About Our Lady of the Cedars [Maronite] · Houston, Texas
Our Lady of the Cedars is a Maronite Catholic parish in Houston, Texas, part of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. Founded as a mission in the late 1980s and established as a parish under Father Milad T. Yaghi, MLM in 1991, the parish now counts more than 700 registered families and is recognized as the second-largest Maronite parish in the United States. The parish serves the Lebanese-American Maronite community of greater Houston with liturgies celebrated in both English and Arabic, drawing on the Syriac-Maronite liturgical tradition rooted in Lebanon's ancient Cedars.
- Established
- 1991
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Cedars (the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Cedars of Lebanon)
- Rector
- Fr. Milad T. Yaghi, MLM
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles (Maronite Catholic) — geographically located within the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Cedars is one of the largest Maronite parishes in the United States and the spiritual home of Houston's Lebanese-American Maronite community. Father Milad Yaghi has shepherded the parish since 1991, building a full campus — church, rectory, Cedars Hall, and the Georges Mouawad Pastoral Center — that supports a bilingual English/Arabic liturgical life, an active youth ministry (MYO, MYA, MYKids), a women's service organization (Daughters of Mary), Knights of the Cedars, a Continuing Christian Education program, and devotional traditions like monthly St. Sharbel and Remember Me in Your Kingdom Masses.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Cedars [Maronite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment — contact the priest directly or email the parish office to schedule
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are mentioned as available on third-party directories (verify directly with parish)
Adoration times
- 7:00 PM every Thursday — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Parish History
The dream of a Maronite church in Houston began in the late 1980s when the local Lebanese-American community grew too large to gather only in borrowed spaces. After early attempts by Father Faouzi Elia and Msgr. Bernard Khachan, Archbishop Francis Zayek revived the mission in 1990. Father Abdallah E. Zaidan, MLM, was appointed to serve from San Antonio, and in November 1991 the Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries sent Father Milad T. Yaghi to Houston permanently.
- December 23, 1992 — parish purchases 5.176 acres on Bellfort Village Drive
- April 1996 — construction begins on the parish hall; first Midnight Mass on the new site that Christmas
- August 19, 2001 — groundbreaking for the new church; Monsignor Hanna Alwan places the first stone
- March 9, 2003 — Bishop Robert Shaheen dedicates the new church building
- 2006 — rectory built to house the priests
- 2010–2011 — Georges Mouawad Pastoral Center built and dedicated by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri
- September 2011 — first CCE classes held in the new pastoral center
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
Our Lady of the Cedars is currently served by two Maronite Lebanese Missionary (MLM) priests and a team of sub-deacons drawn from the lay faithful. Father Milad T. Yaghi has led the parish since November 1991, and Father Edward Hanna, MLM, joined as associate pastor in January 2016.
- Pastor — Fr. Milad T. Yaghi, MLM (ordained July 9, 1988; Master's in Catholic Theology from the University of Strasbourg)
- Associate Pastor — Fr. Edward Hanna, MLM (ordained July 6, 2014; joined OLC January 2016)
- Sub-Deacons — Chuck AbouJaoude, Dr. George Carrum, Dr. Gabriel Habib, Dr. Nicolas Nammour, Steven Tannous
Sacraments
Information on each sacrament is published on the parish's Sacraments page. Several sacraments — particularly Reconciliation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Memorial Masses — are arranged through the parish office, while Baptisms & Chrismation follow a regular Sunday schedule.
- Baptism & Chrismation — Sundays after the 11:00 AM Mass
- First Holy Communion — third grade, after two consecutive years of CCE
- Reconciliation — by appointment (Guide for the Penitent available online)
- Marriage — request at least 6 months in advance; Certificate of Freedom to Marry required
- Anointing of the Sick — by request to the priest or parish office
- Memorial Mass — request submitted at least one week in advance
Parish Ministries & Organizations
Our Lady of the Cedars maintains an active lay life organized around faith formation, youth, women's service, men's fellowship, and Lebanese cultural and civil-registration initiatives. The Daughters of Mary (DOM), the Maronite Youth Organization (MYO), and the Knights of the Cedars are the flagship groups; the parish also runs the CCE religious-education program and connects parishioners to the broader Lebanese diaspora through Project Roots.
- Continuing Christian Education (CCE) — parish religious-education program
- Maronite Youth Organization (MYO) — ages 12–18; regional retreats, national retreats, annual camp
- Maronite Young Adults (MYA)
- Maronite Young Kids (MYKids)
- Daughters of Mary (DOM) — women's service organization; meets third Wednesday at 7:00 PM in Cedars Hall
- Knights of the Cedars — men's fellowship
- Parish Council
- NAM (National Apostolate of Maronites) board
- Project Roots — Lebanese civil-registration initiative through the CLFW / Maronite Foundation in the World
Parish Campus & Facilities
The 5.176-acre Bellfort Village Drive campus has grown in stages since 1992 and today includes the main church, the rectory (2006), Cedars Hall, the Georges Mouawad Pastoral Center (2011), and an annex / multi-purpose community center. Together these buildings host liturgies, CCE classes, MYO events, DOM gatherings, and the parish's many dinner banquets and fundraisers.
- Main church — dedicated March 9, 2003
- Rectory — built 2006 to house the priests
- Georges Mouawad Pastoral Center — dedicated February 2011 by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri
- Cedars Hall — hosts Daughters of Mary meetings and parish social events
- Annex / multi-purpose community center
Getting Involved
The parish welcomes new members and volunteers, and anyone working with children or vulnerable adults is asked to complete a Safe Environment Training course. Individual organizations can be reached directly through the parish's Organization Contacts page.
- New Member registration via the parish website
- Volunteer sign-up with Safe Environment Training requirement
- Direct contacts listed for CCE, MYO, MYA, MYKids, DOM, Knights of the Cedars, and Parish Administration
Visiting & Contact
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Fridays from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Several Masses each week are also live-streamed for those unable to attend in person, and prayer requests can be submitted through the parish website.
- Address — 11935 Bellfort Village Dr., Houston, TX 77031
- Phone — (713) 568-6800
- Website — http://ourladyofthecedars.net/
- Facebook — facebook.com/OLChouston/
- Office hours — Mon–Thu 9:00 AM–4:00 PM; Fri 9:00 AM–2:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Faouzi Eliaapprox. 1989–1990
First priest to serve the Houston Maronite faithful; served roughly a year.
- Msgr. Bernard Khachanapprox. 1990
Succeeded Fr. Faouzi for about six months; efforts paused and ~$18,000 in funds were placed with the diocese.
- Fr. Abdallah E. Zaidan, MLM1990–1991
Appointed by Archbishop Francis Zayek to shepherd the Houston Mission from his post at St. George Maronite Church in San Antonio; now a Bishop.
- Fr. Milad T. Yaghi, MLM1991–present
Founded the mission and built it into a thriving Maronite parish with 700+ families; still beloved pastor.