Saint Jude [Melkite]

Welcome to St. Jude Melkite Greek Catholic Church

St. Jude Melkite Greek Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite Catholic parish serving the Brickell/downtown Miami community and beyond from its home at 126 SE 15th Road. It belongs to the worldwide Melkite Greek Catholic Church and reports to the Eparchy of Newton, which covers the entire United States. The parish is committed to celebrating the ancient Divine Liturgy in the languages of its people — English, Arabic, and Spanish — and to forming children and adults in the Byzantine Catholic tradition.

History of the Parish

The Melkite Mission in Greater Miami began on December 18, 1967, with Father Nicholas Abraham as administrator. After years meeting in club halls and parishes across South Miami, the community purchased the former Chapel of the Assumption Academy at Bay Haven on Brickell Avenue in 1976–1977, with Archbishop Joseph Tawil personally negotiating with the Sisters of the Assumption and the Vatican. The chapel was rededicated as St. Jude Melkite Catholic Church on February 19, 1978, and the parish has grown into a vibrant, trilingual community over the following decades.

• 1967 — First Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Syrian-Lebanese American Club Hall
• 1970 — Land acquired in South Miami; Ladies' Guild forms; MANA convention hosted
• 1973 — Death of founding administrator Fr. Nicholas Abraham
• 1974 — Archmandrite John W. Haddad named administrator
• 1976–1977 — Chapel of the Assumption and adjacent halls purchased
• May 14, 1977 — Regular liturgical services begin
• February 19, 1978 — Chapel rededicated as St. Jude Melkite Catholic Church

Architecture of the Church

The present church building is a Romanesque Gothic chapel originally constructed in 1946 in Philadelphia by the firm of Henry Dagit & Sons, with general contractor McCloskey & Co. The cornerstone was laid May 3, 1946, and the building was completed that September. Exterior walls are reinforced concrete faced with Indiana Bedford limestone; inside, exposed concrete beams and arches carry stenciled color decorations, floors are terrazzo, and the main altar and two side altars wear marble facing. When the Melkite community took ownership, the interior was modified for Byzantine worship, adding an iconostasis and Byzantine icons.

• Style: Romanesque Gothic
• Architects: Henry Dagit & Sons (Philadelphia)
• Contractor: McCloskey & Co. (Philadelphia)
• Cornerstone laid: May 3, 1946
• Construction completed: September 1946
• Materials: reinforced concrete with Indiana Bedford limestone
• Byzantine additions: iconostasis and icons

Melkite Tradition

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is one of the Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome, tracing its heritage to the apostolic churches of Antioch and Jerusalem. St. Jude follows the Byzantine Rite, which includes distinctive liturgies such as the Divine Liturgy, the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts during Great Lent, and Holy Week services based on those of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The parish webpage links directly to information about the broader Melkite Church.

• Rite: Byzantine
• Tradition: Melkite Greek Catholic (in communion with Rome)
• Worldwide affiliation: Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Newton (USA)

Clergy & Parish Staff

St. Jude is served by Pastor Rev. Ezzat Bathouche, who was born in Khabab, Syria in 1982, trained at the Minor Seminary in Damascus and St. Paul Seminary in Harissa, Lebanon, and was ordained in 2008 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Ascension. Before coming to Miami, he was pastor of St. John the Baptist Melkite Church in Northlake, Illinois. He is assisted by Protodeacon Magdi Negm, Deacon Dorotheos (Rose), Subdeacon Pepe Alonso, and a lay staff that runs the parish office, school, music, gift shop, and physical plant.

• Pastor: Rev. Ezzat Bathouche
• Protodeacon Magdi Negm
• Deacon Dorotheos (Rose)
• Subdeacon Pepe Alonso
• Pastoral Assistant & Secretary: Andrea Monzani
• Accountant: Ana Barroso
• Sunday School Coordinators: Leila Malouf & Marirose Mardeni
• Choir Director: Sawsan Shalah
• Music Director: Carlos Fuerte
• Ladies' Guild Society: Rima Mazzawi
• Servidoras de San Judas: Maria Antonia Delgado
• Gift Shop Assistants: Jeanette Escobar, Edgar Cordonero
• Parish Caretakers: Edgar Cordonero, Julio Del Valle

Mass, Sacraments & Schedule

The parish celebrates three Sunday Divine Liturgies to serve its trilingual community — English in the morning, English & Arabic mid-morning, and Spanish in the evening. Midweek, the community gathers on Wednesdays for the Typika with Holy Communion, a service traditionally associated with the Lenten Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts. Confession is offered by appointment on Thursdays and Fridays in a bilingual setting.

• Sunday 9:00 AM — English Divine Liturgy
• Sunday 11:30 AM — English & Arabic Divine Liturgy
• Sunday 6:00 PM — Spanish Divine Liturgy
• Wednesday 12:00 noon — Typika with Holy Communion
• Thursday & Friday — Confession by appointment (bilingual)

Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation

The parish treats the formation of children as a grave responsibility of parents and runs a Byzantine-tradition Sunday School program with classes held online on Saturdays. Adults are invited to a monthly Bible study in Spanish, and the parish prepares engaged couples for both Byzantine (Sacrament of Crowning) and Roman-rite marriages. Baptismal preparation is offered monthly, generally on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 PM, by registration through the parish secretary.

• Sunday School (online Saturdays)
• Adult Education — monthly Bible study in Spanish
• Baptismal Classes — monthly, Tuesday at 6:00 PM, by registration
• Wedding Preparation — couples follow Archdiocese of Miami requirements for Roman-rite marriages; Byzantine Crownings arranged through the parish secretary

Fellowships & Organizations

Three parish societies sustain a strong devotional and community life at St. Jude. The Ladies' Guild, affiliated with the National Association of Melkite Women (NAMW) founded in 1986, supports vocations and has long been the fundraising engine of the parish through haflis, dinners and festivals. The Men's Society fosters fellowship among men committed to the teachings of Christ and supports the pastor and the parish. The Society of Publicans is a prayer apostolate for the renewal of the spiritual life of the Melkite Church in America.

• Ladies' Guild / National Association of Melkite Women (NAMW) — promotes vocations; feast day is the Sunday of the Ointment Bearing Women
• Men's Society — Christian fellowship and service to parish and pastor
• Society of Publicans — daily prayer for parishes, clergy, monastics, catechists, and all the faithful

Music & Liturgical Arts

Music and chant are central to Byzantine worship. The parish is served by a Choir Director and a Music Director who lead the congregation through the sung parts of the Divine Liturgy and the special services of Great Lent and Holy Week — including the Glorification of the Death of Jesus, which at St. Jude is celebrated twice in Spanish to accommodate the crowds.

• Choir Director: Sawsan Shalah
• Music Director: Carlos Fuerte

Parish Life & Gift Shop

Beyond worship and formation, St. Jude maintains a parish gift shop staffed by volunteers, where parishioners and visitors can find religious articles, icons, and devotional items. Hospitality and Arabic cuisine and pastries have been a hallmark of the parish's fundraising tradition since the early 1970s, when the Ladies' Guild began hosting dinners and bazaars to fund the building of the church.

• Gift Shop — staffed by parish volunteers
• Hospitality tradition rooted in Arabic cuisine and pastries

Contact & Visit

The parish office is open 9:00 AM to 5:45 PM daily. Visitors and prospective parishioners are welcome to stop by the church at 126 SE 15th Road in the Brickell neighborhood of Miami, to call during office hours, or to email the parish office.

• Address: 126 SE 15th Road, Miami, FL 33129
• Phone: (305) 856-1500
• Email: [email protected]
• Secondary line: (305) 859-7982
• Office hours: 9:00 AM – 5:45 PM daily
• Website: stjudemiami.org (English & Spanish)