On the blessed Feast of the Little Flower, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, 1 October 2022 we rejoiced and gave thanks to God for his generosity – not only for the intercession of his saints but also on this dual-celebration that has gathered all the faithful at Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral.
Usually on the Feast of St Thérèse, we offer roses to the congregation in honor of the Little Flower, but yesterday we are humbled as our Maronite Bishop of Australia, N.Z. and Oceania, is himself offering to the Eparchy, two different roses. The fragrance of the Priesthood, bestowed upon our beloved Fathers Joe-Awtel and Robert-Pio, will transcend the perfume of any rose that we could possibly offer ourselves.
In the Episcopal motto of Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay “Openness and Faithfulness” we are grateful for the diversity of our Maronite Community in fulfilling this Call to Holiness through our members – by your prayers and works of mercy our Maronite parishes are continuously growing in openness and faithfulness, always giving the best of ourselves to God in loving service.
Fr Joe-Awtel’s motto “Whoever serves me must follow me” (Jn 12:26) is the path that our newly ordained Priest has always followed, and we pray that Fr Joe-Awtel will continue to encourage and direct the flock of Christ to also imitate his motto on their daily journey to Heaven.
Fr Robert-Pio’s motto “Jesus, remember me, when You come into Your Kingdom” (Lk 23:42) is a reminder for each of us that God’s Mercy is open to ALL and God never rejects the contrite of heart. We pray that Fr Robert-Pio will continue to be an instrument of God’s Love and Mercy to all those he may encounter, in imitation of his namesake “St. Padre Pio.”
May our newly ordained priests persevere in humble service throughout their holy priesthood, and may their families, with our entire Eparchy, continue to support and pray for them.
نصلي مع طلبة الكهنة و نقول: “أعطنا يا ربّ كهنة قدّيسين كي يُقَدِّموا
Fr Tony Sarkis – Dean of Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral.
It was a beautiful night, filled with joy and happiness, afterward, there was a celebration with all the crowd and a nice dinner was served.
