Another Look at Repentance - Melkite Eparchy of Newton

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NAMWDear Members and Friends,Serving the Eparchy of Newton for 25 years: 1986 – 2011It is with great sadness that we express our deepest sympathy to our Treasurer, Carol Caven, and her family, on the passingof her husband, John. He was a prominent figure in the Melkite community for many years. While his physical presence will bemissed by all, we have our happy memories of John Caven to keep him alive in our hearts. May his Memory be Eternal!The next major event for NAMW will be the Annual Meeting on Friday, July 6, at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn, MI duringthe 2012 National Convention. The agenda will include an introduction to our new Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Michel Cheble,approval of proposed changes in the By-laws, update of membership data, parish contacts, sharing of ideas and the date for theordination of our seminarian, Deacon Musil Shehadeh. Other business matters will be included as the agenda is finalized.Since the deadline for this issue was right after the celebration of our feast day, there have not been any submissions yet fromvarious parishes to report. Please have someone drop us a brief note regarding how your parish spent the Sunday of the MyrrhBearers, the feast day of all women everywhere!In the last issue I asked for mothers, wives or children of our clergy to share their stories of how they felt when the sons, husbandsor fathers in their lives expressed interest in dedicating their lives to the priesthood. I received one response from MaryBaroody of Holy Transfiguration Parish, VA who shared her story of two sons. It is reprinted on the next page. Please take thetime to read it. Their story is inspiring. Thank you, Mary, for putting your feelings on paper. I hope others will now do the same.Rosemary Shabouk, President Margo Sayegh, Vice President Carol Caven, Treasurer Susan Elek, SecretaryBouk1@aol.com margo_sayegh@verizon.net carol@cavenassociates.com elek70@comcast.net718-748-1235 626-359-3976 818-843-3905 586-939-0650Prayer for Vocationsby Rt. Rev. Philip RaczkaO Eternal Father, You are the Lord of the Harvest who sent our Lord Jesus Christ to save us and theApostles to spread the good news of this salvation. Look now with mercy upon our Melkite Eparchy ofNewton and sustain our clergy in their vocation. Send us young men to serve the Church as priests anddeacons. Inspire others to serve your Church as monks and nuns and move the hearts of all of ourparishioners to serve their parishes in whatever way they are able. We praiseYou for all of Your blessingsnow and forever. Amen.Below is a chart of the membership dues received from our parishes as of Jan. 2012. Do not be alarmed by the numbers.These are the actual figures for the dues/donations since the names of those who are deceased and anyone whohas not paid for the past few years have been deleted from the totals. How is your parish doing? Let’s make 2012-2013even better…our seminarians are counting on us for support.CITY/STATE PARISH/MISSION JAN. 2012Phoenix, AZ St. John Of The Desert 1San Jose, CA St. Elias 1North Hollywood, CA St. Anne 21Sacramento, CA St. George 2Danbury, CT St. Ann 4Waterford, CT St. Ann 6Miami, FL St. Jude 59Augusta, GA St. Ignatius Of Antioch 7Boston, MA Annunciation Cathedral 2Lawrence, MA St. Joseph 3Worcester, MA Our Lady Of Perpetual Help 1CITY/STATE PARISH/MISSION JAN. 2012Warren, MI Our Lady Of Redemption 26Manchester, NH Our Lady Of The Cedars 1Woodland Park, NJ St. Ann 8Brooklyn, NY Church Of The Virgin Mary 21Utica, NY St. Basil 5Akron, OH St. Joseph 50Cleveland, OH St. Elias 1Scranton, PA St. Joseph 16Lincoln, RI St. Basil The Great 9McLean, VA Holy Transfiguration 43Misc. Clergy/No Parish 2TOTAL: 28634 S ophia • Spring 2012
PLEASE PRINT:To join or renew your membership in the National Association of Melkite Women,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 91504NAME ________________________________________________________________________________________________NAMWADDRESS____________________________________________________________________________________________CITY, STATE, ZIP ________________________________________________________________________________________TELEPHONE ______________________________________ EMAIL ____________________________________________PARISH __________________________________________ Please Circle one: NEW MEMBER RENEWALRemember to keep our need for vocations in your prayers. Be an advocate, encourage our youth to participate in your parish.Calling All Mothers of ClergyIn order to research a new article about vocations, I am asking all mothers of our priests to tell me how you felt when yourson first told you he wanted to be a priest. How old was he? What was your reaction? Were you happy at first or did it takea while for you to accept his decision? What advice would you give mothers today? Do you have an anecdote about theday he left home? How was his first liturgy?Rev. Fathers, if your mothers need help translating their stories, please do so. If your mother has gone to her EternalReward, would you tell the story for her? This request could also include wives and children of married clergy and deacons.This decision must have changed your lives very much. All are welcome to respond. I look forward to hearing from you.Thank you for sharing.Please send me your story, you may inspire other mothers.Rosemary Shabouk . 36-86 Street . Brooklyn, NY 11209 or email me at bouk1@aol.comA Mother’s Letter:Although I am not yet the mother of a priest, my story is one of two vocations and how they came to be. I humbly submit itfor your consideration for your article on vocations. My sons’ paths to their vocations have been straight and purposeful. Itry to keep my own pride in check, but they are truly wonderful examples of what kind of men we need in the Melkite clergy.Many thanks for the opportunity to share this with you. In Christ, Mary Baroody.My family became members of Holy TransfigurationMelkite Church in 1972, shortly after the parishwas founded. Our son, David, was eight years oldat the time, a bright, boisterous and inquisitive child with agift for music, and the third of nine children. Our young pastor,Fr. Joseph Francavilla, loved all the children of our smallbut growing parish, and the children returned that love withgreat enthusiasm. Father had many friends among the youngpriests and seminarians of the church, so there were manyvisiting clergy and seminarians, whom the children alsogrew to know and love. David and his brothers becameacolytes, and grew in their love of the Melkite Church.By age 10, David was singing in the choir and learningthe liturgical music of the Melkite church. As a teenager, hewas active in NAMY, where he met his future wife, thelovely Cathy Marie Metta, at a Melkite convention. Overthe next 30 years, he completed high school and his undergraduatestudies, was tonsured as a reader in 1985 at age 21,married, had two wonderful children, built a successfulcareer, volunteered in the community, served as a reader,chaired the Parish Council, and acted as treasurer of thefood festival for many years. In 2000, he entered the DeaconFormation Program, and was ordained a deacon in 2003.Although Arabic was not spoken in our home, Father Davidhas learned much of the language. It is beautiful to hear himspeak it when he takes the Eucharist to shut-ins who arefrom the old country.A Story of VocationsAfter the repose in the Lord of our beloved ProtodeaconPaul Weyrich in 2010, Father David was made Protodeacon.Shortly thereafter, he began his advanced theological studies.During the same year, Father David’s brother, Andrew,entered the diaconate program.Andrew has been a parishioner at St. George MelkiteChurch in Birmingham, Alabama, since he entered collegethere in 1985. He married the warm and loving SharonElaine Ritchey, a member of the large Ritchey clan, and theyare the parents of four sons. Since his arrival in Birmingham27 years ago, Andrew has sung in the choir, taught religiouseducation, trained the acolytes, been a leader of the YouthGroup, and worked as a tireless coordinator of St. George’sannual food festival. He is loved by all.These two wonderful men who are my sons grew in theirvocations to the service of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christsince they were eight and five years old respectively. Ratherthan any sudden awareness of a vocation in either, I believethat for both it was a quiet growth in their love of Christ ourGod, through their lives dedicated to Him and spent workingand worshipping with other Melkite laity and clergy, anddoing what they did, and did so well. Should it be God’s willthat Father David become a priest and Seminarian Andrewbecome a deacon and perhaps priest, then it will indeed bedone. I thank God every day of my life that He has blessedme with these sons whose desire it is to serve Him. And Ipray for them the prayer that never fails, Thy will be done!Summer 2012 • SOPHIA 35
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Another Look at Repentance - Melkite Eparchy of Newton

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