Feast of the Epiphany 2005

Maronite Voice and Maronites Today will combine

Dear Maronites and Friends,
This past year the Patriarchal Assembly has gathered Maronites from throughout the world in a most amazing synod and asked them to enter into a deeper solidarity with one another and with the Church Universal. A new day has dawned for Maronite Catholics in the United States

In that spirit we have consolidated our two eparchial (diocesan) newsletters The Maronite Voice and Maronites Today into one monthly publication, and have allotted space for the National Apostolate of Maronites (NAM) to publish their news as well.

We hope that this, along with our common advocacy for Lebanon, our joint efforts to take a Maronite census, and our common Seminary, Shrine, as well as our liturgical and catechetical texts, will strengthen our efforts to be one Church under our Patriarch and Holy Father.

We are grateful for the great work done by Fr Don Joseph Sawyer and volunteers at Maronites Today, which served the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon since 1994. This newsletter will now be part of history.  We are also grateful to Monsignor George Sebaali and volunteers at the Maronite Voice, it will now serve all Maronites in the United States, i.e. the Eparchies of Our Lady of Lebanon and St Maron.

We pray that this effort will deepen our active participation in the Church, so that together we may be proud of our Maronite heritage and association.  May our Lord Jesus Christ will draw us even closer to Himself in the Mystery (Sacrament) of the Holy Eucharist. In His Spirit, and for the good of His Church, we remain,

Yours in Christ,

+ Robert J. Shaheen
Our Lady of Lebanon Of Los Angeles

+Gregory J. Mansour
St. Maron of Brooklyn