St. Maroun's Cathedral, Sydney

St. Maroun's Cathedral,^[2] also called St Maron’s Cathedral,^[3] is a Maronite rite Eastern Catholic Church cathedral church, located in Redfern,^[4] in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.^[5]

It is the main church of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron of Sydney (Eparchia Sancti Maronis Sydneyensis Maronitarum). The Eparchy was created by Pope Paul VI in 1973 through the papal bull, Illo fretis Concilii. The administration of the Eparchy is overseen by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.^[6]

The first Maronite priests to arrive in Sydney were Father Abdallah Yazbek and Father Joseph Dahdah, arriving on 8 May 1893.^[7] The then Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal Moran permitted them to initially celebrate mass at Saint Vincent De Paul in Redfern and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Waterloo.^[7]

The cathedral is the seat of Epoch Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, OLM and religious services are delivered in English and Arabic.

The Maronites trace their beginnings to Saint Maroun (also called St Maron) who led a monastic life in the fourth century in Syria.^[8] Maronite clergy preached the gospel in the mountains of North Lebanon where the Christian community grew.^[9] The Maronite diaspora has since spread to many countries throughout the world, including Australia.^[9]

Lebanese migration to Australia first took place in around 1880.^[8]

The first Maronite priests to arrive in Sydney were Father Abdallah Yazbek and Father Joseph Dahdah, arriving on 8 May 1893.^[7] The then Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal Moran permitted them to initially celebrate mass at Saint Vincent De Paul in Redfern and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Waterloo.^[7]

In 1894, the Maronite community leased the top floor of a premises in Raglin Street, Waterloo for approximately 2 years and used this for church services.^[10]

In 1897, the premises at 621 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, NSW, 2016 was purchased for 600 pounds.^[10] On 10 January 1897, Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal Patrick Moran consecrated the church and celebrated mass along with Father Yazbek and Father El Dahdah.^[10]

In 1965, the Maronite community of Sydney raised funds for the purchase of the adjacent property at 627 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, NSW 2016 (which was then used as an auto-repair shop).^[11]

The current Saint Maroun's Church stands on the site of the former auto-repair shop, with the Church Hall now standing on the site of the original church built in 1897.^[11]

Saint Maroun's Church now comprises three locations at which church services are conducted for members of the Maronite community as follows^[12]:

1. Saint Maroun's Cathedral at Redfern, Sunday Mass at 10AM in Arabic and English;
2. Saint Maroun's College at Dulwich Hill, Sunday Mass at 8:30AM in Arabic;
3. Our Lady of Lourdes Church at Earlwood, Sunday Mass at 5:30PM Family Mass.

The current parish ministry team is made up of^[13]:

1. Father Maroun Elkazzi, Parish Administrator and Priest;
2. Father Geoffrey Abdallah, Dean of the Cathedral and Priest;
3. Father Ron Hassarati, Assistant Priest;
4. Father Bernard Assi, Assistant Priest.

The photo shows the original Saint Maroun's Church, built in 1897.

The Church was located at 621 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, NSW, 2016, on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Redfern Lane in Redfern.

The auto-repair shop located at 627 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, NSW 2016 which would eventually be purchased by the Maronite Community was not built at the time this photo was taken.

The photo depicts the small bell-tower of the church which sits on top of the front entrance (archway).

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The photo shows Rev. Father Anthony J. Sahade celebrating mass at Saint Maroun's Redfern on Sunday, 28 July 1946.

The photo depicts the interior of the original Saint Maroun's Church (built 1897 but depicted here in the photo in 1946).

Notably, the interior features of the church (including the altar) follow the Latin customs. For example, the altar faces the wall, known as ad orientem (towards the east) with the priest facing the same direction as the congregation, rather than facing them (versus populum) as became common after Vatican II.^[3]

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The document is a significant historical document in the history of the Maronite Church in Australia. This is a handwritten letter by Father Abdallah Yazbek who, along with Father Joseph Dahdah, was the first Maronite priests to arrive in Australia, arriving on 8 May 1893.^[7]

The letter is handwritten in Arabic and recounts Father Yazbek's travels and journey from Lebanon to Australia and his arrival, along with Father Dahdah, in Sydney, Australia in 1893.

The document is the English translation of Father Yazbek's letter recounting his journey from Lebanon to Australia and the purchase and building of the first Maronite Church in Australia in 1897, being Saint Maroun's Redfern.

The letter also recounts the early struggles of the priests as they sought to establish a place of worship for their community in Sydney. It refers to the use of the property in Raglan Street, Redfern, as well as the use of the churches of Saint Vincent's, Redfern and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Waterloo.

The letter is dated and signed 10 January 1897 very shortly after the church was purchased and built.

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The document is the original handwritten purchase deed and bank loan from the London Bank of Australia located at Pitt and Market Streets, Sydney.

The document is dated 20 January 1897 and names Reverend A. Yazbek (Father Abdallah Yazbek) and Reverend Joseph Dahdah (Father Youssef Dahdah) as the named borrowers. The bank representative is named as Mr. T. M. Slattery.

The document records the purchase price and other fees towards the purchase of the original Saint Maroun's Church located at 621 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, NSW, 2016.

The document also records payments made towards the loan by both Father Yazbek and Father Dahdah from funds raised by the Maronite congregation.

The document is held in the archive of Saint Maroun's Redfern.

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The document is a notice/invitation that was published in The Freeman's Journal on 9 January 1897 issuing an open invitation to the opening of the new Church of Saint Maroun's on Sunday, 10 January 1897.

The notice which appears at the top left corner of page 15 of The Freeman's Journal edition published on Saturday, 9 January 1897 reads as follows:

"THE MARONITE CHURCH, REDFERN.

FATHER Joseph Dahdah (Maronite Missionary) has issued invitations for the opening of the new church, "St. Maroun's," in Elizabeth-street, Redfern, which is to take place next Sunday at half-past three. His Eminence the Cardinal is to officiate." The reference to "His Eminence the Cardinal" is a reference to the then-Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal Patrick Moran who consecrated the church and celebrated mass along with Father Yazbek and Father El Dahdah on Sunday, 18 January 1897.^[10]

The reference to "His Eminence the Cardinal" is a reference to the then-Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal Patrick Moran. Cardinal Moral consecrated the church and celebrated mass along with Father Yazbek and Father El Dahdah on Sunday, 18 January 1897.^[10]

The Freeman's Journal was a newspaper founded in 1850 by William Lane an served Sydney's Catholic community for news, opinion and analysis and covered local, national and international events.^[14]

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Redfern, Sydney is an integral part of the Maronite (and wider Lebanese) history of emigration to Australia. The location of various factories and cheap housing attracted various migrant communities, including Lebanese migrants to Australia.^[15] Saint Maroun's Redfern was a central hub for the Maronite Lebanese community.^[15] The close-by Redfern Park was also a central meeting point for all communities, including the Lebanese Maronites.^[4]

Redfern Park had become by the early 20th century an important meeting place for local early Lebanese migrant residents.^[4]

The City of Sydney Council (within which Redfern falls at a Local Government level) has installed a sign and bronzed monumental plaque in the North-Eastern corner of Redfern Park commemorating the presence of early Lebanese settlers in the area and which also references Saint Maroun's Church.^[4] The sign is located at the Park’s entrance on the corner of Elizabeth and Redfern Streets.^[4] The plaque is located on the corner of the park that is closest in proximity to Saint Maroun's Church.

The plaque and sign feature a photograph of long serving New South Wales Labor politician Alexander “Alec” Alam^[16] (an Australian-born child of Lebanese migrants) and a group of people in front of old St Maroun’s Church after a meeting of the Lebanese Maronite Society in 1934.^[4]

The wording on the sign reads as follows:

"Among the migrants who made their homes in this areas in the 1800’s were people from the Lebanese region of Syria. Several operated “fancy goods warehouses” and clothing manufacturers; others bought goods on credit from the manufacturers to on-sell. From here hawkers travelled around Sydney and the countryside selling cutlery, lamps, shirts, haberdashery, and other goods. Between 37 and 141 Elizabeth Street were Lebanese shops and boarding houses by 1908, and the Park was a popular place for them to socialise and bring their children to play.

The first Lebanese church in Australia was St Michael’s Melkite Church, Waterloo and opened in1895. This was followed by St Maroun’s Maronite Church in Redfern in 1897. There was also a Muslim prayer room in a shop at 79 Alderson St, now the Police and Community Youth Club site. The St George Antiochian Orthodox Church opened later in 1920. Redfern has remained a hub for the Lebanese community throughout the 20th century because of its business and religious institutions."

*emphasis added

The plaque and photo pay tribute to the presence of Lebanese migrants in and around the area of Redfern.

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• Catholicism in Australia
• St. Maron