LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral upon the
occasion of celebrating its 90th Annual Saint Maron Day Event on Febru-
ary 6, 2016

WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and
WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral upon the occasion of celebrating its 90th
Annual Saint Maron Day Event at the Dyker Beach Golf Course, Brooklyn,
New York, on Saturday, February 6, 2016; and
WHEREAS, Festivities for this auspicious occasion will include a cock-
tail hour followed by dinner and Hafli, a Lebanese celebration of food
and hospitality; and
WHEREAS, In 1844, construction began on the church after a small group
of individuals met early in that year and agreed to establish an eccle-
siastical society which would become the Church of the Pilgrims; and
WHEREAS, The group hired Richard Upjohn, a prominent architect well
known for Gothic churches for Episcopal congregations, to design the
church; in contrast to his Gothic-style work, he designed the first
Romanesque Revival church in the United States, one of which has been
termed a medieval equivalent of a New England meetinghouse; and
WHEREAS, The cornerstone was laid on December 22, 1844, which was the
224th Anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 71 people
assented to the articles of faith and were recognized as a Church of
Christ; construction continued through 1845, and the church held its
first public services on May 12, 1846; and
WHEREAS, In 1869, construction commenced on an addition designed by
Leopold Eidlitz who had once worked for Richard Upjohn; the addition
provided an additional 450 seats in the church, a larger lecture room,
and rooms for classes and meetings; and
WHEREAS, The Reverend Richard S. Storm, Jr. became the Church of the
Pilgrims' first pastor in 1847, a position he held for 53 years; and
WHEREAS, As the population of Brooklyn Heights, New York, changed in
the early twentieth century, the number of members of the Church of the
Pilgrims and neighboring Plymouth Church declined; both congregations
reassessed their positions within the community and, in 1934, the Church
of the Pilgrims merged with Plymouth Church to form Plymouth Church of
the Pilgrims; and
WHEREAS, The Maronite community in New York, dates back to 1890, and
began in a rented hall at 127 Washington Street in Lower Manhattan,
known as Saint Joseph's Maronite Church; arriving in New York, in 1900,
Father Khairallah Stephen (Estephan) founded Saint Joseph's, relocated
at 81 Washington Street; and
WHEREAS, In 1902, Father Khairallah Stephen used $2,000 of his own
money and $600 in donations to purchase a large brownstone at 295-297
Hicks Street in Brooklyn; the Certificate of Incorporation of The Roman
Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lebanon was signed on February 17, 1903,
and was recorded in the Office of the Clerk of King's County on March 3,
1903; and
WHEREAS, Church services began in Brooklyn in 1904; although the
church was initially on the main floor (with the rectory above), the
basement and main floor were subsequently combined, and the renovated

church was dedicated as Our Lady of Lebanon Church in January of 1906;
and
WHEREAS, The Brooklyn Maronites, who were mostly from Aleppo, Syria,
formed the core of the new parish; over time, many Manhattan Maronites,
who were predominantly from Lebanon, relocated to Brooklyn to be closer
to the Church; and
WHEREAS, Due to the growth of the Brooklyn Maronite community, the
search for a new church began in 1938; on December 8, 1943, Father Mans-
our Stephen signed a contract to purchase the former Church of the
Pilgrims at the southeast corner of Henry Street and Remsen Street in
Brooklyn Heights; and
WHEREAS, The sale was completed quickly and the deed was recorded on
February 1, 1944; the Maronites officially took possession of the prop-
erty on February 9, 1944, the Feast of Saint Maron; and
WHEREAS, The first Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Sunday, November
26,1944, by Father Mansour Stephen, when the new church of Our Lady of
Lebanon was dedicated; the brownstone residence immediately adjoining
the Church at 113 Remsen Street was purchased on December 30, 1944,
through the kind generosity of a parishioner, George Jebaily, later a
Papal Knight; and
WHEREAS, On June 27, 1977, Our Lady of Lebanon Church was designated
as the Cathedral of the Diocese of Saint Maron in the United States,
when the Eparchial See was transferred from Detroit, Michigan, to Brook-
lyn; and
WHEREAS, Since its designation as the Cathedral, Our Lady of Lebanon
has served all three of the Bishops of the Eparchy of Saint Maron:
Archbishop Francis Mansour Zayek from 1966-1996, Bishop Stephen Hector
Doueihi from 1996-2004, and currently, Bishop Gregory John Mansour who
has served since 2004; and
WHEREAS, Our Lady of Lebanon Church stands on the threshold of tomor-
row, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming decades while retain-
ing that spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral upon the occasion of celebrating
its 90th Annual Saint Maron Day Event on February 6, 2016; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
.SO DOC S R3288 RESO TEXT 2015
smitted to Bishop Gregory John Mansour, Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral.