About Saint Joseph [Maronite] · Olean, New York
Saint Joseph Maronite Catholic Church is a small Eastern Catholic parish in Olean, New York, belonging to the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. Its roots lie in the late-19th and early-20th-century immigration of ethnic Syrian Christians — Maronites and Greek-Byzantine Melkites — who fled Ottoman persecution and found work in western New York along the Erie Canal route. Originally established in 1919 at 4th and Reed Streets, it was rebuilt on a new North Olean campus after a devastating August 2011 electrical fire. Today the parish of roughly 150 families, mostly fourth-generation Lebanese and Syrians, celebrates the Maronite Divine Liturgy in the Syriac-Western Aramaic tradition and hosts the annual Mahrajan festival that draws about a thousand people from across the region.
- Established
- 1919
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Charles Van Heusen
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn (Maronite Catholic)
Why belong here
Saint Joseph's offers the full Maronite Catholic liturgical tradition — rich in Syriac chant, vestments, incense, and the ancient liturgical calendar — in an intimate setting where most parishioners are fourth-generation Lebanese or Syrians and can still trace their families back to the founders of the parish. Beyond Sunday Divine Liturgy the parish runs the beloved annual Mahrajan festival, an extensive bulletin and event life, and the kind of pastoral continuity that comes from a community of roughly 150 families who know each other by name. It is a welcoming place for anyone — Maronite by heritage, Eastern Catholic by practice, or simply curious — to encounter a two-thousand-year-old Antiochian Syriac tradition of Catholic worship.
Mass times at Saint Joseph [Maronite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays from 3:15 PM to 3:45 PM
- 30 minutes before any liturgy
- Upon request
About Saint Joseph Maronite Catholic Church
Saint Joseph's Maronite Church in Olean, NY is a vibrant and welcoming community of faith that is proud to carry on the rich traditions of the Maronite Catholic Church. Worshipers find a place where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to worship, pray, and build meaningful relationships. Liturgical celebrations are described as rich, participatory experiences, with a musical heritage the parish holds as a source of pride and inspiration for lifelong Maronite Catholics and visitors alike.
History of the Parish
St. Joseph's origins stretch back to the 19th and early 20th-century immigration of ethnic Syrians (mostly Maronites and Greek-Byzantine Melkites) fleeing Ottoman persecution. They became known locally simply as 'Syrians,' a name preserved in a marble carving at nearby St. Mary of the Angels. After years of gathering for liturgy at St. Mary's, the cornerstone of St. Joseph Church was laid in 1919 at the corner of 4th and Reed Streets. The parish opened an elementary school in 1954 that ran until 1980, weathered a 1965 fire, and was devastated again in August 2011 by an electrical fire that destroyed the original church. The parish rebuilt by acquiring the former Transfiguration Oratory in North Olean and dedicated the renovated worship site four years later, expanding from 0.8 to 2.3 acres in the process. The community celebrated its centennial on 6–8 October 2019, the same weekend Father Anthony Salim retired after 46 years of ministry.
- Cornerstone laid 1919 at 4th and Reed Streets
- Elementary school operated 1954–1980
- Fire damage February 1965
- Catastrophic fire August 2011 (electrical)
- Relocation to and renovation of former Transfiguration Oratory, North Olean
- Centennial celebration 6–8 October 2019 with Bishop Gregory Mansour
The Maronite Catholic Tradition
The Maronite Catholic Church has its origins in the great ancient city of Antioch within the Roman Empire's Syrian province, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. Its immediate origin can be traced to the 4th/5th-century hermit and monk Maron — an attested Christian confessor, priest, and healer who died c. 410 AD. A great monastery was founded in his name, and from that community of men and women religious the Maronite Church developed. They spoke and worshipped in the Syriac language, the western Palestinian Aramaic dialect related to the language of Jesus, which remains in Maronite liturgy today. Maronite Catholics claim never to have separated from communion with the Church of Rome, and together with the other Eastern Catholic Churches form part of the universal Catholic communion of 21 self-governing Churches in full communion with the Bishop of Rome.
- Roots in Antioch and the monastery of St. Maron (d. c. 410 AD)
- Liturgical language: Syriac (western Palestinian Aramaic)
- One of 21 Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with Rome
Our Pastor and Clergy
The parish is currently served by Rev. Charles Van Heusen, Pastor, as listed on the Eparchy of Saint Maron's parish directory and the parish Contact page. Father Claude Franklin — previously Pastors of note — was assigned to Olean on October 1, 2020, and brought an unusual combination of pastoral experience and ongoing doctoral studies.
- Rev. Charles Van Heusen, Pastor (current, per Eparchy directory and parish contact page)
- Father Claude Franklin (assigned October 1, 2020 — biographical detail on parish About page)
- Father Anthony Salim (August 2011–2019; led post-fire rebuilding; 46 years of ministry at retirement)
- Father Tony Mouanes (succeeded Father Salim at the 2019 centennial)
Father Claude Franklin — Biographical Sketch
Father Claude Franklin was born on February 12, 1972, in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Oblate College on May 7, 1994, his Master of Arts in Theology on May 10, 1997, and was ordained to the priesthood on November 29, 1997, spending his first eight months in Lebanon studying Arabic. He went on to serve as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Victory Maronite in May 2006, then as Pastor of St. John the Baptist Maronite, New Castle, and St. Elias Maronite, Carnegie. He was assigned Pastor of St. Joseph Maronite Church in Olean, NY on October 1, 2020, while pursuing a Doctorate in Liturgical Studies from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.
- Born February 12, 1972 – Fayetteville, PA
- Ordained November 29, 1997 – Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary
- First assignment: studying Arabic in Lebanon
- Parochial Vicar – Our Lady of Victory Maronite (May 2006)
- Pastor – St. John the Baptist Maronite, New Castle
- Pastor – St. Elias Maronite, Carnegie
- Doctoral studies – Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome
Liturgy Times
The parish celebrates the Maronite Divine Liturgy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:00 AM, on Saturdays at 4:00 PM, and on Sundays at 10:00 AM. Mondays are observed with no liturgy. Holy Days of Obligation are kept at 12:15 PM and 5:30 PM.
- Weekdays (Tue–Fri): 10:00 AM
- Saturday: 4:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:00 AM
- Holy Days of Obligation: 12:15 PM and 5:30 PM
- Monday: No liturgy
Sacramental and Devotional Life
The Mystery of Penance (Confession) is heard on Saturdays from 3:15 to 3:45 PM, thirty minutes before any liturgy, or upon request. The parish offers educational programs, volunteer opportunities, and social events designed to deepen the faith and connect parishioners with one another.
- Confession — Saturday 3:15–3:45 PM, 30 minutes before liturgy, or on request
- Educational programs (per parish About page)
- Volunteer opportunities
- Devotions to the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph
The Mahrajan Festival
The Mahrajan — Arabic for 'festival' — began as a small parish picnic for parishioners in the late 1930s and has grown into the parish's largest annual fundraiser and one of the most anticipated summer events in all of Olean, drawing roughly 1,000 people. It was opened to the wider public in the 1970s as parishioners began marrying outside the Lebanese heritage. The Mahrajan is a chance for parishioners to work, eat, and dance together, with traditional Lebanese dishes, music, and celebration — and its impact stretches well beyond parish families into the wider community.
- Held annually (traditionally in early August)
- Open to the public since the 1970s
- Traditional Lebanese food, music, and dance
- Largest fundraiser of the parish year
Contact, Office Hours, and Bulletin
Worship, social campus, and business mailing address is 1102 Walnut Street, Olean, NY 14760. The Parish Rectory is at 225 N. 4th Street, Olean, NY 14760. The Church Office is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 AM to 12 PM. Bulletin items are due by 12 PM on Wednesdays.
- Worship & mailing: 1102 Walnut Street, Olean, NY 14760
- Rectory: 225 N. 4th Street, Olean, NY 14760
- Phone: 716-379-8436
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Tue–Fri 10:30 AM – 12 PM
- Bulletin deadline: Wednesday 12 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Anthony SalimAppointed August 2011; retired 2019
Arrived just three weeks before the August 2011 fire that destroyed the parish; led the relocation to the former Transfiguration Oratory campus; celebrated 46 years of ministry at the 2019 centennial.
- Father Tony Mouanes2019–
Succeeded Father Salim at the centennial and led the parish into its second century.
- Father Claude FranklinOctober 2020 –
Born February 12, 1972 in Fayetteville, PA; ordained November 29, 1997 at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary; served as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Victory Maronite (May 2006) and Pastor of St. Elias Maronite, Carnegie / St. John the Baptist Maronite, New Castle; pursued a Doctorate in Liturgical Studies at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome while assigned to Olean on October 1, 2020.