Youth – Saint Matthew Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church – Ceres, CA

Bishop Mar Bawai Soro Visits Saint Matthew’s Parish

Fr Peter Patros — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 19:00:30 +0000

On Sunday, April 24, 2016, H.E. Bishop Bawai Soro celebrated Holy Mass at our Parish accompanied by our Pastor Fr. Awraha Mansoor. Our beloved Bishop Soro was as happy to be with us as we were to receive him once again. He began his inspiring sermon by reminding us how blessed we are to have great Pastors like Fr. Awraha Mansoor and Fr. Peter Georgis who have been serving our local parishes for the last few years as well as all the faithful of our Diocese.

In his sermon about the Gospel reading for The Fifth Sunday of The Resurrection Bishop Soro focused on the true meaning of “Resurrection” saying “now God is available” for each and every one of us to call upon Him every time we sin as long as we repent with “contrite heart”; God will forgive, help, and guide us in our lives. He also explained how the Church is “The Place of Conversion” and that during Mass as we pray we ought to ask God to forgive and rid us of all sin. As always he reminded us that we ought to love and forgive one another in order to be Christ-like. His Excellency concluded his sermon by delivering best wishes, love, and regards of our, Beloved Bishop, H.E. Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo.

At the end of the Mass SMYLE JR. Kids Ministry gave Bishop Soro beautiful flowers as token of their love and appreciation for him and he truly appreciated and thanked them all; they gathered around him as children do around their father. Bishop Soro spent time talking to them and gave them his blessings.

Later on Bishop Soro joined our congregation at the Parish Hall to have a meal together as we celebrated the memorial of St. George that was prepared by Daughters of Mary Ministry. He then had more time to meet and visit with us and offered prayers and blessings to many.

Last Sunday was indeed a very special day for us at St. Matthew Parish. We, as always, keep our pastors and Bishops in our prayers and we ask our Lord to keep them all in His care. We look forward for next visit by Bishop Soro to our Parish.

Your Excellency, we thank you for your visit and for keeping us always in your prayers. God Bless you.

Summary and Photos by: St. Matthew Catholic Church Media Team

Mar Sarhad Celebrates Mass at St Matthew’s

admin — Sun, 05 May 2013 19:00:11 +0000

On Sunday morning at 10am, His Excellency, Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, celebrated Holy Mass at St. Matthew Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church. The reading for the Sixth Sunday of the Resurrection was especially fitting for the Mass which the Bishop celebrated.

During his homily, Mar Sarhad spoke of the prayer of Christ and how it was prayed for his disciples to be saved from evil. The prayer of Christ for his disciples and for the Church is that we may be holy, that we may be together in love and not alone. He went on to mention the Epistle from Saint Paul as well, “You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” St. Paul mentions the Apostles together, not as an individual. At the heart of his sermon, Mar Sarhad spoke of his thankfulness to God for allowing his diocese to unite so beautifully, for as he said, “We are living the prayer of Christ.” Things that are worth much are expensive, and though this diocese has paid much for its unity, it was worth the cost. “I will defend this unity,” the Bishop said, “for all of you, for the clergy and for my dear brother, Mar Bawai Soro.” Though the struggle may take time, it is not something to fear. We will stand with Christ beside us and one another. Mar Sarhad ended by saying that we are all members of the same Body of Christ, “and I will defend you as I would for any other member of it.”

Following Mass, Mar Sarhad blessed a number of the faithful who were recently celebrating anniversaries, as well as others who desired a blessing. Afterward, he went outside to greet the children who were waiting for him to bless the plans for a new Basketball court which will be the newest addition to the St. Matthew’s property.

Saint Peter Diocese Youth Retreat

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:00:49 +0000

Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the LORD came and stood there, calling out as before: “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” — 1 Samuel 3:8-10

Once again, the youth from our Northern California parishes gathered together in a retreat to listen to God and at the same time draw closer to each another. The retreat, whose theme centered on Samuel’s response to the Lord, was held from Friday, November 11th, to Sunday, November 13th, at the Presentation Center in Los Gatwas os. H.E. Mar Bawai Soro, Fr. Dimitri Grekoff and Fr. Andrawis Toma, Sr. Tarbytha and Sr. Anahyd, and seminarians Simon and Royal were the honored guest speakers for the 80 youth gathered together from St. Mary, St. Thomas, St. Matthew, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes.

Bishop Bawai started of the talks with a discussion on the call to virtue and the need to draw close to God, which at the same time draws us close to one another. The sisters of the Workers of the Vineyard talked on vocations and how to discern what God is calling you to. The seminarians from Mar Abba Seminary discussed the importance of prayer and good friends when discerning a vocation. Fr. Dimitri, completed the talks with a homily during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. He discussed the graces that flow from God, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and the need for service to God, pointing out the Church’s emphasis of Isaiah 6 in which Isaiah, after his lips have touched the coal, offers his service to the Lord.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ — Isaiah 6:8

The retreat was filled with fun and spirituality. In addition to having each others’ company, there were games, sports, and activities designed to get the youth to know one another more closely. Morning and Evening prayers were accompanied by Rosaries and an hour of Adoration, as well as the station of the cross. Our priests offered the Sacrament of Confession to many of the youth, with Fr. Dimitri actually hearing confessions until almost 2am. The Eucharistic celebration formed the high point of the retreat.

Overall, it was a blessed event, and we thank God for the blessings, our clergy for their support, the seminarians and nuns for their camaraderie, being friends and great examples, the youth leaders from all the parishes for their dedicated work in making this retreat possible, and all the youth for their spirit and energy.