The Maronite Religious Education (MRE) Program at Our Lady of Lebanon serves youth in pre-school through 6th grade and their families. Youth beyond 6th grade are encouraged to join our Maronite Youth Organization (MYO). Both programs meet from 10:30-11:30 on Sundays in between our two liturgies. Our mission is to pass on the faith of our ancestors to the future generations, and form upright Christians who will strengthen their community and be a light in the world.
The MRE program strives to catechize our children through sharing the basic elements of the Maronite faith and preparing the children for the reception of the Holy Mysteries. In our parish, we are very fortunate to have multiple classrooms to accommodate classes for different grade levels. Key subjects we teach in our program are the traditions and history of the Church, stories of Saints, stories of Scripture, prayer and spirituality, and the sacramental life of the Church. Children will receive a two year preparation program (typically in the 1st and 2nd grades) for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. They will make new friends. Classes start in September and run through May, with a winter break in between. To register your children, stop by the parish office and pick up a form or click below to download the registration form and email it us at office@ollchicago.org. The education your children will receive in our program is priceless, but please understand that education begins in the home. As a parent, you must set a good example for your children by living out your faith too.
All our catechists are certified in child safety in accordance with our eparchy’s standards. If you would like to volunteer as a catechist, we would very much appreciate your help. Our children deserve to have good role models. Please fill out the form on this page and someone will be in contact with you soon, or give us a call.
The Maronite Young Adults
The Maronite Youth Organization
National Apostolate of Maronites
Our Mother Mary Group
Organize post liturgy hospitality and consolidate social gatherings.
A lector is someone who reads the reading during the Divine Liturgy. Young adults, men and women are encouraged to join this ministry as they are trained to proclaim the Scripture.
The Maronite Young Adults (MYA) is a group which consists of young adults, ages 18 to 35 years old, whose goal is to make friends and develop a greater appreciation of our Maronite tradition through excursions, activities, and retreats. You can learn more at maroniteyoungadults.org.
If you would like to join our parish's MYA chapter or if you just have questions, you can call or text our seminarian Danny any time at (847) 924-7806. Some examples of things we have done in the past is visit shrines in the area, like the National Shrine of St. Therese and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, go out for food and chat, have prayer meetings and Bible studies, and go on retreats.
The Maronite Youth Organization, MYO, is a group of teens in 7th-12th grade whose goal is to promote the spiritual welfare of its members. It is designed to meet the catechetical, educational, spiritual, emotional and social needs of our parish's future generations. To achieve this, we focus on faith formation, community building, liturgy, service, annual retreats, and social events.
We also have a dabke (traditional dance) program that our young people can be involved in and make friends. You can find out more about this program at maroniteyouth.org. MYO meets on Sundays from 10:30-11:30am from September to May, with a winter break in between.
To enroll your child, download and fill out the form below and email it to us at office@ollchicago.org or contact our parish office.
NAM (National Apostolate of Maronites) is the official lay apostolate of the Maronite Church of the USA. Two words best describe NAM’s function and service: Unite and Preserve. NAM serves as a uniting "umbrella" for the Maronites spread all over the country.
To learn more, visit http://www.namnews.org
The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church which is in union with the Holy See in Rome. The Maronite Church in the United States is divided into two eparchies (dioceses), the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn (the eastern US) and the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles (western US). Our seminarians study at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary in Washington, DC (www.maroniteseminary.org). The seminary celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011, and continues to play a vital role in the education of our priests for the 21st century.
While we trust in Divine Providence to provide for our needs, we realize that the financial support for our seminarians comes from the generosity of our laity. We ask that you prayerfully consider supporting our seminarians by becoming a member of the Order of Saint Sharbel. The enrollment donation to join the Order of St. Charbel provides financial support to our seminarians.
The Order of Saint Sharbel was named for Sharbel Makhluf (1828-98), who was canonized by Pope St. Paul VI in 1977. St. Sharbel was a priest of the Maronite Church in Lebanon who, following the example of St. Maron for whom our Church is named, lived as a hermit from 1875 until his death. His life of holiness and dedication to the priesthood of Jesus Christ make him an outstanding role model for priests.
Oumouna Mariam (Our Mother Mary) group
This new group’s objective is to reach out and gather all the ladies in the parish that they may grow spiritually with one another, build friendships, and serve the needs of the parish and those of the greater community as a team.
Use your skills to assist in the weekly bulletin, website management and parish social media creating awareness of our parish mission and evangelizing our faith
Alter Servers
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