Abouna's Message of the Month

Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus our Lord,


One more year of our lives is history. I take this opportunity to wish our beautiful community and its families a happy and blessed New Year, 2025, which is declared as a Holy Year. The Catholic Church describes 2025 as a Holy Year, based on the recurrence of every 25 years since the year zero of the Nativity of the Lord. By the way, one of our plans this year will include a trip to Rome to visit the Holy See and all the holy places in the holy city and other cities in Italy.


Despite the fact that we became creative in inventing new ways to preserve traditions and faith, it is always time to encourage each other to break down the walls and adhere to the traditions of our fathers and mothers, jiddoos and sittoos, in their commitment and dedication to their church and faith. With your help and assistance, participation and support, Holy Family is surviving and dedicated to growing by building the church of the future for your children.


The month of January came so fast. The New Year celebration draws us to the concept of time, history, past, present and future. It pulls our attention to all ages: childhood, teenage, young adulthood, adulthood, senior age and elder age. It reminds us that we are getting older as we wait for the surprises of the future and keep hoping that the Lord keeps us safe and healthy. If you just review in the last two years how many healthy, young or elderly people you know, relatives or friends, we lost and who are gone forever, you can understand what I mean .


The New Year reminds us that Jesus is the center of History and the Universe, the Alpha and Omega, He is the reference center. History with Jesus became BC and AD, where BC is before Christ and AD is Anno Domini (The Year of the Lord). All History is based on just One Date and all other dates are before (BC) or after (AD). This one year is the year zero AD of the Nativity of the Lord Jesus. All of our birth dates, baptisms, confirmations, First Communions, Weddings and Deaths have their dates, but the common point of them all is that they are all based on the year of the Nativity of the Lord. How blessed we are to have all humankind history based on the Nativity of Jesus.


Losing a beloved member of family, makes us think about the reality of life. We remember our departed and beloved ones in masses and liturgies celebrated in weekends and weekdays, as our Lord Jesus said: who eats my Body and drinks my Blood will earn eternal life, and who believes in me and gets baptized will have eternal life. On the other side, when a new family member is born, he or she brings joy and happiness to the family. We ask Jesus in the New Year 2025 of His Nativity, to keep us in hope and faith to witness His Love and Grace, hoping that this year be for His glory.

I take the opportunity to extend a word of thanks to all Holy Family parishioners and friends who showed a great generosity and trust toward me, the unworthy servant of the parish, in this season of Christmas and New Year, in sending me their beautiful Christmas cards and gifts. I consider this generosity as a kind gesture and will use it for the cause of the poor and the needy in the U.S. and in Lebanon. I hope to always fulfill my duties in the service of the parish. I would like to thank all church active teams especially the church councils, Ladies’ Society, Merry Nights, Faith Formation, Choir and Men’s Club, the MYO group and the MYA, decoration and maintenance groups, and Carolyn, our secretary, for all their efforts and contributions constantly shown for the church and community as well as our many donors who made many church projects possible. God bless you all. I express a special thanks to the Church Choir who did a wonderful job Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and who has worked diligently in preparing a wonderful Christmas concert that will be held Sunday, January 5. The concert, filled with a wide variety of songs will be streamed online, demonstrating the beautiful and important participation of our parish youth. Thank you all. Remember, you can watch and replay the concert by way of the church Facebook.


Thank you to the MYO youth team for their constant efforts in instigating and maintaining group activities again for youth age 13 to 17. I thank also the MYA team who are working on building and expanding their group and activities for all young adults of the community age 18 and up. Big thanks to our Faith Formation team for their dedication and commitment despite the lack of the usual number of children. This year the Faith Formation classes are attended regularly by five children who are getting prepared for the Sacrament of Holy First Communion that will be held in mid May. Thank you also, to the MYO youth group for their constant gatherings and valuable activities and our MYA team as they work to build and expand their group and activities for the young adults of the community, age 18 and up. A huge thank you to our Faith Formation team, for its dedication and commitment toward our children. This year, the Faith Formation classes are attended regularly by several children who are preparing for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, which will be held in mid-May.


The Holy Family Maronite Catholic Church is always known to be a place for faith, hope, charity and true love. As one family, the parish works to build these virtues in its members and witness the love and peace of Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic Church declared the first day of the year to be consecrated to pray for the peace in the World. Let us pray in this day for the peace in the World, especially in the tormented countries throughout the world especially in the Holy Land and the Middle East and in Lebanon where the last Christian stronghold in the Middle East is still surviving surrounded by an ocean of darkness and extremism and violence. May the Light of the Lord, shine upon this part of the World, and in all countries and nations. May the Lord Jesus keep the United States of America a land of Christian faith and peace and prosperity.


This month of January includes the Feast of the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, which is on January 6, where our Liturgy will include the ritual of the blessing of the water. On behalf of Holy Family, I take this opportunity to congratulate Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun whose birthday, baptism, Priesthood Ordination and elevation to the degree of Monsignor and then Chorbishop, all were held on January 6 of the respective years.


With your generosity, commitment and dedication, we were able to accumulate the majority of the funds needed for our plans of a limited expansion of the church building. The building committee and church councils are discussing the details and options. A project presentation will be held by the committees at church on Sunday, January 19, for the congregation, following the 10 AM liturgy. I take this opportunity on your behalf, to pay respect to the major donor to Holy Family church, during the last ten years, on his first anniversary in Heaven, our beloved Arthur K. Nasseff, God rest his soul and the souls of all the departed people of the community. God bless all very generous donors and contributors to the church. This growth is added to all the support and generosity that the Church members are showing to the church and to U.S. charities and to Caritas-Lebanon and the church families’ towns of origin in Lebanon.


During this month, we will have new parish and finance councils based upon the recent elections.


Let us pray for the unity of the diverse, and rich in traditions and spirituality, church under one shepherd, the successor of Peter, His Holiness Pope Francis and his teachings and guidance. At the same time we pray for his beatitude,e Maronite Cardinal Bechara Peter of Antioch, and for our bishop, Elias Zaidan, and all the bishops of the true faith. May the Lord guide their steps.


Happy New Year 2025, and God bless you all.


Yours in Christ Jesus,

Father Emmanuel Nakhlé-Ghorr, Pastor +

Copyright (c) 2025 Holy Family Maronite Church, Mendota Heights (v.25.02.a)