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Pope accepts resignation of Maronite Bishop Shaheen
St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | July 10, 2013 | Tim Townsend

Posted on 07/11/2013 9:35:14 AM PDT by rwa265

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert Shaheen, 76, leader of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, headquartered just south of downtown St. Louis, in a pastoral center next to St. Raymond's Maronite Catholic Parish. Canon law requires bishops to submit their resignations at age 75. The pope named the Rev. Abdallah Zaidan, 50, rector of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St. Peter Maronite Cathedral in Los Angeles, to succeed Shaheen. The Maronite Catholic Church, an ancient Eastern Rite branch of Catholicism, is based in Lebanon. St. Raymond's is the seat of one of two eparchies, or dioceses, of the Maronite Church in the U.S. Bishop Shaheen was ordained and installed Eparch at the Cathedral Basilica in 2001. Originally from Connecticut, he has been associated with St. Raymond's since the 1960s. The Maroninte Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon includes about 43,000 Catholics in 34 states.

(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events
KEYWORDS: maronite; resignation; shaheen
Bishop Shaheen was the first Maronite priest or bishop from the United States. Through his leadership, St. Raymond's grew from a few parishioners in a four family apartment to become a cathedral with hundreds of active families throughout the St. Louis area. May he have a blessed and happy retirement.
1 posted on 07/11/2013 9:35:14 AM PDT by rwa265
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To: rwa265

And a 50 year old new bishop no less. That bodes well.


2 posted on 07/11/2013 9:36:42 AM PDT by vladimir998
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To: rwa265; Salvation
Bishop Shaheen was the first Maronite priest or bishop from the United States. Through his leadership, St. Raymond's grew from a few parishioners in a four family apartment to become a cathedral with hundreds of active families throughout the St. Louis area. May he have a blessed and happy retirement.

Salvation, aren't you attending a Maronite Church?

3 posted on 07/11/2013 3:01:52 PM PDT by MarkBsnr (I would not believe in the Gospel, if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
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To: MarkBsnr

No, but I have a friend who does.


4 posted on 07/11/2013 4:58:50 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: rwa265; vladimir998; MarkBsnr; Salvation
The is much excitement and great happiness in the Maronite community over the selection of Fr. Abdallah Elias ZAIDAN as Bishop Shaheen’s replacement.

His Holiness, Pope Francis, has appointed Fr. Abdallah Elias ZAIDAN, M.L.M., as bishop of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles (Catholics 24,108, priests 39, permanent deacons 8, religious 15),. The bishop-elect was born in Kosaybe, Lebanon in 1963.

Father Abdallah was ordained to the priesthood on July 20, 1986 by his Beatitude Nasrallah Peter Sfeir. He is the Protopresbyter for the Southwestern Region of the diocese and serves on various diocesan boards and committees. He participated in the Patriarchal Maronite Synod, held from 2003-2005, where he oversaw the translation of synodal documents into the English language. He also participated in the Synod of Bishops for the Christians of the Middle East, held at the Vatican, October 2010.

He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including Adjunct Rector at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lebanon in Brooklyn, Rector at Our Lady of Mount Lebanon – St. Peter in Los Angeles, Protopresbyter, member of the Episcopal Council of the south-west and north-west zone for the Maronite Eparchy of Los Angeles, member of the Tele-Lumiere Council of America, coordinator of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, member of the Sexual Abuse Board, and member of Caritas Liban. He succeeds Bishop Robert Joseph Shaheen, whose resignation was accepted by the Holy Father, in accordance with Canon 210, para. 1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

He speaks English, Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish and Syriac. Bishop-Elect Abdallah Elias Zaidan shares and incorporates qualities of leadership of which Pope Francis himself is a pioneer—namely the simplicity and love for the Church and for all people of good will, the qualities of compassion and understanding, the competence of making decisions for better changes that are more adequate with the true spirit of the Gospel. All these qualities manifested in the choice of Fr. Abdallah Elias Zaidan as Bishop, make him a viable part in the Faith and Evangelization project the pope is trying to accomplish by his example to ensure the profound reform in the existential life of the Church.

According to many, Fr. Abdallah will be known for his simplicity and love, and as always a real priest. He is a priest who appreciates the ministry of priests, especially the young ones and the retired ones. Bishop-Elect Abdallah Elias Zaidan has a background that makes him one of the best people to be able to reconcile differences and ensure unity in parishes where there are obstacles to the ministry of the Church. He understands the difficulties of the laity, and he will implement better and more efficacious strategies to make sure that adequate priests will be assigned in adequate parishes where they can work in full cooperation with the people of God and with joy.

The Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries’ mission consists in serving the Maronite Church through the observance of the evangelical counsels: chastity, poverty and obedience, spreading the Good News of the Gospel, and attending to the spiritual education of the Maronites. The Congregation of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries has 4 (Living) Affiliated Bishops:

1. Bishop Hanna G. Alwan, M.L.M. (Member: 1979; Priest: 18 Jul 1981 to 13 Aug 2011), Curial Bishop of Antioch (Vicar General to the Patriarch)

2. Bishop Charbel Georges Merhi, M.L.M. (Priest: 29 Aug 1964 to 5 Oct 1990), Bishop Emeritus of the (Maronite) Eparchy of San Charbel en Buenos Aires

3. Bishop Paul-Marwan Tabet, M.L.M. (Priest: 20 Jul 1986 to 10 Jan 2013), Bishop of the (Maronite) Eparchy of Saint-Maron de Montréal

4. Bishop-elect Abdallah-Elias Zaidan, M.L.M. (Member: 26 Sep 1984; Priest: 20 Jul 1986 to 10 Jul 2013), Bishop of the (Maronite) Eparchy of our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles

5 posted on 07/11/2013 6:47:34 PM PDT by NYer ( "Run from places of sin as from the plague."--St John Climacus)
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