From the official opening of the Maronites on Mission fundraising gala dinner, guests could tell that there was something different about this charitable cause.
The evening began not with great speeches nor the welcoming of official guests, but with a Marian hymn and solemn procession of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima led by Maronites on Mission chaplain, Fr George Azzi.
Throughout the evening, those gathered were reminded of the interconnectedness between faith and charitable works. Raising nearly $100,000 was a sign of the mission’s fruitfulness.
Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay told those gathered that the works of Maronites on Mission were not just charitable acts, but “profound works of love, grounded in faith and prayer.”
He said that he had been humbled to receive calls from other Maronite eparchies around the world, asking for the Australians to share the experience with Maronites globally.
Founder and chair, Charbel Azzi, quoted Saint Charbel’s famous line: “Begin nothing on earth unless it has its end in heaven; do not walk on a path that does not lead to heaven” as the inspiration for Maronites on Mission, a mission aimed at inspiring both volunteers and recipients to open their hearts to the grace of God.
Given the ongoing debate around religious freedom in Australia and whether faith-based institutions should be allowed to insist on hiring staff who shared their religious ethos, perhaps most surprising was the acknowledgment of the deep connection between faith and charitable works from the Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke.
Burke was hailed by Bishop Tarabay as a supporter of Maronites on Mission from its inception and acknowledged as never having missed one of its events.
In his address to those gathered, Burke compared Maronites on Mission to other parish-based charitable works with which he had been involved, including the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“When we did volunteer work,” Burke said, “I don’t think we ever quite melded the work with the faith the way Maronites on Mission do. We’d all be at Mass in the parish and then we’d go off and do the work, but blending of faith and commitment with the actions that are taken; I think makes Maronites to Mission second to none in the charities I know.”
The evening wasn’t all processions and politicians, though. The night was full of glitz and glamour, Arabic drums, music and dancing, a mix of silent and live auctions, food, laughter and wonderful conversation.
While comedian Jon-Bernard Kairouz provided the lions’ share of entertainment for the evening, NSW Multicultural Minister, Steven Kamper, offered some competition during his remarks.
“I know there’s probably a few developers here tonight. It’s not a political fundraiser, so you’re allowed to donate as much as you want,” he quipped.
Other dignitaries present on the night included NSW MPs Damien Tudehope, Mark Coure and Sophie Cotsis, Parramatta Mayor Pierre Esber, Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek and Deputy Mayor Rachelle Harika, as well as Councillors George Zakhia and Charbel Abouraad, who took time out of a busy campaign schedule for this week’s local council elections to support the event.
Maronites on Mission began in 2010 with a small group of nine young adults from St Charbel’s Punchbowl, who—with the blessing of then-Fr Antoine-Charbel Tarabay—travelled to Kerala, India for the group’s first ever international mission trip.
Today, more than 120 young people apply to be part of the annual mission trip, with just 20 selected to travel to the Philippines to repair and build homes, offer medical and dental care and to work alongside the Missionaries of the Poor.
In addition to an annual mission trip, Maronites on Mission boasts in excess of 200 regular volunteers locally who serve over 400 meals each week to the homeless not only in CBD locations such as Woolloomooloo and Martin Place, but as far north as Hornsby and as far west as Parramatta.
Volunteers also make around 80 house visits each week, offering care and companionship to the sick and immobile and others who are isolated within the community.
Maronites on Mission fundraising Gala. Photo: Maronites on Mission/Supplied.
