St. George

Maronite Catholic Church

 

 

 

                                    Now celebrating 80 years!                                        

St. George Maronite Catholic Church is located in Uniontown, PA, the Fayette County seat. The city lies at the foot of Chestnut Ridge in the Allegheny Mountains, 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. Many Lebanese Maronites, the majority of them from the village of 'Abdilli in the district of Batroun, settled here. They found the terrain very similar to their native land.

Uniontown is a culturally diverse area. A city of only 15,000, it is blessed with parishes representing 3 different rites of the Catholic Church. In addition to our own Maronite Church there is a Byzantine Catholic Church and 4 parishes of the Roman rite. Each of the 6 Catholic Churches in Uniontown proudly carries on the unique traditions of a different ethnic group.

The early Maronites attended the other Catholic Churches of Uniontown, but longed for a parish of their own where they could celebrate their beloved Maronite faith. This dream became a reality in 1927 when the first church was built. It was named for the St. George Church in their native 'Abdilli. The first pastor was Msgr. Nemetallah El Hayek. We were pleased to have recently learned that a connection to our original pastor lives on in the Maronite Church in Msgr. Sami Hayek, the son of Msgr. El Hayek's cousin. He is the retired pastor of Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Easton, PA.

The original church was used for 40 years until 1967 when a new, larger and more modern church was built. The first Divine Liturgy in the new church was celebrated on Christmas Eve, 1967, truly a joyous occasion.

St. George has been blessed with a long line of distinguished pastors, each one lending his personal touch and forever leaving his mark on us. Many physical improvements have occurred throughout the years as well. Included in the latest additions to the church are the beautiful Memorial Rosary Walk and Garden, which were solemnly blessed at the newly situated shrine of Our Lady on June 4, 2000. The statue of Our Lady is the same as the one at the Maronite Seminary in Washington, D.C. Two cedar trees were planted in the spring of 2000 and long awaited icons for the sanctuary arrived in 2002.

Many of the original families of St. George remain today, in addition to many new Maronite families that have joined St. George over the years. There are also many non-Lebanese families that have adopted St. George and the Maronite faith. All are welcome here, and we are always happy and proud to share our church, our faith and our traditions with others. New growth lies ahead and the parish will continue to thrive.
St. George Parish proudly celebrates the 80th anniversary this year. 
On September 22 and 23 our parish was honored by Bishop Gregory Mansour’s participation in the closing celebrations of our Anniversary Year. He was accompanied by Chor-Bishop Michael Thomas, who was making his first trip to our parish, so we gave him the grand tour!
  We also celebrated Bishop Gregory’s 25 Silver Jubilee and he was presented with various mementos of his years he spent in Uniontown as our pastor.
                   The children held a balloon launch in his honor.         

 

 

                                                Back To Main Page