About Saint Anthony [Maronite] · Glen Allen, Virginia
Saint Anthony Maronite Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic (Maronite) parish in Glen Allen, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond. It belongs to the Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn and is one of the oldest Maronite communities in the United States, with roots going back to Lebanese Christian immigrants who arrived in Richmond around 1895. Today the parish serves roughly 300 families and is well known across Central Virginia for its annual Lebanese Food Festival. Liturgy is celebrated in the Maronite (West Syriac / Antiochene) tradition in English and Arabic.
- Established
- 1914
- Patron
- Saint Anthony
- Rector
- Chorbishop John D. Faris
- Diocese
- Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn (geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond)
Why belong here
Saint Anthony's offers the fullness of the Maronite Catholic tradition — Antiochene-Syriac liturgy celebrated reverently in English and Arabic — in a close-knit Lebanese-American parish of about 300 families. Active groups include the Ladies Auxiliary, Maronite Youth Organization, and Junior Youth Organization, and the parish is renowned across Central Virginia for its annual Lebanese Food Festival, which draws more than 20,000 guests. Whether you are Maronite by heritage, Eastern Catholic by practice, or simply curious about the West Syriac liturgical tradition, the parish welcomes visitors to its Daily Mass, weekend Liturgies, Friday Eucharistic Adoration, and Saturday Confessions.
Mass times at Saint Anthony [Maronite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
Adoration times
- Friday 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM (Eucharistic Adoration)
Parish History
Saint Anthony traces its origins to the first Lebanese Maronite immigrants who came to Richmond around 1895. After years of gathering for Mass at Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Church Hill and in private homes — the first Maronite Mass was celebrated in the home of William Moses Soffee on Franklin Street — the community was granted use of Saint Patrick's during certain hours by Bishop Dennis O'Connell in 1912. In June 1914 the Maronites opened their own chapel in a renovated hall above a candy factory, with Father Abdulla Tarabay as the first priest. A fire destroyed the hall the following year, but the resilient community purchased and renovated a building on 33rd Street, naming it Saint Anthony Maronite Catholic Church. After a subsequent move to Park Avenue, the parish finally purchased land on Sadler Road in Glen Allen and built the present church and recreational complex. The Virginia General Assembly commemorated the parish on its centennial in 2012.
- First Maronite Mass in Richmond: home of William Moses Soffee on Franklin Street (~1895)
- 1912: Bishop Dennis O'Connell grants use of Saint Patrick's Church in Church Hill
- 1914: First Maronite chapel opened (33rd Street); Father Abdulla Tarabay first priest
- 1915: 33rd Street hall destroyed by fire; community rebuilds on Park Avenue
- Sadler Road, Glen Allen: present church and recreational complex built
- 2012: Virginia House Joint Resolution No. 467 commemorates the parish's 100th anniversary
Maronite Catholic Tradition
As a parish of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, Saint Anthony celebrates the Antiochene-Syriac liturgical tradition that traces its roots to Saint Maron and the monks of the Lebanese mountains. The Maronite Church is in full communion with Rome while preserving its own Syriac liturgy, calendar, and spiritual heritage. Liturgy is celebrated in English and Arabic, with Syriac used in traditional chants and prayers. The Eparchy publishes The Maronite Voice bi-monthly, edited from the parish by Chorbishop John D. Faris.
- Jurisdiction: Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
- Geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
- Liturgical languages: English, Arabic, Syriac (liturgical)
- Rite: Maronite (Antiochene-Syriac / West Syriac)
Clergy & Staff
Saint Anthony is currently served by Chorbishop John D. Faris as pastor, alongside a parochial vicar and two subdeacons. Chorbishop Faris is a canon lawyer and the longtime editor of The Maronite Voice; he also represents the Catholic Church on the international theological dialogue with the Oriental Orthodox Churches. He was preceded as pastor by Monsignor George M. Sebaali, who served the parish for 34 years before his 2018 transfer to Our Lady of Lebanon in Washington, D.C.
- Chorbishop John D. Faris — Pastor (since September 2018)
- Rev. Toni Gerges Jabbour, O.M.M. — Parochial Vicar
- Subdeacon Michael Maynes
- Subdeacon Tony Saad
Parish Ministries & Organizations
The parish supports several long-standing organizations that serve worshippers of every age, including a Ladies Auxiliary and Maronite Youth and Junior Youth groups. Many ministries — including the festival committee — work across generations of the parish's roughly 300 families. Saint Anthony's also previously operated a religious-exempt day care, which closed in June 2019 following a change in Virginia law.
- Ladies Auxiliary
- Maronite Youth Organization (MYO)
- Junior Youth Organization
- Liturgical and music ministries
- Saint Anthony Day Care (closed June 28, 2019)
The Lebanese Food Festival
Saint Anthony's Lebanese Food Festival is one of Central Virginia's most beloved annual events, drawing more than 20,000 guests from across the region. Started in the mid-1980s and held for nearly four decades, the festival features handmade baked kibbi, spinach pies, grape leaves, zalabia and other traditional Lebanese fare prepared by hundreds of parish volunteers — including, in recent years, an estimated 50,000 hand pies per festival. The 39th annual festival was held in May 2024; the 41st is scheduled for September 2026 due to a road project on Sadler Road. Live music, dabke dancing, and a warm welcome for newcomers are hallmarks of the weekend.
- Founded: mid-1980s (nearly 30 years by 2012; 39th annual in 2024)
- Typical dates: third weekend of May
- Signature foods: baked kibbi, spinach pie, grape leaves, zalabia, shish kabob
- Attendance: 20,000+ guests from across Central Virginia
- Volunteer base: intergenerational, including the parish's oldest volunteers
- Live music and dabke dancing
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church according to the Maronite tradition. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is heard every Saturday morning before the Vigil Mass, and Eucharistic Adoration is offered on Friday mornings following weekday Mass. Baptisms, weddings, and other sacramental preparations are arranged through the parish office.
- Holy Qurbana (Maronite Divine Liturgy) — daily and weekend schedule above
- Reconciliation (Confession) — Saturday 9:30–10:15 AM
- Eucharistic Adoration — Friday 9:30–10:30 AM
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick — by arrangement through the parish office
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Abdulla Tarabay1914
Visiting priest from Pennsylvania; celebrated the first Maronite Mass in the community's renovated chapel.
- Father Joseph Yesbeck
Named in the Virginia General Assembly's 2012 centennial resolution as one of the parish's inspiring past leaders.
- Monsignor Anthony Korkemaz
Past pastor, named in the 2012 Virginia General Assembly centennial resolution.
- Monsignor Beshara Salwan
Past pastor, named in the 2012 Virginia General Assembly centennial resolution.
- Monsignor George M. Sebaali1984–2018 (34 years)
Born in Lebanon; ordained in 1983. Pastor for 34 years before being transferred in 2018 to Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church in Washington, D.C. Later became President of Saint Joseph Monastery.
- Chorbishop John D. Faris2018–present (effective 1 September 2018)
American-born Maronite canon lawyer; previously Chancellor and Vicar General of the Eparchy of Saint Maron, Deputy Secretary General of CNEWA, and pastor of St. Louis Gonzaga in Utica, NY. Also editor of The Maronite Voice and director of the Eparchy's Office of Communications.