Bishop Francis Zayek, first Maronite Apostolic Exarch in the United States, will pay his first visit to Atlanta Feb. 18-19.

The program for his visit includes a reception Saturday, Feb. 18, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Maronite Church, 502 Seminole Ave., NE.

The following day Bishop Zayek will celebrate a solemn and pontifical Maronite Mass at the church at 11:30 a.m. and a reception will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Parliament House.

The reception includes the St. Joseph’s Choir; dinner; greetings from St. Joseph’s parish by Father Joseph Bistany; introduction of guests by Joseph A. Ashkouti, toastmaster; greetings from city and state officials; reflections by Father Joseph Abi-Naber, vice chancellor and former pastor of St. Joseph’s ; greetings from Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan; introduction of Bishop Zayek; and a closing prayer by Msgr. P.J. O’Connor. The invocation will be given by Dom Augustine Moore, O.C.S.O.

After the closing prayer at 4:30 p.m., dancing to Arabic music will be held until 7:30 p.m.

Bishop Zayek, a native of Cuba, was formally installed as Exarch, June 11, 1966, at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, Mich.

Beginning his studies of the priesthood, he enrolled at St. Joseph’s Catholic University in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1932 and entered St. Maron’s in Lebanon in 1935.

He entered the Catholic institute of the Propagation of the Faith in Rome in 1939 and was ordained in 1946. After that he obtained his doctorates in divine theology and in philosophy and obtained a doctorate in canon law in 1951.

Bishop Zayek was assigned to Cairo, Egypt, as rector of the Maronite Cathedral of the Holy Family. He was recalled to Rome in 1956 and was appointed promoter of justice in the Sacred Rome Rota. He became professor of Oriental canon law at the International College of St. Anselm in 1958 and in 1960 at the Latern University.

On May 31, 1962, he was appointed auxiliary bishop to Cardinal Camaera, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, for all the Maronites of Brazil.

In August of 1962, Msgr. Zayek was consecrated Maronite Bishop at the Patriarchal Palace at Deeman, Lebanon by his Beatitude, Paul Peter Meouchi, Maroniet Patriarch of Antioch.

Bishop Zayek came to the United States in May, 1964, to ordain the first American-born Maronite priest wholly educated according to the rite in the United States. On March 9, 1966, Pope Paul VI created the Maronite Exarchate and appointed Bishop Zayek as the first Maronite Exarch of the United States.