-
You Young people you are strong in your faith and hope – Invitation by H.E. Archbishop Soueif.
It is true that we are undergoing a fierce crisis
but it is also true that you young people you are strong in your faith and in your hope
By this message your Archbishop Youssef Soueif is calling you
to reflect and discuss on the actual situation with a human approach, spiritual, simple and profound.
Discover the strength of your belief and your values,
of your capacity to make your dreams come true.
No one can damage your freedom, your soul and your spirit because Jesus today tells to all of you:
“Do not be afraid”
Friday 19th April 2013 - Hall of the Cathedral our Lady of Graces - 7.30 p.m.
-
-
Programme Outline of the visit of a Youth Delegation from the Catholic Church of Greece 26-30 July, 2012
-
Thursday, July 26
8:15 : Departure of Nicosia youth group from the Maronite Archbishopric for the Larnaca airport
10:15: Arrival of the Group from Greece and meeting at the airport
10:30: Visit Angeloktisti Church ,Hala Sultan Tekke and Saint Lazarus Church
13: 15: Swimming at the beach and lunch – (snacks/sandwiches)
(Offered by 3-Bakers)
17:30: Departure for Archbishopric in Nicosia
18:15: Arrival at Archbishopric. Host families to pick youth up
20:30: Visit to and Welcome by H.E. Archbishop Youssef Soueif - Dinner
22:30: Host families to pick youth up
Friday, July 27
9:30: Gathering at Archbishopric
9:45: Formation By Bishop Spiteris on Rio de Janeiro theme and year of faith
10:45: Small break
11:00: Formation
12:30: Lunch at the Archbishopric
(Prepared and offered by different households)
13:30: Visit the Archaeological museum of Cyprus, Laiki Yitonia and Ledra Street
18:30: Maronite Liturgy at Cathedral of Our Lady of Graces
19:15: Pizza Party
(Offered by the Church Committee of the Cathedral)
20:00: Theatre
(Tickets offered by Kormakitis Club and Hki Fil Sanna)
22:30: Host Families to pick youth up
Saturday, July 28
9:15: Liturgy according to Roman Catholic Rite at Archbishopric
10:00: Formation
10:45: Small break
11:00: Formation
12:00: Departure for Limassol
13:30: Arrival and Visit St. Charbel Church
14:00: Visit St. Marina Church and lunch in Polemidia
(Offered by Polemidia Club)
15:30: Visit Old Limassol Town, Castle, Zoo
19:00: Departure for Nicosia
20:30: Host Families to pick youth up from the Archbishopric
Sunday, July 29
8:45: Departure for Maronite Villages from the Archbishopric
10:30: Maronite Liturgy at Asomatos followed by brunch
12:30: Visit Karpasha Village
14:00: Visit Kormakitis Village
15:30: Lunch in Kormakitis
(Offered by Church Committee)
17:00: Departure for Nicosia
18:00: Host Families to pick youth up from the Archbishopric
20:00: Departure from the Archbishopric for St. Maron Church in Anthoupoli
20:30: Dinner
(Offered by EMA Club)
23:00: Families to pick youth up from Archbishopric
Monday, July 30
8:30: Departure from Archbishopric for downtown
9:00: Liturgy according to Roman Catholic Rite at Holy Cross Church
10:45: Visit the Orthodox Archbishopric – Museum of Icons
11:45: Free time in Ledra street - shopping
14:00: Lunch
15:00: Departure for the Archbishopric
15:30: Visit the Archbishopric Museum of Icons
16:30: Powerpoint presented by Greek youth
17:00: Snacks
(offered by 3-Bakers)
18:15: Departure for the airport
N.B.: - On Monday Greek Youth should bring their luggage to Archbishopric from the morning
- Breakfast will be offered by host families
23/07/2012
-
Youth Forum "Young Maronites Unite" - Platres
Youth Forum 2012, “Young Maronites Unite,” was a beautiful and unforgettable experience to all who participated in it. Around forty persons, youth and team members, shared two days and a half of fellowship at the Pendeli Hotel in Platres, learning more about Maronite identity, playing different games and sports, and witnessing the amazing talents of youth present. The Forum was crowned with the Liturgy, celebrated by His Excellency The Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus Youssef Soueif. In His homily H.E. reiterated and reminded us of the three important constituents of the Maronite identity: faith, family, and land. An evening earlier, His Excellency had spoken about the main theme, “Maronite Identity,” and he listened to us as we shared what we discussed in our smaller groups. We were all truly enriched by each other. Our young people expressed their impression with words they wrote such as, “Amazing,” “unbelievable,” “Teleia,” “I wish we had more than two days,” and “Meet us in Rio.” Some photos from World Youth Day, Madrid, and a promo video for the next WYD in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were shown by Sr. Samia. We were very pleased by the place and what it offers, especially also that the Mayor of the Platres Community, Mr. Panayiotis Papadopoulos, welcomed us at the Platres Cultural Center where we did most of our activities. We hope that we will carry in our life the knowledge and the love that we experienced at Platres.
Pastoral Youth
Maronite Archbishopric of Cyprus
04/07/2012
-
Youth Forum “Young Maronites Unite” - Platres 22-24 June 2012
Dear Maronite youth and young adults, Blessed Holy Week to you and to your loved ones! All the information that you are waiting for, concerning the 2012 Forum, is ready. As I wrote to you earlier, the Forum will be from Friday, June 22 to Sunday, June 24 and its title, as decided by the Pastoral Team for youth, is “Young Maronites Unite” Youth and young adults from the age of 16 to 30 will be together at the Pendeli Hotel in Platres. The hotel can accommodate many of us and it has a nice swimming pool. A Sports Center not far from the hotel will welcome us to perform sports activities. His Excellency Archbishop Youssef Soueif will be our special guest and we will reflect together on our Maronite identity. Come and join the fun at the talents’ show on Saturday night. Prepare individually or as a group a song or a dance or any other talent you like to share. The price for the whole event, including rooms, full board meals, transportation, and activities is 90 Euros per person. The hotel wants the number of participants with a pre-payment of 22 Euros per person by April 30. Applications for you are available with team members with a deadline of April 25. Hurry up and sign yourself in before it will be late. We are waiting for ALL of you to come! For your convenience, please find below a list of team members involved with telephone numbers: Mikhales HadjiRoussos 99-470703 Joseph Kartapani 99-810026 George Beitis 99-309564 Petros Petrou 96-390181 Mary Pekris 96-691427 Marios HadjiZorziz 99-359658 Antonis HadjiZorziz 99-576096 Elena Koumi 99-561627 Elenitza Solomou 96-323922 Louis Solomou 99-133938 Anna-Maria Mavrochanna 99-971739 Anna Terzi 99-556159 May the Risen Lord fill your hearts with peace, love, and joy. Happy Easter! Sr. Samia Abou-Shakra 99-112014General Secretary
20/05/2012
-
Youth Forum: “Maronite Youth Unite” 22-24 June 2012
March 2012
Dear Maronite youth and young adults,
Many of you have expressed previously the wish to come together as Maronite youth and young adults and many are waiting for a gathering to share moments of friendship, fun, and reflection. As the General Secretary of the Maronite Pastoral Youth Ministry of our Eparchy, I thank God for this opportunity to be among you and, with his Excellency Archbishop Youssef Soueif and the Pastoral Team for youth, I am happy to invite each one of you for our big yearly summer gathering, the 2012 Forum, which will take place from Friday, June 22 to Sunday, June 24 2012.
“Maronite Youth Unite”
is the title that the Pastoral Team for youth chose for this event which will welcome youth and young adults from the age of 16 till the age of 30. Our Archbishop Soueif will be our special guest. Beautiful and fun activities are being planned for you to help you live the week-end to the fullest. Reflecting on our Maronite identity and sharing stories of our grandmas and grandpas and of our villages will strengthen our bond as Maronite youth and young adults. Talents will be welcome from individuals or groups during our Talents’ Show. Come prepared with a dance (s), song (s), sketch (es) or other. More details will follow as to the place, price, and registration. Please mark your calendars and stay tuned to our websites and parishes for more information. We want you as many as can be from all villages, clubs, and cities!
Sr. Samia Abou-Shakra
General Secretary
Pastoral Youth Ministry
Maronite Archbishopric of Cyprus
24/03/2012
-
Summer Youth Meeting with our Archbishop
Still imbued with the feelings of unity and love that the Holy Father’s presence left on our island and enraptured with the same enthusiasm felt by everyone who lived this event in all its grandeur, the young people of our community gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Graces on Sunday 4 July 2010 at 6pm for their monthly meeting with HE the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus Youssef Soueif.
The young people responded once more to the call of the Archbishop and their youthful presence was evident during the Holy Mass celebrated by our Archbishop together with the Maronite Chorbishop John Orphanou. The young people committed themselves to read the intercessory prayers, as well as the Epistle, they offered the bread and wine before the Holy Communion, sang and served the priests. They showed once more capable and willing to serve the Lord and ready to become workers in his harvest. This was also the theme on which our Archbishop himself focused his homily. Having as a keynote for his homily the second verse from chapter 10 of St. Luke’s Gospel, “there is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest,” the Archbishop stressed our community’s immediate need for servants of God, for true priests.
“We are in need of new vocations, of young people who listen to the voice of the Lord in their hearts, who are aware of the spiritual and human needs of our community and generously declare: ‘Here I am Lord, ready to serve you.’ ”
With these words the Archbishop invited all the young people to wholeheartedly respond to the Lord’s call and through Him to serve their community and the whole humanity.
After the Holy Mass everybody enjoyed dinner and had much fun at Fanous Lebanese Restaurant in Laiki Gitonia in Nicosia. Present at the restaurant was also HE the Maronite Archbishop Youssef Soueif who enjoyed, together with the young people, the delicious Lebanese dishes to the accompaniment of the guitar and voice of a promising young boy from our community, Avramis Kontou. Before leaving, our Archbishop announced the visit of a youth group from Lebanon on 13-17 August 2010 and encouraged the young people to participate in the programme through which they will be able to get to know each other and live nice moments together.
After the Archbishop’s departure the young people continued singing and dancing until the early morning hours which found them satisfied by the successful issue of one more meeting with each other and our Archbishop.
The workers for the Lord’s harvest will prove far from few since our young people seem to have the inner strength to accept the Lord as their fellow-traveller. They just need someone who can trace for them, with the language of love and honesty, the footsteps they are to follow...
On behalf of the Pastoral Service for the Youth
16/07/2010
Pastoral Service for the Youth, Excursion to the Village of Ayia Anna
Despite the rainy and cold weather about 100 young people participated in the excursion to the village of Ayia Anna on the morning of Sunday 24 January. Everyone gathered outside the Church of Our Lady of Graces at 11:30 in the morning. There were young people from all Maronite villages among the group.
The journey was short and after 35 minutes, the group arrived outside the stone-built church of Saint Anna within the village. After a short visit and pilgrimage in the Church everyone entered the traditional tavern. The decoration of the tavern depicting the early life of traditional Cypriots but also the smells of cooked food coming from the kitchen
provoked the creation of a friendly and warm atmosphere.
Upon the arrival of our Archbishop the serving of the food started. This was followed by the singing and dancing of our young people who proved once more that they are quite capable of having a good time in a unique way. Mr Antonis Hadjiroussos, our representative in the House of Parliament, also passed by to greet the youth.
The departure for Nicosia was set at 5 o’ clock in the afternoon. Upon arrival the Holy Mass was celebrated by Our Archbishop in the Church of Our Lady of Graces. In his speech the Archbishop expressed his joy for the very warm response of the youth to the calling of the church and noted that the young people are a priority in all he does.
He also asked the youth to cooperate with the church for the best preparation of the visit of His Holiness the Pope
in Cyprus. Once again, special attention was given to the musical part during the mass with the participation of
a group of young choristers and also guitars. Many parents attended the mass showing their support to these youth gatherings.
The first steps have already been made… Let’s all be alerted and help to create the proper foundations to build and
support our most solid establishment … our youth.
Marios Hadjiroussos - On behalf of the Pastoral Service for the Youth
24/01/2010
-
-
Pastoral Service for the Youth, 1st Gathering
-
Our Archbishop chose the best way to celebrate his one year of Archbishopric presence in Cyprus. Despite the rainy and cold weather of the afternoon of 6th December, a great number of young people started gathering at Our Lady of Graces Church to participate in the Holy Mass for the Youth. During the Holy Mass which was celebrated by our Archbishop and the Chorebishop John Orfanou, special attention was given to the musical part.
A group of young choristers and three guitars under the direction of Dinos Poullis, gave the Mass a different dimension. The special booklet that was prepared with the hymns encouraged the participation of all the young people. The Holy Mass was also attended by the mother of our Archbishop who visited Cyprus to celebrate his one year of Archbishopric presence and shared a hymn with him. In his speech the Archbishop asked for the support of the youth and noted that without their presence the Church cannot exist. He stressed his willingness to satisfy all their needs and his wish which is to let the church become a part of their lives. In this first meeting he announced the creation of monthly meetings for the youth. The aim of these meetings is to organize the Holy Mass but also to create activities suggested and supported by the young people. The attendance of the young people showed their acceptance to participate in the activities suggested by the Archbishop.
The Holy Mass was followed by a meeting of the youth for food, drinks and music in the premises of the Church. During the meeting a small film was shown with the activities of the Archbishop during this first year of service. To celebrate his one year of presence in Cyprus, a group of young people presented to him a cake with one candle singing Happy Birthday. The Archbishop was deeply moved by this gesture. This was followed by a video of the upcoming visit of His Holiness the Pope in Cyprus stressing the important role of the youth during this visit who must participate in every way. The evening ended with music and songs. A group of young people with guitars and bouzouki invited everyone to join their songs and created a very friendly and festive atmosphere. Tony Solomou was present among the youth and asked their help to perform different popular Cyprus Maronite songs like “Mariniotou”. The young people were once more very anxious and happy to join him.
In the end, the coordinating team thanked everyone who contributed to the success of the event. Special thanks were also given to all organizations and key persons of the Maronite Community who support and will continue to support such meetings. This first meeting was only the first of many to follow… Everyone’s support and participation is required so as to strengthen our Maronite identity among our youth.
Marios Hadjiroussos - On behalf of the Pastoral Service for the Youth
06/12/2009