ST. SHARBEL MARONITE CATHOLIC CHURCH

MICHIGAN SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST - SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

BIRTH OF THE VIRGIN MARY

READING 2Corinthians 4:1-6 GOSPEL Luke 8:16-21

SAINT SHARBEL CHURCH OFFICE

42490 Garfield Road, Suite 208

Clinton Township, Michigan 48038

Email: stsharbelwar ren@aol.com

Website: www.stsharbelwar ren.com

Church Office: (586) 826-9688

PASTOR

Chorbishop Alfred Badawi

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Dianne Bartolomeo

WEEKEND LITURGIES AT

BEMIS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 12500 Nineteen Mile Road

[Just West of Schoenherr]

Sterling Heights, MI 48313

Saturday: 4:00 PM

Sunday: 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM

FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTION AND PRAYERS

1st Saturday: 3:30 PM

SAINT SHARBEL FAMILY PRAYERS

22nd Day of Every Month: 7:00 PM Weekday

Liturgy at 7 PM followed by prayers

St. Matthias Church - Chapel

Sunday Following 11:30 am Liturgy

CONFESSION: Available anytime upon request and one-half hour prior to Weekend Liturgies.

BAPTISM & CHRISMATION: You must be a registered and active member of this parish. Please inform the Church Office when your child is born. Arrangements should be made with the Church three (3) weeks in advance of the date you desire to have your child Baptized and Chrismated. Godparents must be baptized, at least age 14 and must provide a letter of “Good Standing” from their lawful pastor. If you have any questions, please make an appointment.

MARRIAGE: You must be a registered member of this parish and fulfilling your financial obligations to the parish. Allow a minimum of six months for all necessary preparations including pre-marriage sessions. The Code of Canons for the Oriental Churches (CCEO) makes this time frame an absolute necessity. Exceptions will be made only for extreme, valid reasons. The couple to be married should themselves contact the church prior to making any other arrangements.

SICK CALLS: Please notify the Parish Office or one of the priests as soon as possible if a family member is in the hospital or nursing home. Please also notify us if any family member is a shut-in.

NEW PARISHIONERS WELCOME! Register in the Church Office dur ing regular hours or in the Sacr isty following Weekend Liturgies.

Please call St. Sharbel Church Office to make arrangements for

BAPTISMS, WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS

TO BE CELEBRATED BY CHORBISHOP ALFRED BADAWI

at St. Matthias Catholic Church. Thank you!

“Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Virgin Mary, of

whom was born the Sun of Justice…. Her birth constitutes

the hope and the light of salvation for the whole world…. Her

image is light for the whole Christian people.”

WEEKEND LITURGIES SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH 3:30 pm— First Saturday Devotion and Prayers

4:00 pm— Expectant Mothers, by Pastor 4:00 pm— Betty Bellomo, by Patr ick Sankuer and Family

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH 9:30 am— Expectant Mothers, by Pastor 9:30 am— Emily Hakim, by St. Sharbel Men’s Club 9:30 am— Albert Latouf, Sr., by J .J . & Rhonda Hotchkiss 9:30 am— Lawanda Davey, by Delores Eggen 9:30 am— Joseph Naughton, by Dr . Sam Nasser

11:30 am— Expectant Mothers, by Pastor 11:30 am— Abraham and Sadia Housey, by Granddaughters, Nadia Chamoun and Therese Sfire 11:30 am— Daher and Julia Chamoun, by Granddaughter , Rima Chamoun 11:30 am— Rose Souss, by Mr. & Mrs. Sarkis Doueihi 11:30 am— Maroun Koutani, by The Shaker and Breit Families 11:30 am— Betty Anne Shaker, by Mr . William and Mrs. Sandy Haddad

WEEKDAY LITURGIES ST. MATTHIAS CHURCH

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH 9:30 am— Elizabeth Anne Thomas, by Family

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH 9:30 am— Helen Shaker, by Family

WEEKEND LITURGIES SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH 4:00 pm— Betty Anne Shaker, by Family 4:00 pm— Alyce Bourjaily, by Shaker Family

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH 9:30 am— Daniel and Vicki Bojalad Special Intention 50th Wedding Anniversary, by Family 9:30 am— Lawanda Davey, by Fred and Sandy Sahadi 9:30 am— Anna Nahra 3 Year Remembrance, by Family

11:30 am— Michel Ziade 40 Day Remembrance, by Brother -In-Law & Sister, Tony and Wafaa Yammine & Family 11:30 am— Bashir Pierre Gemayel 33 Year Remembrance, by Mr. & Mrs. Antoine and Asma Gemayel & Family 11:30 am— Maroun Koutani, by The Shaker and Breit Families

St. Sharbel Church, Warren Page Two

READERS FOR:

Sat., September 5th 4:00 pm Helene Latiff

Sun., September 6th 9:30 am Kimberly Ejbeh

Sun., September 6th 11:30 am Raneem Sweidan - English George Fares - Arabic

READERS FOR:

Sat., September 12th 4:00 pm Dixie Hunrath

Sun., September 13th 9:30 am Staci Saker

Sun., September 13th 11:30 am Charbel Yammine - English Tony Abi Samra - Arabic

COLLECTION

August 30, 2015 - $4,376.00

May God bless you in return for your generosity

and support of your parish!

WEEKDAY MASS SCHEDULE

PLEASE NOTE:

Weekday Masses will now be celebrated on WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY

at 9:30 AM at St. Matthias Catholic Church

12311 19 Mile Road [Just West of Schoenherr]

Sterling Heights, MI Thank you!

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

Congratulations to

Tim and Chrissy Matway

on the birth

of their new son,

Santino Joseph Matway

And to the proud Grandparents

Vito and Char Fortuna!

May God bless this family with His abundant graces!

EVENTS AROUND THE COMMUNITY

St. Laba Hasroun Society Summer End Picnic

Sunday, September 13th, 2015 Lake Front Park in St. Clair Shores

Starts at 1 PM; BBQ at 3 PM For information and to RSVP

call Maurice Farah at [586] 996-9492

LACOM’S 2015 SOCIAL MIXER Friday, September 18th, 2015

7 - 10 PM Black Finn American Saloon

Royal Oak, MI For information contact info@lacom.org

call Maurice Farah at [586] 996-9492

HISTORIC CHURCH TOUR Monday, September 21st, 2015

Sponsored by Our Lady of Redemption Church $70 includes lunch

For information contact Susan Elek at [586] 939-0650

St. Sharbel Church, Warren Page Three

Akl Abiragi Elizabeth Abraham Sadie Abraham Jeanette Aesy Lou Albert Beverly Baca Zina Bassil Benjamin Benjamin Dominic Bologna Mary Bringer Paul Burch Amira Butrise Julit Daman Jennieve Danial Nemo Dawood Delores Eggen Faye Elias Jerry Elias Paul Elias Samira El Khoury Natalie Epstein Patricia Farrar Joseph Ferrante Anna Elias Gleason Kevin Goolsby Gerald Grzadzinski John Grzadzinski Ilene Grobbel Sylvia Grobbel

Donna Grund George Hanna Youssef Issa Hattar Don Herbert Judy Hindy Jacob Hirmz Joseph Jacob Barbara John Edward & Suham John Jason, Joseph, Jeffrey, Randa & Ashton Georgette Kaddo Najat Kalil Lena Kanan Marlene Khames Michael Kosinski Antowan Kriam Michael Kriam Janice Kroll Agnes Langschied Teresa Logan Matt Lomasney Mary Ann Lucas Lyndy Aldo Marchesi Saher Marry Joe Mattar Maureen McKernan

Michael Michael Brian Miller Peter Moffett Jr. Elizabeth Moore Rose Nader Sarah Neam Robert Niemic Tony Nofar Dolores Pustelny Sonia Ragland John Rubel Lorraine Rubel Salwan and Son, Sam Hiyam Salim Joseph Seman Silvana Ronald Simon Theresa Simon Georges Sleiman Christine Najor Smith Susan Emily Toma Victoria Toma Deborah Tosolt Tringali Family Laura Turkaly Daniel Warren Jad Yacoub Dennis Yezbick

Those Who Need Our Prayers

ENROLL YOUR CHILD NOW

Registrations are now being accepted for the Religious Education Program. Please enroll

your child now by completing the REP Registration Form. The forms are available at

weekend Masses and included in the email attachment of the bulletin. If you wish to

receive a form by email, please call the Parish Office and one will be emailed to you.

Classes will begin Sunday, September 13, 2015 and will be held at Bemis Junior

High School. Classes meet every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. until 11:20 a.m. All parents

have a responsibility to enroll your children in the classes and see to it that they attend

class every week and accompany you to Mass.

EDUCATION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are still in need of both teachers and aides to work in our program. If you would like

to participate in this important ministry, please see Staci Saker, Sue Malkoun, Fr. Alfred

or call the Church Office. Thank you!

St. Sharbel Church, Warren Page Four

Buy Your Tickets This Weekend!

TITLES OF MARY

OUR LADY OF LEBANON

(Arabic, ), سيدة لبنان also known as Notre Dame du Liban, is a Marian shrine and a pilgrimage site, honoring the patron saint of the Mediterranean country of Lebanon. The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch named her the "Queen of Lebanon" in 1908 upon completion of the shrine. Pope John Paul II visited the shrine when he made an official visit to Lebanon on May 10, 1997. He prayed that Our Lady of Lebanon who had watched over the agonizing suffering of the Lebanese people could help all those who were suffering in the world. Pope Benedict XVI launched an appeal for peace in Lebanon and Gaza by invoking the protection Our Lady of Lebanon on January 28, 2007. He said, "To Christians in Lebanon, I repeat the exhortation to be promoters of real dialogue between the various communities, and upon everyone I invoke the protection of Our Lady of Lebanon."

THEOTOKOS Mary's first and most important title means "God bearer." The title, defined by the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D., refers to the Virgin Mary as the Mother of the incarnate Son of God.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION The 1854 dogma issued by Pope Pius IX refers to Mary's sinless nature at the moment of being conceived by her parents. The Immaculate Conception was the first time a pope claimed a dogma to be infallible, even though the idea of papal infallibility would not be officially proclaimed for another 16 years. This is the definitive title of the Blessed Mother.

BLESSED MOTHER This seminal title derives from Gabriel's greeting to Mary at the Annunciation, where she is called "blessed" among all other women.

MOTHER OF MERCY Saint Odo, a 10th century abbot, is believed to be the first to call Mary by this name. In the 11th century, this title was incorporated into the prayer Salve Regina.

OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL Mary's appearances to Catherine Laboure in 1830 marked the beginning of modern Marian apparitions. Mary gave Sr. Catherine the design for this medal. The words on the medal prompted clarification on the Immaculate Concep-tion, which became dogma in 1854.

OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL This is Mary of the brown scapular. The scapular comes to us through the vision of St. Simon Stock. Many mira-cles have been attributed to the scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE This is the image Mary left on the cloak of Juan Diego. Our Lady called herself coatlaxopeuh, which means "the one who crushes the serpent." The word is pronounced "quat-la-supe," from which is derived the English version of "Guadalupe."

MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP This painting shows the Madonna and Child attended by the archangels Michael and Gabriel. The angels hold in-struments central to the Passion. The painting is heart breaking. The Christ Child, having glimpsed the instru-ments of torture, runs to His mother's protection. His right foot is bare, indicating He was so frightened He ran out of his sandal.

RAFFLE TICKETS Our Annual Raffle Ticket endeavor is a very important fundraiser in helping to bring needed funds to our parish. We take this opportunity to remind those who have not yet responded to our Gala Raffle Tickets that were mailed out in early July. Your par-ticipation makes our job easier to sort out the stubs before the rush of the Gala. Please take a moment, write your check, and return your stubs either by mailing them to the office, or simply by dropping them in the collection basket. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. In the event you need more tickets to sell or you have not received our mailing, please contact the office at [586] 826-9688 to request as many books as you need or so we may update your address.

Every Ticket Purchased will be Entered

Into a Special Drawing!

Tables of 10 are Available.

Call the Church Office for more information!

[586] 826-9688

UPCOMING EVENTS/MEETINGS September 7 Labor Day - Office Closed

September 11 Joy of Lebanon: “A New Beginning!” Gala

September 13 Religious Education Classes Begin

September 16 Family Fun Night Brigette’s Café 7 PM

September 20 LAS Meeting 10:30 AM

October 8 - 12 Relics of Saint Sharbel Visit

December 31 New Year’s Eve Party at the Palazzo Grande

St. Sharbel Church, Warren Page Five

PASTOR’S CORNER My Dear Friends in Christ, 9/11: The Day of the Attacks Fourteen years ago, 19 men trained by al-Qaeda carried out a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States that had been planned for years. The attackers simultaneously hijacked four large passenger aircraft with the intention of crashing them into major landmarks in the United States, inflicting as much death and destruction as possible. Three of the planes struck their targets; the fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. In a single day, these deliberate acts of mass murder killed nearly 3,000 human beings from 57 countries. More than 400 of the dead were first responders, including New York City firefighters, police officers, and EMTs. It was one of the most-covered media events of all time, and after a decade, the images are still difficult to view. These attacks and the global reaction to them have profoundly shaped the world we live in, so it remains important to see the images and remember just what happened on that dark day. Let us continue praying for peace.

Congratulations to Mr. Subdeacon Mike Magyar who has been accepted as Candidate in the Formation Program for Permanent Deacons for our Diocese. He has been attending classes on line and taking formation sessions for the past year. We promise him the support of our prayers as he continue his formation. Also remember in your prayers Mr. Joseph Ejbeh as he discerns his calling to the Subdeaconate Program in our Diocese.

The end of the month of August usually signals the end of the summer for me. Some of our college students have already returned to school. High school fall sports practices in Michigan have begun. Some of our high schools have already started their classes and junior high schools and elementary schools will begin this week or next. Preparations are well underway with our Religious Education Program which begins Sunday, September 13, 2015. Parish life dramatically picks up after the feast of the Assumption. We ask God’s continued blessings on all our parish education ministries.

Let us remember in prayer all those who are traveling at this time of year and our college students returning to their schools.

May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more. Chorbishop Alfred Badawi

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Turning the calendar page to September marks a new beginning in the lives of many who live by the academic year. Traditionally the start of the school year in the United States, this month can bring to mind the many calendars by which we live. There are fiscal years, academic years, television seasons, sports seasons—the list seems endless. Added to all of these is, of course, the liturgical year. A Christian of the first century or so would have been hard-pressed to understand what we mean by a feast day or holy day. That person would have understood Sunday as the primary feast day, and Easter as the primary Sunday. It was only over time that the Church began to set aside particular days and seasons to commemorate certain events or highlight selected mysteries of the faith. What has evolved over the centuries is a “map” of our faith, written on the days and seasons of the year. Some have observed that one will absorb all the major teachings of the Church in the course of a single year of Sundays if one is attentive. What a wonderful way to get Christianity “into our bones!” And best of all, there are no grades! —James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

WELCOME TO ST. SHARBEL TEMPORARY LOCATION We extend a cordial welcome to all who have come to worship

today. We are especially glad to offer our hands in friendship to

those worshiping with us for the first time.

MARY "No guile stained her sincerity.

She was humble in heart,

serious in speech,

prudent in mind,

sparing of words,

studious in reading.

She put her hope

not in riches

but in the prayer of the poor.

There was nothing gloomy

in her eyes,

nothing forward in her words,

nothing undignified in her acts. "

- St. Ambrose Speaking of Mary

LITURGICALLY SPEAKING

NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY SEPTEMBER 8th The Church has celebrated Mary's birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year in September. The September 8th date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 (nine months earlier). Scripture does not give an account of Mary's birth. However, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James fills in the gap. This work has no historical value, but it does reflect the development of Christian piety. According to this account, Anna and Joachim are infertile but pray for a child. They receive the promise of a child that will advance God's plan of salvation for the world. Such a story (like many biblical counter-parts) stresses the special presence of God in Mary's life from the beginning. St. Augustine (August 28) connects Mary's birth with Jesus' saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. "She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed." The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary's Son as the dawn of our salvation and asks for an increase of peace.

LEONARD THOMAS SCHOLARSHIP FUND Our gratitude to Mr. Leonard Thomas for once again making availa-ble the Leonard Thomas Scholarship Fund. We are now accepting names of candidates to be considered by the Scholarship Committee for the 2015-2016 school year. The candidate must be an active reg-istered parishioner, and attend Mass regularly to be considered. Please submit student’s name, parents’ names, school they will be attending, grade level, and a brief description of their educational and professional goals. All submissions must be made to the Parish Office by calling or email: stsharbelwarren@aol.com no later than September 8, 2015. Thank you.