Maronite Catholics asked to join in national census effort

Published: 2005-01-26

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The heads of the two Maronite Catholic jurisdictions in the United States have asked all Catholics of Maronite heritage to participate in a national census. In separate letters to the faithful, Bishops Robert J. Shaheen of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles and Gregory J. Mansour of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, N.Y., said the census was being undertaken at the request of the Vatican and Lebanese Cardinal Nasrallah P. Sfeir, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church. "This request stems from years of religious persecution in Lebanon and the fleeing of Christians to other countries searching for a better life," Bishop Mansour wrote. "This census is to help the eparchy to be aware of Maronites in areas (where) we now have no presence. At the present time there are so many Maronites throughout the eparchy (who) have no Maronite church or mission near them." An eparchy is the Eastern Catholic equivalent to a diocese in the Latin-rite church.

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