Page One

BACK TO SCHOOL

                Summer Break has ended or is about to end; children, youngsters, and adults, are called back to the academic year.  What are the implications, in social, cultural, and moral terms?

1) Social Implications: The students are to be outside the ambiance of their families and particular community for several daily hours, facing different and variable influences and pressures, positive or negative. They may forge friendships or establish connections, with individuals or groups, that may end up being constructive or destructive forces in the building-up of their personality and character.

2) Cultural Implications: Public schools in most of our States and cities, as well as many private schools, reflect and carry, in their directives and programs, a secular culture that has no concern or consideration to what philosophers used to call "natural law". In the name of "freedom" or "privacy" or "personal preference", the secular culture does include heavy acts considered anti-humanity acts universally and for millennia.  They want our kids to believe that moral permissiveness, i.e. immorality by natural law standards, is nothing but a legitimate cultural variant. Indeed, they try to impose this kind of "culture" on the general body of students regardless of their individual conviction.

3) Moral Implications: The major moral issue of our time is the secular disregard to moral standards, even at the generic human level. "Sinning", in the sense of doing some immoral act, is not the subject of education at all. "Legal", or "Illegal" is the only allowed subject of education in our schools.  The consequence is: if you can avoid being caught, you have no problem. The disregard to "Conscience", as a personal and responsible center of moral judgment, i.e. as built-in reference for what is right or wrong, is the mark of our time and society.

Students and Parents facing their responsibilities 

                Parents must take these implications into their consideration as they send their sons and daughters to school. In dealing with this serious matter, I would like to formulate to the students of our community and to their parents a few concrete proposals:

a) It is an imperative to connect our kids to a vibrant community group.  Many parochial groups and sodalities are an excellent ambiance for peer camaraderie and a warm milieu for social constructive interacting. Joining one of them should make a real impact in the development of our youngsters, as well as the adults.

b) Participating in one of many spiritual retreats, organized by St. Peter Diocese, is a very efficient means toward the personal growth, human and spiritual, particularly for the formation of a sensitive conscience.

c) Sunday Mass must be constantly, for every student and for all parents, the focal point of the week, in order to renew from the celebration of the Eucharist their Faith, Hope, and Love, refreshing their souls, and binding them together as one community, committed to be the kind of evangelical leaven that transforms the surrounding society and culture.

                                                                                                                                 + Bishop Sarhad Y. Jammo 

 

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Page Two

 

A PASTORAL VISIT & RETREAT
At St. Mary’s Church in San Jose, CA

 

From August 27-30, 2010, His Excellency, Bishop Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, organized a pastoral visit to St. Mary’s Church in Campbell, CA, including a two-day retreat. The Bishop was joined by Archdeacon Msgr. Sabri Kejbo and Father Noel Gorgis. The Agenda of the visit included a two-day retreats (Friday & Saturday) with speeches by Mar Sarhad, Fr. Sabri and Fr. Noel. Followed by parables from the Gospel, Evening Prayer (Ramsha), and Eucharistic Adoration. On Sunday morning (day 3), Bishop Mar Sarhad celebrated the Divine Liturgy, during which service, he ordained one deacon and four sub deacons. Afterwards all church faithful were invited for breakfast with the bishop. Finally, on Monday the 4th day of the visit in the evening, there was a gathering of the Eparchial Bishop with priests, all ordained ministers & the invited faithful whom were selected to serve in St. Mary’s Parish boards and subcommittees, indicating to each on his/her personal assignment. The overall purposes of this pastoral visit were to refresh the spirit of Saint Mary’s Parish with scriptural knowledge and renew the hearts of the faithful with the confidence that Catholic teaching can instill in every faithful soul. The impact of the talks, meditations and preaching by the Bishop and the two accompanying priests was in accordance with the highest standards. The faithful in the parish understood the expectation that the Catholic Church has of every one of them, young and old. Also, in addition to the appointment of a new parish council and various subcommittees, and as part of the Diocesan plan in Saint Mary’s Parish, it was made public during this visit the following pastoral assignments:

 

1- Granting Father Youshia Sana, the pastor of Saint Mary’s parish, according to his request, one year sabbatical leave in which he shall     continue his theological studies in Rome.

 

2- Transferring Chorbishop Samuel Dinkha, the Associate Pastor, to Saint Paul Parish in Los Angeles, as its new pastor.  In this conjunction it was also made public that at the same time, Father Noel Gorgis, the Pastor of Saint Paul Church, will be transferred to San Diego.

 

3- Appointing Father Andrawis Toma Pastor at Saint Mary’s Church. All these assignments are effective as of September 15, 2010.

 

زيارة راعوية للأسقف مار سرهد يوسب جمو
الى كنيسة مارت مريم في سان هوزيه

 

من ضمن زيارة راعوية قام بها مار سرهد يوسب جمو راعي ابرشية الكلدان لمار بطرس الرسول في غرب امريكا، زار كنيسة مارت مريم في سان هوزيه ـ كاليفورنيا يرافقه كل من الاركذياقون الاب صبري قجبو الوكيل العام للابرشية والاب نوئيل كوركيس الراهب، وكان جدوله مليئا بالنصائح والارشاد الروحي لتدبير مستقبل الخورنة، ورسامة اربعة شمامسة رسائليين مع شماس انجيلي لخدمة المذبح كما تم أيضا تشكيل لجان جديدة لتمشية إمور الخورنة. كما تقرر ان يغادر الاب يوشيا صنا الى مدينة روما للاستراحة وتكملة الدراسة لمدة سنة واحدة بموجب القانون الكنسي الذي يعطي الحق للكاهن الكاثوليكي اخذها بعد مرور25 سنة من خدمته الكهنوتية واخذ بعض الدروس في حق القانوي الشرقي ويحل محله الاب اندراوس توما كوركيس الراهب. كذلك سيغادر الخوراسقف شموئيل دنخا خورنة مارت مريم ليستلم خورنة مار بولس الرسول في لوس انجلس ـ

 

 

 

 

 

The knights of Columbus for the San Diego Diocese Chapter elect the first member of Mar Toma Council # 1098 as a president of the Chapter,

                                         Kamal Alsawaf

 

       Kamal Alsawaf became the 53rd president of the chapter which started in 1955. The installation Mass at Saint Peter’s Chaldean Cathedral in El Cajon, CA, was celebrated by his Excellency Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, in the presence of Mar Bawai Soro, Father Michael Bazzi who is the Chaplain for Mar Toma Council, and the Chapter Chaplain Father Nabil Mouannes, with other clergy. Many decons, who are members of the Knights of Columbus, many Knights representing California state council, the San Diego Chapter and the local Mar Toma Council attended the celebration. What made the celebration more special is the attendance of many knights from the color corps. The State Deputy Ivan Reek performed the installation of the new officers of the Chapter. Kamal Alsawaf is one of the founders of Mar Toma Council at Saint Peter’s Chaldean Cathedral and was elected as the first Grand Knight in 1992. He held many positions with the council and then he was appointed as District Deputy from 2003-2006, treasurer in 2007, secretary in 2008 and vice president in 2009. Kamal was appointed as chairman for the Eastern Rites committee for the state of California. He continues to be a very active member of our local Mar Toma Council. Congratulations!

 

 

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Page Three

 

 

“THE FRIENDS OF THE HOLY CROSS”

By Sub Deacon: Kamil Salem

 

Jesus said to all, “Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps. Whoever would save his life will lose and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit does a man show who gains the whole world and destroys himself in the process? If a man is ashamed of me and my doctrine, the son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes into his glory and that of his Father. I assure you there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the reign of God.”

-          Luke 9:23.

 

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is asking each one of us who wants to be His followers to take up his cross everyday and follow in His steps. If the Christians only knew the value of the cross, they would walk miles to find it, for in the beloved cross is true wisdom. We are called to be friends of the cross and to live according to our reason and senses, living in the height of pure faith and inspired by deep love of the cross.
 

A friend of the cross will triumph over the devil, the world, and the flesh in their three-fold concupiscence. He crushes the pride of Satan by his love of humiliations; He overcomes his greed of the world by His love of poverty; He restraints the sensuality of the flesh by His love of suffering. A perfect friend of the cross is a true Christ-bearer, or rather another Christ, so that he can truly say, I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me. My dear friends, are we living in accordance with the noble title we bear? Or at least have we a real desire and a sincere determination to do so with the help of God’s grace, under the shelter of Christ’s cross and of our Lady of Sorrows? Are we walking along the true way of life, which is narrow and long way of Calvary? Those who do not possess the spirits of Christ, which is the spirit of the cross, do not belong to Him. Those who belong to Christ have crucified themselves, their indulgent passions and desires. Jesus tells us, “Let him take up”, that is, let him carry his cross and not drag it or shake it off, or lighten it, or hide it. Instead, let him lift it high and carry it without impatience or annoyance, without intentional complaint, hesitation or concealment, shame or human respect.  St. Augustine points out, “he who does not mourn in this world like a stranger and a pilgrim will not rejoice in the world to come as a citizen of heaven.” If your heavenly Father does not send you some worthwhile crosses from time to time, it is because He no longer cares about you and his angry with you. The one among us who knows best how to carry his cross, even though in other things does not know A from B, is the most learned of all. We are the members of the Mystical Body of Christ who is the head. If the Head is crowned with thorns, can the members expect to be crowned with roses? If the Head is jeered at and covered with dust on the road to Calvary, can the members expect to be sprinkled with perfumed on a throne? If the Head has no pillow on which to rest, can the members expect to recline on feathers? That would be unthinkable. If we are guided by the same spirit, if we live the same life as Jesus, our thorn-crowned Head, we must expect only thorns, lashes, and nails, that is nothing but the cross, for the disciple must be treated like the master and the members like the head.

 

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