On the Sunday before Christmas, Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Washington was alive with colour and sound. Families dressed in red and white streamed into the hall, greeting one another with hugs as children darted between rows of chairs.
For the Maronite community in the US capital region, Christmas is like a homecoming. Even though it is thousands of kilometres from Lebanon, the parish – which is part of the Eastern Catholic Church – remains rooted in the Middle East, in full unity with the Pope and Roman Catholic Church but with its own unique Syriac liturgy.
The celebrations unfold over two weeks. This year, they began with a Christmas concert, followed by nine days of Novena prayers. On December 21, hundreds gathered for Sunday Mass, during which hymns in Syriac and Arabic songs echoed through the church.
Afterwards, parishioners shared a Christmas lunch. Lebanese dishes including grilled chicken over rice, stuffed grape leaves, hummus and tabbouleh filled the tables. Santa Claus arrived with gifts and children in festive outfits gleefully posed for photos.
A family poses with Santa Claus at Our Lady of Lebanon church before Christmas. Photo credit: Nilanjana Gupta
Our Lady of Lebanon church in Washington, DC. Photo credit: Nilanjana Gupta
Children in festive attire attend Christmas luncheon at Our Lady of Lebanon church. Photo credit: Nilanjana Gupta
Two-year-old Aurora with her grandparents Jean and Eliana Ayoub at the Christmas luncheon at Our Lady of Lebanon church. Photo credit: Nilanjana Gupta
Washington's Maronite community attends Mass at Our Lady of Lebanon church before Christmas. Photo credit: Nilanjana Gupta
A family poses with Santa Claus at Our Lady of Lebanon church before Christmas. Photo credit: Nilanjana Gupta
Children dressed in festive attire attend Mass at Our Lady of Lebanon church before Christmas. Photo credit: Nilanjana Gupta
A family poses with Santa Claus at Our Lady of Lebanon church before Christmas. Photo credit: Nilanjana Gupta
For Monsignor George Sebaali, the scene reflected decades of history and perseverance. “In the early 1960s, we established the first Maronite seminary outside of Lebanon,” he said. “As time went on and the number of Maronites in the area grew, they petitioned the bishop to establish a church.”
By 1967, permission was granted to build the first church, event
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