The Vine الكرمة

1. The Vine الكرمة WEEK OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE JUST Our Lady of Peace - Calgary Our Lady of Good Help - Edmonton February 2009  Day 8: Prophet Zachary  Day 9: Saint Maron  Day 10: Saint Appolina & Dorotia, martyrs (females)  Day 11: Saint Carlimpos  Day 12: Saint Maltius, patriarch of Antioch& Saint Alexander the charcoal maker  Day 13: Saint Martin the Hermit  Day 14: Saint Valentine Rev. Fr. Esper Antoun - Pastor Deacon Michel Kassas – Assistant 504, 30th Ave. N.W 9809, 76th Avenue Calgary, AB T2M 2N6 Edmonton, AB T6E 1K6 Phone: 403-289-8954 Phone: 780-433-8571

2. WEEK OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE JUST A Reading from the letter of Hebrews (Hebrews 12:18-24) Brothers and Sisters: You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Praise be to God always! Intercession Prayers God our Father, you sent Saint Maron to preach your glory to the people of Middle East. By the help of his prayers, may all Christians proclaim your love to all men. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. We pray to the Lord. 1-Lord, our God, you graciously chose St. Maron as patroness of those afflicted with war. He is an inspiration and a symbol of charity to the thousands who ask his intercession. We pray to the Lord. 2- We beg you, Lord, to hear the prayers of St. Maron on our behalf. Grant all those for whom we pray patience in their sufferings and resignation to your divine will. Please fill them with hope, and grant them the relief and cure they so much desire. We pray to the Lord. 3- O glorious Saint Maron, who by his hermitage has left to the Church a precious witness to the faith, obtain for us the grace to preserve within ourselves this divine gift, and to defend, without human respect, both by word and example, the truth of that same faith, which is so wickedly attacked and slandered in these our times. We pray to the Lord.

3. WEEK OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE JUST A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (Matthew 25:31-46) The Lord Jesus Said: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” This is the truth. Peace be with you. St. Maron’s Prayer We got named after you, our father And in you our hope is strong Be in the hardships, our refuge And direct our struggles to a good end

4. WEEK OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE JUST Masses Schedule FEBRUARY 2009 Sunday 1st February 2009 Our Lady of Peace Calgary 6:00 pm Our Lady of Good Help Edmonton 11:00 am (English) 12:00 Noon (Arabic) Sunday 8th February 2009 Our Lady of Peace Calgary 11:00 am Our Lady of Good Help Edmonton 11:00 am (English) 12:00 Noon (Arabic) Sunday 15th February 2009 Deacon Michel Kassas Ordination at Our Lady of Peace Calgary at 12:00 Noon Sunday 22nd February 2009 Thanksgiving Mass For Newly Ordained priest Michel Kassas at Our Lady of Good Help Edmonton at 12:00 Noon Sunday March 1st 2009 Our Lady of Peace Calgary11:00 am Our Lady of Good Help Edmonton 11:00 am (English) 12:00 Noon (Arabic) Saint Maron The Patron of the Maronites St. Maroun, born in the middle of the 4th century in Syria, was a priest who later became a hermit, retiring to a mountain of Taurus in the region of Cyrrhus, near Antioch. His holiness and miracles attracted many followers, and drew attention throughout the empire. St. John Chrysostom sent him a letter around AD 405 expressing his great love and respect, and asking St. Maron to pray for him. St. Maroun was able to convert a temple into a Christian Church. This was to be the beginning of the conversion to Christianity in Syria which would then influence and spread to Lebanon. After his death in the year 410, his spirit and teachings lived on through his disciples and today he lies in "brad" village to the north of Aleppo. Our Lady of Good Help – Edmonton Our Lady of Peace – Calgary www.mcparish.org www.mcparishcalgary.org