Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus our Lord,    

I hope you are all doing fine with the grace of the Lord and having a blessed season of Lent.

The month of March leads us through the Lenten Season that prepares us for Holy Week and the celebration of Easter. Many events fall in this month beginning with the principal feast day of the Maronite calendar. The first feast of this month is the feast day of Saint John Maron, on March 2. He is the first patriarch elect in the history of the Maronite Church at the end of the 7th Century in the year 686 AD.

The very special and main event of Holy Family Church is our famous Lenten Dinners on the six Fridays of Lent. They were described by the papers as being the second best Lenten Dinners in the Twin Cities. They will be served at the same time every Lenten Friday from 4:00 to 7:00, with takeout available, too. On behalf of all of you, I thank the wonderful team of organizers and volunteers. And thank you all for your support and participation. The Lenten dinner team is contributing ten percent of the profit to go to charities, mainly in Lebanon.

The season of Lent is also a season of giving and sharing, with the poor and needy, and a time of reflection and support for the church community, by volunteering, sharing, supporting the community activities especially for children, youth and elderly. In February, leading up to Ash Monday, the Holy Family Society held a food drive for the needy. Thank you to all of you who contributed.

Maronites around the World chant a famous Lenten Mazmooro throughout Lent during weekday liturgies in Syriac Aramaic, and it says: "Lent opens the gates of Heaven, and Fasters enter in, and inherit the Kingdom�. The phonetics are: "Bsawmo metfat.heen tar’eh dfardaisso, w‘oleen sayomeh w yorteen malkooto".

The season of Lent began on Ash Monday, February 16, according to the Maronite Calendar, with mass and blessing of the ashes at both 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The faithful are asked to take this opportunity of the Season of Lent to focus on their spiritual life, especially attending Sunday Masses, and by enriching their faith and their souls by committing themselves in their daily prayers and the giving up of things and vices they are attached to, exercise fasting and sharing of spare food with the needy. This season is a perfect occasion for all of us to examine our consciences and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Confession which is mandatory for all Catholics, Maronites and Roman, at least once a year. May we all pray that our families and parishioners will be blessed in this season of Lent. To help in this endeavor, Holy Family is celebrating the Stations of the Cross every Friday at 4 PM.

During this Season of Lent, the church organized an abundant and rich session of faith enrichment through Bible studies on three Saturdays of Lent, March 7, 14 and 21, from 5:15 PM to 6:15 PM. They are open to everyone, parishioners and visitors alike, who can attend physically or virtually through the Church Facebook and website with live interactive participation. The session is prepared by Father George Younes, an expert scholar on the Bible and Maronite and Catholic Spirituality. Participants attending physically or remotely can all participate in questions, comments, remarks and conversation.

Thursday, March 19, is the Feast Day of Saint Joseph, the chosen father and Guardian of the Holy Family. He is also the patron of family values, charitable institutions caring for orphans, children, elderly and sick, and the patron of good and righteous death. On Wednesday, March 25, we will celebrate the feast of the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. Liturgy will be at 9:00 AM.

Please tell your relatives and friends that they can access the church bulletin and announcements which are updated daily on the church Facebook website: https://www.facebook.com/HolyFamilyMaroniteChurch or directly from the website: holyfamilymaronitechurch.org. Sunday masses are live streamed on Facebook for the sick, elderly, or out of town parishioners. We thank all those who made this technology possible, our team and our generous donors. Donations can also be made through the church website directly to the church. The church office gets all information of donors names, amounts and dates.

I would like to remind all parents to ensure their children come to liturgy and participate in both the liturgy and the many Church activities, especially on Sundays. Altar servers are always appreciated and welcome to serve. They are welcome in the MYO youth group, ages 12 to 17. The MYA group is active for young adults, age 18 to 35.

May this Season of Lent be a blessing for you and your families. May Jesus the Lord keep you all in good health and grant you all joy and peace. "Do not be afraid, you little flock, because your Father in Heaven was please to grant you the Kingdom of Heaven" (Luke 12:32).

God bless you all. Fr. Emmanuel. St Paul

Thank you for your faith, love, and dedication.

With prayers and blessings,

Father Emmanuel, Pastor +

Copyright (c) 2026 Holy Family Maronite Church, Mendota Height, MN 55118 (v.26.3.a)