About Saint Nicholas [Melkite] · Delray Beach, Florida
Saint Nicholas Melkite Greek Catholic Church is a Byzantine (Melkite) Catholic parish in Delray Beach, Florida, belonging to the Eparchy of Newton (which serves Melkite Greek Catholics throughout the United States). Originally founded in 1992 as a mission by Bishop Nicholas Samra to serve the seasonal Melkite faithful of Palm Beach County, the community has grown from its first gatherings in a family living room to a year-round parish serving more than 300 families. Under the pastorate of Father Gabriel Ghanoum — a native of Egypt who speaks six languages — the parish is regionally known for its Byzantine Divine Liturgy celebrated in English and Arabic, and for the extraordinary "No One Buried Alone" ministry Fr. Ghanoum founded in 2011.
- Established
- 1992
- Patron
- Saint Nicholas
- Rector
- Father Gabriel Ghanoum ("Abouna Gabriel")
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Newton (Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, covering the United States)
Why belong here
Saint Nicholas Melkite welcomes anyone drawn to the ancient Byzantine liturgical tradition celebrated by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church — a fully Catholic communion whose liturgies are celebrated in the spirit and language of the Christian East. Sunday worship is followed by a strong community social life that routinely draws around 180 people, and the parish's small size gives it a family feel where the spiritual, social, and educational needs of children, youth, adults, and seniors are all part of its mission. Belonging here means joining a community rooted in authentic Byzantine spirituality, warm fellowship, and the wider pastoral vision of Father Gabriel Ghanoum — including the regionally celebrated "No One Buried Alone" ministry that has dignified the deaths of hundreds of people in South Florida since 2011.
Mass times at Saint Nicholas [Melkite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:30 AM – 10:55 AM (before Divine Liturgy)
- Sunday 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM (per published schedule)
About the Parish
Saint Nicholas Melkite Greek Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic (Melkite) parish in Delray Beach, Florida, under the Eparchy of Newton — the canonical eparchy that serves Melkite Greek Catholics across the United States. The parish celebrates the ancient Byzantine liturgical tradition and works, in the words of its own mission statement, to attend to 'the spiritual, social, and educational needs of its children, youth, adults, and senior parishioners.' The official website notes that additional services beyond the regular Sunday Liturgy are announced on the notice board and website, and the Sunday Divine Liturgy is also followed live on the parish Facebook page so that seasonal and absent parishioners can worship remotely.
- Eparchy: Newton (Melkite Greek Catholic)
- Pastoral mission: spiritual, social, and educational ministry for all ages
- Live-stream of Sunday Liturgy available via Facebook
History & Founding Story
St. Nicholas Melkite Catholic Mission was founded in 1992 by Bishop Nicholas Samra to serve the seasonal Melkite community of Palm Beach County. Its first Liturgy was celebrated in the living room of the Agamie family. Within two years, growth forced the Mission to relocate to Emmanuel Catholic Church in Delray Beach (1994). For roughly the next 16 years the Mission continued to celebrate Liturgy on Sunday evenings and gradually built a strong social community — regular post-Liturgy gatherings averaged about 180 attendees — all without its own facilities or a full-time priest. In 2003 the Parish Council was formed to chart the community's future, and over time the parish acquired its own location at 5715 Lake Ida Road. Father Gabriel Ghanoum, the parish's pastor, has become widely known for founding the "No One Buried Alone" ministry in 2011, a partnership with the Diocese of Palm Beach that has dignified the deaths of hundreds of unclaimed deceased persons in South Florida.
- 1992 — Mission founded by Bishop Nicholas Samra
- 1994 — Relocated from the Agamie family living room to Emmanuel Catholic Church
- 2003 — Parish Council established to guide mission's future
- Present — Year-round parish serving 300+ families at 5715 Lake Ida Road
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is led by Father Gabriel Ghanoum — affectionately called "Abouna Gabriel" — a native of Egypt who speaks six languages and holds a doctorate in psychology. Before and alongside his pastoral work at St. Nicholas, Fr. Ghanoum served in healthcare chaplaincy, including as Director of Spiritual and Palliative Care at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis (HCA health network), and taught at the University of Miami. As of late 2025 he is also serving as priest assistant at St. Jude Parish in Tequesta while continuing as pastor of St. Nicholas and director of the No One Buried Alone ministry.
- Father Gabriel Ghanoum — Pastor ("Abouna Gabriel")
- Languages: six, including Arabic and English
- Background: doctorate in psychology; long career in healthcare chaplaincy and University of Miami teaching
No One Buried Alone Ministry
Founded by Father Gabriel Ghanoum in 2011, the No One Buried Alone ministry is the parish's signature outreach. Fr. Ghanoum personally claims the cremated remains of unclaimed deceased persons — many of them nursing-home residents and homeless individuals who died alone — from funeral homes across Palm Beach County, and arranges their dignified burial at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery in Royal Palm Beach. Annual memorial services bring together hundreds of souls at a time: one 2020 service honored 171 individuals and a 2025 service was planned for approximately 250. The ministry operates in partnership with the Diocese of Palm Beach, Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery, and the Palm Beach County Department of Human Services, and accepts remains of every age, race, and religious background, including miscarried and stillborn babies.
- Founded by Fr. Gabriel Ghanoum in 2011
- Burial partners: Diocese of Palm Beach; Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery (Royal Palm Beach); Palm Beach County Dept. of Human Services
- Annual public Memorial Services for the adopted deceased
- Includes outreach to grieving families, hospitals, funeral homes, and the homeless community
Parish Life, Socials & Events
Community life has always been central to St. Nicholas. Because for many years the parish had no permanent home, much of its identity was forged in the Sunday-evening social gatherings that followed Liturgy — events that consistently drew an average of about 180 parishioners. Today the parish continues that tradition through its annual gala and other social events, and operates a Parish Council (founded 2003) to guide programming.
- Sunday post-Liturgy social gatherings
- Annual parish gala
- Parish Council (established 2003)
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed to the church at 5715 Lake Ida Road, Delray Beach, Florida 33484. The parish office can be reached at (561) 499-3161 or by email at [email protected]. The official website is http://www.stnicholasmelkite.org/ and the Sunday Divine Liturgy is live-streamed via the parish's Facebook page.
- Address: 5715 Lake Ida Road, Delray Beach, FL 33484
- Phone: (561) 499-3161
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stnicholasmelkite.org/
- Facebook: live-stream of Sunday Liturgy