About Our Lady of Lebanon [Maronite] · Flint, Michigan
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church is a small Eastern Catholic parish located in Flint, Michigan, serving the local Lebanese-American Maronite community and surrounding region. Belonging to the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon (formerly the Eparchy of St. Louis), the parish sits geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing and is one of only four Maronite parishes in Michigan. With roughly 200 families, the parish celebrates the West Syriac Maronite Liturgy in English and Arabic, preserving a tradition that traces back to the Aramaic-speaking Christians of Lebanon and to St. Maron in the late 4th–5th centuries. The church is well known for its annual Mid-East Festival held each July in honor of St. Charbel Makhlouf.
- Established
- 1973
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lebanon (and St. Charbel Makhlouf, honored at the annual Mid-East Festival)
- Rector
- Father Pierre Bassil
- Diocese
- Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon (formerly Eparchy of St. Louis); geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lebanon offers something rare in mid-Michigan: a Maronite-rite Catholic parish where the ancient Syriac and Arabic-rooted liturgical tradition of the Lebanese Church is alive and accessible, with Sunday Liturgy in English and Arabic. The parish is small enough to feel like family — about 200 families share weekly Liturgy, a Sunday breakfast, a Religious Education program, an active Music Ministry, a Youth Ministry, and a Ladies Altar Society — and it shares its rich heritage with the wider community through its annual Mid-East Festival. As Father Bassil puts it, the parish is part of the 'Catholic mosaic,' where everyone is welcome regardless of background.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lebanon [Maronite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM (half hour before Liturgy)
- Sunday: 9:30 AM – 9:55 AM (half hour before Liturgy)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Friday: 11:00 AM (Adoration & Rosary)
About Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church
Our Lady of Lebanon is a Maronite-rite Catholic parish in Flint, Michigan, situated at 4133 Calkins Road. Though geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing, the parish belongs to the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon (formerly the Eparchy of St. Louis). With roughly 200 families it is one of only four Maronite parishes in the state of Michigan. The parish serves as both a spiritual home for Lebanese-American Catholics and a place where anyone — of any background — is welcome to encounter the Maronite liturgical tradition.
History of the Parish
The parish was founded in 1973, growing out of a casual remark among local Lebanese Catholics who longed for a church of their own rite. With the encouragement of Bishop Francis Zayek, the community organized, and on August 26, 1973 Monsignor Elias El-Hayek celebrated the first Maronite Liturgy in Flint for some 250 people representing about 77 families. The community first worshipped at Luke M. Powers Catholic High School, then at a storefront chapel on South Saginaw Street, before raising the funds — including a $30,000 gift from the American Lebanese Morning Star Society — to purchase an eight-acre parcel on Calkins Road and build the present church. The parish history emphasizes that the community came together as much around its Sunday breakfasts after Liturgy as around the Eucharist itself, 'breaking bread' as an extension of the Liturgy.
- 1973 — First Maronite Liturgy celebrated in Flint by Monsignor Elias El-Hayek
- Late 1973 — Early worship at Luke M. Powers Catholic High School, then a storefront chapel on South Saginaw Street
- October 1973 — Fundraising dinner-dance at St. Francis of Assisi Church
- Purchase of eight-acre parcel on Calkins Road, supported by a $30,000 gift from the American Lebanese Morning Star Society
- Growth into a stable community of approximately 200 families
Clergy and Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Father Pierre Bassil and assisted by Deacon Joseph Pavlovich. Father Bassil has served the parish for many years and is a frequent voice of the Maronite community in the Diocese of Lansing, including during the annual Mid-East Festival. The Religious Education Ministry is co-led by Deacon Joseph Pavlovich and Mrs. Tiffany Joubran. Dawn Davis has served as parish secretary since July 2018.
- Father Pierre Bassil — Pastor
- Deacon Joseph Pavlovich
- Tiffany Joubran — Religious Education co-coordinator
- Dawn Davis — Parish Secretary (since 2018)
Religious Education
The Religious Education Ministry is dedicated to teaching the parish's children about God, the Catholic faith, and Maronite culture. Programs are aimed at helping young parishioners know and love their faith and heritage.
- Religious Education Ministry
- Contact: Deacon Joseph Pavlovich & Mrs. Tiffany Joubran
Music Ministry
The Music Ministry enhances the parish's Maronite liturgical services through music. The choir welcomes anyone with a passion for singing and music to join and contribute to the spiritual experience of the congregation, drawing on the Maronite tradition of Syriac chant alongside English and Arabic hymnody.
- Music Ministry / Choir
- Contact: Theresia Zeydan
Youth Ministry
The Youth Ministry nurtures the spiritual growth of young parishioners through engaging programs, youth events, and opportunities to connect with their faith, the local community, and Maronite Catholics abroad. Notably, Bishop Gregory Mansour — who as a teenager was involved with this parish's first youth group — credits those formative years as part of the soil from which his vocation grew.
- Youth Ministry
- Contact: Cindy Shaheen
Ladies Altar Society / Women's Ministry
The Ladies Altar Society (Women's Ministry) supports and empowers the parish through various events, gatherings, and discussions, contributing to the spiritual and social life of the community.
- Ladies Altar Society / Women's Ministry
- Contact: Dee Gardner
Mid-East Festival (Annual)
Each July the parish hosts its annual Mid-East Festival, typically July 14–16, in honor of St. Charbel Makhlouf, the 19th-century 'Miracle Monk of Lebanon.' The festival features homemade Middle Eastern cuisine, traditional dance performances, live music, and fireworks — a celebration of Lebanese-American Catholic heritage that is open to the wider community. (St. Charbel's feast is July 16 on the Maronite calendar; the Roman calendar marks it July 23.)
- Annual Mid-East Festival — July 14–16
- Honors St. Charbel Makhlouf
- Festival Chairman (historical): Jason Klanseck (Klanseck)
- Contact: Jason Klenseck
Maronite Heritage and Identity
Maronites are one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. The tradition traces back to St. Maron, a 4th–5th century hermit monk, and the Syriac-speaking Christians of Lebanon. The Maronite Church is the only Catholic rite named for a saint. In Maronite usage the Sunday service is called the 'Divine Liturgy' rather than Mass, sacraments are 'mysteries,' a diocese is an 'eparchy,' and the Pope is referred to as the Patriarch of the West. Liturgical chant is in Syriac (a dialect of Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus), with readings proclaimed in English and repeated in Arabic. As Father Bassil has said, 'We are part of the Catholic mosaic; put all the pieces together to make a picture of Christ.'
- Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with Rome
- Founded in the tradition of St. Maron (4th–5th century)
- Liturgical language: Syriac (Aramaic dialect); readings in English, repeated in Arabic
- Sunday service called 'Divine Liturgy'; sacraments called 'mysteries'; diocese called 'eparchy'
Visit Us
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church is located at 4133 Calkins Road, Flint, MI 48532, and can be reached by phone at (810) 733-1259. The parish website (ololmccflintmi.org) provides a reservation form for seats at weekend services. The parish's official Facebook page (facebook.com/OLOLFlint) carries announcements, photos, and updates between bulletin cycles.
- Address: 4133 Calkins Road, Flint, MI 48532
- Phone: (810) 733-1259
- Website: https://www.ololmccflintmi.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OLOLFlint/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Elias El-Hayek1973 (founding pastor)
Assigned as the parish's first pastor; celebrated the first Maronite Liturgy in Flint on August 26, 1973.
- Father Pierre Bassilas of mid-2010s onward
Long-serving pastor described in Faith Magazine as having served the parish for the past decade; quoted as the parish's pastor during the Mid-East Festival.