St. Maron's Church
Funeral of Nora Tayoun at St. Maron's Church
The Chancel of the Church of St. Maron, with Father Corkemas at the Altar
In the late 19th century, a small Christian Lebanese community settled in the area around 10th and Ellsworth. In 1887, Father Istfan Korkemaz established St. Maron's, the first Maronite Catholic Church in the United States, in a small row house at Ninth Street and Washington Avenue. By 1901, the church was moved to its current location. The original building was torn down in 1962, and a new one was constructed in its place. Since not all of St. Maron's parishioners are of Lebanese descent, masses are performed in English, Syrian, Aramaic and Arabic. The Church conducts outreach to Muslim and Arabic-speaking members of the community, and sponsors families seeking asylum or to immigrate to the United States. The annual St. Maron's Festival, held during three days in June, brings hundreds of people of different faiths and ethnicities to the streets of the neighborhood
References
- Abate, Alexis. "Catholic Churches." South Philly Review, March 17, 2005. Available at : https://www.southphillyreview.com/view_article.php?id=3105
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia's Arab Americans: Early Immigration. http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=225
Map
Map
Address
1010 Ellsworth Street
