6th Sunday of Easter
16 May 2004
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
When Father Bart arrived in Greenville six months ago to serve the spiritual needs of Maronite Catholics, we began an experiment in the lives of two parishes, St. Mary’s and St. Rafka’s, by hosting the activities of the new Maronite mission here. But with the installation this month of a new Maronite Bishop, that is about to change.
Bishop Gregory Mansour, the new Eparch of St. Maron of Brooklyn, has instructed Fr. Bart and the priests at three other mission churches that they must become independent of their Latin Rite host parishes, and as a consequence of the Bishop’s decision, the people of St. Rafka are making arrangements for independent residential and office space for Fr. Bart. Moreover, in an attempt to increase attendance at their Sunday liturgy, the Maronite Divine Liturgy will move from St. Mary’s to Our Lady of the Rosary, where they will be able to celebrate at 11:30 am rather than at 1:00 pm. This move will take place on the first Sunday of June, and the last celebration here of the Maronite Liturgy will be on Sunday 30 May.
Fr. Bart and I want everyone to understand that these changes are taking place for one reason only: the desire of the Maronite Bishop for each mission to become an independent, free-standing church. Fr. Bart will continue to assist at St. Mary’s as his schedule permits, although he will no longer serve as parochial vicar here. I am most grateful to Fr. Bart for his splendid contribution to our congregation in these six months, and I pray that St. Rafka’s will become a flourishing parish.
Bishop Baker is making every effort to provide another priest for us, but it will be several weeks before we know anything certain. In the meantime and since this transition will take place on Memorial Day weekend, we have decided to move to a summer schedule from Sunday 6 June through Sunday 5 September, Labor Day weekend. We will offer Mass on Sunday morning at 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 am, but there will be no Mass at 1:00 pm during the summer. The schedule on Saturday evening and Sunday evening remains unchanged.
Father Newman
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.