Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles


Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is an entity pertaining to the Apostolic Maronite Patriarchal Church of Antioch and includes the Maronite faithful in the western and central United States. In conformity with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, the Eparchy is under the direct jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff. In 2013 there were 52,300 baptized. It is currently ruled by eparch Abdallah Elias Zaidan, MLM.

Territory and statistics

The eparchy includes the faithful of the Maronite Church in thirty-four western, central and southern states of the United States of America. With a decree from the Sacred Congregation of the Eastern Churches, dated July 10, 2001, the see of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon was transferred to St. Louis, Missouri, with St. Raymond Church, in St. Louis, elevated to the rank of Co-Cathedral., as of 9 Sep 2011, the history quoted here was a verbatim copy of the history page of the Eparchy website. Its see cathedral is Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St. Peter Cathedral in Los Angeles.
Its territory is divided into 35 parishes and in 2013 had 52,300 American Maronites.

History

Immigration of Maronite Christianity from Greater Syria to the United States began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. When they were able to obtain a priest, communities were established under the jurisdiction of the local Latin Bishops.
Pope Paul VI, with the Apostolic Constitution Cum supremi of January 10, 1966, established the Maronite Apostolic Exarchate for the Maronite faithful of the United States. Francis Mansour Zayek was appointed the first bishop in a decree of the Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Churches dated January 27, 1966. The See city was Detroit, Michigan, with a Cathedral under the patronage of St Maron. At that time, the Exarchate was a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
On November 29, 1971, Pope Paul VI, with the Apostolic Constitution Quae spes, the Exarchate was elevated to the status of an Eparchy, with the name of Eparchy of St. Maron of Detroit. With a decree from the Sacred Congregation of the Eastern Churches dated June 27, 1977, the see of the Eparchy of St. Maron was transferred to Brooklyn, New York, with the cathedral under the patronage of Our Lady of Lebanon. The name of the Eparchy was modified to Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn. On December 10, 1982, Pope John Paul II accorded the title of "Archbishop ad personam" to Bishop Zayek as recognition of his personal contributions to the Catholic Church.
With the papal bull Omnium Catholicorum promulgated by Pope John Paul II of February 19, 1994, a second Eparchy for Maronites in the United States was established: Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, came from the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn. John George Chedid, formerly Titular Bishop of Callinicum for the Maronites and Auxiliary of the Eparchy of St Maron, was appointed the first Eparchial Bishop with the Cathedral under the patronage of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon. Bishop Chedid was enthroned on June 24, 1994 by Archbishop Francis Mansour Zayek who represented the Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir. On December 5, 2000, the Pope accepted the resignation of Bishop John Chedid due to canonical age, and appointed Chorbishop Robert Joseph Shaheen in his place. Bishop Shaheen was ordained and installed Eparch on February 15, 2001, by Patriarch Nasrallah Peter Sfeir in the Cathedral Basilica of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, Missouri. On July 10, 2013, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert J. Shaheen and appointed the Abdallah Elias Zaidan as the new bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, based in St. Louis, Missouri. Zaidan was ordained as a bishop on September 28, 2013, at the National Shrine of the Basilica Of Our Lady of Lebanon, Mount Harissa, Lebanon, by Cardinal Bechara Peter Rai, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, and installed as bishop of the Eparchy on October 23, 2013, in St. Louis, Mo., at St. Raymonds' Co-Cathedral.

Parishes and missions

The territory of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon comprises the following states, parishes and missions:
Alabama
Saint Elias Maronite Church
Arizona
Saint Joseph Maronite Church
California
Saint John Maron Maronite Church
Our Lady of the Rosary Mission
Our Lady of Lebanon-St Peter Maronite Cathedral
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church
Saint Joseph Maronite Mission
Saint Ephrem Maronite Church
Saint Sharbel Mission
Saint Jude Maronite Mission
Saints Peter and Paul Maronite Mission
Colorado
Saint Rafka Maronite Church
Illinois
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church
Saint Sharbel Maronite Church
Michigan
Saint Maron Maronite Church
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church
Saint Rafka Maronite Mission
Saint Sharbel Maronite Church
Minnesota
Saint Maron Maronite Church
Holy Family Maronite Church
Missouri
Saint Raymond Maronite Cathedral
Nevada
Saint Sharbel Maronite Mission
Ohio
Saint Anthony of Padua Maronite Church
Saint Maron Maronite Church
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Mission
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Maronite Church
Our Lady of the Cedars of Mt. Lebanon Maronite Church
Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon
Saint Maron Maronite Church
Oklahoma
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Mission
Saint Therese Maronite Church
Oregon
Saint Sharbel Maronite Church
Texas
Our Lady’s Maronite Church
Saint Sharbel Maronite Church
Our Lady of Cedars Maronite Church
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church
Saint George Maronite Church
Utah
Saint Jude Maronite Church
Wisconsin
Maronite Mission of Milwaukee
West Virginia
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church

Other Communities

The Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon also has under its jurisdiction two monasteries:
Michigan
Maronite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Oregon
Monks of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Eparchs