CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN MARY
216 - 8TH AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, 11215
TEL: (718) 788-5454, FAX: (718) 499-7702
WWW.CHURCHOFTHEVIRGINMARY.NET
[email protected]
Am I ready, O Lord?
(a contemporary prayer poem suitable to say as preparation for
Christmas Day)
Am I ready, O Lord?
Yes the presents are wrapped,
And yet, can I truly receive?
The gift of Your birth
Of heaven on earth
Can I unwrap now all that this means?
Am I ready, O Lord?
Yes the home is adorned,
And yet, can I truly believe?
The new light that came,
To shine love and bring grace,
Can I decorate my life with these things?
Am I ready, O Lord?
Yes, the meal is prepared,
And yet, can I truly feast?
The table is laid.
Will I take my place,
And know I deserve all You give?
Am I ready, O Lord?
Or am I confused by the gifts,
And the lights and meal?
So I'll pause, take some time.
I'll pray for a while and hold You,
And feel Your life breathe.
Am I ready, O Lord?
Yes, I'm resting in You,
And the gift of Your Kingdom to me.
I bathe in the light of Your hope to the world.
It's Your love
That completes Christmas Eve.
http://www.prayerscapes.com/prayers/times/christmas_eve_prayer.html
Prayer for those who work on Christmas Day
Lord! As I spend today going about my work, help me to
put aside any bitterness that I'm not celebrating at home
with loved ones. I ask You God, to give me a special
sense of Your presence as I meet people, that I may shed
on them the light of the Bethlehem Star, the Spirit of
Christmas. Amen.
Prayer before opening presents
Lord and Giver of all good things, the magi travelled for
miles to bring the Christ child the first Christmas presents.
So may we, too, remember with thankful hearts the love
that comes with each present we open. We also thank You
for the love You have for each of us, and we thank You
for the many gifts that You give us, especially the gift of
live itself. Amen
Christmas Tree Blessing
Holy Creator of Trees, bless with Your abundant grace
this our Christmas tree as a symbol of joy. May its evergreen branches be a sign of Your never-fading promises.
May its colorful lights and ornaments call us to decorate
with love our home and our world. May the gifts that surround this tree be symbols of the gifts we have received
from the Tree of Christ’s Cross. Holy Christmas tree
within our home, may Joy and Peace come and nest in
your branches and in our hearts. Amen. - Author Unkown
A Christmas Prayer for those who have suffered the
recent death of a loved one
God of compassion, there is such a hole in my heart! Today should be a day of joy, but I feel only emptiness and
loss. While the world celebrates around me, I remember
Christmas celebrations of the past and I long to have my
loved one with me. I bring my sorrows to You, Lord, like
some odd gift of the magi and dump them at Your feet. In
my blind tears I wonder if anyone can possibly understand the depth of my sadness. I know, You can. You sent
Your Son to be with us in our deepest sorrows and I know
that even though I might not feel it now, You are here
with me, grieving with me, caring for me in my sadness.
Dearest Lord, help me to turn to the one I miss so much
today and speak. Help me heal the loss of our parting and
help me not to regret the things I didn't say. Sorrow tears
at my heart, but today I ask that my loss soften my heart
and make me more compassionate with everyone I meet,
so that my loss may become a gift to others.
http://www.godweb.org/christmasprayers.htm
VIRGIN MARY NEWSLETTER - CHRISTMAS 2016
CHRISTMAS LITURGIES:
On Saturday, December 24th, at 9:30 PM, followed by a
Breakfast prepared by the Ladies Society,
and Sunday, December 25th, at 11:00 AM.
Merry Christmas!
NEW YEAR'S LITURGY:
Sunday, January 1st, at 11:00 AM.
Happy New Year!
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If something uncharitable is said in your presence, either
speak in favor of the absent, or withdraw, or if possible, stop
the conversation.- St. John Vianney
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OUR NEWS:
BAPTIZED IN CHRIST: Congratulations to Eugene & Carolyn Scott on the baptism of their son
Benjamin; to Malik & Lana Alassafein on the baptism of their son Peter; to Mario & Kristen Baladi on
the baptism of their daughters Riley and Madison; to Joseph
& Crystal Mele on the baptism of their daughter Ava Grace;
to Matthew & Christine Hayek on the baptism of their son
Nathan; to George & Theresa Kadour on the baptism of their
daughter Eliana; to Karam & Nermine Kamel on the baptism
of their daughter Elsie; to Nader & Enas Moussa on the baptism of their daughter Grace; to Steven & Maria Taveras on
the baptism of their son Stephen; to Alexandra Awad on the
baptism of her daughter Isabella; to Fares & Muna Almari
on the baptism of their sons Fayez and George; to Tamir &
Diane Choina on the baptism of their daughter Ania Hope; to
Jason & Lauren Rosen on the baptism of their daughter Emily; to Andrew & Helen Neploch on the baptism of their son
Leo Sadek.
ASLEEP IN THE LORD: We mourn the death of
Ivette Giancola at the age of 41. She is survived by
her husband Christopher and her son Leonardo Raphael; of Joseph (Joey) Atalla at the age of 22. He is survived by his parents Sami and Yvone and his sisters Stephanie and Natasha; of Mary Djaha Haboush at the age of 94.
She is survived by her daughters, Valerie Haboush and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, her sisters, Agnes and Gloria, and her
brother Joseph D’Jay and their families; of Isabel Lutfy at the
age of 92. She is survived by her children James, Jeanne, and
Carol and their families; of Adele Oakey at the age of 98. She
is survived by her children: Donald, John, Maryann, Edward,
and Richard; and their families; of Fouad Kalouche at the
age of 50. He is survived by his sisters, Nancy and Nisrine
Kalouche, and his brother, Fadi, and family; of Samir Antranic Stephan at the age of 54. He is survived by his wife
Roula and his twin Anto and Michael; his father Anto and his
mother Samia; his brothers Francis and Nader; his sisters Hiam and Abir; and their families; of Rose Nemnom at the age
of 95. She is survived by her children: Elias, Georgette, Antoinette, Lourde, and Tony; and their families; of Fadlallah
Romhen in Syria at the age of 93. He is survived by his sons:
Youssef, Rikny, Tony, Adnan, and Adel; by his daughters:
Nabila and Shoukrieh; and their families. Please remember
them and their families in your prayers!
O LORD OUR GOD, CROWN THEM WITH
GLORY AND HONOR: Congratulations to Saba
Laham & Shirin Aljunidi; to Julian Chin & Stephanie Eid; to Anthony Romano & Amanda Autar;
to Giselle Awad & Christoph Pielen on their weddings. We
wish them happiness, long life together and God’s blessings.
OUR Organizations:
PARISH COUNCIL: The Parish Advisory Council has
elected new officers. Congratulations to our new Chairperson: Albert Dekki; Vice- Chairperson: Elise Merhige; and
Recording Secretary: George Sayad.
LADIES SOCIETY: The Ladies Society
members have elected their new officers.
We
congratulate
Caroline
Sayad
(president), Raghd Cawog (Vice-president), Rosemary
Shabouk
(Recording
secretary),
Ghada
Dekki
(Correspondence Secretary), and Teresa Huegel (Treasurer),
wishing them a successful term in serving our parish.
FRATORITY: The Fratority re-elected Tony Sayad
(President), Adel Baghdady (Vice-President), Rania Sayad
(Correspondence Secretary) and Al Dekki (Treasurer); and
elected Karla Sousou as Recording Secretary. We wish them
a successful term in serving our parish.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION & ARABIC PROGRAM:
We resumed our Saturday Religious and Arabic Program in
October! The classes are being held at the Church of the Virgin Mary on Saturdays, 11am-1pm, October through April.
May God bless our volunteers for giving their time and sharing their talents to benefit the children!
PRE-NAMY: Meetings are held every other Saturday of the
month, usually at 5:30pm – 8:00pm. The preteens will be
involved in different activities and have fun. The goal is to
help them discover who Jesus is and embrace the relationship he has with them. New members,
grades 5-8, are always welcome.
NAMY: Interesting and exciting topics/
projects are presented/implemented in the
NAMY meetings/events by its members. If you are 14-18
years old (or in High School), and you are interested,
please join us every 1st and 3rd Friday of each month!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NAMYofCVM/
200 CLUB: Congratulations to our drawing winner
for April: Julie Behette; for May: Marge Merhige;
for June: George Jalinos; for September: Elise Merhige, who
graciously donated it back to the church; for October, Joanna
Succar; and for November, Michael Boutross.
VIRGIN MARY NEWSLETTER - CHRISTMAS 2016
EVENTS/ and
ACTIVITIES:
ONE FILM SERIES / CATHOLICISM:
Throughout the last few months we have
watched: Episode 2 of the series: “Happy
Are We: The Teachings of Jesus.” In Episode 2, now Bishop Robert Barron journeys
from Galilee to Krakow, Warsaw, NYC, Kampala, and beyond and presents throughout what it means to be a disciple of
Christ; Episode 9 of the series: “The Fire of His Love:
Prayer and the Life of the Spirit.” In Episode 9, Bishop
Barron explores how Faith transforms humanity through prayer, spiritual commitment, and the mystery of vocation; Episode 7 of the series: “Word Made Flesh, True Bread of
Heaven: The Mystery of the Liturgy and the Eucharist.”
In Episode 7, Bishop Barron explains the words, gestures, and
meanings of the Church’s Eucharist. All were followed by
questions and discussion.
ARCHBISHOP JEANBART OF ALEPPO: His
Excellency visited NYC and resided the Liturgy
on Sunday, May 1st. Again he addressed the threat
the Christians are facing in Syria and in the Middle East and asked for your prayers and support.
ADORATION ON THE FEAST OF THE DIVINE
BODY: On Thursday, May 26th, at 8:00pm, we came together in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. “Recognize in
this bread who hung on the cross and in this chalice what
flowed from His side…” – St. Augustine.
MOVIE NIGHTS: We have watched The Gospel of John:
Part 1 on April 22nd and Part 2 on May 28th. And we shared
food and snacks together with families and friend! On Friday,
June 17th, we watched St Vincent De Paul Movie (1947). St.
Vincent struggles to bring about peace and harmony among
the peasant and the nobles in the midst of the Black Death in
Europe, carrying on his charitable work in the face of all obstacles.
YOUNG ADULTS LOCK-IN: Our
Young Adults group organized a Lock-in
event with interesting activities at our
church, on Sunday-Monday, May 29-30.
All young adults (College Students) were welcome to join us.
CLASSIC GUITAR RECITAL: On June 11th we enjoyed
an evening of music from Argentina and Original Compositions, performed by Carlos Pavan. Cheese and wine were
served. Thanks to the Fratority who sponsored the event and
to all who joined in the experience!
PARISH PICNIC: on Saturday, August 20th
we joined together for a picnic at Round Valley Recreation Area in Lebanon, New Jersey,
despite the hot weather we spent a wonderful
time. Thank you to all who joined us.
THE LADIES SOCIETY – APPLE PICKING: On October 1st the Ladies Society went on
an Apple Picking Trip to Randolph, NJ, and
made a stop at the Townsquare Mall. All enjoyed
the trip and had fun. Thank you Caroline for organizing it!
PRE-NAMY: On Saturday, October 15th we
had Dodgeball Night for our preteen group.
All who joined us had a lot of fun!
ANNUAL CHURCH CELEBRATION: This year we had
our annual Celebration on Sunday, October 16th, at The
Dyker Beach Golf Course in Bay Ridge. It was a great success! Many thanks to the Luncheon Committee: Rami
Sousou (Chairperson), George Sayad, and Adel Baghdady.
Without a sense of caring,
there can be no sense of community. - Anthony J. D'Angelo
NAMY BOWLING: Our teen group gathered, on Friday, October 21st, for bowling and
socializing, and enjoyed their time together.
MOVIE OF ST BARBARA: We watched the movie of
Saint Barbara, on Saturday, October 22nd, at 7:30pm. Italian
with English subtitles. 100 min.
HALLOWEEN PARTY: On October 28th, the Fratority organized
and hosted this ghoulish evening
where many came to join us for fun,
food, games, dancing, and much
more. Thank you to The Fratority for organizing it and especially to the Chairperson, Reine Hourani, and the Halloween
Committee. It was a great success!
NUNS OF DEIR SAIIDNAYA: On
November 6th we were blessed by the
visit of the Nuns of Deir Saiidnaya,
Syria. We welcomed Sister Stephanie
and we collected donations for them.
We are proud to have wonderful and generous parishioners!
LADIES BREAKFAST: The Ladies Society sponsored a
Breakfast on Sunday, November 13th, following the Liturgy.
Everyone loved the “Foul Moudammas!”
THANKSGIVING DINNER: On November 19th we had our Thanksgiving Dinner.
Many brought their favorite dish to share
with family and friends. The evening was a
true example of what the spirit of Thanksgiving represents!
DABKEH
DANCE
FOR
YOUNG
ADULTS: On Saturday, November 26th, the
young adults who joined us enjoyed learning
Dabkeh. It was an exiting night filled with
laughter. Join us on Facebook at https://
www.facebook.com/groups/cvmYA/; We will be
organizing similar events in the future .
VIRGIN MARY NEWSLETTER - CHRISTMAS 2016
DECORATING THE CHURCH FOR
CHRISTMAS: On Friday, December 2nd,
our youth group, NAMY, decorated our
beautiful church with a generous and joyful
spirit and they did a fabulous job.
FEAST OF ST. BARBARA: On Sunday, December 4th, the Ladies’ Society celebrated the
feast of St. Barbara, during which they prepared
and served the traditional Sleeka. A Sweet Sale
took place as well. Many thanks to the Ladies Society!
CHRISTMAS PARTY - COME
AND CELEBRATE JESUS: The Fratority sponsored our Annual Breakfast
with Santa on Sunday, December 11th.
It was a wonderful day with the Nativity, children’s choir
and visit from Santa. Those who attended have enjoyed our
new program: Middle Eastern food, caroling, face painting,
taking a picture with Santa and much more…. Replacing our
traditional raffle, this year we offered new fun alternatives.
Thank you to Karla Sousou (Chairperson) and the Committee for organizing such a beautiful and meaningful party!
CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE: The parish is
hosting a Christmas Toy Drive for Catholic
Charities Brooklyn West Community Center
serving families with children from infancy to
18. These are low income families that come from varying
ethnic backgrounds from all over Brooklyn. With your help
the organization will be able to provide a memorable Christmas for these families. You may bring your toys and leave
them in the Big Gift Box. Deadline: December 18th.
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THERE IS NO NEW YEAR’S PARTY THIS YEAR
*************************
IS ANYONE HOME: Fr. Antoine has made himself
available to visit your homes on Thursdays. Reserve
your day online or contact the Rectory. Please don't
go through the trouble of preparing a meal; he will be
happy just to share a cup of coffee or tea with you.
o
ni
:
WWW.CHURCHOFTHEVIRGINMARY.NET:
Welcome to the fresh new look of our website. We have updated its template and it
became “responsive.” We added some
features: you may now share the Parish
Events; you can install the FeedReady App
on your
phone or tablet and receive notifications of our Events; you
may post your Ad as well… We hope you visit our website
and explore it!
INSTANT COMMUNICATION: Go to our website ChurchOfTheVirginMary.net and provide us
with your cell phone number. We will be sending
SMS messages to those who would like to join us. The purpose is to notify you of what's happening in our church, to
remind you of the different events/activities, and instantly
communicate last minute changes and notifications.
FIND US ON ROKU TV PLAYER: You may
search for “Melkites of NYC” and add our channel.
“Gratitude is heaven itself.” ~ William Blake
OUR LIVE VIDEO
STREAMING APP:
Search for “Melkites of
NYC” and install our App.
Important: If you are able to attend the Liturgy, don’t
watch it online; come and receive the Holy Gifts!
O
r:
SPONSOR A CHAIR/TABLE: Because of the generosity
of many we were successful in raising enough to order 240
new chairs for the Parish Hall and few tables. Thank you for
your support and generosity in keeping our church beautiful
and comfortable!
MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE REPORT:
Jobs Completed:
- Repairing the roof of the church = $15,110
- Installing a new Sound System in Church = $14,085
- Repairing and restoration of the windows of the church
from outside = $21,755
- Installing a new AC unit for the church hall = $14,500
DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!
Thank you to all who continue to support the parish
by your participation and your presence at the Liturgy and various parish functions, and by your generous contributions.
“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.”
- St. Ambrose
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Prayer for peace
Lord, the plight of our country is deep and the suffering of
Christians is severe and frightening. Therefore, we ask you
Lord to spare our lives, and to grant us patience, and courage
to continue our witness of Christian values with trust and hope.
Lord, peace is the foundation of life; Grant us the peace and
stability that will enable us to live with each other without fear
and anxiety, and with dignity and joy. Glory be to you forever.
“God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a
meek and thankful heart.” ~ Izaak Walton