PATRIARCH NASRALLAH PETER CARDINAL SFEIR

As one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Maronite Church is led by a patriarch. Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir was elected Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East in 1986, becoming the 76th Patriarch of the Maronite Church. He is the third Maronite Cardinal, having been granted that title by Pope John Paul II in 1994.

Patriarch Sfeir was born on May 15, 1920 in Rayfoun, Kesrouan, Lebanon. He was ordained a priest on May 7, 1950, and served Rayfoun parish from 1951 until 1955. He then became Secretary of the Maronite Patriarchate, served as professor of translation in literature and philosophy at the Freres Maronite School in Jounieh, and was ordained a bishop in 1961.

As the leader of the Maronite Church, Patriarch Sfeir has been a powerful voice not only for his Church but for the nation of Lebanon, challenging the world community to guarantee its independence and sovereignty. Patriarch Sfeir visited North America in 2001 when he ordained Bishop Robert Shaheen as the new Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles.