We are the only Maronite community in Indiana who comes together on Sundays for the Divine Liturgy (Mass) in South Bend. All are welcome to come worship with us. As a Catholic community, it fulfills the Sunday obligation to attend Mass.

This Community is the first mission or parish in the United States under the patronage of the Blessed Massabki Martyrs.

Three Christian brothers grew up and lived in Damascus in the 19th century in the then-Ottoman Empire. Their names were Francis, Raphael and Abdulmooti Massabki. They were three laymen who lived ordinary, devout Christian lives. On July 9, 1860, during an Ottoman attack on a Franciscan convent in Damascus, the three brothers were given the chance to renounce their faith and convert to Islam or die. All three brothers chose to profess Jesus Christ for eternal life rather than denounce Him to continue in this passing world. They were martyred along with eight Franciscans that day.

On October 7, 1926, Pope Pius XI beatified the three brothers. We continue to pray for their canonization. Their feast day is July 10.

The Maronite Church is one of the twenty four Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. Named after the 5th century hermit, St. Maron, it flourished in the monastic environment of Syria, where Christianity has existed since its conversion by the Apostles. Its liturgy is part of the ancient West Syriac Tradition, which traces its roots to Jerusalem, Antioch and Edessa. In spite of the tribulations of the centuries, Maronites have fervently held to the Christian faith.

As an Eastern Catholic Church (one of the two “lungs” Pope John Paul II said the Church must breathe with), Maronites believe in the same faith as Roman Catholics but retain their own distinct liturgy, customs, and hierarchy in communion with Pope Francis. In the words of the Syriac writer, Dionysius Bar Salibi, God has willed that every people should worship Him in their own tongue and idiom. While professing the same Lord and faith, Maronites follow the ancient customs that developed in the Middle East immediately following the evangelization of Peter and Paul.

His Beatitude, Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rai, is the 77th and current Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. He presides over the Synod of Maronite Bishops, which is comprised of the various Maronite bishops throughout the world and collectively governs the Maronite Church. The Maronite Patriarch takes the name “Boutros” (Peter) upon election to signify his succession to the Apostle Peter, who was the first Bishop of Antioch.

The Patriarch entered the Congregation of the Mariamite Monks, and was ordained a priest in 1967. He was ordained a bishop in 1986, and was appointed the ordinary of Byblos in 1990. On March 15, 2011, the Synod of Maronite Bishops elected him Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and in the following year Pope Benedict XVI created him a cardinal.

Bishop Zaidan was born in Lebanon, entered the Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries in 1984, and was ordained a priest on July 20, 1986 (the Feast of St. Elias). He served multiple decades in the United States before being appointed the 3rd and current Bishop of the Eparchy (Diocese) of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles by Pope Francis on July 10, 2013 (the Feast of the Massabki Martyrs).

He is responsible for the pastoral care of Maronites in 34 states from California to Ohio.

Director of Liturgy for the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles and a PhD student at Notre Dame, Fr. Michael regularly offers the Divine Liturgy.

Fr. Michael graduated NYU with a BA in history and philosophy. He attended seminary at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and received an STB from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest on May 2, 2020 by Bishop Zaidan. Later, while in residence at the Maronite College, he obtained an SEOL (license) in liturgy from the Pontifical Oriental Institute.