Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Greek Catholic Cathedral

Location in Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts Location in the United States Show map of the United States
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

Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Greek Catholic Cathedral is a beautiful modern church in the West Roxbury area of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the main church for the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, which covers the whole United States. This means it's the home church for the Bishop Francois Beyrouti and a special place for the Melkite Greek Catholic community in Boston. The current building became a cathedral in 1966. Before that, it was a regular parish church in the South End of Boston.

Melkite Families Come to Boston
The First Parish Church
Moving to Warren Avenue
Building the Church in West Roxbury
From Parish Church to Cathedral
Later Events
Gallery
See also

Melkite Families Come to Boston

In the 1890s, many Christians from Syria and the Levant (which is now Lebanon) moved to the United States. They were looking for better jobs and wanted to escape the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Among these immigrants were Melkite Greek Catholics. Boston was one of the cities they chose, especially because of job opportunities in the clothing industry.

Most of the Melkite families who came to Boston were from an area around Zahlé in the Levant. It was common for a priest from their home region to follow them. So, Father Joseph Simon, a priest from the Basilian Salvatorian Order, arrived in 1896. However, he only stayed a short time in Boston before moving to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where more Melkites lived.

Even though Father Simon and other priests visited Boston, the community really wanted its own church and a priest who would stay. At that time, there was no Melkite leader in the U.S. So, they asked John Joseph Williams, the Catholic Archbishop of Boston, for help. He was in charge of them. But the Archbishop didn't think there were enough Melkites to support a church or a priest, so he didn't agree right away.

The First Parish Church

Ten years after Father Simon arrived, the Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Zahle, Cyril IX Moghabghab (who later became a very important leader), visited the Melkite communities in North and South America, including Boston. 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 Melkite families lived. The building needed a lot of work to become a church. Pictures from after the changes show a simple screen (called an iconostasis) that separates the altar area from the rest of the church. This screen didn't have doors, which was different from traditional Byzantine churches. Back then, it was common for Eastern Catholic churches in the U.S. to look more like Latin Catholic churches.

The church was named Our Lady of the Annunciation Syrian Catholic Church. The first church service, called the Divine Liturgy, happened there in November 1908. The building and its altar were officially dedicated on June 27, 1910. Archimandrite Nicholas Ghannam was the first pastor (leader) of the church. He served for 17 years, helped by his brother, Father Athanasius Ghannam. In 1925, Father Peter Abouzeid took over.

During Father Abouzeid's time, 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. More Melkite families were moving to the city for jobs, and the old building was too small. But after the 1929 Stock Market Crash, there wasn't enough money to build a new church.

Moving to Warren Avenue

In 1933, Father Abouzeid moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Archimandrite Flavian Zahar became the new pastor. He also wanted to build a new church but faced problems. First, there was the economic crisis after the Great Depression. Then, the United States entered World War II, which made it hard to build new things.

A vacant Protestant church on nearby Warren Avenue seemed like a good solution. The parish bought it. The new church was renovated and dedicated on May 3, 1942. Pictures of the inside show a main altar at the back, statuary, and a railing around the altar. There was no iconostasis. The church looked very much like a typical Catholic church of that time. This showed how Eastern Catholic churches in the U.S. often adopted the styles of Latin Catholic churches.

Church members were very generous. They paid off the loan on the new church just three years after buying it. Sadly, a few months later, Archimandrite Zahar passed away. Father Beshara Thalage managed the parish until Father Eftimios Saba became the fourth pastor in 1946.

Father Saba had a strong background, having been a seminary leader and a secretary to a Patriarch. He served the parish for ten years. During this time, many Melkite families 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, other priests managed the parish until Archimandrite Nicholas Borkhoche was appointed pastor in mid-1957.

The parish was growing, and Father Borkhoche was also busy as a leader for the Salvatorian order. So, Father Georges Coriarty was assigned as his assistant. For the second time, the need for a larger church was discussed. People also wondered if it was time to move the church to a location closer to where most parishioners now lived.

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

Building the Church in West Roxbury

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

Even as early as 1942, when they moved to the Warren Avenue building, a church program showed that families were spread out across Boston and its southern suburbs. Almost 20 years later, traveling to the church was hard, parking was difficult, the neighborhood was changing, and the building needed expensive repairs. It was clear a new location was needed.

A survey of church members showed that many lived in Boston's West Roxbury neighborhood. A 4.2-acre property on the VFW Parkway in West Roxbury looked promising. It was close to West Roxbury, easy to reach by road, and good for building. But there were challenges. The land belonged to the City of Boston and was meant for conservation. To sell it, the city needed special approval from the state government.

Father Bassoul worked with the city, helped by 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 he was chosen to lead a church region in Syria. Before he left, he became a bishop in Boston on April 28, 1962. Cardinal Cushing led the service.

Father John Elya briefly managed the parish until Father Lucien Malouf became the seventh pastor on November 1, 1962. Father Malouf had already built two churches, so he wasn't afraid to do it a third time. Within weeks, he and his new assistant, Father Charles Aboody, checked on the land purchase. They learned that after Father Bassoul was chosen as archbishop, the city had not set a price for the land.

Building costs were rising quickly in the Northeast. The priests worried that if they didn't act fast, the project would become 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 drive and immediately pledged $300,000 of his own money. This was half of the expected building cost! 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 Pope 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 cathedral held its first church service. The altar was blessed on April 23, 1966, and the building was officially dedicated the next day. Bishop Najmy was formally welcomed into the new cathedral in June 1966 and named Father Lucien Malouf as its leader.

Later Events

In 1976, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the United States became an eparchy, which is a larger church region. On May 8, 1977, a special service was held at the cathedral, and the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton was officially created with Archbishop Joseph Tawil as its first leader.

Gallery

A close-up of a window showing Christ the King
Annunciation Cathedral at night