Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Greek Catholic Cathedral
Location in Massachusetts
42°17′51.03″N 71°8′3.7″W / 42.2975083°N 71.134361°W / 42.2975083; -71.134361
Location	West Roxbury, Massachusetts
Country	United States
Denomination	Melkite Greek Catholic Church
History
Status	Cathedral/Parish
Founded	1908 (parish)
Dedication	Annunciation
Dedicated	April 24, 1966
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Lawrence J. Cuneo
Years built	1964-1966
Administration
Diocese	Eparchy of Newton

The Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Greek Catholic Cathedral is a special church in the West Roxbury area of Boston, Massachusetts. It's a modern building, but its design is inspired by old Byzantine architecture. This cathedral is the main church for the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, which covers the whole United States. It's also the home church for the Melkite Greek Catholic community in the Boston area.

The church building you see today became a cathedral in 1966. Before that, it was a regular church called Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Church, located in the South End of Boston.

Why Melkites Came to Boston

Melkite Immigration to the United States

In the 1890s, many Christians from places like Syria and the Levant (which is now Lebanon) moved to the United States. They were looking for better jobs and a way to escape the rule of the Ottoman Empire in their home countries. Among these immigrants were people who belonged to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

Boston was one of the cities in the northeastern U.S. where many Melkites settled. They were drawn to Boston because of the job opportunities in the city's clothing industry.

Early Priests and Community Needs

Most of the Melkite immigrants in Boston came from the area around Zahlé in the Levant. It was common for a priest from their home region to join them soon after they settled. So, Father Joseph Simon, a priest from the Basilian Salvatorian Order (BSO), arrived in 1896. This order was in charge of many churches in Zahle.

Father Simon didn't stay long in Boston. He moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where more Melkites lived. Even though he and other priests visited Boston, the community really wanted its own church and a priest who would stay permanently.

At that time, there wasn't a Melkite leader in the United States. So, they asked John Joseph Williams, the Catholic Archbishop of Boston, for help. He was the religious leader who had authority over them. However, the Archbishop wasn't sure there were enough Melkites to support a priest or a church, so he didn't agree right away.

Building the First Parish Church

A New Beginning in the South End

About ten years after Father Simon arrived, the Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Zahle, Cyril IX Moghabghab, visited the Melkite communities in North and South America. He met with Archbishop William Henry O'Connell in Boston. They agreed that the Melkite community would get a church once O'Connell became the main Archbishop of Boston.

Two years later, in 1908, Archbishop O'Connell approved buying a building at 178 Harrison Avenue in the South End of Boston. This was the neighborhood where most Melkites lived.

Renovations and Early Services

The building needed a lot of work to become a church. Pictures from after the renovations show a simple iconostasis, which is a screen with icons that separates the altar from the rest of the church in Eastern Christian traditions. This simple design was common then because many people weren't familiar with traditional Byzantine church styles.

The church was named Our Lady of the Annunciation Syrian Catholic Church. The first Divine Liturgy (their main church service) was held there in November 1908. The building and its altar were officially dedicated on June 27, 1910. Archimandrite Nicholas Ghannam, a leader from the Salvatorian monastic community in Zahlé, became the first pastor. He served for seventeen years, helped by his brother, Father Athanasius Ghannam. Father Peter Abouzeid took over in 1925.

Growing Needs and Challenges

During Father Abouzeid's eight years, the church paid off its loan, and both the church and the priest's house were updated. However, it became clear that a bigger church was needed. The community had grown as more Melkites moved to the city for work. But the economic crisis after the 1929 Stock Market Crash made it impossible to build a new church.

Moving to Warren Avenue

Finding a New Location During Difficult Times

In 1933, Father Abouzeid moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Archimandrite Flavian Zahar took his place. The new pastor also wanted to build a new church. But he faced challenges first from the economic depression and then from World War II.

A vacant Protestant church on nearby Warren Avenue seemed like a good solution. It helped them get around wartime rules that limited new building projects. The parish bought this church.

New Church, Different Style

The new church was renovated and dedicated on May 3, 1942. Photos of the inside show a high altar, statuary (statues), and an altar railing. There was no iconostasis. The church looked very similar to a typical Latin Catholic church. This was because many people at the time thought that Eastern Catholics living outside their home countries should adopt the styles of their Latin Catholic neighbors.

The church members were very generous. They paid off the church's loan just three years after buying it. Sadly, a few months later, Archimandrite Zahar, who had helped them achieve this goal, passed away. Father Beshara Thalage managed the parish until Father Eftimios Saba became the fourth pastor in early 1946.

Changes in the Community

Father Saba had a strong background, having been a seminary leader and a secretary to Patriarch Cyril IX Moghabghab. He served the parish for ten years. During the last five years of his time, many Melkites moved out of the South End. However, they still traveled back to their old neighborhood for church services and events.

When Father Saba died in 1956, Archimandrite John Jadaa and Father Elias Kweiter temporarily managed the parish. Then, in mid-1957, Archimandrite Nicholas Borkhoche was appointed pastor.

The parish continued to grow, and Father Borkhoche was also busy as a regional leader for the Salvatorians. So, Father Georges Coriarty was assigned as his assistant. For the second time, the need for a larger church came up. People also started discussing whether it was time to move the church to a location closer to where most parishioners now lived.

However, Father Borkhoche had to move to St Basil's Monastery in Methuen, Massachusetts, just three years after becoming pastor. So, the plans for rebuilding or relocating didn't go very far. After he left, Father Coriaty managed the parish for a short time.

Building the Cathedral in West Roxbury

The Search for a New Home

In 1960, Father Coriaty moved to Canada, and Archimandrite Jean Bassoul became the sixth pastor. He only served for two years, but he started the process of moving the church. He quickly realized that the Melkite community was no longer mainly in Boston's South End.

As early as 1942, when they first used the Warren Avenue building, a church program showed that members were spread out across Boston's neighborhoods and suburbs, especially to the south. Nearly twenty years later, long travel times, a lack of parking, the neighborhood getting older, and the need for expensive repairs made it clear that a new location was needed.

A survey of church members showed that many of them lived in Boston's West Roxbury neighborhood. A 4.2-acre (17,000 m²) property on the VFW Parkway in West Roxbury looked promising. It was close to West Roxbury, easy to reach by road, and suitable for building.

Overcoming Challenges to Buy Land

However, there were some difficulties. The land belonged to the City of Boston and was set aside for conservation. For the city to sell it, the sale needed special approval from the state government under Massachusetts General Law.

Father Bassoul worked with the city, with help from Cardinal Richard Cushing, the Archbishop of Boston. Cardinal Cushing had a history of supporting Eastern Catholic communities. Their efforts were successful. The state government approved the sale, and Governor John Volpe signed the bill allowing the city to sell the land.

At this point, Father Bassoul's work was paused because the Holy Synod of the Melkite Church elected him to lead the Archeparchy of Homs, Hama, and Yabroud in Syria. Before he left, he became a bishop at Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross on April 28, 1962. Cardinal Cushing led the service, wearing Byzantine robes.

Finalizing the Purchase and Starting Construction

Father John Elya briefly managed the parish until Father Lucien Malouf became the seventh pastor on November 1, 1962. Father Malouf had already helped build two churches, so he was ready for this challenge. Within weeks, he and his assistant, Father Charles Aboody, checked on the land purchase. They found that after Father Bassoul's election, the city had not yet set a price for the land.

Building costs were rising quickly in the Northeast. The priests worried that delays would make the project too expensive. With Cardinal Cushing's encouragement, they restarted talks with city officials. Finally, they agreed on a price the parish could afford, and Mayor John F. Collins signed the deed, transferring the land to the church.

A building committee was formed, and Lawrence J. Cuneo was chosen as the main architect. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 31, 1964. At a dinner afterward, Cardinal Cushing announced a fundraising campaign. He immediately promised $300,000 of his own money, which was half of the expected building cost, to start the fund. Four and a half months later, on October 15, 1964, Rich Construction Company was hired as the main builder.

From Parish Church to Cathedral

In January 1966, the Vatican announced that Father Justin Najmy would be the first leader for Melkites in the United States. He chose the Church of the Annunciation to be the main church, or cathedral, for this new group. On March 25, 1966, the Feast of the Annunciation, the new cathedral held its first Divine Liturgy.

The altar was blessed by Boston Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Joseph Riley on April 23, 1966. The next day, the building was officially dedicated. Bishop Najmy was formally welcomed into the new cathedral in June 1966. He appointed Father Lucien Malouf as its rector, or head priest.

Later Events

In 1976, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the United States was upgraded. It went from being an "exarchate" to an "eparchy," which is a larger church region. On May 8, 1977, during a special service at the cathedral, the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton was officially created, with Archbishop Joseph Tawil as its leader.

Gallery

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  A close-up of a beautiful window showing Christ the King on his throne.

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  The Annunciation Cathedral at night.

See also

In Spanish: Catedral de la Anunciación (Boston) para niños

• Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton
• List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
• List of cathedrals in the United States