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10325 RANCHO DESTINO RD. LAS VEGAS, NV 89183PHONE: 702-616-6902 stsharbel.lv@gmail.com

www.stsharbellasvegas.org

ST. SHARBEL MARONITECATHOLIC CHURCH

HOLY MASSESDAILY: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. English

SATURDAY VIGIL: 5:30 p.m. EnglishSUNDAY: 9:30 a.m. English

11:30 AM Arabic/Aramaic/English Sunday Catechism 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. before Masses

1st SUNDAY 11:30 a.m. Youth Mass & Luncheon

For confessions, baptism, engagements, weddings, blessings of your home or business, visiting the sick and the elderly, please contact our office 702 616 6902 or stsharbel.lv@gmail.com

For emergency only call Fr. Nadim CELL: 702 824 1444 FAX: 702-616-4032

IN THIS MONTHLY ISSUE

Church InformationPage 1 12th Sunday of Pentecost Page 2News from our Spiritual LeadersPage 3 Exaltation of the Holy Cross Page 4 1st Woman Martyr: St. TheklaPage 5St. John, the Beloved Page 6 God & LebanonPage 7 Faces & PlacesPage 8 Back to Roots: Journey to Lebanon Page 9 Pro-Life Historical TriviumPage 10 Filipino Cardinal Urge Prayer for Canonization of Blessed Pedro CalungsodPage 11 End of Summer Ballroom Dance Page 12 Good News for a Change Page 13 4th Annual Lebanese-American Festival 2011 Page 14 Advertisements Page 15 Our Community Life Announcements Page 16

St. SharbelSt. Sharbel

St. Sharbel Hermitage, LV

St. Sharbel pray for usSt. Sharbel pray for usAUGUST EDITIONAUGUST EDITION

Come experience the Holy Land Liturgy in English & Aramaic, Christ's language

Newsletter Newsletter Las Vegas, NVLas Vegas, NV

Tuesday 6-7 p.m. Rosary & Benediction 7-8:30pm Healing with Oil, Bible Study, Fellowship,

Praise & Worship English Wednesday 10:30 a.m. Rosary & Benediction Arabic

Eucharistic Adoration DAILY from 8AM to 8PM

Because by Your Holy Cross You have Redeemed the WorldBecause by Your Holy Cross You have Redeemed the World

“Take up your Cross daily and

follow Me.”

Luke 9:23

Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14)

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12th Sunday of Pentecost Reading: Ephesians 3:1-13 Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28

““O Woman, O Woman,

Great is your Faith!Great is your Faith!””

What is great faith? One, it is not about the doctrines you know. Faith is when you have nothing left and no other recourse, and in desperation you cling fast and call out to your God. Great faith is when God is all you’ve got and you wait for scraps from His banquet. The you realize God comes down with a feast for you.

Two, faith is when you are called a dog, you continue to act like human being, refusing to go down to the level of those who belittle you or want to silence you. Great faith is when you continue to believe in your cause against all odds.

Three, faith is when you do not give up hope, when you take anything for a beloved, when you sincerely believe in the goodness of your God, and when you firmly believe that goodness will triumph. Great faith is when you do not give in to easy solutions and despair.

The greatest faith is perhaps when you take as brothers event the people who are foreign to you, when you treat people as people and not as dogs, and when you love people more than your pet dog.

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 with September. The September 8 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 counterparts) stresses the special presence of God in Mary's life from the beginning.

St. Augustine 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.

Birth of our Blessed Mother Mary (September 8)Birth of our Blessed Mother Mary (September 8)

Lord God,the day of our salvation dawned

when the Blessed Virgin gave birth to your Son.As we celebrate her nativity

grant us your grace and your peace.Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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NNEWS & VIEWS FROM OUR SPIRITUAL LEADERS

World Youth

Day:

The Radicalism

of the Gospel

On Friday, August 19, 2011, while in Madrid, Spain, for World Youth Day 2011, Pope Benedict XVI met with young nuns at the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. He reminded the young women religious that Scripture is part of a living tradition, and

your own lives of fidelity to the calling you have received is itself a precious means of preserving the word of the Lord, which resounds in your various spiritual traditions. Recalling Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), the Holy Father urged the young nuns to embrace the "radicalism of the Gospel," which means "being 'rooted and builtup in Christ, and firm in the faith' (cf. Col 2:7)."

Your lives must testify to the personal encounter with Christ which has nourished your consecration, and to all the transforming power of that encounter. . . .

In a world of relativism and mediocrity, we need that radicalism to which your consecration, as a way of belonging to the God who is loved above all things, bears witness. True "Gospel radicalism" is never found in opposition to the Church but in union with Her, through communion with her Pastors who set forth in the Lord’s name the deposit of faith received from the apostles, the ecclesial Magisterium and the Christian tradition; communion with your own religious families as you gratefully preserve their authentic spiritual patrimony while valuing other charisms; and communion with other members of the Church, such as the laity, who are called to make their own specific calling a testimony to the one Gospel of the Lord.

Our Pope Blessing the Youth at Madrid, Spain

06 August 2011, 12:50

Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi visited the South on Saturday, the first tour of South Lebanon by a Maronite patriarch in 275 years.

On his way to the city of Sidon, he made a stop in Rmeileh where residents welcomed him with claps, roses and banners carrying the patriarch’s photo and welcoming slogans.

“We pray for the unity of the church, the nation and the society,” al-Rahi said. “The church cannot exist if their sons remain apart.”

After Sidon, al-Rahi will head to Jezzine.

The last Patriarch to visit Sidon was Semaan Awwad who toured the city when he was elected in 1736.

On Friday, al-Rahi made a pastoral visit to the northern town of Besharri where he met with the town’s political leaders.

Our Maronite Patriarch His Beattitude Bechara Peter El Rai

Makes Pastoral Visit to South, Prays for Nation’s Unity

Our Maronite Patriarch Bechara El Rahi visiting

South Lebanon

We can do so in part by supporting through our prayers for vocations and charitable contributions to those who embrace the consecrated life, but we should also remember that our own homes are a type of monastery, and our families are a type of monastic community. This is especially true today, when Christians find themselves besieged in an increasingly secular world "of relativism and mediocrity."

Nuns and monks and priests bear witness to the radicalism of the Gospel in one way; fathers and mothers and children bear witness in their own way. But all are united in the mission of the Church, to bring the Gospel to all nations.

While the consecrated life means "going to the very root of the love of Jesus Christ with an undivided heart, putting nothing ahead of this love," those of us who

live as laypersons in the world are called, in our own way, to embrace the "radicalism of the Gospel."

500 Youth Delegates from Lebanon

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Exaltation of the Holy Cross

(Roodmas)

September 14

Roodmas more commonly known simply as "Holy Cross Day" --was first begun to commemorate the Dedication of the Basilica ofthe Resurrection, built by St. Helena (Constantine the Great'smother), in Jerusalem in A.D. 355 -- but the true Cross was found shortly thereafter, also by St. Helena, so the two events were joined.

The story of the finding of the True Cross, from the Catholic Encyclopedia: In the year 326 the mother of Constantine, Helena,then about 80 years old, having journeyed to Jerusalem, undertook to rid the Holy Sepulchre of the mound of earth heaped upon and around it, and to destroy the pagan buildings that profaned its site. Some revelations which she had received gave her confidence thatshe would discover the Saviour's Tomb and His Cross. The work was carried on diligently, with the co-operation of St. Macarius, bishop of the city.

The Jews had hidden the Cross in a ditch or well, and covered itover with stones, so that the faithful might not come and venerate it. Only a chosen few among the Jews knew the exact spot where it had been hidden, and one of them, named Judas, touched by Divine inspiration, pointed it out to the excavators, for which act he was highly praised by St. Helena. Judas afterwards became a Christian saint, and is honoured under the name of Cyriacus.

During the excavation three crosses were found, but because the titulus was detached from the Cross of Christ, there was no means of identifying it. Following an inspiration from on high, Macariuscaused the three crosses to be carried, one after the other, to the bedside of a worthy woman who was at the point of death. The touch of the other two was of no avail; but on touching that upon which Christ had died the woman got suddenly well again.

From a letter of St. Paulinus to Severus inserted in the Breviary of Paris it would appear that St. Helena herself had sought by means of a miracle to discover which was the True Cross and that she caused a man already dead and buried to be carried to the spot, whereupon, by contact with the third cross, he came to life. From yet another tradition, related by St. Ambrose, it would seem that the titulus, or inscription, had remained fastened to the Cross.

After the happy discovery, St. Helena and Constantine erected a magnificent basilica over the Holy Sepulchre, and that is the reason why the church bore the name of St. Constantinus. The precise spot of the finding was covered by the atrium of the basilica, and there the Cross was set up in an oratory, as appears in the restoration executed by de Vogüé. When this noble basilica had been destroyed by the infidels, Arculfus, in the seventh century, enumerated four buildings upon the Holy Places around Golgotha, and one of them was the "Church of the Invention" or "of the Finding". This church was attributed by him and by topographers of later times to Constantine. The Frankish monks of Mount Olivet, writing to Leo III, style it St. Constantinus. Perhaps the oratory built by Constantine suffered less at the hands of the Persians than the other buildings, and so could still retain thename and style of Martyrium Constantinianum. (See De Rossi, Bull. d' arch. crist., 1865, 88.)

A portion of the True Cross remained at Jerusalem enclosed in a silver reliquary; the remainder, with the nails, must have been sent to Constantine, and it must have been this second portion that he caused to be enclosed in the statue of himself which was set on a porphyry column in the Forum at Constantinople; Socrates, the historian, relates that this statue was to make the city impregnable. One of the nails was fastened to the emperor's helmet, and one to his horse's bridle, bringing to pass, according to many of the Fathers, what had been written by Zacharias the Prophet: "In that day that which is upon the bridle of the horse shall be holy to the Lord" (Zechariah 14:20). Another of the nails was used later in the Iron Crown of Lombardy preserved in the treasury of the cathedral of Monza.

Scientific study of the relics of the True Cross show it to be made of some species of pine. The titulus crucis -- the wood on which the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" was written in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew (Matthew 27:37, Mark 15:26, Luke 23:38 and John 19:19) -- is made of an olive wood. The titulus has been scientifically dated to the 1st c. and the script is still legible (interestingly, the Latin and Greek are in reverse script), though the Hebrew is missing due to the entire thing being halved, the second half having been lost in the 6th century. It is from the Latin inscription -- "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum" that we get the abbreviation "I.N.R.I." that is found on many Crucifixes.

The titulus crucis and relics of the True Cross can be seen in Rome's Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

From the old Gallican calendar there came another Feast known as "Roodmas." May 3 was a day that celebrated the finding of the True Cross, and this Feast made its way into the Roman calendar when the two were combined together. It was celebrated liturgically pre-1962, and would, then, be celebrated by priests who use pre-1962 Missals. The May feast focused on the finding of the True Cross, while the September feast focused on the the dedication of the Basilica and on the rescuing of the Cross from Persians in 629. In the 1962 Missal, all of these are combined.

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The First Female

Martyr

We all know that Saint Stephen is considered the first male martyr in Christianity. But have you ever thought who is the first female martyr?

St. Thekla is one of St. Pauls disciples. When St. Paul left Antioch and came to a city named Iconium in the year 45AD, he stayed at the church, which was in the house of Oneisphorus. St. Thekla lived next door to Oneisphorushouse where St Paul was preaching. Virgin St. Thekla, who knew nothing

about Christ at that time, sat at a certain window in her house. From there, she both day and night heard Paul’s sermons concerning God. St. Thekla, who was only eighteen years old, was uniquely beautiful and betrothed to a man named Thamyris.

When she heard the words of St. Paul her heart was touched. She met St. Paul and became his disciple. She then refused to marry Thamyris and preferred her virginity instead, which was very strange in that idol worshiping society. She was put under severe pressure from both her mother and Thamyris but she refused to obey their will.

At last, Thamyris accused her before the governor, after she confessed her faith in Christ. When she was brought before the governor she refused to denounce her faith. The governor therefore ordered that she be burned to death. The soldiers therefore, took off her clothes and threw her in the fire. But God, who does not forget his faithful children, sent heavy rains that quenched the fire and she was set free.

After that, St. Thekla left the city and went to Antioch to see St. Paul, who rejoiced greatly after he heard about Gods work in her life. In Antioch another man, Alexander, seeing her beauty, desired her. When she refused to give up her purity, Alexander became furious and accused her before the governor of the city.

Upon refusing the governor s request to offer incense to his gods, he ordered that she be thrown to the wild beasts. Again they took off her clothes and threw her to the beasts in

a big arena, where many spectators were sitting watching. The lions however bowed down at the saints feet and did not touch her. Then God sent flames that surrounded her naked body, preventing people from looking at her.

On the next day, the governor ordered that she be tied to wild bulls and set them free to run around and hurt her body. St. Thekla was severely injured but Gods hand intervened, when He broke the rope that tied her to the bulls. The governor, not knowing what to do, decided to throw her into a den full of poisonous snakes. The saint, however, was not harmed and everyone glorified God.

The confused governor did not know what to do after he saw Gods hand working against him so he set her free.

After her failure to convince her mother to worship the true God, St. Thekla pursued a life of seclusion in a cave. This cave is now a big monastery after her name. St. Thekla preached and led many to the right faith. Her life was full of service and worship until her death. St. Theklahas a great place in the church around the entire world. Even though she died a normal death without the shed of blood, she is still considered the first female martyr because of all the pain she endured. St. Thekla

Chapel

at the

Antiochian

Village

O glorious Thekla, companion of Paul the divine,

you were enflamed with the love of your Creator, by the teaching of the divine preacher.

You despised the passing earthly pleasures, and offered yourself to God as an acceptable

and pleasing sacrifice, disregarding all suffering. Intercede with Christ your Groom

to grant us His great mercy. Amen.

FEAST DAY: September

24

Saint Thekla

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SAINT JOHN, THE BELOVEDSAINT JOHN, THE BELOVED

the feast of St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist. St. John is also my patron saint and the saint I try most to emulate in my daily life.

St. John, a fisherman, the son of Zebedee, and the brother of St. James the Great, was called to be an Apostle by our Lord in the first year of His public ministry, and he travelled everywhere with Him.

St. John is known as the Beloved Disciple, the Apostle of Love. Why was he identified in this way? John loved Jesus greatly, and he demonstrated a meek, mild, tender, humble, and peaceable disposition that made him very much like Our Lord himself. Also, his singular privilege of chastity, his virginal purity rendered him worthy of this more particular love.

As St. Augustine explains, "He was chosen by our Lord, a virgin, and he always remained such. Christ was pleased to choose a virgin for his mother, a virgin for his precursor, and a virgin for his favorite disciple. His church suffers only those who live perfectly chaste to serve Him in His priesthood, where they daily touch and offer His virginal flesh upon the altar.“

At the Last Supper, Jesus allowed John to rest upon His breast. John is the one apostle who never abandoned Jesus, but stayed by Him to the very end. John was the only Apostle present at the Crucifixion and stood at the foot of His cross. It is there that Jesus entrusted His mother to the care of His friend. Consequently, John took Mary into his home, loved her, and cared for her as if she were his own mother.

Upon hearing of the Resurrection, he was the first to reach the tomb; when he met the risen Lord at the lake of Tiberias, he was the first to recognize Him.

St. John spent his later life in Jerusalem and at Ephesus. He founded many churches in Asia Minor. He wrote the fourth Gospel, and three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation is also attributed to him. Brought to Rome, tradition relates that he was by order of Emperor Dometian cast into a cauldron of boiling oil but came forth unhurt and was banished to the island of Pathmos for a year. He lived to an extreme old age, surviving all his fellow apostles, and died at Ephesus about the year 100.

Patron: Against poison; art dealers; authors; bookbinders; booksellers; burns; compositors; editors; engravers; friendships; lithographers; painters; papermakers; poisoning; printers; publishers; tanners; theologians; typesetters; writers; Asia Minor; Taos, New Mexico; Umbria, Italy; diocese of Cleveland, Ohio; diocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Symbols: Cup or chalice and serpent (cup or sorrow foretold by Jesus); eagle rising out of a cauldron (refers to being a martyr of spirit, but not in deed); serpent entwined on a sword; grave; Prester John seated on tomb, with book, orb, and sword; eagle on a closed book; scroll of his Gospel; scroll of the Apocalypse; nimbed eagle; book.

There under the Cross of Jesus stood His Mother.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, behold, this is your son:”

And He said to John the Beloved, “Behold, this is your

mother” (John 19:25-27)

FEAST DAY: September 26

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Lebanon holds a very prominent and unchallenged place in the Bible. In chapter after chapter, we find references which reveal the eternal inseparable bond that exists between God and Lebanon.

The testimony of the Holy Bible, the most distinguished of all mankind's books of faith, is everlastingly present in the human consciousness of people in every corner of the world. And Lebanon, which is mentioned seventy times in the Bible, remains as everlastingly present in human consciousness as does the Holy Book itself.

It was in Lebanon that Christ performed "the first of His miraculous signs" and "thus revealed His glory" (John 2:11). It is in this chapter that we follow the footsteps of Christ in Galilee, where He attended a wedding in Cana(in south Lebanon) and, upon the request of His mother, "transformed water into wine." At first, He refused, saying "My time has not yet come," but then He accepted, realizing that the time had indeed come for Him to reveal himself as God. It was here and on that day that the Church of Christ on earth was established, transforming the wedding celebration of Cana into a celebration of salvation for all mankind.

It was also in south Lebanon, near Sidon, that Christ decided to extend his ministry of salvation beyond the house of Israel to become the Savior God of the universe. This happened in his encounter with the Canaanite (Lebanese) woman, who pleaded for His help on behalf of all those with no hope for salvation and to whom He replied, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15: 21-28 ), ( Mark 7:24-30 ). In that moment, the God of the universe responded to the Canaanite: "O woman great is your faith," and decided to take the bread destined for the children of Israel and cast it out across the entire world to all nations. It was as though Christ had remembered His Phoenician ancestry -- through Athlia who was the wife of Joram , the son of Joshafat, King of Judea, and the daughter of Isabel who was the daughter of Ethbaal, King of Tyre -and chose to launch His universal mission of salvation from the same land.

God And Lebanon

The most beautiful transformation, viewed as an event where heaven and earth embraced, occurred on Mount Hermon in Lebanon, known as Jabal El Sheikh. There, Christ was transfigured. His face, glowing as brilliantly as the sun, suddenly appeared to all as the incarnate light of the Lord of Heavens and Earth and Savior of Mankind. On this mountain in Lebanon, from a voice in the clouds, came this glorious confirmation to all those who denied Christ as God: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him." (John 12:25 ), (Luke 9:28-43 ) , (Matthew 17:1-8 ).

When Christ sent His disciples out into the world to spread His Word, it was in Lebanon - in the diocese of Marjayoun in Caesarea Philippi - that He handed over the Keys of the Church, "the keys of the kingdom of heaven”to Peter (Matthew 16:13 ) , (Mark 8:27 ).

All this has made Lebanon a blessed and sacred land. Christ lived His most gratifying , pleasant and significant days during His missions of preaching in Lebanon. In contrast, He endured the bitterness of exile as a child, the suffering of persecution and finally the profound pain of crucifixion and death in Palestine.

We invite you to come to Lebanon, to the land sanctified by the presence of Christ, to the country where the early Church was founded and where the enduring sounds of its bells still mingle with the eternal and glorious chants of angels.

The land and people of Lebanon open their arms to your visit and promise you a warm welcome in every way. We invite you to come and greet the third millenium amid its verdant mountains and alongside its glistening sea. Come and follow in the footsteps of Christ. Come and make a spiritual pilgrimage to His many sanctuaries and renew your faith. And when you leave, take with you a handful of Lebanon's sacred earth to cherish as a token of Christ's eternal blessings upon your home.

“The righteous

flourish like the

palm tree and

grow like a cedar in

Lebanon. “

Psalm 92:12

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There we were, Noelle, Jessica, Chris and I sitting on the roof of the Bethania facility staring straight ahead into the famous statue, Harissa. It was our last evening of the program and while everyone else was sleeping, the four of us chose to spend our last hours contemplating the last two weeks’ experiences and incredible opportunities we were given with the Back to Roots Academy. The roof overlooked the entire city of Beirut in all its beauty, its alluring lights, cars bustling, horns honking, light winds whistled in the background of our voices. This was the Lebanon we all came to love during our time abroad. As the four of us laughed over times spent in the bus, we knew that these were the subtle moments that bonded us, because we are all Lebanese-Americans visiting our homeland after a lifetime of being raised in the US. We all shared a specific identity, which allowed us to connect with each other in ways that weren’t possible in the US. Sharing laughter over kibbeh and khaftah, drawing commonalities over family behavior at home living with Lebanese parents and cousins took us all into a haze of smiles and laughter. Many days on the trip I found myself looking around at the other participants as the feeling of pure content and belonging came over me. However, personal growth and connections were not the only amazing things to come out of the Back to Roots Academy.

Back to Roots:

Journey Back to Lebanon

A full schedule everyday kept us moving and learning constantly. A phenomenal visit to the Maronite Patriarch, Beshara Boutros el Rai, was where we began our journey. Next was the Lebanese President, Michel Sleiman and the Greek Orthodox Bishop, Elias Audi. Each visit offered eye-opening perspectives, whether it was the Patriarch’s and the Bishop’s beautiful, wise words or President Sleiman’s encouraging speech to us about the future of Lebanon. Travelling by bus to breath-taking towns such as Arez to visit the Cedars, Zahle, and Deir el Ahmar only filled the two weeks with more enthusiasm. Another very memorable visit with inspirational journalist, May Chidiac, only added to the experience. Aside from travels and official visits our group also had extensive lectures from astounding speakers, including a journalist explaining the Arab Spring Movement and Social networks, a former Minister of Finance of Lebanon, and a speaker who previously worked for the IMF (International Monetary Fund). The trip, fully funded and hosted by the Lebanese Information Center, only ignited my passion and attachment toward the land of my ancestors. I highly recommend this program to college-aged, Lebanese individuals who are not only interested in gaining knowledge about their heritage, but who also seek to make new connections within their Lebanese community. The Back to Roots program’s stated mission is to “plant cedar leaders around the world;” it is an incredible honor and opportunity of a lifetime, so if anyone would like any further information please feel free to contact me via email at cast6059@pacificu.edu.A phenomenal visit to the Maronite Patriarch, is

Beatitude Beshara Boutros el Rai & the Youth

By: Michelle Castro

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FACES & PLACESFACES & PLACES

Feast of the Assumption of Mary (Augst 14):

children gather around our Mother Mary

in procession

“Mother Mary, be our Mother today!”

Celebrating Abouna’s Birthday 21 August: with the children around him

feels good to be young at heart. Mass in loving memory of Late Joseph Bechalani (1 year)

Indian priest Syro-Malabar Fr. Sunny with Fr. Nadim.

In photo: 10th year Wedding Anniversary for Sajin, Joseph,

Daisy, Divon, Gensi & SojiVellookunnel

Our annual Festival Planning Team In photo from left: Nat El Riyachi, RaymundaDagher, Nadia Zarka, Ned Madonia, BassamDagher, Bachir Karam, Paula & Eddie Rizk

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Pro-Life historical triviumExactly 17 years ago today, a pro-life rally was held in the Luneta to denounce the US agenda for the Cairo Conference on Population and the government population control programs spearheaded by the DOH. It was a pleasant Sunday. The Philippine Daily Inquirer placed the headcount at 1.2 MILLION rallyists, the crowds extending from the grandstand all the way to Taft Avenue. That was when the Archdiocese of Manila was composed ofover 280 parishes. It also served as a dry run for the 10th World Youth Day Vigil which was to take place in the same venue six months later.

The day after the massive rally, August 15, 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos called for a truce, and sent the Cairo Conference delegation to CBCP to dialogue with Bishops and lay experts on the issues. It was the first time that an actual sealed copy of NSSM 200 from the US National Archives was revealed to the Filipino public.

President Ramos ordered Dr. Flavier to refrain from attacking Cardinal Sin and the clergy, and there was to be a moratorium on anti-Church propaganda until after the Cairo Conference. It was the Solemnity of Our Lady's Assumption.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden ..." ~ Luke 1:41-48

Sliding Fees

When a lawyer tells you he has a sliding fee schedule, what he means is that after he bills you, it is financially hard to get back on your feet.

TIME TO LAUGH

Another Collection Agency

A woman has finally figured out how to stop unsolicited "chance of a lifetime“ offers by telemarketers. She enthusiastically welcomes these calls by saying, "Oh, thank you so much for calling! I am so grateful that someone is still willing to sell me something. I thought you were just another collection agency.“

Costly Advice

A lawyer's dog ran into a butcher shop and stole a roast. The butcher went to the lawyer's office and asked him, "If a dog is without a leash and steals a roast from my store, do I have the legal right to require payment for the meat that was taken from me?" The lawyer answered the butcher, "Oh yes, absolutely.“ "The dog was your dog, the meat was my meat, and according to your own advice you owe me ten dollars for the meat your dog took from me today." The lawyer agreed with the butcher and immediately wrote the butcher a check for ten dollars. A few days later the butcher received a letter from the lawyer. The butcher opened the envelope and found an invoice for sixty dollars for the lawyer's consultation fee.

Really Dead Debtors

My sermon for the morning was on the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." The children are always excused just before my sermon for their own children's church, where the leaders use my text for their lesson. So during the course of the session they asked the children, "What is a debtor?“Rachel, a five year old, responded, "It's someone who is really, really dead. There's dead and then there's really, really dead.“

11

Cardinal Vidal urges prayers for canonization of Blessed Calungsod

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal is encouraging the public to continue to pray for the canonization of Visayan martyr Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

In a circular dated October 6 and published by the official newsletter of the archdiocese, Cardinal Vidal said he is grateful for the prayers uttered last week during the inquiry at the Vatican.

“The Vatican inquiry last week was the first of a series, which we hope will lead to a successful conclusion,” he said.

The special prayer has English and Cebuano versions to have Blessed Pedro declared a saint.

He encouraged “all church organizations and prayer groups to pray it in their usual gatherings.”

He also suggested that the same intention be included in masses, particularly in the general intercessions or Prayer of the Faithful.

It was the late Pope John Paul II who declared Blessed Pedro Calungsod the first Visayan martyr in 2000.

Calungsod’s exact birthplace could not be traced due to lack of records.

He became known through the documents of Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores, the Spanish priest he accompanied to the village of Tomhom in the island of Guam.

Calungsod and San Vitores were executed by natives for being Christians and for spreading the Catholic faith.

The Archdiocese of Cebu celebrates the feast day of Blessed Pedro Calungsod on April 2.

Blessed Pedro Blessed Pedro CalungsodCalungsod

At least three towns in the Philippines claim to be the probable birthplace of the 17th century young Filipino named Pedro Calungsod. These towns are:

• Ginatilan, Cebu

• Tuburan, Cebu

• Loboc, Bohol

Pedro Calungsod was the faithful companion of Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores, S.J., who did missionary work in the Philippines (Taytay, Manila, Santa Ines, Santa Barbara, Marilaya, Mindoro, etc.) between the years 1662-1667. In 1668 a Jesuit Mission went to the LadronesIslands (now MarianasIslands) with Fr. Diego as mission superior. Seventeen Filipinos including Pedro Calungsod, formed part of the mission team.

BLESSED PEDRO CALUNGSOD: FIRST FILIPINO BLESSED

THE LIFE OF BLESSED PEDRO CALUNGSOD

Feastday:Feastday: April 2April 2

Birth: 1654 Birth: 1654 Death: April 2, 1672 Death: April 2, 1672

On April 2, 1672, Calungsod accompanied Fr. Diego to a place called Tumhon when they were attacked by a man who resented their missionary activities. Calungsod could have abandoned the priest and save his own life. He was agile, he could have tried to escape—run to the poblacionperhaps, or flee to the nearby woods. But there was no thought of this for Calungsod. He chose to defend the beleaguered priest. And if he could not save the priest's life, then he was ready to die with him who had been his teacher, father, and friend.

Pedro dodged the spears and darts thrown in his direction. But finally, a spear pierced his chest and he fell mortally wounded. Another spear found its mark on Fr. Diego's breast and he fell to the earth beside his faithful companion.

Pedro Calungsod was beatified on March 5, 2000 by Pope John Paul II.

Prayer to Blessed Pedro Calungsod

Almighty God, by whose gift Blessed Pedro, the martyr, witnessed to the Gospel even to the shedding of his blood: grant, by his example and

intercession, that we too may live for you, boldly and steadfastly confessing your name through our Lord,

Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,

for ever and ever. Amen.

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"Dear children; Today I call you to be born anew in prayer and through the Holy Spirit, to become a new people with my Son; a people who knows that if they have lost God, they have lost themselves; a people who knows that, with God, despite all sufferings and trials, they are secure and saved. I call you to gather into God’s family and to be strengthened with the Father’s strength. As individuals, my children, you cannot stop the evil that wants to begin to rule in this world and to destroy it. But, according to God’s will, all together, with my Son, you can change everything and heal the world. I call you to pray with all your heart for your shepherds, because my Son chose them. Thank you."

Our Lady’s message to Mirjana Soldo of August 2nd, 2011

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We will be starting our First Eucharistic Adoration Vigil

on September 2 & 3 (1st Friday & Saturday of the Month)

Contact for Adoration:

Eilleen O’ Bryan 702-818-6254Ran Contreras 702-300-3827 Leila Guevarra 773-931-5465Marion Rody 702-574-5493 Ernie Comilang 702-683-2883 Tina Digal 310-869-2007 Eva Maalouf 702-324-9614

Those who would like to have House Enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary

Contact :

Eilleen O’ Bryan 702-818-6254Ran Contreras 702-300-3827 Leila Guevarra 773-931-5465Marion Rody 702-574-5493

Sign up (Yellow Application Form) for ½ or an hour

with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration

Daily 8am-8pm

Tuesday: Rosary & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

at 6pm

GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE

ord Jesus, we pray that all people

will know, love and serve You,

ven those who do not know You.

y Your Spirit, we pray that

hundreds of thousands of children

nd their families will believe that You

are the Messiah and Savior, and

ot one of them will miss the Gospel

message. We pray for protection

ver the children in the time of War,

and Your Peace and love

ever to leave them as they trust in

You.

141414

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Wayne BieniaszFinancial Advisor2571 Anthem Village Dr. Suite 3 Henderson, NV 89052Bus. (702) 2603005 Fax (856) 452305TF: (877( 2603005www.edwardjones.com

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Sat: 9am-5pm Closed SunNATURAL STONE VENEERNATURAL STONE VENEER

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Donation goes to St. Sharbel Mission

EVERYTHING PHOTOGRAPHY

Kozhaya Awad(401) 578-9191

2620 Regatta Drive Las Vegas NV 89128

(702)251-4237 (702) 251-4238 www.everythingphotographyLV.com

For advertisement please call Angelo

at 702 616 6902 or send message to

stsharbel.lv@gmail.com

AFFORDABLE AFFORDABLE TREE SERVICETREE SERVICE

Free Estimate

Eric Callahan Tel: (702) 837-5000

Lic. 001189-512-3

ST. SHARBEL MUSIC MINISTRY

Come join us. Practice every

Saturday at 4pm & Sunday at 8:30am.

For inquiries call Angelo at (702) 7881648

Register online Register online at at

www.stsharbel.www.stsharbel.partners1st.compartners1st.com

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For advertisement please call Angelo at 702 616

6902 or send message to

stsharbel.lv@gmail.com

““To keep a lamp burning To keep a lamp burning we have to keep we have to keep putting oil in it.putting oil in it.””

Mother Teresa

LAW OFFICE OF MURIEL GUND

Maria Aletha ParasLegal Assistant

6480 Spring Mountain Rd. Suite 2 Las Vegas, NV 89146

Office: (702) 431-0757 Cell: (702) 217-0332 Fax: (702) 431-0159

ITALCREAM INC

Adriano ParenteVice President

3871 Valley View Blvd., Unit 45 Las Vegas, NV 89103

Tel; (702) 873-2214 Fax: (702) 873-9388

Email: italcreaminc@aol.com Website: www.italcream.com

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1) 2nd COLLECTION: 1st Sunday of each month for the Building Fund

2) MOVIES: We would like to invite you to enjoy our movies. If you wish to donate DVD’s for our library, drop it to our Church office or contact Tina Digal.

3) CHAIR: Remember to book now your commemorative family chair.

4) All welcome to join us after Mass for coffee & fellowship. If you wish to help, contact Tina Digal.

WEEKEND

Saturday 27 Aug 5:30pm Healing & Unity of Families

Sunday 28 Aug 9:30am+ Michael Whitebech (1 year)

Sunday 11:30 am Peace in the Middle East

Reverend Father Nadim Abou Zeid MLMSt. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Mission. Las Vegas, Nevada.abnadim@gmail.com Tel. (702) 616 6902

OUR COMMUNITY LIFE ANNOUNCEMENTS

DAILY 8AM

MONDAY August 29Faithful Departed

TUESDAY August 30Unity of Families

WEDNESDAY August 31Peace in the World

THURSDAY September 1Unity of Nations

FRIDAY September 2Unborn Babies

WEEKLY COLLECTION

Saturday 8/20/2011 5:30pm $ 407

Sunday 8/21/2011 9:30am $ 407

8/21/2011 11:30am $ 1,362Total $ 2,176

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MARRIAGE

BANNS

(1st Publication)

•Wasim

Faranesh

& Julianna

Joubran

“My heart & Your Heart,

We Beat as One”

We must not give only what we have; we must give what we are.

Cardinal Mercia