Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun – pastor of St Maron in Minneapolis, a Maronite Catholic Church – has been named archbishop-elect of the Maronite Archeparchy of Damascus in Syria, according to a Vatican announcement 28 August.
He succeeds Archbishop Samir Nassar, head of the Maronite Archeparchy of Damascus since 2006, who is retiring.
Born in Lebanon, Archbishop-elect Maroun and his family relocated to the United States in 1983, according to the Vatican announcement. He pursued specialised studies in information technology, entering the Washington-based seminary of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles in 1984.
While there, he studied philosophy and theology. Archbishop-elect Maroun has served the St Maron community in Minneapolis since 1989, the year he was ordained a priest, and he has continued to hold various roles in the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles.
In a congratulatory statement, Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St Paul and Minneapolis said he looked forward to the Minnesota archdiocese’s ongoing collaboration with the Archeparchy of Damascus under the leadership of its new archbishop, as it has had with Archbishop Nassar. The archdiocese and the archeparchy formed a partnership in 2017.
