA The parishioners of St Anne parish in North Hollywood, California, kept busy in August. Every evening from 1 August to 14 August pious members gathered to celebrate the Paraklisis service, and on 6 August the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord enlightened worshipers to the theology of theosis (becoming God-like). More than 200 people came together to celebrate the Feast of the

Dormition, including the Burial Service for the Theotokos (a beautiful liturgy structured similarly to the Burial of Christ that is sung during Holy Week) and the Divine Liturgy. The Sunday School Parent-Teacher Organization organized a family picnic on a beautiful, sunny day. It featured games for the children and a bounce-house for the little ones. All parishioners were invited to enjoy the fellowship, intense conversations, and a barbeque lunch prepared by the committee. Proceeds will fund the Sunday School. Members of the St. Anne Melkite Youth Association, with their advisors, Deacon Tareq Nasrallah and Linda Haddadin, spent five days at the National Association of Melkite Youth annual retreat, held at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. They returned filled with fresh knowledge about their faith and having made many new friends. St. Anne parish is blessed with two National Association of Melkite Women board members: Diakonissa Margo Sayegh and Carol Caven, who organized a post-liturgical luncheon to benefit our seminarians and support vocations.

St. Basil the Great – Lincoln, RI St. Basil the Great Parish in Lincoln, Rhode Island, moved 15 years ago from the old church in Central Falls to the new 26,000square-foot complex on one floor, which includes a provisional church, Sunday school with 10 classrooms, kitchen, hall, baptistry, and narthex. Foundations are already in place for building a new church

MAYA

connected to the narthex and baptistry. We have followed a strategic plan for reducing energy consumption and costs with good results. We targeted energy costs, since they were highest. The electric company performs energy audits to recommend savings. St. Basil replaced incandescent lights inside and outside with LED energy-saver bulbs to reduce consumption from 90 Watts to 18 Watts each. The fluorescent lamps are already efficient and there was no need to replace them. Monitoring over a long period revealed annual energy savings of about 42,460 KWH and cost savings of about 25 to 30 percent. Boiler efficiency and the gas system were audited also, but savings were small. St. Basil has 25 English readers and 12 Arabic readers to allow more participation in reading the Epistles, and every month on Youth Sunday youth serve as ushers, basket collectors, and Communion guides. We have 20 altar boys, 79 students in Sunday school with nine teachers and 10 assistants, and active Arabic and English choirs. MYO and MAYA groups, Fellowship Society, Friendly Visitors, Society of Publicans, and a 33-member Parish Council are all active. A breakfast club on Sundays between liturgies creates a community gettogether. Recently a golf tournament was initiated to support the church financially.


not only “lively stones,” but also the future “cornerstones” of the church. Bishop Nicholas defines “cornerstones” as those who are not only active “lively stones,” but also those who help and inspire others to be “lively stones” in order to lead the Church into the future. In closing, I recall something Bishop Nicholas once said while addressing MAYA during a National Retreat: “You as the youth are not the future of the Church. You are the Church!” I hope that this reflection helps shed a bit of light on what we do as the

Melkite Association of Young Adults and inspires others to join or, at the very least, become “lively stones” in their own parishes. Many thanks to all of those who helped make this retreat a fulfilling experience, including Father Ken Sherman, Deacon Roland Basinski, Father Justin Rose, and the members of St. Ann Melkite Church. For more information about joining MAYA or starting a new chapter in your local parish, feel free to contact any of our Board Members:

Maya Saoud ([email protected]) Najeeb Haddad ([email protected]) Christina Faas ([email protected]) Patrick Moussawer ([email protected]) Richard McNeil ([email protected])

†

Richard McNeil is a member of St Joseph Parish, Lawrence, MA. He is Co-Chair of the Board of the Melkite Association of Young Adults.


NAMW

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; So ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for His harvest.” (Mt. 9:37-38)

NAMW Membership 2013 City/State

Parish/Mission

San Diego, CA Birmingham, AL Phoenix, AZ San Jose, CA Placentia, CA North Hollywood, CA Sacramento, CA Temecula, CA Danbury, CT Waterford, CT Miami, FL Miami, FL Atlanta, GA

St. Jacob St. George St. John of the Desert St. Elias Holy Cross St. Anne St. George Virgin Mary Mission St. Ann St. Ann Los Servidoras de San Judas St. Jude St. John Chrysostom

Augusta, GA Chicago, IL South Bend, IN Boston, MA Lawrence, MA Worcester, MA Lansing, MI Warren, MI Manchester, NH Woodland Park, NJ Brooklyn, NY Rochester, NY Utica, NY Yonkers, NY Akron, OH Cleveland, OH Upper Arlington, OH Scranton, PA Lincoln, PA McLean, VA Misc. Total:

St. Ignatious of Antioch St. John the Baptist St. John of Damascus Annunciation Cathedral St. Joseph Our Lady of Perpetual St. Joseph Our Lady of Redemption Our Lady of the Cedars St. Ann Church of the Virgin Mary St. Nicholas St. Basil St. Christ the Savior St. Joseph St. Elias Holy Resurrection St. Joseph St. Basil The Great Holy Transfiguration No Clergy/No Parish

Aug. 2012 0 0 1 1 0 23 2 0 11 6 0 59 0

Aug. 2013 30 0 8 1 36 35 2 0 12 7 0 59 0

Fundraisers 2013

7 0 0 2 3 1 2 23 1 9 21 0 6 0 51 1 0 17 9 43 2 301

8 0 1 2 3 1 7 22 3 15 27 0 8 0 52 1 1 17 15 55 2 430

$180.00 $527.00

Parish Reps. Rima Handel

$192.00

$2,108.00

Simone Boutros

Margo Sayegh

$402.00 $150.00

$1,420.00

$640.00

Barbara Borello Anna Sobanski Gabriella Becagli Lourice Jajeh & Zoe Hanna Hope Jackson

Susan Butler Sue Elek

Rosemary Shabouk

Carol Abdenour

$1,700.00

Samira Bailey

$7,319.00

Please write/call if you’d like to be the contact person for your parish. Let’s fill in the blanks this year and get rid of those zeroes! Special thanks to Ashley Caven for putting together the chart, we greatly depend on our young members. ROSEMARY SHABOUK

MARGO SAYEGH

CAROL CAVEN

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

[email protected] 718-748-1235 (NY)

[email protected] 626-359-3976 (CA)

[email protected] 818-842-5193 (CA)

[email protected] 586-939-0650 (MI)

30 SOPHIA • Fall 2013

SUSAN ELEK

Please a y the cce A.M. Liturg od, 0 in :3 0 1 Augusta pt the donatio e o th w r y e ll ft a o , H rth 2013 Bearing , GA collecte ns of St. Ignati hurch, No nch was preugust 18, C A e it d o y, a lk d e n M u Lu ne On S grant m Women to be on the Sunda s Church s of St. An minarian Luncheon. as donated and ie n a y d e n la fi y t W b v M le e o ssings to cations. of Myrrh dw NA lS eir Annua r 125 people. All foo o, the announceMay G you! th e v a g A ls e od C em. A mth ed to ov se y rv e b th se d r e d H n fo rv a o te se a p d id n e a d pared n s Ja a c Church, y the ladie the new c women kson and the prepared b parish was made of Lady of the Cedars of St. Ig se o th to r e s natios ment to th mas Moses of Ou as $2,107.00 thank ed and o d w h n t T e fi tt ro a p o t e h n w inary – e r, NH. Th kets and bought tic made Mancheste Thank you for your prompt reply, your o those wh ations. email was very informative. I appreciate it n cash do Ladies very much, now I know where to start! NAMW Last Sunday with a very touching ceremorated the also celeb ersary ny Fr. Damon installed the Servidoras of St. iv 25th Ann eacon Jude, the participation was massive and we d of Proto yegh’s all felt very happy. We really look forward a George S as a to start our new mission in the church. ordination deacon. Gabriella Becagli, President d by Servidoras de San Judas SubmitSte h eg Margo ay St. Jude Melkite Greek Catholic Church Miami, Florida

Do you know a young man who may have a vocation to the priesthood? Does he even see it in himself? Pray for him. Talk to the Director of Vocations, Rt. Rev. John Azar . [email protected]

Prayer for Vocations He said to them “Come and See.” They came and saw where he was staying.

(John 1:39)

God of all nations, we are most grateful for the first Catholic missionaries and explorers who came to the United States. As strangers in a strange land they brought with them countless skills, talents and traditions, but their greatest treasure was their faith. May the Good News of Jesus Christ, which molded and shaped their lives, continue to mold and shape our lives today. Bless our Eparchy with men and women who will follow in their footsteps to serve the Church as religious brothers, sisters, priests, and deacons. Lord Jesus Christ, help us to hear your call to “Come and See.”

To join the National Association of Melkite Women or to renew your membership, complete and mail this form with your Dues check for $10.00 made payable to NAMW to:

Carol Caven, NAMW . 2030 N. Glenoaks Boulevard . Burbank, CA 91504 PLEASE PRINT: NAME ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS

____________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY, STATE, ZIP ________________________________________________________________________________________ TELEPHONE ______________________________________ EMAIL ____________________________________________ PARISH

__________________________________________

Please Circle one:

NEW MEMBER

RENEWAL

Remember to keep our need for vocations in your prayers. Be an advocate, encourage our youth to participate in your parish. Fall 2013 • SOPHIA 31

NAMW

NAMW MAILBAG

Thank You 32 S ophia • Fall 2013

Thank You Fall 2013 • S ophia 33

Boston, MA – The bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches of the U.S.A. and Canada announced today that an “Encounter of the Eastern Catholic Churches – Together in Christ” will be held from January 31 to February 2, 2014, at the Renaissance Hotel, Orlando, Florida. The concept of the “Encounter” began in 1999 in Boston, MA, with the approval and encouragement of the Holy See of Rome. A subsequent gathering was held in Chicago in 2006 with representation of the Vatican Congregation of the Oriental Churches in the person of Cardinal Daoud, then Prefect of the Congregation. Owing to the success of these two Encounters the bishops took the unusual step of conducting the “Encounter 2012” in Cleveland, OH, Hillsborough, NJ, and El Segundo, CA. That event, which was really one event in three locations, won the admiration of the faithful of the Eastern Catholic Churches, who expressed the desire for more events of this kind; hence the announcement of this latest Encounter under the spiritual guidance of Bishop Nicholas J. Samra of the Eparchy (Diocese) of Newton, MA. Bishop Samra is the vice-president of the Eastern Catholic Associates, as the organization of the bishops is collectively known, and the Eastern Catholic Conference of Eparchial (diocesan) Directors of Religious Education which is under the aegis of the ECA.

– 2012 – It is my fervent prayer that all the members of our Church in America will see your good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven and that all the faithful of our Eparchy will follow your good example and take an active role in the necessary duty of the monetary support of our Melkite Church in America! May Christ our Heavenly Benefactor bless and reward your generosity abundantly and may He bestow upon you the riches of His grace unto eternal life.

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It gives me great joy to express my profound gratitude to all those whose names are inscribed in grateful remembrance in this Honor Roll of Benefactors as generous contributors to the Bishop’s Appeal 2012. Thank God, you have answered the Lord’s call to come to the aid of our Melkite Church in America even in these times of economic sacrifice. Through your generosity and support, the Lord has blessed us tremendously!

In Christ our God, † Bishop Nicholas J. Samra

Honor Roll of Benefactors ANNUNCIATION CATHEDRAL West Roxbury, MA Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 M/M Antoine Wakim Dr/M Khaled Anatolios Drs. Nicholas and Maha Busaba Most Reverend Nicholas Samra M/M Anthony Perfetti M/M Charles Hajjar M/M John Hajjar M/M Raymond Bandar M/M Sidney Hajjar Mr. Camille Sarrouf Robert A. Piso Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M Assad Nasr M/M Edmund Bander M/M Elias Leon M/M Joseph Soussou M/M Karam D. Skaff Mr. Joseph Chalhoub Mrs. Adele Hajj Toufic and Linda Hajjar Antioch Circle: $250-499 Mr. Robert C. Ferris Derryl Handy Cobbett Dr/M Rizkalla Mouchati Mary and Vincent Kenneally M/M Fouad Homsy

M/M James Dailey M/M Kenneth Sliby M/M Michael Mouhanna M/M Robert E. Dexter, Jr. Mrs. Julia Hajjar Mrs. Salwa S. Hajar Ms. Jacqueline Malouf Ms. Sandra Pepe Phillip and Roberta Williams Rt. Rev. Philip Raczka Samir and Nadia Kassissieh Cedars Club: $100-249 Mrs. Adele Hajj Said Signor Ms. Leza Sarrouf The Family of Dr. Samuel Maloof Alan and Patricia Crede Albert Haddad Dr/M Habib Sioufi George Rezek George Saikali Gracia Skaf Khalil Mehanna Maria Sekula Michael and Najwa Awad M/M Agop Nadjariam M/M Charles Hurst M/M Fadi Homsy M/M Henry W. Crede M/M Jack Ataya M/M Jean Ataya M/M Joseph Elkhoury

M/M Patrick Mossesso M/M Peter J Quinn M/M Robert Sullivan M/M Wassim Habib Mr. Ghassan Ghassan Mr. William Haddad Mrs. Adele Metta Mrs. Emily Eknoian Mrs. G. Moses Mrs. Genevieve M. Ramsey Mrs. Jeanne Handy Mrs. Margaret Moses Mrs. Marjorie Leivi Ms. Frances Haddad Ms. Jeanette Byda Ms. Margaret Domaney Ms. Sylvie Homsy Rt. Rev. Gerasimos Murphy William Collins, Jr. Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Fred Antoon M/M James O'Keefe M/M John Francis M/M Paul Kane M/M Paul-Hladysz M/M Randy and Jill Rezek Mrs. Marguerite Azar Ms. Emily Hajar Laurie Chahine Pamela Habib David and Elaine Hajjar Helen and Walter Zenkin Fall 2013 • S ophia 35

Honor Roll of Benefactors

BISHOP’S APPEAL


M/M Hatem Moussallem Mrs. Margaret Devito Mrs. Patricia O'Neil M/M John R. Roberge

CHRIST THE SAVIOR Yonkers, NY Antioch Circle: $250-499 Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Saleem Naber Cedars Club: $100-249 Eid and Madlin Marji Jiries Marji Mansour and Layla Samrin M/M Suleiman Marji Mr. Hanna Marji Yousef Marji

HOLY CROSS Placentia, CA Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 M/M Michel Kashou Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Saad and Sana Elhosni Dr. George and Ms. Lola Rizk Rt. Rev. James Babcock Antioch Circle: $250-499 Charles and Kohar Zaher Dr. and Dr. George Hajjar George and Terez Kilzi M/M John Skoury Paula Mihalow Wadid and Nelly Fattouch Cedars Club: $100-249 Akl and Sabat Kozhaya Brother Gabriel Jon, O.F.S. Eddie and Samar Maayah Ehab and Ruba Sawouq George Semaan Ghassan and Hala Nakhoul Hanna and Khalida Haddadin Isabelle Goubran Joseph Greenwood Laila Hilo Marie Mekhail M/M Elie Nasr M/M Haitham and Najwa Aranki M/M Joseph Ayrouth M/M L. J. Semaan M/M Nedal Mashni M/M Samir Lutfi 36 S ophia • Fall 2013

M/M Samir M. Sabbara M/M Shaker Salman Ms. Abla Lufti Ms. Florence Shaib Ms. Rosemarie Murphy Norberto and Melinda Guinaldo Peter and Christine Gambino Yacoub and Sultana Helo Youssef and Norma Elhosni Jim and Betty Kearns Mazin and Trish Kashou M/M Samir and Suad Khalaf M/M James Bettendorf Pious Helpers: $1-99 Hani and May Hourani M/M Raji Abou-Saada Oscar and Eleen Tajdini Jose Garcia Mrs. Jeanette Gennawey

HOLY FAMILY IN EXILE Front Royal, VA

Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr. Nikola Alain M/M Joseph Ailabouni Mr. Samir B. Kahwash Cedars Club: $100-249 Dr/M Bassam Kret M/M David Ritchey M/M Fred and Kay Maloof M/M Joseph and Astrid Moussa M/M Taisser and Suhair Iskander Philip and Gloria Absi

Pious Helpers: $1-99 Jeff Force Marcell Anthony Mrs. Lyla Merz Mr. Alwyn Aliwarga

HOLY TRANSFIGURATION McLean, VA

Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Rt. Rev. Constantine-Paul Belisarius

Patriarchal Patrons: $2,500-4,999 Anonymous

Antioch Circle: $250-499 Nicholas Tsakanikas Stephen and Kerry Costanzo

Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Deacon and Mrs. David Baroody Dr. Robert Shalhoub M/M David Black M/M Sebastian Carnazzo Perry Malouf, M.D. Reader Romanos Odermatt Rt. Rev. Joseph Francavilla Walter and Katherine Raheb

Cedars Club: $100-249 Gary and Dr. Tamie Butera Hugh and Maria Owen John and Cynthia Sauer M/M Bruce Clark M/M Donald F. Valaike Mrs. IrmaLynne Powell Mrs. Solange Hertz Erica and April Sauer Jeff and Kim Jorgensen Pious Helpers: $1-99 Mr. Jordan and Mrs. Quinby Finch Master Luke Costanzo

HOLY RESURRECTION Columbus, OH Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 M/M Salim Ailabouni Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Dr/M Arvin J. K. Gallanosa

Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Deacon and Mrs. Sabatino Carnazzo M/M Ronald Farrah Mr. Donald Twombly Rev. Deacon and Mrs. John Fleshman Ladies Guild Holy Transfiguration Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr/M George Samman, M.D. Dr/M Goergi Obeid John Samaha, Jr. Miss June Hajjar M/M Misleh H. Misleh M/M Nadim Haddad M/M Salim Kanakry M/M William Klimon, Esq. Rt. Rev. Charles Aboody Alicia Rosov Miss Elizabeth D Ashooh

Cedars Club: $100-249 Colonel George G. Noory, Ret. Dr/M Joseph Dagher Dr/M Saeed Kronfli Jane Conway M/M Adel Saba M/M Anthony Kanakry M/M Chad Bahan M/M Chad Bahan M/M Craig Cowen M/M Edward K. Barbara M/M John Gallagher M/M John Noory M/M Nadim Haddad M/M Suleiman Bahouth M/M Wasfi Skaff Mr. Thomas Fadoul, Jr. Mrs. Connie Herrmann Mrs. Gina Samaha Mrs. Loretta Lysaght Mrs. Mary Baroody Nawal Hadeed Rev. Jeffrey Samaha Richard Samaha Saleh Tashman Samuel Sawaya Stuart and Greta Koehl Tony Sininger Dr. Charles Bashara M/M John Samaha M/M Robert Karczewski Mounir P. Saddy M/M Christopher Hamilton Pious Helpers: $1-99 Dr/M Rene Genadry Joseph and Melissa Olt M/M Charles Hadeed Mr. Victor Haburchak Mrs. Helen Habib Ross and Ramona Fiorani Sanura Bailey M/M Michael Baroody Miss Georgianna Kostak Mr. Dennis Dakake Tristram Carlisle

HOLY TRINITY Zanesville, OH Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M Nadim Ritchey Rev. Ignatius Harrington

Pious Helpers: $1-99 Phyllis Joseph

OUR LADY OF REDEMPTION Warren, MI

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP Worcester, MA Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Joseph and Judith Sarkis Mr. Dennis J. Desplaine Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Joseph Lian M/M Joseph Najemy M/M Zenon Tencza Mr. Zachary Esper Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Dennis McCarthy Rt. Rev. Paul G. Frechette Cedars Club: $100-249 Dr/M James Esper Malocke Esper Maria Filewicz M/M David W. Rizk M/M Richard Esper M/M Robert G Lian M/M Theodore Nader Mr. Frederick Lewis Mr. Joseph Topalian Mr. Mitchell Bollus Mr. Robert Ghiz Mr. Ronald Abraham Mr. Thomas Syseskey Mrs. Ann Marie Sennott Mrs. Jeanette Abraham Mrs. Patricia Abraham Ms. Aileen T. Abraham Ms. Jeanette Thomas Thomas Sarrouf M/M Antonio Solitro Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Elias and Sue Bailey Mrs. Souheila M. Arraje Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M George Arraj M/M Michael Mischitelli Ms. Grace Aboody and Naphie Samara The Baroud Family Kathleen Laplante Ms. Katherine Thomas Paul Abraham Corinne M. Halal Ms. Lisa Jagielski

Patriarchal Patrons: $2,500-4,999 M/M Elias Khouri Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Dr/M Farid and Samar Fata Dr. Elias Gennaoui John Sardy M/M Georges Tohme Pierre and Nawal Zayat Richard and Amy Habib Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Abraham Sheppard Dr/M Richard and Karen Raad Joseph and Samira Ajlouny Michael and Loraine Aubrey M/M Anthony Aubrey M/M Thomas and Susanna Sokol William Semaan Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr/M Georges Haddad Michael and Debra Raad Michael and Julia Thomas M/M Anthony Ammar M/M Michael and Lori Pilles M/M Michael Kalil Mr. George J. Courey Mr. Jack Riashi, Jr. Mrs. Amelia Curis Mrs. Freda Alibri Ms. Feryal Raad Roger and Mary Soloman Fawzi and Georgette Tomey M/M William McEvoy Cedars Club: $100-249 Ann Devich Deacon and Mrs. James Soloman Elias and Simone Raad Evelyn Trabulsy Georgette Zahar Inez Rashid Jacques and Mary Ann Haddad Jennie Nashar Laraine Smith Loretta Ammar Mr. Abraham Michael M/M Abraham and Theresa Haddad M/M Albert Kanakri M/M George Arraf M/M George Felgenauer M/M George Salloum M/M John Elek Fall 2013 • S ophia 37


Miss Elsie B Ashooh M/M Michael Hadeed Mr. Ronald Jerro


M/M Joseph and Marie Ammar M/M Joseph Barkay M/M Joseph Maround M/M Khalil and Dalida Raad M/M Raymond Chammas M/M Raymond Yabroudy M/M Sleiman P. George Mr. George Zainea Mrs. Jeanette Raad Mrs. Ketty Cueter Mrs. Margaret Nouhan Mrs. Rose Ammar Mrs. Thelma Beskangy Mrs. Therese Issa Ms. Lucille Courey Najat Gize Rakad Arraf Rev. Deacon and Mrs. David Herr Richard and Diane Boyland Robert and Noel Soloman Ladies Society Dr/M Habib Gennaoui M/M Nabil Wakim M/M Robert and Marcia David M/M Rick Trabulsy Pious Helpers: $1-99 Louise Deciantis Marie Haddad M/M Francis and Lillian Kirdahy M/M Samir Marei Mrs. Harriet Armaly Ms. Denise Sheppard Ms. Susan Ammar Sam Salloum Madeline Safie M/M George David M/M Joseph Bassil M/M Nabil Marei Mrs. Lorrice Asher Ms. Julia David Antonino and Mary Ann torrente Mrs. Marguerite Kokanovich M/M Andre Daher

OUR LADY OF THE CEDARS Manchester, NH Patriarchal Patrons: $2,500-4,999 Anonymous Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 M/M Stephen Notter Our Lady of the Cedars Church 38 S ophia • Fall 2013

Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Father Thomas P. Steinmetz Mr. Frederick B Kfoury, Jr. Ms. Josephine Paquette Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Paul Leonarczyk Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Bertrand Guimond M/M Robert Kaladish Rev. Roger R. Boucher Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M Alphonse Auclair M/M James Sahady M/M Joseph Ashooh M/M Matthew Lomano M/M Robert Longchamps M/M Russell Pond Mr. Gerald Ouellette Mr. Kenneth Monty Mr. Paul St. Germain Mrs. Carol Bednarowski Mrs. Mary Doolittle Mrs. Rita Tutundgy Ms. Saideh Dagher Dr/M James Tenn M/M Ernest Ashooh M/M Mark Fregeau M/M Salam Dagher Mrs. Mary-Ann Lajeunesse Mrs. Rita Tutundgy Barbara Schultz Pious Helpers: $1-99 Helena Burkush M/M Michael and Bridgette Proulx M/M Wissam Haidar Mrs. Peggie Hunt Tom Moses Anonymous Matthew Lesser M/M Theoharis Lazos Mr. Dennis Sheheem Clow Mr. Don Filip Mr. Henry Bilodeau

ST. ANN Danbury, CT Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 M/M Edmond Nahom M/M Nabil Takla Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Raymond Antous Community of The Mother of God of Tenderness

Cedars Club: $100-249 Ron George, Esq. Bruce and Rita Sypher Dr/M Michael Gazsi, PC Dr/M N. J. Borello Helen Nahom M/M Alfred Hajj M/M Augustine DeLuca M/M Edward Stoller M/M George Ayoub M/M James and Nicole Cipriani M/M John Hanna M/M Joseph Hanna M/M Selim Noujaim M/M Selim Noujaim Mr. Angel Haddad Mr. Halim Bourjeili Mrs. Concetta Hajj Mrs. Gail Rahal Mrs. Georgette Morey Mrs. Nuhad Haddad Ms. Georgette Ayoub Rev. Basil Parent Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Nicholas Bourjaili Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Hicham Bourjaili M/M Nizar Haddad Ms. Rosalie Donofrio Dr/M Youssef Horanieh M/M Francis Ross

ST. ANN Woodland Park, NJ Founders Society: $5,000-$9,000 St. Ann Church Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 John and Frances Colie Michael and Vivian Massood M/M Charles Cathcart M/M Joseph Sekula Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Deacon and Mrs. Robert Shalhoub George Hatem M/M Robert Ashey Ms. Stella Isgro and Salvatore Isgro Ronald and Samira Shalhoub Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Joseph and Nancy Barbary M/M Bart and Doreen Pierson M/M Basil Kayal M/M Elias Sayad

Cedars Club: $100-249 Abooud and Lena Batikha Barbara Lota Basil and Natalie Saoud Deacon and Mrs. Roland Basinski Dr/M Charles Gleason Eugene and Georgene Wawrzyniak Gabe and Maryann Raad George and Marianne Gerro George Byrouty George Raad Georgette Hannoush and Family John and Debra Gorny Joseph Daleo Leon and Ibtisam Djecki Mary Tahan M/M Alan Bluemer M/M Albert Dahab M/M Albert Hamway M/M Anthony Najjar M/M Bassil Bardaghji M/M Eamon Doherty M/M Edward Ackaway M/M Edward Ajaj M/M Fred Lozy M/M George Dipsey M/M George Dolling M/M George Stronghilos M/M James Haraka M/M John and Geraldine Minichette M/M John Bsarany M/M John T. Obeji M/M Joseph Agia M/M Joseph E. Ashey M/M Joseph Fierravanti M/M Joseph Kayal M/M Joseph Khoneisser M/M Joseph Mardelli M/M Joseph Murray M/M Joseph Stambuli M/M Kevin Fearon

M/M Louis and Jenine Long M/M Louis Asbaty M/M Louis Sayad M/M Michael Kayal M/M Nicolas and Samira Fakhoury M/M Norman Dikdan M/M Raymond Bsales M/M Vladimir Swetlitschnyj M/M William Siouffi Mr. Anthony Eardley Mr. Dennis Sartorio Mr. George Bostory Mr. Joseph Bsarany Mr. Louis Iandoli Mr. Rae Hamway Mrs. Beatrice Fattell Accad Mrs. Joseph Hallock Ms. Arlene Baker Ms. Barbara Berlin Ms. Barbara Jarosz Ms. Julie Molloy Ms. Laurice G. Kayal Nicholas and Camille Baldo Nicholas J. Oliver Raymond and Marilyn Shenekji Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Chourki Sabbagh William and Maria Kayal Charles and Phyllis Butman Mr. George Baker M. and L. Antaki Pious Helpers: $1-99 James and Shirley Sottosanti James and Yvonne Cantisano Jean Tahan Joseph and Kelly Wenzel Lorice Zelhof M/M Frank Lauria M/M Gerard Roberts Mr. James Thompson Ms. Jeanette Brennan Ms. Yvonne Hatem Raymond and Susan Rowek Rev. George Pruys Ronald and Rose Gentile George and Irene Akshar Joseph and Joyce Vernieri Jacqueline Scully Constance Balady Laura Byrouty Mary Schurman M/M Joseph and Donna Balady M/M Michael and Elena DeVincentis Mrs. Agnes Strasser Ms. Lucy Tombs Juliet Shamah Lorraine Daly Mrs. Mary Pike

ST. ANN Waterford, CT Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Raymond Sobanski Mrs. Catherine L. Yost Mrs. Mary Dib Cedars Club: $100-249 Joseph Zizik M/M Jerry Villani M/M Robert Conley Mr. George Haddad Mrs. Casper H. Burke Gerard E. Egan Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Fadi Hage M/M Keith A. Hall M/M Ramzi and Grace Dagher Paul Zalonski Edmond Najim M/M John Jalonski

ST. ANNE North Hollywood, CA Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 George Balian M/M Antoine Haddad M/M Jean Haddad M/M John Caven Mrs. Margaret Halleck M/M Shadi Sanbar Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M Haissam Alrachid Mr. Thomas Jebber Mrs. Margaret Ann Haddad Protodeacon and Mrs. George Sayegh Aleco Enterprise, Inc. Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr/M Joseph Bahuth John M. Gerro Mary Khoury M/M Farouk Darwish M/M Khalil Khoury M/M Menes Bishara M/M Tawfiq Bishara Mr. Angelo Palazzo Mrs. Mona Chahayed Thom and Frances O'Malley St. Anne Church Mr. Harry Butler Fall 2013 • S ophia 39


M/M Fadi Chaaban M/M Gabriel Sinki M/M Gregg and Michele Kattine M/M John and Lynne Hellmers M/M Karim Kaspar M/M Raymond Saoud M/M Victor Kattak Mr. Anthony G. Shenekji Ray and Sandra Foster Rev. Archdeacon Edward and Georgann Bsarany Rt. Rev. Kenneth Sherman John and Donna Lozy Rev. Sigmund Peplowski Wm. P. Kalosieh Michael and Aida Azzu


Cedars Club: $100-249 Arturo B. Saullo Blanche and Charles Herring Bob and Pat Dixon Dr/M Jamil Effarah Mantura Shelby M/M Edward Hovsepian M/M George Chamaa M/M George J. Khair, Jr. M/M John Bonano M/M Sager Farraj M/M Salameh Dugum M/M Vanavern Zanders Mr. Fred Gennawey Mr. Fred Gennawey Mr. Hanna Khalil Piche`-Yuha Mr. Sabih Lawrence Mrs. Alice Nassaney Mrs. Amal T Shelby Mrs. Frida Handy Mrs. Gloria Balian Mrs. Helen Hattem Mrs. Julia Antoon Mrs. Valerie Nixon Florman Mrs. Yvonne Gerro Protodeacon and Mrs. George Sayegh Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Tareq Nasrallah Wajdi Sunnaa M/M Joseph Selbah M/M Khalaf Khalaf Pious Helpers: $1-99 Dr/M Gilbert Rossie Joseph J. and Mary Ann Turkmany M/M Anwar Chahayed M/M Camille Bohamed M/M Jack Haddad M/M John Bardowell M/M Joseph Zarrahy Mr. George T. Haddad Mrs. Marie Walker Ms. Darlene Lorenz M/M Tony Agaman Mrs. Odette Bouziane Ms. Melisse Bouziane Mr. Joseph Kalanzi George Sidhom M/M Antonio Ganem M/M Joseph Hanna Mr. Ray Lawrence Ms. Elizabeth Hovsepian M/M Nicolas Gennaoui Ms. Suzanne Colacion M/M Gamil Baba M/M Mufid Kawar Mrs. Ruth Davidson


ST. BASIL THE GREAT Lincoln, RI Patriarchal Patrons: $2,500-4,999 Dr. John Nazarian M/M Joseph Sharkey Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Deacon and Mrs. Andre Nasser, M.D. M/M Anthony G. Mardo Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Dr/M Gilbert Altongy Antioch Circle: $250-499 Archdeacon and Mrs George Yany Dr. Yusuf and Blanche Mussalli M/M Bassem E. Nasser M/M Patrick Saggal M/M Thomas Soucar M/M Vincent Soucar M/M Wayne H. Lacy M/M Zaky Nassaney Mr. Joseph Najjar Mrs. Louise Ameen Ms. Catherine Kando Ms. Marie Therese Nasser Paul Zaydon, M.D. Cedars Club: $100-249 Dr. Jennifer Sarkas Hon. Louis Azar and Family Michael Koussa Jr. Miss Mary Azar Mr. and Dr. George Mussalli M/M Anthony Najjar M/M Anthony Nassaney M/M Atanas Salem M/M Elias Deeb M/M Fowzi Assaf and Family M/M Francis Saggal M/M George Harraka M/M George Sackal M/M Joseph A. Demty M/M Kenneth J. Sabbagh and Family M/M Lionel J. Frechette M/M Michael A. Massud and Family M/M Michael Kanakry M/M Peter Hanna M/M Samuel Sabbagh M/M Thomas Bakalakis and Family M/M V Edward Fayan and Family M/M William Haddad Mr. George C. Kahla Mr. George Sackal Mr. John P. Asermely and Family Mr. Joseph Beretta

Mr. Joseph Dewey Mrs. Alberta Rudy Mrs. Alice Hindy Mrs. Florence Salome Mrs. Irene Balon Mrs. Jane Hanna Mrs. Jane Jabren Mrs. Joan Ray Mrs. Josephine Nassaney Mrs. Leila Read Mrs. Liliane Nasser Mrs. Olga Caswell Mrs. Olga Nicoletta Ms. Donna Salhany Ms. Elizabeth Azar Joubert Ms. Elizabeth Massud Ms. Elyse Sackal Ms. Helen Azar Ms. Helen E. Ameen Ms. Theresa McMichael Rt. Rev. Joseph Haggar Robert and Judy Azar Dr/M Nabil Toubia M/M Walter Lemay Mrs. Margaret Haley M/M Fouad Faraj-Musleh Hon. Mayor Thomas Lazieh and sons Pious Helpers: $1-99 Dr/M Stanley Balon and Family M/M George Jarjoura M/M Harold A. Fortson M/M Joseph Saggal M/M Michael Raheb Mr. Anthony Kuffrey Mrs. Alberta Mardo Mrs. Christine Durnin Rev. Daniel Nassaney, O.M.I M/M Brian A. Azar M/M George Boudjouk and Family M/M George Ghazal M/M Norman Dakake M/M Ronald A. Ciarlo Mr. Ronald Montecalvo Mrs. Anne Asermely Mrs. Claire Hashway Mr. Roland Tetreault

ST. BASIL Utica, NY Antioch Circle: $250-499 Alex and Antoinette Murad Deacon and Mrs. Daniel Klockowski Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M Philippe Subey

Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Anthony Showa Mrs. George Kawam Robert S. Lalli William and Janet Chanatry Mr. Kenneth Kakaty

ST. DEMETRIUS Cliffside Park, NJ Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Frank and Ruth Khoery Suheil Dakwar Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Ayoub Nahas Cedars Club: $100-249 Marcel and Josephine Fakury Sohel Gerradh St. Demetrius Church Pious Helpers: $1-99 Ara Bederjikian Rev. Joseph A. Nahas Issa and Elin Abdallah Samira Issa

ST. ELIAS Cleveland, OH Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Mr. Gregory P. Ousani Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Mrs. Grace Cater Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr/M Bechara Hatoum Jerome Rizk M/M Edward Sabath M/M Edward Sabath M/M James Gantose M/M Kaleel Abdalla Cedars Club: $100-249 Charles Joseph Hakaim Dr/M Imad Nouneh Fred and Judy Abood M/M Abdullah Mina M/M Albert Selim M/M Bishara Husary M/M Eddie Abdallah

M/M Gabriel Caraboolad M/M George Maloof M/M Joseph Abdelnour M/M Joseph Ade M/M Michael Atol M/M Philip Corhan M/M Rabih Makdissi M/M Rafic Abdallah Mr. Edward Rizk Mr. Salim E. Caraboolad Simon Zkiab Rev. Naim Khalil Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Alfred Tackla M/M Carl Zkiab Mr. Richard Sajovic Mrs. Nancy Miller Ms. Elizabeth Unis Chesko M/M Autif Hanna M/M Michael S. Joseph Mrs. Helen George Mrs. Mary C. Morad Ms. Dolores Klepitch

ST. ELIAS San Jose, CA Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Anonymous Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M Sam Hariz Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Alfred Dahdouh Yolande Faris Nabil and Nadia Damouny Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M John Lahlouh M/M Kamal Neimat M/M Mario Faris Rev. James K. Graham Samir Damouny Samir Zeidan John Andrews M/M Fathi Massoud Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Nabil Matta Rachel Alvelais Father Adel Ghali

ST. ELIAS Woonsocket, RI Antioch Circle: $250-499 Douglas and Jeanne Allam M/M Andrew Heroux M/M James Allam Cedars Club: $100-249 James K. Salome M/M John Rowey Mr. John Allam Pious Helpers: $1-99 Mrs. Lorraine Grenier and Family Mrs. Jennie Salome Mrs. Mary Anez Glen P. Simmons Mrs. Mary Monsour

ST. GEORGE Birmingham, AL Founders Society: $5,000-$9,000 M/M Riad Awad Patriarchal Patrons: $2,500-4,999 Benjamin and Frances David Foundation Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Andrew Baroody Jamely Hall M/M Joseph A. Maluff Mr. Ferris Ritchey/Buy-Lo Food Stores Jon and Ann Rebholz Leonard N. Weydert, Jr Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Mr. John Manos M/M Albert Rutchey Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr. Khalil Awad M/M Joseph Ritchey Mr. Marvin Pharo Rev. Deacon Seraphim Ritchey and Annette Rt. Rev. Frank Milienewicz Robert Ritchey Cedars Club: $100-249 David Ritchey George Salem Marie S. Adams M/M Basim Ajlouny M/M Ben Owens Fall 2013 • S ophia 41


Ms. Maggy Atallah Anne Nassar


M/M Bill Ritchey M/M Jonathan and Christina Martin M/M Michael Fisher M/M Nelson Salem Mr. Edward Macksoud Mr. Larry Pharo Mr. Mike Zarichnak Mr. Raymond Pharo Mr. Steve Ritchey Mr. T J. Kassouf Mrs. Ann D. Salem Mrs. Cheryl Ritchey Mrs. Genevieve Pharo Mrs. Pam David Ms. Joann Kemp Smith Anonymous Robert and Gilda Zarzaur Terry Ritchey Pious Helpers: $1-99 Costanzo and Shirley Larussa M/M Edward Dennis M/M Yousef Khouri Ms. Lydia Pharo Tony J. Shunnarah Nabeeha Shunnarah

ST. GEORGE Milwaukee, WI Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Leonard N. Weydert, Jr Antioch Circle: $250-499 Brian Weyer Ms. Chris Busalacchi Rev. Philaret D. Littlefield M/M Andrew Geiger, Jr. Ms. Janet S. Taylor Mr. Christopher Davel Cedars Club: $100-249 Father John Paul Mother Callista (Toman) Nabil and Manal Wahhab The Roxas Family M/M George Baho Pious Helpers: $1-99 Mr. Brian A. Harden Ms. Kathleen Tomaz Said and Amal Audi Family Samir J. Wahhab Anna Mary Look


ST. GEORGE Sacramento, CA Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 M/M Bruce Waelbrock Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Michael J. Monier Rev. Brendan McAnerney, Op Cedars Club: $100-249 Anonymous M/M Anthony Frenn M/M Elias Zomout M/M David Phillips Pious Helpers: $1-99 Cary O'Keeffe Dr. Antoine Dipsia M/M Roger Siouffey Mrs. Rosalie Kost M/M Michael Dahdouh St. George Melkite Church Eric Clark Joseph and Mary Hanna Mrs. Lucy M. Palmer

ST. IGNATIOS OF ANTIOCH Augusta, GA Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M James O'Meara, III M/M Robert McPhee Stan Fox Terri E. Lawless, M.D. Antioch Circle: $250-499 Philip B. Gerrard Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Kent Plowman William and Eliazbeth Meredith M/M Thomas Jackson Jan Munn Cedars Club: $100-249 Carol Pride Christopher Nau James and Mary Kupar M/M Gil Strader Mr. Bill Booker, Jr. Mr. Christian Moores and Family Mr. Eugene Fealko Mr. Robert Chafin, Jr St. Barbara Convent Joseph C. LeVert Dr/M Bernie Pohlman Ms. Jeanette Sills

Pious Helpers: $1-99 Mr. Joseph Lyons Ms. Elizabeth Leadbetter

ST. JACOB San Diego, CA Antioch Circle: $250-499 Rev. and Mrs. Saba Shofany and St. Jacob Melkite Mission Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Antoine Kabbane Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M Hanna Maria Mr. Scott Schreiber Rev. Shaun Brown

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM Atlanta, GA Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M Elie Hanna M/M Enzo Guerrucci Vic and Marie Sayour Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr/M Shajih Muhanna Fouad Hanna M/M Danny Fuleihan M/M Eric Hansen M/M Gregory M. Pharo and Family M/M Jim Allison M/M John Mielko M/M Sami Jajeh M/M Tony Ghawi Ms. Elizabeth Etoll Ms. Lisa Reichard Cedars Club: $100-249 Dr/M Yssa Saad-Dine Maureen Maloof M/M Basil Kirma M/M Kam Nassar M/M Rani Ghawi M/M Ted Hawk M/M Thomas Pickett Mr. Edward Abrasley Mr. Joseph Jabaley Mr. Michael Bourjaili Mrs. Paulette Hatoun Ms. Margaret Alexander Richard D. Parry Rt. Rev. John Azar Robert and Ursula Thomas

Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Sami Nuwar M/M Walter Doolan St. John Chrysostom Youth Group

ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS South Bend, IN Antioch Circle: $250-499 Bob and Mary Kerby

ST. JOHN OF THE DESERT Phoenix, AZ Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 M/M Paul Davis Dr/M Farouk A. Habra Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M David F. Bieber Antioch Circle: $250-499 James Hill Rev. and Mrs. Peter Boutros Rt. Rev. Robert D. Skagen Zyad Abyad Mr. Sami Haddad Cedars Club: $100-249 Bassam and Jummana Ishak Deacon and Mrs. Marion Rimmer Iraz A. Hattar Joe Abyad John Haddad Kamil and Carmen Kaloush M/M Henry Wimberg M/M John Davis M/M Mark Loegering Mrs. Joanne Herro Mrs. Munira Gharib Rosette Braidy Saliba Abusada Pious Helpers: $1-99 Deacon John Barelli George Ishak John Gallagher

Milad and Ibtisam Ishak M/M Edmond Williman Arlette Khoulam M/M Francis Nabity Mrs. Ursula Smith Mary Ishak M/M Maurice El Khoury Ghassan and Rima Ishak

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST Northlake, IL Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Lyna Massih M/M Antoine Karam Dolores Mauloff Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr. George and Karen Nijmeh Drs. Philip and Kay Metres Elie Wasiti M/M Albert Haddad M/M Ronald Nasharr Nouha Ferraye Cedars Club: $100-249 Alexander and Lois Serhan E. D. Smith Elie and Kathy Ghawi Fahim Shadid Farid and Suzy Bichara Fouad and Marianne Maloyan Maher Subhi Azar Margaret Sabbara M/M Abe Baroud M/M Ayoub Talhami M/M Elias K. Assaf M/M Elias Makdah M/M Mouin Affara M/M Nabil Nijmeh M/M Peter Rafidi Mrs. Reine Y. Rabbat Nathanoel and Sarah Mosley Pierre H. And AnnNaffah Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Sergio Saucedo M/M Odeh Makhlouf Rev. Fouad Sayeh Mr. James VanThorre Mr. George Fakhouri Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M David Schlup Ms. Joann F. Fakhouri Nuha Ghandour Dorothy, Edward, Lissa Gilaty Angel Marzal

ST. JOSEPH Akron, OH Antioch Circle: $250-499 Dr. Roger Hakim Mrs. Emil Abdenour Cedars Club: $100-249 Helen Humphrys Kathy Aed M/M Raymond Hanna M/M William Nemr Mrs. Annetta Karam Paul and Nanci Schlegel Robert and Eva Oberlin Arze Witschey Pious Helpers: $1-99 Emaline Bolden Margaret Mitchell M/M Vito Cea Mrs. Helen J. Louis Ms. Lavone Cory Paul Salem Chaker Fadel M/M Terry Ajamie Ms. Paula Karam Whitacre Rosemary Beaver Vilma McMullen Roy and Sadie Comiono Cecelia Ayoup

ST. JOSEPH Lansing, MI Antioch Circle: $250-499 Mr. Charles Rahall Ms. Simone Ayoub Nicholas K. Nakfoor Cedars Club: $100-249 Barbara J. Davis Dr. Charles P. Sawaya Fawaz Fawaz M/M James Despelder M/M Ralph Farhat Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Abraham Albert M/M Louis Kuri M/M James Butler

ST. JOSEPH Lawrence, MA Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 M/M Sam Holland Fall 2013 • S ophia 43


St. John Chrysostom Men's Club Shaheer and Hala Muhanna Thomas and Evelyn Whalen St. John Chrysostom Church Ms. Mary Ellen Hughes St. John Chrysostom Ladies Society


Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M Frank Brox Ms. Linda and James Lake Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Bryan McNeil Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Robert Kfoury, Esq. Dr/M Azar Korbey Dr/M Edward Hassey M/M Stanley Saba, Jr. M/M Toufic and Laurel Hanna Mr. David Haggar Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Ziad Layous St. Joseph's Guild Rt. Rev. Mark Melone M/M Kaspar Kfoury Cedars Club: $100-249 David Beshara Dr/M Dennis Sardella M/M Chakib and Josephine Bourjeili M/M Elias Khoury M/M Elie Khoury M/M George Kfoury M/M Khattar Kassis M/M Michael LaChance M/M Michael Macoul M/M Michael Sabbagh M/M Noel Farah M/M Said Matta M/M Ted Shiepe M/M Emanuele Moscuzza Mrs. Donald Shaheen Rev. Alam Alam Mary H. Korbey Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Alfred Syiek M/M Armand Persichetti M/M Charles Saba M/M Edmund Mansor M/M Joseph Joujaim Mrs. Olive Kasouf Ms. Corinne Korbey Mrs. Elizabeth Bilodeau

ST. JOSEPH Scranton, PA Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Dr. Anne Clarice Zaydon Mrs. Genevieve Zaydon Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M James Zaydon, Jr., Esq. Mark, Edward and Joseph Bolus Mr. Eugene Assaf 44 S ophia • Fall 2013

Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M James Davis Rev. Deacon and Mrs. Michael Jolly Cedars Club: $100-249 Atty. and Mrs. Henry Nahal Dr/M John Abda M/M Henry Nahal M/M James Abda M/M Joseph Barron, Sr. M/M Michael Milewski Mr. Daniel Paul Mrs. Karen Kane Ms. Veronica Bolus Rev. Philip Altavilla St. Peter's Cathedral Rectory Pious Helpers: $1-99 Mrs. James Murray

ST. JOSEPH MISSION Seattle, WA Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Father Samir Abu-Lail Antioch Circle: $250-499 Victor Mazzawi Cedars Club: $100-249 Alla Aldughli Roger and Rima Farhat Showky and Rose Salameh Zaklool Z. Ablahad Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Tanas Halabi Samer and Fadia Kassab M/M Raja and Selvat Atallah Mr. Bill and Ferial Farhat Aram Ieso Edward and Sausan Mazzawi Gaby and Rita Khoury Salwan Francis Showky and Rose Salameh Youhana Georges Edward Ieso Manal Noah M/M Salim Jarrouge Najib Auka Allan and Mona Wessel Sami and Mirna Semaan Walid and Najah Semaan

ST. JUDE Miami, FL Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 St. Jude Melkite Church Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 M/M Raymond Kayal, Sr. Patricia Tobon Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Albert Nahas M/M Richard Sayour Mrs. Loris Masrieh Rev. Damon Geiger Cedars Club: $100-249 Adolfo Blanco Carilyn Lopez Elsa Robinson Frederick Paas, Jr. Margaret McCaffrey M/M Gerald E. Viacara M/M Pierre Aris M/M Raif Zahr Mr. Tony Sabbag, Jr. Mrs. Marilyn Francis Mrs. Simone Zontini Natalia Liviero Yalile and Violeta Sacaan Claudia deCarolis Frank Morera Gerardo and Andrea Gariboldi Pious Helpers: $1-99 Helene Hart Maria Luz Asin Pierrette Gadala Maria Esperanzo Alfaro M/M Nick Jammel M/M Russell Azrak Pierrette Gadala Maria Tanis Perez

ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL Hammond, IN Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M Jameel Al-Nemri Mr. Jihad Al-Nemri Pious Helpers: $1-99 Fuad Mansour Michael Hovsepian

ST. PAUL

Plymouth, MI

El Segundo, CA

Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Rev. Elias Eid

Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 St. Paul Melkite Mission

Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M Albert Ismair M/M Maurice Y. Rizkallah Mrs. Hilda Kashu Victor Safadi

Antioch Circle: $250-499 Mr. Albert Smigielski Amin and Eva Bishara

Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Robert Dagher Rosette Haddad

ST. NICHOLAS Delray Beach, FL Patriarchal Patrons: $2,500-4,999 Dr/M August Antaki Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Mr. Raymond E. Kassar Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Anthony Ajakie M/M Henry G Raad M/M John Nassif M/M Samir Risk Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M Aldo Lombardo Ms. Margaret and Ms. Josephine Chidiac Pious Helpers: $1-99 Charles Tobgy

ST. NICHOLAS Rochester, NY Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Raymond Shaheen Cedars Club: $100-249 M/M Elias Sarkis M/M Terry Hyland M/M William Nolan Wady Sarkis Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Charbel Sarkis William Nealon Patricia A. Piazza

Cedars Club: $100-249 Jim and Betty Kearns Afife Hechmeh Michael Rohrkemper M/M Donald Ray Lawson M/M Stanley Hillyard Mrs. Anne Clifford Petach Ms. Gloria Sabath Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith Stephen and Ann Campbell Vera Lund Pious Helpers: $1-99 M/M Michael Cervenak Pamela Cummings

ST. PHILIP San Bernardino, CA Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Deacon and Mrs. James Pesta Antioch Circle: $250-499 Catherine Spencer M/M Bassam Azzam Mr. Michael Mobley Cedars Club: $100-249 Protodeacon and Mrs. Stephen Ghandour Pious Helpers: $1-99 Jim and Betty Kearns Rev. Justin Rose Paul and Angela Heim Richard Velazquez

CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN MARY Brooklyn, NY Patriarchal Patrons: $2,500-4,999 Dr/M Fouad Surur Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Mrs. Adele Dacken

Mr. Albert Doumar Mr. Joseph J. Hajjar Mr. Raymond E. Orfaly Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Michael Lorraine Yabroudy Mr. Alfred Kourbage M/M Elias Khabbaza M/M Issa Baconi M/M Joseph Shabouk Mr. Joseph Bardwil Mrs. Alice Braidy Besheer Syma Inc. Antioch Circle: $250-499 Miss Barbara Germack M/M Anthony Cueter M/M Elias Karout M/M Elias Nemnom M/M George Awikeh M/M Jack Adjami M/M Joseph Balesh M/M Robert Paradiso Mr. Gregory Lutfey Mr. Richard Zaloom Mrs. Mary Maloof and Family Mses. Rosalie and Florence Galat Mrs. Alice Kourbage Nadia and Pierre Helou Theresa and Emilie Agami Mrs. Sandra Jerro Cedars Club: $100-249 Dr/M Rudolph Khoriaty Dr. John Maloof Elias Shakkour George and Katherine Gennaoui George Sayad Gloria Bitar Michael and Barbara Giancola Mounir Abou Zakhm M/M Albert Lutfey M/M Albert Rabbat M/M Anthony Deak M/M Donald Antaky M/M Eugene Mullaly M/M Francis Lupo M/M Fred Elsayad M/M George Baladi M/M Louis Khlat M/M Michael Kawas M/M Nabil Abou-Daoud M/M Naji Youssef M/M Raymond Merhige M/M Stephen Petrick M/M Theodore Khoury M/M William Walker Mr. Fouad Baghdady Fall 2013 • S ophia 45


ST. MICHAEL


Mr. George Laham Mr. Samir Sanbar Mrs. Bernard Nasser Mrs. Farida Nasser Mrs. Gloria A. Djaha Mrs. Helen Sayegh Mrs. Julie Behette Mrs. Laurice Lutfey Mrs. Lily Jalinos Mrs. Lorraine Muratore Mrs. Richard Challed Mrs. Yvonne Colabella Ms. Barbara Fager Ms. Josephine Lian Ms. Kathryn Brady Ms. Violet Hajjar Wayne and Paulina Muratore & Family Gabriel Nasser Kelley Rizk M/M George Matouk M/M Richard and Leila Nasser Mrs. Lorraine Arrajj Nicholas Audi Miss Claudette Saffaye Mrs. Lily Jalinos Ms. Ivonne M. Antaki Pious Helpers: $1-99 Lorraine Trabulsi M/M Nabil Khordoc M/M Naji Khawaja M/M Rizkalla Dekki Mr. Ernest Homsey Ms. Patricia Peterson Theresa A. Huegel M/M Nabil Behna Vincent Cuccia Mrs. Victoria Tabeek-Soloman

VIRGIN MARY Temecula, CA Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Father James Babcock Munif and Randa Salek Antioch Circle: $250-499 M/M Adel and Rosette Bawardi Protodeacon and Mrs. Habib Khasho Cedars Club: $100-249 Victoria Said Pious Helpers: $1-99 Jim and Betty Kearns Renee Zomot


EPARCHIAL DONATIONS Patriarchal Patrons: $2,500-4,999 Dr. Julia Ailabouni Eparchial Benefactors: $1,000-2,499 Rev. Musil Shihadeh Deacon and Mrs. Robert Leathers Dr/M Edmond B. Raheb Most Reverend John A. Elya Mr. Azar Dagher Rev. Dr. Donald Sawyer Rt. Rev. Lawrence Gosselin Melkite Sponsor: $500-999 Dr. Maria Bustani Dr. Nabil and Raghida Khoury George D. Gallaro M/M George Malouf M/M Norbert Vogl, III Mr. Charbel Tagher Stonbely Family Foundation Antioch Circle: $250-499 Alfred and Susan Blazek Dr/M Edmond Cabbabe Elias G. Khalaf Gabriel and Samira Baroudi M/M Arthur Fuerherm M/M Fowzi Albasha Ms. Susan A. Gallangher Rev. and Mrs. John D. Leonard Rev. Basil Samra Rev. Ralph Bove Victor Nijmeh Paula Kassouf Cedars Club: $100-249 Adolphe and Nisrine SAFI Bill and Patricia Trujillo Chorbishop Joseph F. Kaddo Deacon and Mrs. Robert Leathers Dr/M Amine Maalouf Dr/M Fares Gennaoui E. Tamer Edward and Dorothy Raheb Fouad Fawzi Francis Vivona Frankie Mujica Fred Malouf George Habib Jospehine Flores Maryle M. Breaux Maryle M. Breaux M/M Joseph Makhlouf M/M Louis Allam M/M Peter and Mary Shahid

M/M Richard Salloum Mr. James Halal Mr. John Vernoski Mr. Joseph Hollister Mr. Joseph Tobjy Mr. Robert Arko Mr. William J. Peters Ms. Elizabeth Finnigan Professor Lorraine Howell Rafic Cheboub Ramy S. Nasser Rev. Boctor Z. Bishara Rev. Thomas Marick Robert and Gilda Zarzaur Sami and Mona Azer Viven Sabbag Madonna House - Copy 3 Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston Dr/M William S. Carnazzo George Habib Mary Aranki M/M F. Antoun Tony Ghazal Mr. John Sion Samir Damouny George Abouakl Joseph and Lily Dacloush Michael Raya Nicholas P. Roberts Roy and Ronda Doucette Pious Helpers: $1-99 Anthony and Rania Gizzi Dr/M Anthony J Duben Dr/M Mark Spankowski Leila Cathcart Mary Rose Waken M/M Albert Shakan M/M Elias Anjim M/M Emil Copty M/M Joseph Coury M/M Ronald Bularz Ms. Mildred D'Entremont Rt. Rev. Ronald Golini Val Zdilla Mrs. Hind Hanna and Family Edward Bisharat Manhal Soro Mrs. Najla Sluder Rev. Michael Taras Miles Anonymous Lucy Cavalcanti Mr. Elias Hage Mr. John P. Wirtz Leticia Herandz Maria Samaha Our Lady Of Grace ItaloAndres Bolinaga Byzantine Mission

Navigating the Eparchy Hierarch

BISHOP NICHOLAS SAMRA 617 323 9922 [email protected]

Bishop Emeritus

Judicial Vicar

BISHOP JOHN ELYA, B.S.O.

ARCHIMANDRITE GERASIMOS MURPHY

978 683 2471 [email protected]


Chancery Office SAIDEH DAGHER, Secretary

Chancellor

DEACON PAUL LEONARCZYK

3 V.F.W. Parkway . West Roxbury, MA 02132 617 323 9922 . Fax. 617 323 0944


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Chief Finance Officer

ARCHIMANDRITE PHILIP RACZKA

DEACON ROBERT SHALHOUB



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DEACON SABATINO CARNAZZO 540 635 7155 [email protected]

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NAJEEB HADDAD Sophia Magazine

ARCHIMANDRITE JAMES BABCOCK,Editor in Chief 714 600 3660 [email protected]

RICHARD MC NEIL

773 780 1549 978 407 2381 [email protected] [email protected] Website: usmaya.org

Sophia Press Publications

National Association of Melkite Youth (NAMY)

SAIDEH DAGHER

FR. THOMAS STEINMETZ

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Vocation Director

ARCHIMANDRITE JOHN AZAR ROSEMARY SHABOUK



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ARCHIMANDRITE PAUL FRECHETTE ROSA AILABOUNI



Development Director

Clergy Conference Coordinator


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ED NAHOM FR. CHRISTOPHER MANUELE 585 426 4218 [email protected]

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BISHOPS

APPEAL

NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID HACKENSACK, NJ PERMIT NO. 56

2013

I am grateful for your gift last year to the Bishop’s Appeal and have come to rely on you and your generosity to support the works of our Melkite Church in America. You annual gift provides our Eparchy tremendous benefits, SOPHIA magazine being one. As our brothers and sisters, especially in Syria and Egypt, experience the ravages of hatred and war, I come again with hand outstretched to ask for your support for the important works of our Church. This year, not only will your gift support our Church in the US, but ten percent of your gift will also assist Patriarch Gregorios’ efforts to alleviate the suffering of those whose lives have been shattered by war and persecution, and who have no other place to turn.

Your gift supports the education of our seminarians, the publication of SOPHIA, our Religious Education programs, our church’s charitable work and more. Please send a generous gift.