About Our Lady of Lebanon [Maronite] · Norman, Oklahoma
Our Lady of Lebanon is a Maronite Catholic mission serving the Oklahoma City metropolitan area from its home in Norman, Oklahoma. The parish belongs to the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon (headquartered in Los Angeles) and follows the Maronite Rite, an Eastern Catholic tradition in full communion with Rome. What began in 2001 as a small group of families asking for a liturgy in their ancestral tradition has, in just over fifteen years, become a property-owning mission with a 8,000-square-foot church, a Healing Mass of St. Charbel each month, and an upcoming Marian shrine project on the grounds.
- Established
- 2007
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lebanon
- Rector
- Rev. Nabil Mouannes
- Diocese
- Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon (Los Angeles)
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lebanon is one of the few places in central Oklahoma where Lebanese-American Maronites — and anyone drawn to the Eastern Catholic tradition — can worship in the ancient Syriac liturgy of their ancestors. The mission gathers as one family for the Healing Mass of St. Charbel on the third Sunday of each month, prays the Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the first Saturday, and is building a new Marian shrine, Mary Our Lady of Mercy ("Em El Marahem"), on its Norman grounds. It is a small, determined community that turned the faith of 17 founding families into a permanent Maronite home in the heart of Oklahoma.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lebanon [Maronite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 1st Saturday of each month (as part of the Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Our Story — How 17 Families Built a Maronite Mission
Since 2001, Maronite families in central Oklahoma had been asking for a liturgy in their own Eastern Catholic tradition. Their wish was granted in 2007 when Bishop Robert Shaheen, head of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, approved a new mission and appointed Father Elias Abi-Sarkis of Tulsa to oversee it. The first Mass was celebrated that fall at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Norman, with about 30 people in attendance. By early 2008, Father Assad El-Bacha of Lewisville, Texas had taken over and committed to a monthly Mass; collections from that first Mass opened the community's first bank account, "Mission Community of Oklahoma City."
The 2008 Building Campaign and the $200,000 Gift
Despite a visiting Lebanese priest's doubts that a church was feasible for such a small group, the parishioners were determined. In 2008 a $100,000 pledge was made, Father Boyer of St. Mark the Evangelist opened the chapel for monthly use, and a transformative gift of $200,000 from Mr. and Mrs. Elias Antoun and Gina Daaboul made it possible to buy the mission's first building. The community then spent months remodeling bathrooms, expanding the hall, replacing carpets, painting, and constructing a rectory and altar — all in their own time and treasure. When the work was done, the parishioners of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Mission of Oklahoma City owned an 8,000-square-foot property.
- First donation: $100,000 pledge in 2008
- Transformational gift: $200,000 from Elias Antoun and Gina Daaboul, late 2008
- Volunteer labor: parishioners remodeled the entire building themselves
- Final property size: 8,000 square feet
Father Nabil Mouannes — Our Pastor
Our Lady of Lebanon is currently served by Father Nabil Mouannes, a Maronite priest ordained in Lebanon on September 16, 1984, during that country's civil war — the ceremony took place with bombing audible in the background. He completed his PhD at the Sorbonne in Paris and came to the United States in 1992 to work for the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon. Between 1992 and 2013 he helped establish Maronite communities and churches in San Diego, Phoenix, Stockton, Denver, Las Vegas, and Sacramento. He has served on the Eparchial Presbyteral Council and the Eparchial Pro-Life Office, and was a chaplain for Catholic Answers (4 years) and Immaculate Heart Radio (2 years). He was born on February 11, 1958 — the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes — in Chbanieh, a small mountain village in Lebanon, the oldest of six children of Badih Mouannes and Rosette Raad.
- Ordained: September 16, 1984 (Lebanon)
- PhD: Sorbonne University, Paris (1986)
- Came to the U.S.: 1992
- Previous mission-building work: San Diego, Phoenix, Stockton, Denver, Las Vegas, Sacramento
- Birthday: February 11, 1958
Pastoral Succession
Three priests are known to have shepherded the Oklahoma mission since its founding.
- Father Elias Abi-Sarkis (2007–2008) — appointed by Bishop Robert Shaheen, celebrated the first liturgy in Norman
- Father Assad El-Bacha (2008) — pastor of Our Lady of Lebanon, Lewisville, TX; began monthly Masses
- Father Nabil Mouannes (2013–present) — current pastor
Maronite Heritage and the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon
Although Our Lady of Lebanon sits inside the geographic territory of the Roman Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, it is canonically a mission of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, headquartered in Los Angeles. Maronite Catholics are one of the Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome, following the Antiochene Syriac tradition. The mission's name honors the patroness of Lebanon, the Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Lebanon, whose feast is celebrated on May 4. As Father Mouannes has explained, Pope St. John Paul II taught that the Catholic Church 'must breathe with her two lungs,' meaning the Roman and Eastern traditions together form one holy and apostolic Church.
Healing Mass of St. Charbel the Wonder Worker
On the third Sunday of each month at 11:00 a.m., the mission gathers for the Healing Mass of St. Charbel the Wonder Worker. The first-class relics of St. Charbel are present, the anointing for healing is given, and the community processes with the Holy Sacrament for the blessing and healing of land, body, and soul. As the parish's own invitation reads, drawing on Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest." The liturgy closes with a pot-luck lunch of thanksgiving and friendship — a hallmark of Maronite hospitality.
- When: 3rd Sunday of each month, 11:00 a.m.
- Relics of St. Charbel present at every Mass
- Anointing for healing offered
- Procession with the Holy Sacrament for blessing and healing
- Pot-luck lunch of thanksgiving and friendship
Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On the first Saturday of each month, Our Lady of Lebanon offers the Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prayed "for peace and to end the persecution of Christians all over the world." The devotional includes Confession, Holy Communion, the Rosary, and a 15-minute meditation. The morning concludes with a Marian celebration of the Mass.
- When: 1st Saturday of each month
- Includes: Confession, Holy Communion, Rosary, 15-minute meditation, and Mass
- Intention: peace and an end to the persecution of Christians worldwide
Mary Our Lady of Mercy — A New Shrine on the Grounds
Father Nabil Mouannes has announced plans for a new Marian shrine on the property of Our Lady of Lebanon in Norman, dedicated as Mary Our Lady of Mercy ("Em El Marahem" in Arabic). The shrine, reported by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, is scheduled to open in 2024 or 2025 and reflects the parish's growing vision of becoming a destination of Marian devotion for all of central Oklahoma — not only for Maronites, but for the wider community.
- Name: Mary Our Lady of Mercy ("Em El Marahem")
- Location: On the grounds of Our Lady of Lebanon, 500 Alameda St, Norman
- Expected opening: 2024 or 2025
Community Life and Outreach
Beyond its liturgical life, Our Lady of Lebanon is known for the warm, family-style hospitality that comes naturally to a mission begun by just 17 families. The monthly Healing Mass of St. Charbel and the pot-luck lunch that follows it are the community's signature gathering. The parish has also hosted formation days, such as the Day of Reflection "Living the Liturgy: Learning from Maronite Spirituality" at St. Gregory's Abbey in Shawnee, and parish discussions on the Eucharist and Blessed Carlo Acutis.
- Day of Reflection on Maronite spirituality at St. Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee
- Parish discussion on the Eucharist and Blessed Carlo Acutis
- Monthly pot-luck community lunches
Visit Us — Location and Contact
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Mission is located at 500 Alameda Street in Norman, Oklahoma, in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Visitors are warmly welcomed to any Mass, the monthly Healing Mass of St. Charbel, or the Act of Reparation on the first Saturday. The parish can be reached by phone, email, or its official Facebook page.
- Address: 500 Alameda St, Norman, OK 73071
- Phone: (405) 321-3097
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.maroniteok.org/
- Facebook: facebook.com/ourladyoflebanonok
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Elias Abi-Sarkis2007–2008
Appointed by Bishop Robert Shaheen in August 2007 from St. Therese of the Little Flower, Tulsa, to oversee the new Oklahoma mission; celebrated the first liturgy in the fall of 2007.
- Father Assad El-Bacha2008
Pastor of Our Lady of Lebanon in Lewisville, TX; assigned in early 2008 to accelerate the Oklahoma mission and committed to monthly Masses at St. Mark the Evangelist, Norman.
- Father Nabil Mouannes2013–present
Current pastor; ordained in Lebanon in 1984, came to the U.S. in 1992, helped establish Maronite communities in San Diego, Phoenix, Stockton, Denver, Las Vegas, and Sacramento.