Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church

Our Lady of Lebanon
Maronite Catholic Church
Bulletin: Vol. 25 No 32 August 9th—August 15th, 2015
A Blessing
from St. Clare of Assisi
What you hold
may you always hold.
What you do,
may you always do
and never abandon.
But with swift pace,
light step and unswerving feet,
so that even your steps
stir up no dust,
Go forward,
the spirit of our God
has called you.
THE TWELFTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST
Rev. Assaad ElBasha, M.L.M., Pastor
Mass Schedule
Sunday
8:30 A.M. English
11:00 A.M. Bilingual; English/Lebanese
Monday
No Mass
Tuesday - Friday
9:00 A.M. English
Saturday
5:30 P.M. English
Reconciliation
Saturday - 4:00 - 5:00 P.M.
Eucharistic Adoration
Sunday: 2:00 P.M -7:00 P.M.
Monday - Friday: 9:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Saturday: 9:00 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.
Altar Boys:
Joseph Marincel
817-491-0763
Adoration:
Sheila Hughes
817-430-3066
Choir: 8:30 A.M.
Helen Marincel
817-491-0763
Library:
Sharon Wood
214-497-0783
Choir: 11:00 A.M.
Roula Vasquez
972-824-5000
Respect Life:
Michele Kleiner
972-446-9898
RCIA:
Mark Omvig
214-346-0300
Youth Ministry:
Mark Loyet
972-742-1002
Lectors: 8:30 AM
Mark Caputo
469-230-1533
Religious Education 817-491-0763
Safe Environment
Sue Marincel
Lectors: 11:00 AM 503-701-2236
Trevor Rask
Ushers
Robert Kramer
214-488-5635
Parish Council
Legion of Mary
Rose Onoh
214-289-4300
719 University Place - Lewisville, TX 75067
Phone: (972) 436-7617 or (972) 221-7705 • Fax: (972) 221-3430
website: www.ourladylebanon.com
email: [email protected]
St. Clare of Assisi
Feast Day: August 11th
Cofoundress of the Order of Poor Ladies, or Clares,
and first Abbess of San Damiano; born at Assisi, 16
July, 1194; died there 11 August, 1253. She was the
eldest daughter of Favorino Scifi, Count of Sasso-Rosso,
the wealthy representative of an ancient Roman family, who owned a
large palace in Assisi and a castle on the slope of Mount Subasio. Such
at least is the traditional account. Her mother, Bl. Ortolana, belonged to
the noble family of Fiumi and was conspicuous for her zeal and piety.
From her earliest years Clare seems to have been endowed with the
rarest virtues. As a child she was most devoted to prayer and to practices
of mortification, and as she passed into girlhood her distaste for the world
and her yearning for a more spiritual life increased. She was eighteen
years of age when St. Francis came to preach the Lenten course in
the church of San Giorgio at Assisi. The inspired words of
the Poverello kindled a flame in the heart of Clare; she sought him out
secretly and begged him to help her that she too might live "after the
manner of the holy Gospel". St. Francis, who at once recognized in Clare
one of those chosen souls destined by God for great things, and who
also, doubtless, foresaw that many would follow her example, promised to
assist her. On Palm Sunday Clare, arrayed in all her finery, attended
high Mass at the cathedral, but when the others pressed forward to
the altar-rail to receive a branch of palm, she remained in her place as
if rapt in a dream. All eyes were upon the young girl as
the bishop descended from the sanctuary and placed the palm in her
hand. That was the last time the world beheld Clare. On the night of the
same day she secretly left her father's house, by St. Francis's advice and,
accompanied by her aunt Bianca and another companion, proceeded to
the humble chapel of the Porziuncula, where St. Francis and his disciples met her with lights in their hands. Clare then laid aside her rich
dress, and St. Francis, having cut off her hair, clothed her in a rough tunic
and a thick veil, and in this way the young heroine vowed herself to the
service of Jesus Christ. This was 20 March, 1212. Three years later, in
1215 St. Clare, (much against her will) was made superior at San Damiano by St. Francis, and continued to rule there as abbess until her death,
in 1253. Miracles of St. Clare began in 1234, as the army of Frederick
II was devastating the valley of Spoleto, the soldiers, preparatory to an
assault upon Assisi, scaled the walls of San Damiano by night, spreading
terror among the community. Clare, calmly rising from her sick bed, and
taking the ciborium from the little chapel adjoining her cell, proceeded to
face the invaders at an open window against which they had already
placed a ladder. It is related that, as she raised the Blessed Sacrament on high, the soldiers who were about to enter he monastery fell
backward as if dazzled, and the others who were ready to follow them
took flight. It is with reference to this incident that St. Clare is generally
represented in art bearing a ciborium. When, some time later, a larger
force returned to storm Assisi, headed by the General Vitale di Aversa
who had not been present at the first attack, Clare, gathering her daughters about her, knelt with them in earnest prayer that the town might be
spared. Presently a furious storm arose, scattering the tents of the soldiers in every direction, and causing such a panic that they again took
refuge in flight. The gratitude of the Assisians, who with one accord attributed their deliverance to Clare's intercession, increased their love for
the "Seraphic Mother". Clare had long been enshrined in the hearts of the
people, and their veneration became more apparent as, wasted by illness
and austerities, she drew towards her end. Brave and cheerful to the last,
in spite of her long and painful infirmities, Clare caused herself to be
raised in bed and, thus reclining, says her contemporary biographer "she
spun the finest thread for the purpose of having it woven into the most
delicate material from which she afterwards made more than one hundred corporals, and, enclosing them in a silken burse, ordered them to be
given to the churches in the plain and on the mountains of Assisi".
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Holy Day of Obligation—August 15th
Catholic People ~
Let us come to honor our Heavenly Mother
on the Feast of Her Assumption:
Vigil Mass: Friday, August 14th :
Rosary & Litany: 6:15PM
Mass: 7:00PM
Saturday, August 15th:
Mass 5:30PM
ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
FEAST DAY: AUGUST 14TH
Maximilian Kolbe was born in 1894 in Poland and became a Franciscan. He contracted tuberculosis and,
though he recovered, he remained frail all his life. Before his ordination as a priest, Maximilian founded the
Immaculata Movement devoted to Our Lady. After receiving a doctorate
in theology, he spread the Movement through a magazine entitled "The
Knight of the Immaculata" and helped form a community of 800 men, the
largest in the world. Maximilian went to Japan where he built a comparable monastery and then on to India where he furthered the Movement.
In 1936 he returned home because of ill health. After the Nazi invasion
in 1939, he was imprisoned and released for a time. But in 1941 he was
arrested again and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz.
Franciszek Gajowniczek, a Roman Catholic, was born in Strachomin
near Mińsk Mazowiecki. He lived in Warsaw since 1921, and had a wife
and two sons. He was a professional soldier who took part in the defense ofWieluń as well as Warsaw in September 1939. He was captured
by the Gestapo in Zakopane. He arrived at Auschwitz on September 8,
1940. When a prisoner appeared to have escaped, Sub-Commandant
Karl Fritzsch ordered that ten other prisoners die by starvation in reprisal. Franciszek Gajowniczek (prisoner number 5659) was one of those
selected at roll-call. When Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, heard Gajowniczek cry
out in agony over the fate of his family, he offered himself instead (for
which he was later canonized). Kolbe's words are believed to have
been: "I am a Catholic priest from Poland; I would like to take his place,
because he has a wife and children." The switch was permitted and
after all his cellmates died, Kolbe (prisoner 16670) was put to death with
an injection of carbolic acid. Kolbe’s sacrifice was not in vain.
Gajowniczek was sent from Auschwitz to Sachsenhausen concentration
camp on October 25, 1944. He was liberated there by the Allies, after
spending five years, five months, and nine days in German concentration camps in total. He reunited with his wife, Helena, half-a-year later
in Rawa Mazowiecka. Though she survived the war, his sons were killed
in a Soviet bombardment of German occupied Poland in 1945, before
his release. Gajowniczek was a guest of Pope Paul VI in the Vatican,
when Maximilian Kolbe was beatified for his martyrdom on October 17,
1971. In 1994, Gajowniczek visited the St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic
Church of Houston, where he told his translator Chaplain Thaddeus
Horbowy that "so long as he has breath in his lungs, he would consider it
his duty to tell people about the heroic act of love by Maximilian Kolbe."Gajowniczek lived to be 93 years old.
The Holy Family Icon
This week the Holy Family icon will go home with:
Gloria Miramontez
Our Lady of Lebanon community is celebrating 2015
as year of prayer for our parish families. You may take the
Holy Family icon home during your week of family prayer.
Daily Scripture Readings—August 9th—August 16th
Sunday, 8/9: Eph 3:1-13 & Mt 15:21-28
Monday, 8/10: Acts 27:1-4,8a,14-15,18-21a,22-26 & Lk 12:54-59
Tuesday, 8/11: Acts 27:27,33-37,39-44 & Lk 13:1-5
Wednesday, 8/12: Acts 28:1-10 & Lk 13:6-9
Thursday, 8/13: Acts 28:11-15 & Lk 13:10-17
Friday, 8/14: Acts 28:16-22 & Lk 13:18-21
Saturday, 8/15: Acts 28:16-22 & Lk 13:18-21
Sunday, 8/15: Rom 12:9-15 & Lk 1:46-55 or Lk 10:38-42
THIS WEEK’S MASS INTENTIONS
Birthdays:
Victoria Swayden: Tuesday, 8/11
Avery & Tash Swayden: Friday, 8/14
Blessings & Prayers:
Helen Koczwara, & Dr. George Farhat: Tuesday, 8/11
Ray Gama & Family: Thursday, 8/13
Missionaries of Mercy: Friday, 8/14
Ortiz/Thomas Families: Sunday, 8/16
Spiritual Growth:
The Legion of Mary, Sunday, 8/16
For the Rests of the Souls of:
† The Souls in Purgatory † Wednesday, 8/12
† Bradley Hall † Friday, 8/14
† Deacon Jose Roa † Saturday, 8/15
20th Anniversary
Lebanese Food Festival
Oct 2-4, 2015!!
Come one, come ALL!!! Come sign up for the
FESTIVAL!!!
Helping Hands are Needed NOW!!
Mon-Fri and Saturdays
Contact the Church Office with your Availability!
SILENT AUCTION NEWS
We are expecting record numbers of attendees to our Festival
this year and we need your help to really take this opportunity
to make it a complete success! Baskets for the Silent Auction
are available NOW in the church lobby. We welcome your
talents, your gently loved donations, and your services!!
Please sign up today , take a basket , and return it with your
contribution by September 20th, 2015.
Special Guest Priest, Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.
20th Annual Lebanese Food Festival
Special Presentation:
“Challenges of Christian Families in the USA”
Saturday Oct 3rd @ 11:30am
Fr. Mitch will be hearing your Confessions
on Saturday, Oct 3rd from 3:00 – 5:00pm
Fr. Mitch will celebrate our Masses with us:
Saturday, Oct 3rd @ 5:30pm
Sunday, Oct 4th @ 8:30am & 11:00am
Raffle tickets are on Sale NOW in the Lobby. If you have
not already done so, we need you to please sell or buy your
family’s allotted raffle tickets and return the stubs and comSecond Collection - August 15th & 16th: Our next second
collection will benefit the Catholic University of America: founded in 1887 by the pensations to us at your earliest convenience. Remember that all who purchase
U.S. Catholic bishops with the support of Pope Leo XIII, it is the national univer- or sell $100 worth of tickets will receive four free yellow bonus tickets!!!!
sity of the Catholic Church in the United States. Please give generously.
Our Lady of Lebanon Church Operating Expenses
The following are the operating expenses for
July 2015 (without personnel salaries):
Electricity
$2,204.81
Trash Service
$83.82
$80.00
Gas
$125.10
Pest Control
Water & Sewer
$255.30
Building Insurance
Phone & Internet
$329.76
Stewardship Leaflets
$27.75
Phone-Fire Alarm
$59.67
Offertory Envelopes
$152.17
Fire Alarm Monitoring
$30.00
CPA/Accounting
$200.00
Security Monitoring
$23.66
Weedex, Inc.
$287.00
Postage Meter (qtrly)
$64.80
Copynet
$1,723.30
$80.00
Help us keep your parish operating while you are away for vacations this
Summer. Our obligations do not cease during this time; remember your
obligation to your parish. Send in your offertory envelopes while you are away.
Thank you for your continued help and support.
Pro-Life Ministries:
ATTENTION!!!! The
Prolife room is now OPEN between the Sunday Masses! Come get Bumper Stickers, Holy Cards, and Pamphlets! Come See ALL we have to boost your Ministry
today!!! “A person is a person, no matter how small!”
We are in need of Adorers for
Perpetual Adoration.
Spending one hour per week in the presence of Jesus is a small fraction
of time in the many hours of any given week. But that small gift returns
a hundredfold the graces that Jesus desires to shower upon us from His
loving and Sacred Heart.
Current Openings for Adorers are:
Tuesdays at 4pm; Fridays at 3pm; Saturdays at 3 & 4pm
and Sundays at 5pm
Adoration of the Holy Eucharist
Monday thru Friday 9:00am—7:00pm / Saturday 9:00am—5:30pm
Sunday 1:00pm—7:00pm
Contact Sheila Hughes @ 817-430-3066
Next Week’s Liturgical Roles
Saturday, August 15th
5:30 PM Mass
Lector:
Alphonsine Ugochukwu
Altar Servers:
Cillian Smith, Chidozin Ugochukwu & Nicholas Anderson
Ushers:
Bob Kramer & Daniel Shults
Sunday, -August 16th
8:30 AM Mass
Lector:
Diego Pena
Altar Servers:
Granite Omvig, John & Andrew Wegendt
Ushers:
Jason Thompson & Jim Ashmore
Sunday, - August 16th
11:00 AM Mass
Lector:
Lorna Hornbuckle
Altar Servers:
Joey Zahrah, Andrew Haj Nasr & Zachary Tebcherany
Ushers:
Sammer Mati & Raphael Adam