John Adel Elya (16 September 1928 – 19 July 2019) was a bishop of the

Melkite Greek Catholic Church el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...

. From 1993 to 2004, he served as

Eparch of Newton Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton (in Latin: Eparchia Neotoniensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is an ecclesiastical territory of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, a Byzantine rite Eastern Church within the Catholic Church. The eparchy is named f ...

, with jurisdiction over Melkite churches in the United States.

Biography

Elya, a native of

Maghdouché Maghdouché ( ar, مغدوشة, , ) is a town in the South Governorate of Lebanon. It is located 50 km south of Beirut and 8 km southeast of Sidon. The village lies 3 km inland from the Mediterranean, occupying a hill with elevatio ...

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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

, entered the Melkite

Basilian Salvatorian Order , abbreviation = BS , nickname = Salvatorian Fathers , formation = , founder = Archbishop Euthymios Michael Saifi , founding_location = Saida, Lebanon , type = Monastic order of pontifical righ ...

, where he professed his solemn vows in 1949. After completing his philosophical and theological studies, Elya was ordained a priest on 17 February 1952. He later obtained a licentiate in theology from the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

and taught moral theology and philosophy in the Monastery of Saint Savior in Lebanon and served as rector of the seminary of Saint Basil in

Methuen, Massachusetts Methuen () is a 23 square mile (60 km2) city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Middlesex County and just south of ...

. Elya went on to serve as a parish priest in Zerka, Jordan. He also served as the pastor of churches in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, and

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

, and as rector of the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral in

Roslindale, Massachusetts Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan. It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Ja ...

. While a priest in the United States he earned a master's degree from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. In 1977 Elya was named an

archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...

. He was appointed titular Bishop of Abilene of Lysanias and auxiliary to the Eparch of Newton. On 25 November 1993 he was appointed Eparch of Newton, succeeding the deceased Bishop

Ignatius Ghattas Ignatius Ghattas (25 December 1920 — 11 October 1992) was a bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. He served as Eparch of Newton from 1990 until his death.

. Elya was installed 25 January 1994, serving as eparch until his retirement on 22 June 2004. He was succeeded as eparch by Archbishop

Cyril Salim Bustros Cyril Salim Bustros (born January 26, 1939) is the archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos and a former Professor at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. A native of Lebanon, he formerly served as archbishop of B ...

. In 1996, Bishop Elya took the notable action of ordaining a married man to the priesthood. The Vatican had taken a restrictive view of ordaining married men to the priesthood in the Eastern Catholic churches of North America. Previously, North American married Melkites had gone overseas for ordination and returned as parish priests. Elya was the first to ordain a married man in the United States. In 2011 the Melkite Eparchy formally announced it was not observing the Vatican restriction of married men in the priesthood and in 2014,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

ended the prohibition.

Distinctions

Grand Prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be low ...

of the Province of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

of the

Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem The Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem is a Catholic honorific lay order and ecclesiastical decoration established in 1979 by Patriarch Maximos V Hakim of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, with its seat in the Old City of Jerusalem. ...

References

External links

Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton Official Website
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20030417235752/http://www.kwtelecom.com/heraldry/lazarus/history.html#T5 L'Église Melkite/The Melkite Church
Melkite Catholic Web Ring

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elya, John American Melkite Greek Catholic bishops Lebanese emigrants to the United States People from Sidon District 1928 births 2019 deaths Lebanese clergy American Eastern Catholics Lebanese Melkite Greek Catholics Melkite Greek Catholic bishops Members of the Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem

Biography

Distinctions

See also

References

External links

Episcopal succession