A Brief History of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

Immigration of Maronite faithful from the Middle East to the United States began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. When the faithful were able to request a priest, communities were established as parishes under the jurisdiction of the local Latin bishops.

On January 10, 1966, with the Apostolic Constitution Cum supremi, Pope Paul VI established the Maronite Apostolic Exarchate in the United States. An exarchate is a Church structure that is often created in missionary territory to lay the groundwork for an eventual eparchy or diocese. Bishop Francis M. Zayek was appointed Exarch in a decree of the Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Churches dated January 27, 1966. Bishop Zayek served in the Vatican as a Professor of canon law, and on the Roman Rota. His recent experience as first Bishop of the Maronites of Brazil made him highly qualified for the same responsibility in the United States. Bishop Zayek was installed on June 11, 1966 in Detroit, MI where he was to establish his See with a cathedral under the patronage of Saint Maron. Detroit was chosen because, at that time, it was considered home to the largest concentration of Maronites in the United States. The Exarchate consisted of forty-three Maronite parishes. On November 29, 1971, Pope Paul VI, with the Apostolic Constitution Quae spes, elevated the Exarchate to the status of a Diocese, with the name of The Diocese of Saint Maron of Detroit, and appointed Bishop Zayek as its first bishop. He was installed on June 4, 1972.

In 1977 the decision was made to move the Diocese from Detroit to Brooklyn, NY. Bishop Zayek took possession of his new Cathedral under the patronage of Our Lady of Lebanon on May 21, 1978. The name of the Diocese was modified to The Diocese of Saint Maron of Brooklyn.

To help with the responsibilities of the large and expanding diocese, Chorbishop John Chedid was appointed Auxiliary Bishop in 1980. Bishop Chedid had distinguished himself as a pastor, and a canonist, and served in various eparchial offices. He was ordained bishop on January 25, 1981.

On December 10, 1982, Pope John Paul II accorded the title of Archbishop ad personam to Bishop Zayek as a recognition of his personal contributions to the Catholic Church.

The Maronite Exarchate and, later, Diocese faced many challenges. The original immigrant Church had given way to second and third generation American-Lebanese, who had adapted quite well to the American milieu. Many Maronite parishioners were losing the knowledge of Arabic, the vernacular of the Middle East, and so prior to the approval of the vernacular in the Latin Church, some translations were published in the United States where liturgical Arabic and Syriac were written in phonetics, and in a few places English was being used in liturgy.

The war in Lebanon, beginning in 1975, had resulted in a large new class of immigrants who brought with them the Maronite way of life. This was also true of the significant number of Maronite clergy and seminarians who immigrated to the United States.

A great challenge was thus to make all Maronites feel at home in their parish community and to be able to worship in the most fruitful way possible. Second and third generation American Maronites were more comfortable in English, recent Maronite immigrants were more comfortable in Arabic, and then there were some Maronites of no Lebanese background. All three groups were encouraged to support each other's understanding of what it is to be Maronite, and so a prudent blend of English, Arabic, and Syriac was to be an important formula for each parish.

Archbishop Zayek set as his priorities the spiritual progress and unification of Maronites in the United States, the establishment of new parishes and missions, he encouraged older parishes to expand and, if necessary, to replace their church buildings.

Through the efforts of Archbishop Zayek, Bishop Chedid, and the clergy and laity working together, much was done to adapt the Maronite Liturgy to the needs of the Eparchy. An extensive Lectionary was published, as well as a Book of Anaphoras and Feasts. Several translations into English of the Divine Liturgy were put in the hands of the faithful. Translations of the Divine Office, the Mysteries (Sacraments), and Maronite liturgical hymns were made available. A complete series of catechetical texts grounded in Maronite tradition and culture was published entitled Faith of the Mountain, and various members of the Eparchy published books on Maronite theology, liturgy, spirituality, history and Eastern Canon Law.

A priority of the Eparchy was to organize the youth. Annual meetings of the Maronite youth (MYO) took place, where youth from all over the country attended in significant numbers. Besides the strengthening of social ties, the meetings were directed to mentoring youth leadership and encouraged their attachment to the Maronite Tradition.

A diocesan newspaper, The Challenge, was established in 1978, and then, with the formation of two eparchies in 1994, The Maronite Voice in the Eparchy of Saint Maron, and Maronites Today in the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon. Today there is one bi-monthly publication of the Maronite Voice for both eparchies.

The Maronite Monks of Adoration, a Maronite monastic community, was formed in 1978 and established in the Eparchy of St. Maron in 1989. Over 18 monks now reside at the Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Petersham, Massachusetts. The principal work of the Maronite Monks of Adoration is a life of prayer and sacrifice, in living union with Jesus Christ following the examples of St. Sharbel and St. Nimatullah Al-Hardini.

The Order of Saint Sharbel was established in 1980 as an association of laity and clergy whose main purpose is to offer spiritual and material support to the Eparchy and her seminarians and retired clergy. The Order has been very successful, now with over 300 members and this is a sign of the dedication of American Maronites to their clergy.

During the time of Archbishop Zayek, ten new parishes were established, bringing the total number of parishes to fifty-three before the division of the Eparchy in 1994. In addition, there were nine missions.

THE FORMATION OF TWO EPARCHIES

On March 1, 1994, Pope John Paul II announced the formation of two eparchies from the original Diocese of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. In keeping with the new Eastern Code of Canon Laws the Greek word “Eparchy” replaced the Latin word “Diocese”. This was in recognition of the growth of the Maronites in the United States, and to make the vast area of the United States a little more manageable to serve. Because the majority of the Maronite parishes were on the East Coast, it was necessary to make the dividing line of the two eparchies at the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and points south. As a result, the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn incorporates those states that border on the Atlantic ocean and Vermont. The newly formed Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles includes all the remaining states.

Thus the territory of the newly-structured Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn is comprised of the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

Bishop John Chedid was installed as the first Eparchial Bishop of the new Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, on June 23, 1994. Having distinguished himself as Auxiliary Bishop and Judicial Vicar for the Eparchy of Saint Maron for many years, and having been highly respected by the Maronite clergy and laity, Bishop Chedid was well prepared for his new responsibility, and responded well to the challenges of forming a new Eparchy. A history of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles can be found at www.eparchy.org.

BISHOP STEPHEN HECTOR DOUEIHI

When Archbishop Francis M. Zayek reached the canonical retirement age of 75, the Holy Father announced the appointment of Chorbishop Stephen Hector Doueihi as the second Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron on November 23, 1996. He was ordained Bishop in Lebanon on January 11, 1997 and enthroned at the Cathedral on February 5, 1997 in Brooklyn, NY. Besides his pastoral experience, Bishop Doueihi had been responsible for much of the work done on the Maronite Liturgy in the United States.While deeply attached to his Lebanese heritage, Bishop Doueihi enthusiastically embraced all that is good in American culture. These qualities enabled him to serve well as the bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn until his resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II on January 10, 2004.

Archbishop Francis Zayek died September 14, 2010 in Lebanon and was buried in his hometown of Ghazir. Bishop Stephen Hector Doueihi died December 17, 2014 in Brooklyn, NY and was buried in his hometown of Ehden, Lebanon.

BISHOP GREGORY JOHN MANSOUR

On January 10, 2004, Chorbishop Gregory John Mansour, Vicar General and Chancellor of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, was appointed the Eparchial Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn by Pope John Paul II. Bishop Mansour was ordained bishop on March 2, 2004 in the Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon, Harissa, Lebanon by Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir with Archbishop Zayek and Bishop Shaheen as co-consecrators, and he was enthroned at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, Brooklyn NY on April 27, 2004.

The Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn has seen much growth in past 20 years. The Maronite Servants of Christ the Light began in 2008 as the first congregation of active Maronite Religious sisters founded in the United States. On September 23, 2011, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon was consecrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington DC. On October 28, 2017, Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, and Maronite Patriarch Bechara Peter Cardinal Rai dedicated the chapel of Saint Sharbel at Saint Patrick Cathedral in New York, NY.

On April 13, 2024, the Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center, Pittsburgh, PA, was dedicated by Bishop Mansour. The Center is the first of its kind, as a Center devoted to developing the spiritual life, named after Saint Sharbel Makhlouf.

This spiritual growth was accompanied by several ordinations to the priesthood, diaconate and subdiaconate, as well as the opening of several missions to serve the faithful.

The first hundred years of the Maronites in the United States have been marked by much progress and achievement. The original immigrants worked to see that their children and grandchildren received the best education possible. As a result, Maronites have become prominent in all aspects of American life. The number of Maronite parishes and many Maronite clergy who were born in the United States is a source of great joy and an indication of a bright future.

The Maronite Church in the United States faces the future with many reasons for hope. It also faces the challenge to preserve her identity and her heritage, while trying to relate to generations imbued with American culture. As a Church with Apostolic origins, she is called to preach and to witness to the Gospel of Christ in whatever place or culture it finds itself.

The Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn is a constitutive part of the Apostolic Maronite Patriarchal Church of Antioch. In conformity with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, the Eparchy is under the direct jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff.

Today the Eparchy consists of 58 active priests, 65 deacons and subdeacons, a community of 18 contemplative monks, a community of 3 religious women, a seminary, and 46 parishes and missions.