Whereas Christ is the center of the life of St. Ephrem Parish community, whereas service is the most humble of giving, whereas love is the ultimate gift, the Liturgical Committee works to serve the faithful and the priest to bring about service to love Christ. The efforts of the Liturgical Committee revolve around the liturgical cycles of the church and are centered on the Qurbono. Over the life of St. Ephrem community, the Liturgical Committee served at the pulse of the church. the ultimate mission is to afford the faithful the proper setting and opportunity so that the Divine Liturgy/Qurbono brings everyone into communion with the Lord. The committee supports the efforts of the Pastor, Fr. Nabil, in administering the Sacraments of the Lord. The work of the committee sets an example of service, care, nourishment, cooperation and sacrifice.

The committee has set several offices to help streamline and encourage support for the various ministries of church life. The following is the list of those offices and a short summary of their function:

Office of Sacristan: To ensure that all needs to celebrate the Qurbono are always available. This includes the instruments, supplies and linen. This is an ongoing effort.

Office of Hospitality: To ensure that the faithful is welcomed, accommodated and afforded the courtesy needed before and after celebrating the Liturgy. This includes managing the crowds in special celebrations, communion and processions, as well as supporting the collection efforts. This is an ongoing effort.

Office of Lectors: To ensure that the readings of the day are adequately prepared and communicated to teh faithful. This includes scheduling readers adn preparing the readings ahead of time. Note that the youth prepare the readings once a month in both languages. This is an ongoing effort.

Office of Liturgical Envirnoment: To ensure that the physical environment of the church serves the Liturgy of the day and to foster an awareness of the sacred. This includes dressing the alrar, preparing the floral art, cleaning the church, dressing hte sanctuary appropriately for the special celebration (Christmas, Passion, week, Easter, Marian feasts). This effort goes along hte liturgical cycle.

Office of para-liturgical celebrations: To ensure that special celebrations/processions are properly serviced and supported. This includes supporting the efforts of hte pastor in Baptism, visiting the sick, funerals, weddings, scheduling for evenings of recollection and reconciliation, and coordinating with visiting priests. This also includes First Friday Adoration (Expositions from 8 AM to 8 PM), visiting priests (seasonal during Lent and season of announcements), Christmas Novena including readings from the Church Fathers, Friday Services during Lent (adoration of the cross/Stations). This effort addresses the ongoing needs of the community.

Office of Music: To ensure that the liturgy of hte day is properly supported through the work of the choir. This includes proper practice and preparation for the Qurbono and other liturgical and para-liturgical celebrations. Note that efforts are underway to have a children choir as well as a group of music ministers supporting Saturday and early Sunday Qurbono. This is ongoing and evolving work.

Office of Religious Education: To ensure that the faithful is complemented with the necessary knowledge to live a true Christian life. This includes the preparation of children for First communion (yearly class for the last ten years), on-going religious education during hte Saturday school, weekly bible study (2 five months sessions per year), Evenings of Recollections for youth (including talks and prayers once a month), Sunday school for pre First communion ages and special talks with visiting priests. This is an on going effort.

Overall the efforts of the all the offices of the liturgical committee are ongoing, which is to be expected.
Over the last year, in addition to responding to the needs of the faithful on a day to day basis, the following are highlights of events that the liturgical committee was involved in:

January 2001: Closing the pilgrimages of the Jubilee year. Choir to prepare a Recital for the upcoming NAM convention and the Patriarch Visit.

February: Supporting all liturgical aspects and celebrations during hte Southwestern NAM regional Convention hosted by St. Ephrem Parish.
Coordinating all liturgical and paraliturgical preparation for his beatitude Mar Nisrallah Boutros Sfeir, our Patriarch's visit to San Diego.

March: Coordinating and scheduling visiting priests to support the faithful during Lent.

April: Continuing Bible Study series on the Book of Genesis.

May: Para-Liturgical celebrations for the Marian Month. First Communion.

June: Celebrations for the Canonization of St. Rafqa.

July: Continue Bible Study series on the Book of Matthew.

August: Celebration of the Feast of the Assumption.

September: Celebration and paraliturgical event for the Feast of the Exhalation of the Cross.

October: Resume First Communion, Sunday school and Religious Education classes.

November: Beginning of the Liturgical Cycle. Liturgical Committee was blessed with several new volunteers. Started the youth talks on a monthly basis. The first Friday Adoration also started this month.

December: Bible Study classes and Bible Trivia night was schedule for Dec. 8 with a great turnout. A youth team won the competition. Christmas Novena took place.

January 2002: News of the Pastoral Visit of his excellency Bishop Shaheen to our Parish.
Preparations are underway.

Moreover the Liturgical committee is always communicating the need of the church to other committees.