Our Lady of Cana, Maronite Mission - Indianapolis
The Maronite and Eastern families of Indianapolis, through the work of the Holy Spirit have been gathering in prayer and community. The visit of St. Sharbel’s relic brought the community together for the first time on the week of January 8-14, 2023. We gathered for prayer at the home of Nicholas and Joelle Chemaly. On our first meeting: January 29, 2023 we prayed the evening prayer and “Ziyah” in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her last words to us in Holy Scriptures were at the wedding feast in Cana: "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5).
Also, at Cana, our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ has transformed water, the element of creation into wine, the element of Divinization, the Eucharist, obeying His beloved Mother.
And since the historic national Eucharistic Revival congress is taking place in 2024 in Indianapolis, and since our families have gathered on the Sunday of the wedding feast in Cana to enter Holy Lent, and our first gathering was with our Lady, and since our first gathering was in the season of the Glorious Epiphany, where we had our homes blessed with Holy water, and the feast of our Lady of Cana is celebrated along with the solemnity of the Glorious Epiphany.
After much prayer and a novena for guidance, our community now is under the patronage of "Our Lady of Cana"
Our first celebration of the Divine Liturgy was On May 7, 2023 at St. Luke Catholic Church.
It is very significant that Jesus’ first miracle took place at a wedding. He was there with His Mom. She asked Him for His help. Was this not all about family and the importance of marriage? St. Joseph had already passed, so it was Jesus and Mary representing their own family. Our main attention here in Indianapolis is to raise and care for our children and our families, giving them our values and attachment to God. The bride and groom had just been joined together as a new family. Mary wanted to help the new family and bring them joy on their wedding day. Jesus helped her to do so. Since she was given to all of us as our Mother too, does it not follow that she will always be there for each of us no matter what we may need. She intercedes to Jesus for us.
We did not find any other churches named after Our Lady of Cana, we may be the first Church in the world named after this title of the Mother of God!
Vitrail (stained glass window) by Sister Lina Khawand O.A.M.
The name is not common, which creates and opens an invitation to think and enter into the mystery of salvation with Mary and Jesus's Eucharistic presence.
We want to listen to Mary and do whatever Her Son tells us, in other words we believe and pray saying: “Thy will be done.”
