Archbishop Francis Mansour Zayek (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: فرنسيس منصور الزايك ; born October 18, 1920,

Manzanillo, Cuba Manzanillo is a municipality and city in the Granma Province of Cuba. By population, it is the 14th-largest Cuban city and the most populated one not being a provincial seat. Geography It is a port city in the Granma Province in eastern Cuba on t ...

– died on September 14, 2010) was a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

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. He was the founding eparch of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, an

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diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

based in

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, which covers the eastern coast of the

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Biography

Early life

Zayek was born in

, one of the eight children of Mansour Zayek and Mariam Khoury, on October 18, 1920. The family moved from Cuba back to their homeland of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

in 1931, then part of the

French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (french: Mandat pour la Syrie et le Liban; ar, الانتداب الفرنسي على سوريا ولبنان, al-intidāb al-fransi 'ala suriya wa-lubnān) (1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate foun ...

and settled in their native city of

Ghazir Ghazir ( ar, غزير) is a town and municipality in the Keserwan District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is located north of Beirut. It has an average elevation of 380 meters above sea level and a total land area of . The tow ...

. Inspired by an uncle, Father George Zayek, the local

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, he felt drawn to the priesthood. For much of his youth, he felt drawn to enter the

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Order for service as a missionary to Asia. Instead of that path, Zayek applied to the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

of the Maronite Church in his hometown, with the approval of his local bishop, Elias Richa, the Archbishop of Baalbek. He excelled in his studies at the seminary, being fluent in

as well as in French and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

(and later in Italian, Portuguese and English) and the archbishop decided to send him to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

for further studies, where he continued to gain honors. He spent

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

studying at the Urban College, where he gained a diploma in philosophy. He later recounted the struggle the seminarians faced to find food in that period. After graduating, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

a Maronite Catholic

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

in the chapel of the College on March 17, 1946. Zayek became incardinated in Lebanon. Zayek then earned

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

s in both

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

at the

Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Ponti ...

. After completing his studies, Zayek was sent to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

, Egypt, where he was appointed by Boutros Deeb, the Maronite Archbishop of Cairo, as

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the Maronite Cathedral of the Holy Family there, and a judge in the Catholic tribunals of the city. He also served as an assistant to the

Papal Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

there. He later returned to Rome where he served as a judge of the

Roman Rota The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota ( la, Tribunal Apostolicum Rotae Romanae), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin-r ...

and as a consultant in canon law at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm and at the Lateran University.

Bishop

Brazil

On May 30, 1962,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

appointed Zayek to head the Maronite Apostolic

Exarchate An exarchate is any territorial jurisdiction, either secular or ecclesiastical, whose ruler is called an exarch. The term originates from the Greek word ''arkhos'', meaning a leader, ruler, or chief. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I created the firs ...

(the equivalent in the

Eastern Churches Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Northeast Africa, the Fertile Crescent and ...

of a Vicariate Apostolic) for Maronites in Brazil, the first Maronite bishop to serve outside of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. He was consecrated bishop at a ceremony held in Dimane, Lebanon, on August 5, 1962, by

Mar Mar, mar or MAR may refer to: Culture * Mar or Mor, an honorific in Syriac * Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland * MAA (singer) (born 1986), Japanese * Marathi language, by ISO 639-2 language code * March, as an abbreviation for the third mon ...

Paul Peter Meouchi Moran Mor Paul II Peter Meouchi (born April 1, 1894, Jezzine, Lebanon – died on January 11, 1975, Bkerké, Lebanon), (or ''Boulos Boutros el-Meouchi'', ''Meoushi'', ar, بولس الثاني بطرس المعوشي) was the 74th Maronite Pa ...

Maronite Patriarch of Antioch This is a list of the Maronite patriarchs of Antioch and all the East, the Primate (bishop), primate of the Maronite Church, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Starting with Paul Peter Massad in 1854, after becoming patriarch of the Maronite Ca ...

, and his co-consecrators were Peter Sfair, Ordinary Bishop for Maronites in Rome, and Abdallah Nujaim, Eparch of Baalbek. The pope, in appointing him, told him, “What you Maronites have does not pertain to you alone but is part of the treasure of the Catholic Church". Officially an auxiliary bishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people grc, Ῥωμαῖοι, , native_name_lang = , image = Pompeii family ...

, and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of Callinicum dei Maroniti, Zayek served as bishop for the Maronites of that country until 1966.

Second Vatican Council

Zayek was one of the last surviving bishops who had attended all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

between 1962 and 1965 as a bishop.

The United States

On January 27, 1966, the

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cat ...

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

established a similar exarchate for the United States, and transferred Zayek to serve as its first exarch. He was installed in

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, the seat of the exarchate, on June 11, 1966. He arrived in the United States with just a rudimentary knowledge of English, and found an unfinished cathedral and neither a residence nor offices ready for him. As he had needed to do in Brazil, he worked to unify the Maronite Catholics of the country. Zayek had to face many challenges. First was the very identity of the Church. Arguments raged as to whether it was to be a transplant of Lebanese life or an American institution rooted in its Lebanese heritage. In this he remained guided by the words of Pope John. Additionally, he had to deal with the

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

changes mandated by the Vatican Council. He had the Maronite

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of ...

translated into English for the first time, creating a standardized service for use in every parish of the exarchate. Pope Paul elevated the exarchate to a full

eparchy Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the ...

, or diocese, on November 29, 1971, and appointed Zayek as the first bishop of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Detroit. Zayek was installed as its first bishop on June 4, 1972. The seat of the eparchy was moved from Detroit to the Church of St.

Maron Maron, also called Maroun or Maro ( syr, ܡܪܘܢ, '; ar, مارون; la, Maron; grc-gre, Μάρων), was a 4th-century Syrian Syriac Christian hermit monk in the Taurus Mountains whose followers, after his death, founded a religious Chris ...

in Brooklyn on 27 June 1977 and renamed the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn. To honor his years of service,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

promoted Zayek to the personal rank of archbishop on December 10, 1982. He retired on November 11, 1996, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. He then moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he served at

Our Lady of Lebanon ar, سيدة لبنان , native_name_lang = , image = Ladylebanon.JPG , image_upright = , alt = , caption = Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon , map_type = , map_s ...

Maronite Catholic Church in

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Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Awards

Zayek was a member of the Maronite Patriarchal Synod and received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Death

When Zayek's health began to falter in late 2009, he returned to Lebanon. He died on September 14, 2010, at the age of 89, and was buried there. He was survived by his sister, Lydia, a resident of Lebanon, and his brother, Elias, a resident of Brazil.

Tribute

Eparch Gregory J. Mansour, a successor, wrote in reaction to Zayek's death, "The Maronite Church in the United States is deeply indebted to the archbishop for his zealous efforts in establishing the strong, vibrant Maronite community we have today...May Archbishop Zayek share in the glory of the Cross which we celebrate this day!"

References

External links

* * http://communio.stblogs.org/index.php/2010/09/archbishop-francis-mansour-zay/ * http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/zmar0.htm, Gcatholic.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Zayek, Francis Mansour 1920 births 2010 deaths People from Manzanillo, Cuba Lebanese Maronites Pontifical Urban University alumni Pontifical Lateran University alumni Lebanese Eastern Catholic bishops 20th-century Maronite Catholic bishops 20th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops Eastern Catholic bishops in Brazil Participants in the Second Vatican Council American Eastern Catholic bishops Lebanese expatriates in the United States People from Brooklyn 21st-century Eastern Catholic archbishops People from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Burials in Lebanon Eastern Catholic bishops in the United States