Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton

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The Eparchy of Newton is an eparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. The eparchy encompasses the entire United States; its most recent Eparch, Nicholas James Samra, was appointed on June 15, 2011.

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 nineteenth 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.^{[4] [3]} with the title Eparchy of Newton, and Abp. Tawil became the first Eparch.

The Eparchy

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 2009, the eparchy consists of approximately 45 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 25,000 were formally enrolled in Melkite parishes.^[6]

Eparchs

1. Bishop Justin Abraham Najmy (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

• Cathedral of the Annunciation, Roslindale, Massachusetts

• Christ the Savior, Yonkers, New York
• Church of the Virgin Mary, Brooklyn, New York
• Holy Cross, Placentia, California
• Holy Resurrection, Columbus, Ohio
• Holy Transfiguration, McLean, Virginia
• Holy Trinity, Zanesville, Ohio
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Worcester, Massachusetts
• Our Lady of Redemption, Warren, Michigan
• Our Lady of the Cedars, Manchester, New Hampshire
• St. Ann, Danbury, Connecticut
• St. Ann, Waterford, Connecticut
• St. Ann, Woodland Park, New Jersey
• St. Anne, North Hollywood, California
• St. Basil the Great, Lincoln, Rhode Island
• St. Basil, Utica, New York
• St. Demetrius, Cliffside Park, New Jersey
• St. Elias, San Jose, California
• St. Elias, Woonsocket, Rhode Island
• St. Elias, Brooklyn, Ohio
• St. George, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[1]
• St. George, Sacramento, California
• St. George, Birmingham, Alabama
• St. Ignatios of Antioch, Augusta, Georgia
• St. Jacob Mission, El Cajon, California
• St. John Chrysostom, Atlanta, Georgia
• St. John of Damascus Community, South Bend, Indiana
• St. John of the Desert, Phoenix, Arizona
• St. John the Baptist, Northlake, Illinois
• St. John the Theologian, Oakland, California
• St. Joseph, Lawrence, Massachusetts
• St. Joseph, Scranton, Pennsylvania
• St. Joseph, Akron, Ohio
• St. Joseph the Betrothed, Lansing, Michigan
• St. Jude, Miami, Florida
• St. Michael, Plymouth, Michigan
• St. Michael the Archangel, Hammond, Indiana
• St. Nicholas, Delray Beach, Florida
• St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Rochester, New York
• St. Paul, El Segundo, California
• St. Phillip the Apostle, San Bernardino, California
• Virgin Mary, Temecula, California

See also

• List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Other Eastern Catholic bishops

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. ISSN 1069-4404. 
2. ^ Paul VI: Const. Apost. Byzantini Melkitarum, AAS 58 (1966), n. 8, S. 563f.
3. ^ ^{a b} Cheney, David. "Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation in Boston) (Melkite)". Catholic Hierarchy.org. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dneme.html. Retrieved 2009-02-07. 
4. ^ Paul VI: Const. Apost. Cum apostolicum, AAS 69 (1977), n. 2, S. 75f.
5. ^ Macke, Beth (Winter 1993). "Melkite Catholics in the United States". Sociology of Religion (The Association for the Sociology of Religion) 54 (4): 413. doi:10.2307/3711783. ISSN 1069-4404. http://jstor.org/stable/3711783. 
6. ^ Niebuhr, Gustav (February 16, 1997). "Bishop's Quiet Action Allows Priest Both Flock and Family". The New York Times: pp. 1. 

External links

• Eparchy of Newton official website
• Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral
• Catholic-Hierarchy entry on the Eparchy of Newton