A Maronite Catholic Home in Cleveland Since 1915
For more than a century, Saint Maron Church has anchored the Maronite Catholic community of greater Cleveland. The parish traces its roots to 1915, when a two-story apartment was purchased and remodeled into a church and rectory on Cleveland's east side, and Father Peter Chalala arrived from Baalbek, Lebanon, to become its first pastor. Bishop John P. Farrelly consecrated that first church in 1916. In 1939 the parish acquired the former Saint Anthony church at 1245 Carnegie Avenue from its Italian-American congregation, the building that still serves as the downtown home of Saint Maron.
Today the parish lives between two sites. The downtown church stands on Carnegie Avenue in Cleveland, while a chapel on Brookside Road in Independence, about ten miles south, has grown into a campus of its own. Together they serve Lebanese-American families, Syriac-heritage Christians, and anyone drawn to the ancient liturgy of the Antiochene tradition. The parish is part of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles and sits in full communion with Rome.
The Liturgy in Two Languages, at Two Locations
Saint Maron celebrates the Divine Liturgy, the Eucharistic heart of Maronite worship, in both English and Arabic across the week.
- Weekdays, Independence Chapel: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 6:00 p.m., in English and Arabic.
- Saturday, Independence Chapel: 5:00 p.m. in English.
- Sunday, Downtown Church: 9:30 a.m. in English and 11:00 a.m. in Arabic.
Memorial liturgies and other scheduled services draw on the same times, with the Saturday evening chapel liturgy and the Sunday downtown liturgies forming the backbone of the week. The Maronite Mass uses the Syriac liturgy of Antioch, ascribed to Saint James the Less, with Syriac, a dialect of the Aramaic language spoken by Jesus, woven into the prayer of the Church. At Saint Maron the homily and much of the singing are offered in the language of the gathered community, while the ancient anaphora retains its Syriac character.
Who Are the Maronites?
The Maronite Church takes its name from a fourth-century hermit, Saint Maron, who lived on a mountain above the Orontes River near Antioch in Syria. He converted an old pagan temple along the river into a monastery whose disciples spread through central and northern Syria as missionaries. After his death in 410 A.D., his tomb became a place of pilgrimage. In 686 A.D. the religious community elected Saint John Maron as Patriarch, beginning the Maronite Patriarchate, which has continued unbroken to the present day.
Late in the seventh century, persecution drove the monks into the mountains of Lebanon, where the Maronite Church took root and grew. Through the centuries Maronites preserved the Catholic faith without schism, and successive popes have praised their loyalty to the Holy See. The Maronite Church is the only Catholic Church known by the name of its leader, and its liturgy is among the oldest still in use.
Two Campuses, One Parish
The downtown church sits at 1245 Carnegie Avenue in Cleveland. Over the decades it has been expanded, renovated, and refreshed. In 1997 a west-side addition opened to accommodate growth; a 1998 east-side addition followed when the social hall was replaced by a two-story parking garage to address limited parking from a neighboring baseball field. In 2025 the downtown church underwent significant repairs and renovations, with a new cross and icons, a new tabernacle, updated lecterns, cleaned flooring, new carpeting, enhanced lighting, illuminated stained-glass windows, and added bookshelves. The downtown rectory and classrooms received their own remodel the same year.
The Independence Chapel at 7800 Brookside Road sits on a 22-acre property the parish purchased in 2007. The chapel was renovated in 2010, the pastor's house was remodeled in 2024, and a new property behind the downtown church was added to the parish grounds that same year. In 2024, ground was broken in Independence for a new enclosed Venue, and the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in that new space in 2026.
All mail should be sent to the Independence address, as the downtown location does not receive postal mail.
The Holy Mysteries: Sacraments in the Maronite Tradition
Saint Maron prepares members for the seven Holy Mysteries of the Maronite Church.
Baptism and Chrismation. Parents hoping to baptize a child must call the parish office at least two months in advance. Baptisms are usually scheduled one per weekend, after the 5:00 p.m. Saturday liturgy at the Independence Chapel or after the 11:00 a.m. Sunday liturgy at the downtown church.
First Communion. Children typically receive First Holy Communion in second grade, after a year of preparation through the Maronite Christian Formation program. Classes meet after the 11:00 a.m. liturgy on Sundays during the academic year.
Crowning (Matrimony). Couples must meet with Father Patrick at least eight months before the desired wedding date and complete Pre-Cana classes. A Freedom to Marry Letter is required and may take weeks or months to assemble. The church is available for wedding celebrations.
Communion and Anointing of the Sick. Clergy visit the home-bound and hospitalized for Communion and anointing. The hospital does not contact the church directly, so families are asked to call the parish office at (216) 520-5081.
Memorial Liturgy. Funeral and memorial liturgies draw on the moving hymns of the Maronite Funeral Service. Memorial liturgies are typically scheduled for Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at the chapel, or Sunday at 9:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. A forty-day liturgy takes precedence, and memorial liturgies are not scheduled on the St. Maron Feast Day, Palm Sunday, Easter, First Communion, Christmas, or Festival Weekend.
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
Father Patrick Kassab has served as pastor since 2024. A Maronite priest born and raised in Lebanon, he earned a PhD in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, writing on Christ's descent among the dead in the Syriac tradition. He also holds degrees in Pastoral Theology and Theological Studies and teaches Systematic Theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. Ordained in 2014, he previously served at Saint Raymond Cathedral in Missouri. In 2026 Bishop Elias Zaidan named him Vicar for Clergy for the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles.
Father Mario Ghosn joined the parish as Assistant Pastor in 2026, following his ordination on May 30, 2026. Born in Lebanon in 1973, he grew up in Ajaltoun, moved to the United States in 1999, and entered the Subdiaconate Program in 2020. He was ordained a deacon in 2025 before being ordained to the priesthood the following spring. He and his wife Maya have three children and a granddaughter.
Three subdeacons assist at the altar. Subdeacon Lattouf Lattouf, an IT professional who emigrated from Ebreen, Lebanon, in 1986, was ordained after years of service as an altar boy, seminarian, sacristan, and choir member. Subdeacon Ghazi J. Faddoul, who came to the United States from Hammana, Lebanon, in 1976, has served as Choir Director since 1977, co-founded the Sons of Mary Religious Group, and serves on the parish council and finance committee. Subdeacon Yamen Saada, born in Homs, Syria, in 1982, holds degrees in English Literature, Theology and Philosophy, and serves as an Automation Technician at Honeywell. Three candidates, Adel Jalkh, Kalil Boulos, and Charbel Khachan, continue their formation toward ordination; Charbel Khachan also serves as Sacristan and Ceremony Director.
Parish Organizations and Community Life
The parish sponsors a range of organizations for every age. The Maronite Youth Organization (MYO) gathers teenagers for outings such as Top Golf and other social events, while the Maronite Young Adults (MYA) meet for activities like bonfires. The Sons of Mary Religious Group, co-founded by Subdeacon Ghazi Faddoul, gathers adults around shared devotion. The parish choir, directed by Subdeacon Faddoul for nearly five decades, carries the Syriac and Arabic hymns of the liturgy.
The Maronite Christian Formation program offers religious education for children preparing for First Communion, with Sunday classes during the academic year. A community outreach program, launched as part of the parish's 2024 rebranding, extends the parish's mission to serve the poor and the needy, offering aid, resources, and compassion to those facing hardship.
The Annual Summer Feast
Each Labor Day weekend the Independence Chapel grounds host the Annual Summer Feast, a three-day festival that brings the parish and its neighbors together. The celebration opens on Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday, with food, vendors, and activities for the whole community. Sponsorship benefits include recognition on digital displays, tray liners, and social media, and the feast draws on dozens of volunteers and a marketplace of handmade goods, boutiques, specialty products, and local businesses.
A Parish Looking Forward
Saint Maron has always been defined by its liturgies, its sacraments, and the Lebanese-American families who built it. The 2024 arrival of Father Patrick Kassab marked a season of renewal, with a rebrand, a new logo and bulletin, and a community outreach program joining the established rhythm of feast days, sacraments, and choir. The newly constructed Venue in Independence opened in 2026 with the celebration of its first Divine Liturgy, and the parish continues to grow its witness as a home for the Syriac tradition in northeastern Ohio.