31/10/2026
𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩’𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 | 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 🕊
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“And you, who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). The question that Jesus asked His disciples more than 2,000 years ago is also addressed to each one of us today. We who have been baptised in the Christian faith, who have experienced the presence of Jesus and received Him in the Eucharist, what place do we give Him in our lives? Who do we say that He is?
This Sunday marks the beginning of a new Maronite Liturgical Year, with the Sunday of the Consecration of the Church. As Maronites, we begin this year by joining Peter the Apostle in his profession of faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
What does our world say about Jesus Christ? What do our friends and families say? In a world filled with so many different opinions and ideas, do we remain faithful to Christ and witness to His truth through the way we live? Peter’s profession of faith became the constant proclamation of the Church throughout the centuries. The Church is a living community of believers, with each of us called to contribute to its life and mission.
This Sunday also marks an important step in our preparations for the 𝐄𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲, which will take place on 30 April and 1 May 2027, under the theme “𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐴𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑐ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠: 𝐴 𝐽𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝐴𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑢𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡.”
We officially launch our Eparchy-wide Synodal Journey Survey, inviting every member of our Maronite community to share their experiences, hopes, and aspirations for the future of our Church.
This is an opportunity for us to listen to one another and reflect together on the life and mission of our Eparchy. I encourage all our parishioners, young and old, to take the time to complete the survey. Your voice matters, and your contribution will help shape the future of our Eparchy.
Let us begin this new liturgical year and our journey towards the Eparchial Assembly with open hearts, guided by the question: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧?
I wish you a blessed Sunday!
+ 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐲