HOLY NAME SOCIETY
By Edward K. Mery
The Holy Name Society of St. George Maronite Catholic Church was established in 1948 under the guidance of Father John Trad. The Holy Name Society replaced the Sacred Heart Fraternity which was an organization the Maronite Church had established in its parishes throughout the country of Lebanon. It is believed that St. George is one of the first Maronite parishes in the United States to have a Holy Name Society. The organization remained active until Father Trad was reassigned to serve in Australia in 1967.
In 1987, The Holy Name Society was reactivated under the leadership of Father Stephen Hector Doueihi. While his stay was short-lived, Father Doueihi encouraged the members to be active and made sure that they attended a retreat at St. Joseph's Retreat House in 1988. Father Doueihi was reassigned and replaced by Father Abdallah Zaidan, M.L.M. in 1989.
Under Father Zaidan's direction, the Holy Name Society continued to prosper and increased its membership to 28 active members. Today, the members attend mass and receive Holy Communion on the 2nd Sunday of every month. This celebration is followed by breakfast and a meeting at the rectory. Lively discussions are held about how Catholic men should react in today's society and how to define their beliefs into action.
The general purposes of The Holy Name Society is: to promote the spiritual welfare of the men of the parish by encouraging and assisting them to observe the practices of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, namely the frequent reception of the Sacraments, the honoring of the Most Holy Name by an active religious life, and the working against all things which offend the Most Holy Name;and to broaden the knowledge of the members of the Catholic religion through the discussions at meetings.
Devotion to the Holy Name goes back to the Old Testament where we find reverence for the Name of God enjoined by the Second Commandment. The beginning of the Holy Name Society began as an organized effort to promote the fulfillment of this Divine Commandment and can be traced back to the Thirteenth Century when the heretics of that day, particularly in France and Spain, made violent attacks upon the Divinity of Christ, ridiculed His supernatural character and His Holy Name.
The formal beginning of the Holy Name Society is credited to Pope Gregory X who in the year 1274 commissioned the newly founded Dominican Order to concentrate its efforts on preaching greater devotion to the Holy Name.
On April 13, 1564, Pope Pius IV instituted the Confraternity of the most Holy Name and thus provided Papal recognition and approval for this devotion to the name of God and Christ. In February 1970, a national organization of the Society was instituted to be known as the National Association of the Holy Name Society.
The record is open that all may read regarding how much the Holy Name Society has accomplished to check the foul habit of profane and indecent language and to teach men love and respect for the Name of Jesus. It has become a bastion of belief in the Divinity of Christ among the men of America and the outstanding vehicle for the program of an effective Lay Apostolate.
The Holy Name member assumes the special obligation to strive by word, deed and example to fulfill the petition of the Lord's Prayer: "...Hallowed be Your Name."