About Saint Ann [Maronite] · Scranton, Pennsylvania
Saint Ann Maronite Catholic Church is a parish of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn serving the Maronite faithful in West Scranton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1903 by Lebanese immigrants who had begun settling in the area in 1884, it is one of the oldest Maronite parishes in the United States and continues to celebrate the Syro-Maronite Antiochene Rite, with Syriac (Aramaic) preserved for the most sacred parts of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The parish is currently pastored by Rev. Antoun (Tony) Youssef and is known for its annual Lebanese Heritage Festival, its strong sodalities and organizations, and a parish identity rooted in Lebanese Maronite spirituality.
- Established
- 1903
- Patron
- Saint Ann (mother of the Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Antoun (Tony) Youssef
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn (Maronite Catholic, in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church)
Why belong here
Saint Ann Maronite is one of the earliest Maronite parishes in the United States, sustained across more than 120 years by the descendants of Lebanese (Ehdeni) immigrants who arrived in Scranton beginning in 1884. Newcomers and visitors are welcomed into a parish that still celebrates the ancient Syro-Maronite Antiochene Rite — including the use of Syriac (Aramaic) for the most sacred parts of the Eucharistic Liturgy — alongside a robust community life that includes sodalities, the MYO, the annual Lebanese Heritage Festival, the Hafli, and an ecumenical Lenten Mission shared with the other Eastern Catholic churches of Scranton. It is also a parish with strong institutions: a Heritage Festival Committee, a Stewardship Council, a Parish Consultor body, a Subdeaconate, and a long tradition of marriage preparation, religious education for children and adults, and pastoral care (communion calls on first Fridays, anointing of the sick on request).
Mass times at Saint Ann [Maronite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment with the Pastor
About Saint Ann Maronite Parish
Saint Ann Maronite Catholic Church is a Maronite Catholic parish — part of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn and in full communion with Rome — that has served the Lebanese-American faithful of West Scranton since 1903. The Maronite tradition is one of the oldest liturgical rites in Christianity, rooted in Antioch (where Saint Peter was the first bishop) and preserving Syriac (Aramaic) for the most sacred parts of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The parish site welcomes visitors and encourages them to attend either the weekly Saturday evening or Sunday morning Divine Liturgy, to browse the parish bulletins, and to come to social and cultural events such as the annual Lebanese Heritage Festival and the Hafli.
- Pastored by Rev. Antoun (Tony) Youssef
- Subdeacons Said J. Douaihy and Robert G. Rade
- Rectory: (570) 344-2129 · Church Hall: (570) 344-3921 · Email: [email protected]
- Rectory Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Parish History
Maronite settlers — Dr. John Rahmy and his mother Taarn — came to the Scranton area in 1884, chiefly from the town of Ehden in North Lebanon. A larger wave arrived in 1902, and in that year the visiting priest Fr. Elias Ayoob encouraged them to form their own parish. The first resident pastor, Fr. Anthony Zogby, arrived in 1903, and Saint Ann Maronite Parish was established — at first worshipping at Saint Joseph Melkite Church, then in a rented store on West Lackawanna and Ninth Avenue where a plain table served as altar and the faithful sat on planks over produce boxes. Within about six months a two-story building on North Ninth Avenue was bought, with the basement serving as the first chapel and the upper floors housing the priest and a rental tenant. The first church was formally dedicated in January 1904. In 1913 the parish purchased a former Protestant church on its present site at Sumner and Price Street; it was dedicated by Bishop Hoban on August 24, 1913. That building was destroyed by fire in 1952. Rather than move into the new combined church being built on Oram Street, the parishioners of Saint Ann raised over $100,000 to rebuild on their original site — a determination that persuaded Bishops Hafey and Hannon to allow the construction. The present Saint Ann church was dedicated in 1955. Major interior remodeling in the 1980s under Msgr. Kenneth Michael restored an Eastern Syriac character to the worship space, with the murals, Tabernacle Table, and altar guiding attention to Christ in the Word, in the Eucharist, and in the awaited Second Coming.
- 1884 — first Maronite settlers (Rahmy family) arrive in Scranton
- 1902 — Fr. Elias Ayoob (visiting) urges organization of a parish
- 1903 — Fr. Anthony Zogby arrives; Saint Ann Maronite Parish officially begins
- January 1904 — first church dedicated
- August 24, 1913 — Bishop Hoban dedicates the second church on Sumner & Price
- 1952 — fire destroys the church; services move to Saint Patrick's lower church
- 1955 — present church dedicated at the original Sumner & Price site
Parish Life and Sodalities
Saint Ann has long been a parish defined by lay organizations. By the mid-20th century the parish supported sodalities, athletic and civic societies, and devotional groups, several of which continue today. Education — stressed by the immigrant generation — has produced generations of Lebanese-American doctors, dentists, lawyers, teachers, engineers, business owners, and civic leaders, including a Mayor of Scranton.
- Saint Ann Maronite Guild
- Our Lady Queen of Peace Sodality
- Blessed Virgin Sodality
- Holy Name Society
- Mount Lebanon Athletic Club
- Ehden Woman's Society
- Joseph Bey Karam Society
- Syrian-Lebanese Civic Society of Lackawanna County
- Maronite Youth Organization (MYO) — refounded 1980 by Fr. William Decker
- Choir and lectors
Sacraments and Pastoral Care
All the usual sacraments of the Catholic Church are celebrated in the Maronite (Antiochene) rite. The pastor should be contacted well in advance for marriage preparation, and arrangements for baptism, chrismation, anointing of the sick, and communion calls are made directly with the rectory during office hours.
- Baptism and Chrismation — by arrangement with the Pastor
- Marriage — couples must meet with the Pastor at least 6 months in advance
- Anointing of the Sick — please notify the Pastor of family illness
- Holy Communion Calls — every first Friday of the month
- Confession — by appointment
Liturgy and Architecture
The Maronite Divine Liturgy at Saint Ann is celebrated weekly in the Antiochene/Syro-Maronite rite, with Syriac (Aramaic) preserved for the most sacred parts of the Eucharistic Liturgy. Daily Mass times are announced in the weekly email bulletin.
- Saturday Divine Liturgy — 4:30 p.m.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 10:30 a.m.
- Daily Mass — times announced in the weekly email bulletin
Liturgical Art and Maronite Architecture
Following the Maronite Church's wider restoration of its Antiochene liturgical roots, Saint Ann underwent major interior renovation under Msgr. Kenneth Michael. The simplicity and ancient character of the architecture is meant to evoke the peasant and monastic origins of Maronite spirituality — rooted in biblical patterns, the Jerusalem/Antioch/Edessa Church Fathers, and the monastic life of Saint Maron. Iconography and murals are not merely decorative but serve as theological reminders of Christ's real presence.
- Mural of Paradise on the East wall
- Murals of Saint Maron and Saint Charbel
- Marble altar
- Tabernacle Table
- Entrance doors and other restored features documented in the booklet "The Way to Paradise – Saint Ann Maronite Church"
- Bema for the Service of the Word
- Altar for the Service of the Holy Mysteries (Eucharist)
- East wall directing attention to the Second Coming of Christ
Lebanese Heritage Festival and Community Events
The parish's signature annual community event is the Lebanese Heritage Festival, held each September on the church grounds in West Scranton (the parish confirms the 2023 date as Sunday, September 17, noon–7:00 p.m., and the 2025 edition for Sunday, September 14). The festival brings generations of parishioners together — and welcomes visitors — to celebrate more than a century of Lebanese culture in Scranton. The Hafli and the family picnic (both restarted under Fr. Francis J. Marini) are additional parish traditions.
- Annual Lebanese Heritage Festival — Sunday in mid-September, noon–7:00 p.m.
- Lebanese cuisine: tabbouleh, hummus, grape leaves, spinach pies, pastries, kibbeh
- Live entertainment, traditional Lebanese Dabke dancers (added in 2025)
- Cigar and Scotch night the Saturday evening before
- Annual Hafli
- Yearly family picnic
Outreach and Ecumenical Mission
Beyond its own walls, Saint Ann has a long tradition of pastoral outreach. In the 1980s, under Fr. Kenneth Michael, the pastor, choir, altar boys, and lectors traveled monthly about 70 miles to Pottsville, PA, to celebrate Maronite Liturgy for about 250 Lebanese-American faithful who had no parish of their own; the National Apostolate of Maronites changed its bylaws so that they could enroll NAM while remaining members of their Latin-rite parish. The parish also participates with the other Eastern Catholic churches of Scranton in a unique annual Lenten Mission that rotates among five Eastern churches.
- Monthly Maronite Liturgy outreach to Pottsville (Fr. Ken Michael era)
- Joint Eastern Catholic Lenten Mission — five Scranton Eastern churches rotating hosting
- Children's Advocacy Center leadership by a parishioner
- Local produce firm (continuing the original immigrant peddling trade)
Parish Leadership and Councils
Lay leadership is shared through a Parish Pastoral Council, a Stewardship Council, and a body of Parish Consultors. The Pastoral Council meets on the second Sunday of each month, after the 10:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy.
- Pastor: Rev. Antoun (Tony) Youssef
- Subdeacons: Said J. Douaihy, Robert G. Rade
- Parish Consultors: Dr. Thomas A. Artabane, Mary Ellen Nasser, Dr. Joseph J. Soma
- Pastoral Council: Atty. Paul P. Ackourey (President), Anne Hazzouri McAndrew (Vice President), Nicole Siconolfi Wheeler (Secretary), Ann Abbott Bryant, Albert J. Mackarey, Philip J. Nehme, Joanne Azze Vancosky
- Stewardship Council: Maurice Abdallah, Atty. Joseph C. Peters, G. David Wagner
- Heritage Festival Committee Chair: Said J. Douaihy
Visit, Contact, and Directions
Visitors are warmly welcomed at any Mass or parish event. The rectory office (Monday–Thursday, Noon to 5:00 p.m.) is staffed to answer questions about the parish, sacraments, and registration; the parish can also be reached by email or through the contact form on the website.
- Address: 1320 Price Street, Scranton, PA 18504-3336
- Rectory phone: (570) 344-2129
- Church Hall phone: (570) 344-3921
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://saintannmaronite.com/
- Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn listing: stmaron.org
- Rectory Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Anthony Zogby1903–1907
First Pastor of Saint Ann; accepted by Patriarchate and Holy See with permission of the local Latin bishop.
- Rev. Mobarak Bellamah1907–1909
Pastor.
- Rev. Jos. Yasbeck Jomaha1909–1911
Pastor.
- Rev. Arsanious Hayeck1911–1913
Pastor during the move to the former Protestant church at Sumner and Price Street.
- Rev. George Aziz1913–1918
Pastor; appointed by Bishop Hoban.
- Rev. Joseph Kaddah1918–1919
Pastor; recently returned from France where he served as secretary to the Patriarch at the Versailles Treaty signing.
- Rev. George Sebalani1919–1921
Pastor.
- Msgr. Stephen El-Douaihy1921–1929
Pastor.
- Rev. Simon Acle1929–1932
Pastor.
- Rev. Joseph Solomon1932–1952
Long-tenured pastor; activated Holy Rosary and Altar Society, Blessed Virgin Sodality, Holy Name Society; WWII serviceman chaplaincy.
- Rev. Nehmatallah El-Hayek1973–1974
Administrator.
- Rev. Joseph Shaheen1975–1977
Pastor.
- Rev. Paul Hage1977 (multiple stints)
Administrator.
- Rev. Elias Hoyek1977–1978
Administrator.
- Rev. Elias Njeim1978
Administrator.
- Rev. William Decker1980–1981
Pastor; formed the MYO and restarted the yearly family picnics.
- Rev. Msgr. Kenneth Michael1981–1990
Pastor; major interior renovation in the Eastern/Maronite style including the mural on the East wall.
- Rev. Fahed Azar1990–1997
Pastor; started the annual Lebanese Heritage Day; began Liturgy outreach to the Maronite faithful in Pottsville.
- Rev. Kevin Beaton1997–1998
Pastor.
- Rev. Claude Franklin1998–2003
Administrator; started children's and adult religious-education classes, worked with the choir and youth, sent to Rome for studies.
- Rev. Francis J. Marini2003–present
Pastor and Canon Lawyer for the Eparchial Tribunal (office in Scranton); modernized kitchen, rectory, and hall; restarted the Hafli and picnics.