On Coral Way in Miami, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church is rooted in the Maronite tradition while serving a congregation that worships in three languages. Its weekly life centers on Mass, the seven sacraments, daily adoration, and formation for children and adults. The parish is also home to a first-class relic of Saint Sharbel and a monthly Healing Mass that draws hundreds for prayer. These traditions give the church at 2055 Coral Way an identity shaped by Lebanese heritage, Eastern Catholic worship, and a community life that has developed since 1973.
Mass in English, Spanish, and Arabic
Our Lady of Lebanon celebrates Mass in the ancient West Syrian liturgical tradition of the Maronite Church, combining traditional Catholic worship with the devotional customs of Lebanon. The regular schedule makes room for English, Spanish, and Arabic at a single parish.
- Monday through Thursday: 12:00 PM, in English and Spanish.
- Saturday: 5:30 PM, in English.
- Sunday: 9:30 AM, Children's Mass.
- Sunday: 11:00 AM, in English and Arabic.
- Sunday: 1:30 PM, in Spanish.
Daily adoration extends the prayer life beyond Sunday. The Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel is open every day from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed for prayer. Mass intentions may be scheduled for loved ones according to availability. More than one intention can be included on Sunday, and a donation is welcome but not required.
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Its office number is 305-856-7449.
Saint Sharbel's Relic and the 22nd of Each Month
Saint Sharbel is one of the most distinctive features of worship at Our Lady of Lebanon. The church holds a first-class relic of Sharbel Makhlouf and is recognized as a pilgrimage destination. Its monthly Healing Mass in his honor has become a major gathering for prayer and intercession.
Sharbel was born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf on May 8, 1828, in Bekaa Kafra in North Lebanon. The son of a devout Maronite Catholic farming family, he prayed with his family, attended the Divine Liturgy, and developed a love of the Blessed Mother. At 23, he entered the Monastery of Our Lady of Mayfouq and later moved to St. Maron Monastery at Annaya, where he received the religious habit and took the name Sharbel. He studied at the Kfifan Monastic Seminary and was ordained a priest on July 23, 1859. In 1875, he became a hermit above St. Maron Monastery and spent the final 23 years of his life in silence, prayer, fasting, and manual labor.
Sharbel's story also includes the tradition of an incorrupt body and reported healings from paralysis, blindness, tumors, and terminal illnesses. The Lebanese Maronite Order documented these miracles with medical reports and witness testimony. At his beatification in 1965, Pope Paul VI called Sharbel “a shining light from the East.” He was canonized on October 9, 1977, becoming the first Lebanese monk canonized in the modern era. His legacy emphasizes the power of silence, Eucharistic devotion, suffering united with Christ, and the witness of Eastern Christian spirituality. He is invoked for healing of body and soul, peace in the Middle East, unity of the Churches, and inspiration for clergy, monks, and seminarians.
At the 8:00 PM Healing Mass on the 22nd of every month, worshippers venerate the relic and offer intentions for healing and conversion. When the 22nd falls on Saturday or Sunday, the regular Mass schedule is followed. Hundreds gather for the monthly prayer, and the parish has received testimonies of healing, consolation, and renewed faith.
Seven Sacraments at the Center of Parish Life
The Maronite Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments, also called Holy Mysteries: Baptism, Chrismation or Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Our Lady of Lebanon places each within the life of the parish, with preparation for families and adults receiving a sacrament or renewing their participation in the Church.
Baptism is the first step of Christian initiation. The parish requires arrangements at least one month in advance with the pastor. First Communion is also a prepared step. A candidate presents a baptism certificate, participates with the immediate family in weekly Sunday Mass and parish activities, and joins the parents in volunteering at least 15 hours in church activities and events. The candidate must know the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory in English, Spanish, or Arabic.
Confirmation follows a similar path and begins at least one month in advance with the pastor. It is the sacrament in which a person is confirmed and receives the Holy Spirit. A sponsor must be at least 18 years old, have received Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist, and be a Catholic in good standing. The parish also recognizes a member of the Orthodox Church who serves with a Catholic sponsor, while a parent or spouse cannot serve as sponsor.
Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick are available by appointment at any time. Matrimony preparation begins six months before the wedding date. Holy Orders is the sacred rite through which the laying on of hands and the prayer of a bishop confer grace and authority to serve Christ and His people as deacons, priests, or bishops.
From a Food Fair Supermarket to a Coral Way Parish
Our Lady of Lebanon officially began on September 8, 1973, a day joined to two feasts of the Virgin Mary: her Nativity and her title as Patroness of Cuba, the Virgin of Charity, or La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. Archbishop Francis Zayek, Bishop of the Maronites in the United States, personally founded the parish. The inaugural Mass, attended by about 350 people, was celebrated at Saints Peter and Paul Church. A luncheon hosted by Anthony and Genevieve Abraham brought the community together afterward. Father Joseph Kaddo was appointed the first administrator on September 28 and celebrated the mission's first Mass at Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church; the first Sunday collection was $143.26.
Father Wadih Peter Tayah became pastor in 1975. On December 29, the mission purchased the former Food Fair Supermarket at 2055 Coral Way for $386,256.76. Father Tayah celebrated Mass there the next day among empty grocery shelves. Architect Maria Rosa Sellek and the engineering firm Planas and Franyieh guided renovations beginning in March 1976. The transformed church and Maronite Center were dedicated on November 27 and 28, 1976, when Archbishop Zayek elevated the mission to parish status.
The succession of priests continued with Fr. Michael Thomas, who led construction of the new church dedicated in 1999, and Fr. Elie Mikhael, who paid off the mortgage and expanded the parish from 2004 to 2013. Fr. Elie Saade, OLM, marked the parish's 40th anniversary, welcomed the relics of Saints Rafqa and Sharbel, and renovated the banquet hall during his 2013 to 2019 tenure. Fr. Bassam Saade led the parish through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2021. Fr. Manuel Rahmeh has served as pastor since November 1, 2021, guiding extensive renovations, expanded spiritual programs, the parish's 50th anniversary, and the creation of a pastoral center.
Children, Youth, and Parish Organizations
The 9:30 AM Sunday Children's Mass gives children a regular place in parish worship. Sunday School, MYO for youth, and MYA for young adults nurture faith, leadership, and service. Parish life also includes the choir and altar servers. Bible study, prayer groups, and spiritual enrichment programs support adults, while counseling provides guidance and support.
The parish's long organizational life includes the Ladies' Guild, founded in 1974, which organizes social and fundraising events, and Saint Maron's Men's Society, founded in 1975, which supports fundraising and community needs. A Men's Group and Ladies' Sodality have also been reestablished under Fr. Rahmeh, alongside expanded parish councils and committees.
The annual Parish Hafli and Festival celebrates Lebanese food, culture, and traditions and draws thousands of attendees. A Latin Party each June honors the parish's Latin American members and promotes cultural unity. The Social Club, begun in 2024, offers activities such as cooking, painting, exercise, and decorating. Together, these groups create places for fellowship, service, and shared celebration around the Coral Way campus.
Family participation is woven into sacramental preparation. First Communion candidates and their immediate families take part in weekly Sunday Mass and parish activities, while parents and candidates contribute volunteer time. The parish also maintains registration for families and single adults, connecting household and individual participation with the life of the Church.
A Renewed Coral Way Campus
The parish grew from a modest worship space into a broader Coral Way campus. In June 2000, it acquired the adjacent property at 1901 Coral Way for $318,000, completing its frontage across the city block. A house behind the main building was acquired in 2008, creating space for future development. The 1999 reconstruction under Fr. Michael Thomas replaced the original church structure with the building used for worship today, and a 2018 renovation made the banquet hall more useful for parish gatherings.
New educational and pastoral spaces followed in 2023 and 2024, including classrooms and a pastoral center for religious instruction and community activities. On August 26, 2023, the tabernacle was relocated from a side altar to the center of the sanctuary. This physical change made the Eucharist the visual and spiritual center of parish worship.
In 2025, the rectory received a complete renovation, including a new roof, updated bathrooms and bedrooms, a kitchen, air conditioning, electrical and water systems, and improved front and back yards. The church offices were also renovated and the parking lot repaved. The newly opened Adoration Chapel extends the church's renewed emphasis on prayer through daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
Scholarships for the Next Generation
The church awards six scholarships each year through four named funds: the Fayez and June Thomas Scholarship, the Anthony and Genevieve Abraham Scholarship, the Abboud Family Foundation Scholarship, and the Our Lady of Lebanon Church Scholarship. The first two funds and the church fund each provide two $1,000 awards, while the Abboud Family Foundation awards two laptops. The awards support high school students, high school seniors preparing for university or vocational study, and current university or vocational students. Graduate education is not eligible.
Eligibility connects a scholarship with sustained participation in parish life. Applicants must have been registered members for at least two years, complete 25 hours of community service over at least two years in three different parish activities, and write a 300 to 500 word essay about the importance of the Maronite Catholic faith. Festival service, MYO, MYA, Sunday School, choir, altar-server work, and church service projects are among the activities recognized in the program. The requirements unite faith, education, service, and membership in the life of Our Lady of Lebanon.
Parish giving can be made through Parish giving options, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, and Zelle. Donors can designate gifts for the Sunday collection, Mass intentions, the festival, or flowers.
Maronite Identity in a Roman Catholic Parish
Our Lady of Lebanon is a Roman Catholic church of the Maronite Rite. The Maronites trace their tradition to St. Maron, a Syrian hermit of the late fourth and early fifth centuries, and St. John Maron, patriarch of Antioch in 685 to 707. Their church is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and is the only Eastern rite church without a counterpart outside that communion. The Maronite Church retains the ancient West Syrian liturgy, often delivered in Syriac even though Arabic is the modern Maronite vernacular. Its immediate spiritual head after the pope is the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, whose seat is in Bikirkī near Beirut.
The Maronite identity at Our Lady of Lebanon is both rooted in universal Catholic belief and expressed through a particular Antiochene heritage. The Church seeks to live the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ, to witness to him within the Antiochene tradition and the countries of expansion, and to embody the One, Universal, Holy, and Apostolic Church. This identity is not limited to cultural, national, or political concerns. Under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the parish joins Eastern Christian worship, Marian devotion, Saint Sharbel's legacy, sacramental formation, and service to students and families. At 2055 Coral Way, Our Lady of Lebanon continues to hold these strands together: three-language Sunday worship, daily adoration, the seven sacraments, Saint Sharbel's relic, and service that extends from children to scholarship recipients.