Our Lady Of The Cedars-Woodmead-Maronite Catholic Church: South Africa

12/06/2026

12/06/2026

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAGAZINE!

We invite parishioners and local businesses to support our Honouree Awards Evening Magazine through advertising. We offer different advert sizes at various prices:
Full Page - R 5000
Half Page - R 2500
Quarter Page - R 1250
Business Cards - R 750
Closing date - 1 July
Please email your high resolution adverts to:
[email protected].
All proceeds will go towards the renovation of our church. For more information, please contact Nakita Bolus on 0824513092.

12/06/2026

Prayer of the day, 12 June 2026.

Sacred Heart Prayer

Lord Jesus, May Your Most Sacred Heart teach me To love even when it means sacrifice, To forgive even when I still feel hurt, To pray fervently when following You is hard, To engage life fully on the journey, To serve when selfishness would be simpler, To look for You at every crossroads, To have faith when I am afraid, To follow more closely in Your ways, To be accepting of others as You welcome me, To seek Your mercy though I am unworthy, and To hold You always gratefully in my heart.

Amen.

12/06/2026

Saint of the day, 12 June 2026.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

In the Maronite Church, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on Friday, June 12, 2026.The date is a movable feast that falls exactly 19 days after Pentecost (or the Friday after the Sunday of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ)

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Latin: Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind".[1] This devotion to Christ is predominantly used in the Catholic Church, followed by high church Anglicans, and some Western Rite Orthodox. In the Latin Church, the liturgical Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the third Friday after Pentecost.[2] The 12 promises of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus are also popular.

The devotion is especially concerned with what the Church deems to be the long-suffering love and compassion of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The popularization of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a Roman Catholic nun from France, Margaret Mary Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a series of apparitions to her between 1673 and 1675,[3] and later, in the 19th century, from the mystical revelations of another Catholic nun in Portugal, Mary of the Divine Heart, a religious sister of the congregation of the Good Shepherd, who requested in the name of Christ that Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism, particularly with Gertrude the Great.[4]

The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart[5] shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross, and bleeding. Sometimes, the image is shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Christ's passion, while the flames represent a furnace of ardent love.[6]

11/06/2026

Prayer of the day, 11 June 2026.

The Miracle Prayer

Lord Jesus, I come before You, just as I am, I am sorry for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me. In Your Name, I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce satan, the evil spirits and all their works. I give You my entire self, Lord Jesus, now and forever. I invite You into my life, Jesus. I accept You as my Lord, God and Savior. Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul, and spirit.

Come Lord Jesus, cover me with Your Precious Blood, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I love You Lord Jesus. I praise You Jesus. I thank You Jesus. I shall follow You every day of my life. Amen.

Mary, my Mother, Queen of Peace, St. Peregrine, the cancer saint, all the Angels and Saints, please help me.

Amen.

11/06/2026

Saint of the day, 11 June 2026.

St. Bartholomew

In the Maronite Catholic Church, the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle is celebrated on June 11th. This date aligns with the Eastern liturgical tradition, unlike the Western Catholic Church, which observes the feast on August 24th.

Saint Bartholomew is traditionally identified with Nathanael, a figure mentioned in the Gospel of John who was introduced to Jesus by Philip. According to Christian tradition, Bartholomew was one of the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. His name, Bartholomew, is derived from the Aramaic "Bar-Talmai," meaning "son of Talmai."

Bartholomew's missionary work is believed to have taken him to various regions, including India, Armenia, and Persia. According to tradition, he met a martyr's death, though accounts of his martyrdom vary. Some sources suggest he was flayed alive and then beheaded, while others propose different methods of ex*****on.

He is renowned for his sincerity—Jesus famously called him "a true Israelite in whom there is no duplicity".

10/06/2026

Prayer of the day, 10 June 2026.

O Mother of Sorrows,

As we walk the Via Matris, lead our steps through the stations of faith and sorrow. Teach us to unite our own wounds to Christ, and to keep trusting when the road feels dim or heavy. Walk with us on this pilgrimage, until our faith becomes steadfast.

Amen.

10/06/2026

Saint of the day, 10 June 2026.

St. Barnabas

Barnabas was a Jew from Cyprus, originally named Joseph. He studied the Holy Scriptures and the Mosaic Law in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, alongside his companions Saul (Paul) and Stephen. He was among the disciples whom Jesus sent out during His lifetime to preach the Gospel. Barnabas showed great zeal for the believers in Jerusalem and for preaching to the Gentiles. He saw the Savior after His Resurrection and Ascension and was with the apostles in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. The Book of Acts says:“Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36).He was also the one who introduced Paul to the apostles and the church after Paul’s conversion and return from Damascus, explaining that Paul had truly come to faith and was now a messenger of Christ. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that many had believed in Antioch, they sent Barnabas there. He preached to them and strengthened their faith because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and many were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to seek Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. They stayed there together for a whole year, teaching a large congregation. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:25-26). Barnabas accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys, performing many remarkable signs through God’s power. The people even thought they were gods, calling Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes,” and they wanted to offer sacrifices to them, but the apostles refused. After spending some time in Antioch, Barnabas parted ways with Paul, taking Mark with him, and set sail for Cyprus. It is said that Barnabas later traveled to Milan, Italy, becoming its first bishop. He then went to Rome and Alexandria before returning to Cyprus. One day, while preaching to the Jews in their synagogue, both Jews and pagans attacked him, dragging him out of the city and stoning him as a blasphemer. Mark took his body and buried it in a cave outside Salamis in the year 61.

09/06/2026

On 17 May 2026, the Blessing of hands mass took place.
Congratulations to our newly ordained Ministers of the Eucharist. May God bless your ministry and guide you as you serve His Church with faith, love and dedication.