The Maronite Church in the United States, 1854–2010

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, members of the Maronite Church from the Middle East, especially Lebanon, began immigrating to the United States. Due to economic hardships, political tension, and religious discrimination, Maronite immigration has continued through the early twenty-first century. The large-scale immigration of Maronites resulted in the creation of Maronite parishes and after numerous requests to the Holy See, two Maronite dioceses were founded successively in the second part of the twentieth century. Attempting to protect its identity and its traditions in the U.S., the Maronite Church has faced challenges concerning its freedom and autonomy, its relation with the mother church in Lebanon, priestly vocations, and its relationships with other churches, especially Latin Catholicism.