Syriac Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance in the United States

Syriac Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance Eparchia Dominae Nostrae Liberationis Novarcensis Syrorum
Saint Toma Cathedral in Farmington Hills
Coat of arms
Location
Territory	United States of America
Ecclesiastical province	Immediately Exempt to the Holy See
Statistics
Population - Catholics	16,000
Parishes	11
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Syriac Catholic Church
Rite	West Syriac Rite
Established	November 6, 1995 (29 years ago)
Cathedral	St. Toma Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Eparch	Yousif Benham Habash
Website
http://www.SyriacCatholic.US

The Syriac Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance is a Syriac Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. The territory of the eparchy encompasses the entire United States. Its cathedral is St. Toma Cathedral, in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Yousif Benham Habash has led the eparchy since April 2010.

History

Until 1995, Syriac Catholic congregations in the United States and Canada were under the ordinary jurisdiction of the local Latin Church bishops.

On November 6, 1995, Pope John Paul II erected the Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance, immediately subject to the Holy See,^[1] and appointed bishop Joseph Younan as the first eparch, with his see at Newark, New Jersey.^[2]

In 2009, Bishop Younan was elected as Primate of the Syriac Catholic Church and Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syriacs. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Yousif Benham Habash as the second eparch.^[3]

On January 7, 2016, it lost its (southeastern) Canadian territory (then five communities in Ontario and Quebec provinces) to the newly erected Syriac Catholic Apostolic Exarchate for Canada.

On July 1, 2022, Pope Francis approved moving the seat of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance from St. Joseph Cathedral in Bayonne, New Jersey to St. Toma in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The move places the cathedral closer to the center of the Syriac Catholic population in the United States.^[4]

Eparchs of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark

1. Joseph Younan (November 6, 1995 – January 20, 2009), later Patriarch of Antioch of the Syriacs (actually in Beirut, Lebanon) ([2009.01.20] 2009.01.22 – ...) and President of the Synod of the Syriac Catholic Church (2009.01.22 – ...)
2. Yousif Benham Habash (April 12, 2010 – ...)

Current status

As of 2016, the eparchy is estimated to have 16,000 faithful in 8 parishes and 6 missions.^[5]

Congregations are located in the following cities :

East coast

• Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Bayonne, New Jersey
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Jacksonville, Florida
• Farmington Hills, Michigan
• Sterling Heights, Michigan
• Northbrook, Illinois

West coast

• El Cajon, California
• Los Angeles, California
• Oceanside, California
• Phoenix, Arizona

See also

• List of Catholic bishops of the United States § Eastern Catholic eparchs

References

1. "Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark (Syriac)". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
2. Sharon Bernstein (November 19, 1995). "Valley Priest to Be Bishop of New Diocese". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
3. Mitchell Landsberg (April 13, 2010). "Iraqi-born L.A. priest to head U.S. Syrian Catholic Church". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
4. Michael Stechschulte (January 10, 2023). "St. Toma Syriac Cathedral in Farmington Hills is the new spiritual epicenter for 16,000 Syriac Catholics across U.S." Detroit Catholic. Detroit. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
5. Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2010" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved August 22, 2010. Information sourced from Annuario Pontificio 2010 edition.

External links

• Syriac Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance in the United States