Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton

Eparchy of Newton (Melkite Greek)
Eparchia Neotoniensis Graecorum Melkitarum

Coat of arms of the Eparchy of Newton
Location
Country United States
Ecclesiastical province Eastern Catholic Eparchies Immediately Subject to the Holy See
Statistics
Population
- Catholics		 (as of 2013)
24,000
Parishes 43
Information
Denomination Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Rite Byzantine Rite
Established January 10, 1966 (50 years ago)
Cathedral Annunciation Cathedral
Secular priests 68
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Patriarch Gregory III Laham
Eparch Nicholas James Samra
Emeritus Bishops John Elya
Website
www.melkite.org

Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton (in Latin: Eparchia Neotoniensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is an eparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Catholic Church. While the eparchy encompasses the entire United States, there are not Melkite parishes in every state. The current Eparch, Nicholas James Samra -- who, for a time, was an auxiliary bishop in the eparchy -- was appointed eparch on June 15, 2011.

Territory and statistics

Melkite Eparchy of Newton has jurisdiction over all Melkite faithful in United States of America. Its eparchial seat is Our Lady of Annunciation Cathedral in the West Roxbury section of Boston. The eparchial residence was formerly located in Newton, near Boston. The Saint Anne Co-Cathedral is located in Los Angeles.

In 2013 there were 24,000 Melkite Catholics subdivided in 43 parishes.

History

Stained glass window at the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral in Roslindale, Massachusetts depicting Christ Enthroned in the regalia of a Byzantine emperor

Early immigration

The first large wave of Melkite immigration from the Middle East to the United States took place in the late 19th century, and the first American Melkite church was established in the 1890s. Because there was no diocesan structure for Melkites in the United States at the time, Melkite parishes were each under the jurisdiction of the local Latin-rite diocesan bishop.[1]

Apostolic exarchate

As the Melkite presence in the United States reached 70 years, the Holy See erected an apostolic exarchate on January 10, 1966 to serve the needs of Melkite Catholics in the country, with the title Apostolic Exarchate of United States of America, Faithful of the Oriental Rite (Melkite).[2] Bishop Justin Najmy (1898–1968), pastor of St. Basil the Great Church in Central Falls, Rhode Island, was designated as the first Exarch.[3] After Bishop Najmy's death, Archbishop Joseph Tawil was appointed his successor in October 1969.

Eparchy

On June 28, 1976, the Exarchate was elevated to the status of an eparchy.[3][4] with the title Eparchy of Newton, and Abp. Tawil became the first Eparch.

The Eparchy

Annunciation Cathedral

The eparchy is named for the Boston suburb of Newton, where eparchial offices and the bishop's residence were located until approximately 2000. These are now based in the Roslindale section of Boston, Massachusetts, beside the seat of the eparchy, the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral.

As of 2013, the eparchy consists of approximately 43 parishes and missions throughout the United States. According to a research study published in Sociology of Religion, there were approximately 120,000 Melkites residing in the country in 1986,[5] although only about 24,000 were formally enrolled in Melkite parishes.[6]

Following ancient Christian tradition the eparchy counts among its clergy both celibate and married priests and deacons.[7]

Many candidates for the presbyterate formerly studied at Holy Cross Greek Orthdodox School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts, amongst other institutions, while living at St. Gregory the Theologian Seminary in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Eparchial seminarians are now formed at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Bishop Ignatius Ghattas founded the Order of Saint Nicholas in 1991, a regional lay order attached to the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton.[8]

Exarch & Eparchs

  1. Bishop Justin Abraham Najmy Exarch (January 27, 1966–June 11, 1968)
  2. Archbishop Joseph Tawil (1969–December 2, 1989)
  3. Bishop Ignatius Ghattas (February 23, 1990–October 11, 1992)
  4. Bishop John Elya (November 25, 1993–June 22, 2004)
  5. Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros (June 22, 2004–June 15, 2011)
  6. Bishop Nicholas James Samra (appointed June 15, 2011)

Parishes

There is also a community of the Basilian Salvatorian Order in Methuen, Massachusetts.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Macke, Beth (Winter 1993). "Melkite Catholics in the United States". Sociology of Religion (The Association for the Sociology of Religion) 54 (4): 414. doi:10.2307/3711783. ISSN 1069-4404.
  2. ↑ vatican.va, AAS 58 (1966), n. 8, S. 563f.
  3. 1 2 Cheney, David. "Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation in Boston) (Melkite)". Catholic Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  4. ↑ vatican.va
  5. ↑ Macke, Beth (Winter 1993). "Melkite Catholics in the United States". Sociology of Religion (The Association for the Sociology of Religion) 54 (4): 413–420. doi:10.2307/3711783. ISSN 1069-4404. JSTOR 3711783.
  6. ↑ Niebuhr, Gustav (February 16, 1997). "Bishop's Quiet Action Allows Priest Both Flock and Family". The New York Times. p. 1.
  7. ↑ Ignatius, William (November 13, 2001). "Melkite Catholic Church to Ordain Married Men to the Priesthood in the US". Catholic Online.
  8. ↑ https://melkite.org/order-of-st-nicholas

External links

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