St. Sharbel

1804 SE 16th http://www.saintsharbel.com/           

                                                                           

I arrived a few minutes late, having had a little difficulty finding this church tucked in the leafy Ladd's Edition neighborhood. After a two-hour service I had to leave a few minutes early to make it to a Mother's Day brunch; consequently I only was able to snap two quick photographs. Next time -- and St. Sharbel deserves a next time -- I will make sure to experience the Mass from beginning to end.

St. Sharbel is a Maronite church. It is an Eastern Rite church, with rituals somewhat similar to to an Orthodox church (a friend calls them "bells and smells"), except unlike the Greek or Russian Orthodox churches, the Maronite church is in full communion with the Holy See. The service was conducted half in English and half in Arabic except for the consecration, which was in Aramaic, the language Jesus is said to have spoken.

The Maronite church began in Syria in the 5th century with St. Maron, but soon spread to Lebanon.  Many, but certainly not all, in the congregation today were Lebanese and could speak Arabic. The family behind my friend and me helped us when we got lost in the hymnal, one of which was entitled "The Cedars of Lebanon Hymnal."

The church is a handsome stone edifice but cannot be seen well because of a large tree in front of it. The inside is a cozy medium-sized space, roughly square. The altar is in a corner rather than against a wall, and the altar rail is a curved semi-circle. There are many statues and paintings in and near the altar area. The pews are made of oak and curved as well. The floor slopes down toward the corner where the altar is, giving the room a theater-like feel.

The service is quite a bit different than the Roman Rite, but not as different as St. Irene Byzantine Church's. Maronites cross themselves in the same manner as Romans -- touching their left shoulder and then their right at the end of the sign of the cross. During the handshake of peace a charming gesture was introduced to me. The alter boys went into the congregation and offered their hands with their fingers pressed together as if in prayer but pointed toward persons at the end of the pews such as me. The parishioner then put their hands around the alter boy's hands also with fingers pointed forward and then pulled their hands toward themselves, wiping their hands against the other's as they separated. Then the congregation did this with each other. I saw variations of this such as a person extending just one hand and the other clasping it with both hands while gently pulling away. It was unclear to me who should be the one offering their hands and who should be the one clasping and pulling away.

(This gesture reminding me of another gesture from a foreign culture that the reader is probably equally unfamiliar with: Filipino children will take an adult's hand and press the back of the hand to their forehead in greeting. Both are touching (no pun intended) gestures.)

The pastor, Abouna ("Father" in Arabic) Jonathan Decker, S.J.M.J., has a New York accent, wore a skull cap, had a long beard and wielded a silver cross with a long blue tassel in his right hand nearly the entire service. He spoke English and Arabic and blessed us with the the cross throughout the service. There was also a cantor and a violinist who were in an adjacent room, separated by a screen from the congregation. Fr. Decker greeted all the visitors, singling out each one, including me. The congregation was also quite friendly.