About Saint Elias [Maronite] · Roanoke, Virginia
St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic parish serving Roanoke, Virginia from its home on Cove Road in the Peters Creek Road corridor. Founded in 1917 by Lebanese-American Maronite families, it is the spiritual home of one of Virginia's oldest Lebanese Catholic communities and belongs to the Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. Worship is celebrated in English with prayers and songs in Aramaic — the language of Christ — preserving a direct thread to the apostolic heritage of the Maronite Church of Antioch.
- Established
- 1917
- Patron
- Saint Elias (the Prophet Elijah)
- Rector
- Reverend Elias Yazbeck
- Diocese
- Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
Why belong here
St. Elias is a small, multigenerational Maronite Catholic family where worshipers of every background — Lebanese-rooted and otherwise — pray together in the Antiochene tradition of the Maronite Church, with the Liturgy celebrated in English and prayers and songs preserved in the Aramaic of Christ. The parish sustains a rich sacramental life (Saturday Vigil and Sunday Divine Liturgy, weekday Mass, Friday Eucharistic Adoration, and Saturday confessions), strong lay organizations for adults, men, youth, and seniors (SEMA, MMSE, MYO, Junior MYO), and a vibrant Lebanese cultural calendar including the annual St. Maron's Dinner, picnics, and festivals.
Mass times at Saint Elias [Maronite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00–5:00 PM (before Vigil Liturgy)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Friday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Eucharistic Adoration)
About St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church
St. Elias is a Maronite Catholic parish belonging to the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. Dedicated in 1917 at its first location on Salem Avenue, the parish has been worshiping and serving in Roanoke for more than a century. Services are conducted in English with some songs and prayers in Aramaic, and the congregation includes people of all backgrounds, many with Lebanese roots. The parish maintains its offices at 4730 Cove Road NW and is staffed by a pastor, two deacons, a subdeacon, a pastor-emeritus chorbishop, and a lay office manager.
- Maronite Catholic parish in the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
- Located within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Richmond
- Founded 1917; present church dedicated 1987
- Liturgy in English with Aramaic prayers and songs
History
The Lebanese Maronite community in Roanoke numbered about 250 in the early 1910s and worshipped at St. Andrew's before Bishop Dennis O'Connell commissioned Father Elias Rabil to found a Maronite parish. The little cedar was planted December 23, 1917 on Salem Avenue, debt-free. Through Depression, World War II, and the post-Vatican II era the parish grew, moved to Cove Road in the 1970s–80s, and celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1967 and beyond. Today it remains a center of Maronite worship and Lebanese-American culture in the Roanoke Valley.
- 1913 — Father Rabil baptizing in Arabic at St. Andrew's
- December 23, 1917 — dedication of St. Elias on Salem Avenue by Bishop O'Connell
- 1927 — Father Rabil returns to Lebanon, later elevated Chorbishop
- 1966 — Father Assad Awad becomes pastor; Pope Paul VI establishes U.S. Diocese of Saint Maron
- 1967 — Golden Jubilee celebration
- 1977 — ground broken for parish social hall
- 1978 — Bishop Zayek dedicates St. Elias Parish Hall (August 27)
- December 22, 1984 — first Liturgy in new Cove Road church; Father Awad elevated to Monsignor
- October 4, 1987 — formal church dedication
- 1997 — Monsignor Awad reassigned; Father Sebaali becomes Administrator with Father Wakim as Parochial Vicar
Worship & Liturgy
St. Elias celebrates the Maronite Divine Liturgy in English with some songs and prayers preserved in Aramaic. The weekly schedule centers on a Saturday Vigil and Sunday morning Liturgy, supplemented by daily Mass. The parish also celebrates Holy Days of Obligation with both an evening Vigil and a morning Day Liturgy, and maintains a weekly hour of Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays.
- Saturday Vigil Liturgy — 5:00 PM
- Sunday Liturgy — 10:30 AM
- Weekday Liturgy — 9:00 AM (Monday–Friday)
- 1st Saturday of the month — 9:00 AM
- Holy Day Vigil — 6:00 PM
- Holy Day — 10:00 AM
- Consecration retained in Aramaic
Sacraments
Confessions are heard Saturday afternoons before the Vigil Liturgy and by appointment. Baptisms, marriages, and other sacraments are arranged through the parish office during business hours.
- Confession — Saturday 4:00–5:00 PM or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration — Friday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Baptism, marriage, and other sacraments by arrangement with the office
Parish Office
The parish office is staffed Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and is also available by appointment. Office Manager Rosa-Marie Sacco handles day-to-day parish business; the pastor can be reached at [email protected].
- Address: 4730 Cove Road N.W., Roanoke, VA 24017
- Phone: (540) 562-0012
- Fax: (540) 562-1300
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastor's email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday–Friday 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM or by appointment
Parish Organizations & Ministries
Lay life at St. Elias is organized around a strong Lebanese-Maronite heritage. Adult and men's groups, a youth organization (MYO) and a Junior MYO, lectors, altar servers, the parish choir, and a Charity Committee all carry the parish's prayer and service into the wider Roanoke community.
- SEMA — St. Elias Maronite Adults (adults 35+)
- MMSE — Maronite Men of St. Elias (Men of Prayer and Action)
- MYO — Maronite Youth Organization; Junior MYO
- St. Elias Choir
- Lectors and Altar Servers
- Parish Council
- Charity Committee (monthly community food-bank volunteering)
- Order of St. Sharbel (eparchial organization supporting seminarian education)
Lebanese-Maronite Cultural Life
The parish sustains a calendar of Lebanese-Maronite gatherings that has continued for generations: the annual St. Maron's Dinner in the St. Elias Social Hall, the St. Elias Picnic, Haflis (formal Lebanese evening banquets), pageants, and Lebanese festivals. These events sustain cultural identity alongside the liturgical life of the parish.
- Annual St. Maron's Dinner (St. Elias Social Hall)
- St. Elias Picnic
- Haflis — Lebanese formal evening banquets
- Pageants and Lebanese festivals
- Mini-conventions of the National Apostolate of Maronites (NAM) hosted over the years
Affiliated Churches & Organizations
St. Elias works alongside several Catholic and ecumenical partners in the Roanoke Valley, including the diocesan Catholic school and cemetery, Catholic Charities, the Madonna House, a local assisted-living facility, and Roanoke Area Ministries.
- Commonwealth Catholic Charities — 541 Luck Avenue SW, Suite 118, Roanoke, VA 24016 — (540) 342-0411
- Roanoke Catholic School — 621 N. Jefferson St., Roanoke, VA 24016 — (540) 982-3756
- St. Andrew's Diocesan Cemetery — 3601 Salem Turnpike NW, Roanoke, VA 24017 — (540) 342-9180
- Madonna House — 828 Campbell Ave SW, Roanoke, VA 24016 — (540) 343-8464
- Our Lady of the Valley Assisted Living, Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
- R.A.M. (Roanoke Area Ministries) — 824 Campbell Ave SW, Roanoke, VA 24016 — (540) 345-8850
Warriors, Heroes & Parish Identity
The parish proudly remembers the service of its members in the U.S. military, particularly during World War II, when roughly 100 young Lebanese-American men from Roanoke served.
- Everett Rice and William (Willie) George — St. Elias parishioners killed in WWII; their names are engraved on the Roanoke War Memorial at Lee Plaza
- Lt. Col. Joseph Andrew Moses — Virginia's most decorated soldier of WWII and the thirteenth most decorated in the nation
Scam Awareness Notice
The parish has publicly cautioned parishioners about scammers impersonating clergy. Abouna Elias will never solicit money or gift cards by text or email, and will only use his official email address [email protected].
- Verify any text or email claiming to be from clergy against the official [email protected] address
- Beware of gift-card or money requests via text or email
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Elias Rabil1916–1927 (missionary founder)
Born Hammana, Lebanon, July 1, 1884; ordained November 5, 1907; established the parish and dedicated the Salem Avenue church December 23, 1917. Returned to Lebanon 1927, promoted to Monsignor and later Chorbishop; died February 19, 1964.
- Father Bernard Krimm, C.S.S.R.1964–1965
Appointed Administrator after Chorbishop Rabil's death and the threatened closure of St. Elias.
- Father Nemetallah Hayek1965–1966
Served as pastor before transfer.
- Father Assad Awad1966–1997
Became pastor the same year Pope Paul VI established the U.S. Diocese of Saint Maron. Elevated to Monsignor by the Bishop at the first Liturgy in the new Cove Road church, December 22, 1984. Reassigned in 1997.
- Father George Sebaali1997–
Appointed Administrator in 1997 with Father Rodolph Wakim as Parochial Vicar.
- Father Rodolph Wakim1997–
Parochial Vicar under Administrator Sebaali.
- Chorbishop Richard D. Saad
Listed as Pastor Emeritus in parish bulletins.
- Father George Zina2022–
Assigned to St. Elias in 2022; subject of a 2025 civil lawsuit relating to earlier ministry in Orlando which he denies; the Eparchy of Saint Maron stated he remains in ministry pending the outcome of law-enforcement review.
- Reverend Elias Yazbeck
Current pastor as of the May 2026 parish bulletin; succeeded Father Zina.