St. Anthony of Padua Maronite Church: Guidelines, alert & precaution, against COVID-19

...If I send a plague among My people, 14and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 15Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.…. 2 Chronicles 7:13b-15

​

Out of prudence and charity to all, and abiding to the Ecclesiastic and Civil authorities' orders, ALL activities, EXCEPT the private celebration of the Divine Liturgy (Mass) are Suspended until further Notice. (ONLINE STREAMING ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE).

Daily: M-F 6:00 pm (online)

Saturday: 4:00 pm (online)

Sunday: 10:30 & 6:00 pm Arabic (online)

​

Please contact Fr. George, 513-917-3333, to schedule confession, outside of Liturgy communion and for individual prayer in the chapel, or for any other spiritual need).

​

Please pray wholeheartedly for the victims, healthcare and first responders, and
scientists who are researching for the cure.

​

-OUR LESSON: REPENT & DON’T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED.

Sunday of the HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN

This week we were ordered to stay in our homes. Doubtless this is a factor in containing the infection rate in Ohio and Kentucky, and we thank our leaders for taking decisive action at a time when everyone was scrambling to determine an appropriate strategy. Emergencies often reveal our unconscious assumptions and deeper motivations. Even at this early stage, I think Corona has revealed our inclination to isolation: how quick we are to pull back from others. We've become a nation of hermit crabs! C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce, describes hell as isolation—people moving ever farther away from each other. Hell is a vast dark plain broken only by a few widely-separated houses, each inhabited by only one person.
I am a professional religious, so to speak, and I “build” community. The Latin word religion means to re-connect, to re-ligare, meaning literally to “re-tie” two pieces together again. Syriac/Aramaic word for Church is of the KNS, meaning to gather (where the word sweep comes from). Religion begins with re-establishing our tie with God, and from there our tie with those around us. To do that we need open churches, as much as is possible. We need a House (of God) where all are welcome and all feel at home, in proximity with others (as much as is possible in a time of pestilence). It seems to me  that some bishops were too quick to close our churches and forbid the sacraments, isolating people even more than the government required. Locked churches isolates people not only from each other but even from the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It is quite possible to keep large churches open safely, (...Continues on page 2) (...Continues from page 1) by marking out distances, by sanitizing, by letting in only a certain number of people at a time. The supermarkets and coffee shops do it. Why can’t “religion,” whose essential business is to build community (with God first, and therefore with the entire human family)?
We are all trying to figure out “Why is God allowing this?” but I know that everything works for the good for those who love God (Rom 8:28). Is He using the Virus to clarify what is most important to us?. We have all become worldly, and a bit “agnostic.” Bodily health has become all-consuming to us. Agnostics think this life is all we get, and so dying is to be avoided at all costs. We should not be naïve: most of our media and government executives do not believe in God as we know Him; they suffer a hysterical fear of death, and they spread this fear to others. A noble and rational person would give his or her life for justice, beauty, honor, love, and above all for faith (as do the martyrs). They know that it is better to die for love than to live without it. God’s gift of faith, hope, and charity frees us from living in fear of death.
I beg you to make every effort, my dear people, to keep your faith and your peace during this epidemic. God is permitting the virus to deepen our faith. Let nothing trouble you, for you are in the hands of God. Convert and pray the Jesus prayer Daily. - Jesus, son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner -

Temporary schedule of the celebration of the Divine Liturgy

As we are enduring this extraordinary state of emergency, we are grateful to be together at least during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, broadcasted online:

Daily: M-F 6:00 pm (online)

Saturday: 4:00 pm (online)

Sunday: 10:30 & 6:00 pm Arabic (online)

​

We are broadcasting live on Facebook, on St. Anthony's page: https://www.facebook.com/stanthonycincinnati/

Fridays of lent

Fridays of lent

Stations and adoration of the cross:
TO BE PRAYED AT HOME TOGETHER AT 6:00 (PRAYER BOOK AVAILABLE HERE)

LENTEN SUPPER IS CANCELED

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We hope and pray that you and your family are well, and healthy,
                Because of the state of emergency, we are all going through, our bishops, the NAM board and St. Anthony's Convention team decided to officially CANCEL, the 57th edition of the Maronite Convention, that was planned to take place in Cincinnati, from July 8-12, 2020. We are deeply grateful for the momentum that our parish family, volunteers, committees and conventioneers had for this historic event. We pray that everyone is safe and in good health. 
 We are all in this together. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will follow guidance from public health officials and government agencies, so we can continue to support each other, healthy.
We hope to be in Philadelphia, next year, God willing!

P.S. We apologize for sending this message late at night, but we did not want anyone to wake up and see the news of the cancellation of our hard-work preparation for the Convention, being posted on NAM website, before our hosting parish family being informed.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Fr. George Hajj     &    Ms. Cathy Sarky

Cure from the epidemic and Conversion of hearts .

Remember, O Lord, your children suffering from fear and threatened by the epidemic. Give us the peace you gave your disciples on the day you rose from the dead.
Heal everyone infected, guide and protect the medical body on the front line. Accept our repentance and have mercy on us.
We pray to you, O Lord.