About Us — Saint Sharbel Church

Welcome!

As the first Maronite Church in Middle Tennessee, we are a vibrant and growing community of faith. We are committed to serving the needs of greater Nashville and sharing the love of Christ with everyone we encounter.

If you are looking for a welcoming and Christ-centered church home, we invite you to join us on our faith journey.

Our Mission

We are responding to and embracing God’s call to holiness by witnessing, sharing and celebrating the Mysteries of the Maronite Church with the community around us. In unity with the charisms of St. Sharbel, we ask God’s grace to unite His people and bring souls to God.

How we fulfill our mission:

We are Christ-centered.

As a Christ-centered community, we journey to the fullness of God’s Divine Will in our individual and collective lives through continual spiritual conversion. We actively listen for God’s voice, recognize our need for sacramental graces, and encourage all to follow the guidance of the Spirit.

We are service-oriented.

Through acts of love and service, we will follow God’s Holy Will. We recognize that every effort to uplift our growing Maronite community is an act of loving service. As we continue to establish our church, we will extend our aid to those in need as Christ asks us to.

We are Maronite Catholic.

We celebrate and conduct ourselves as Maronite Catholics. As Maronites, our faith journey is inspired and enriched by our Antiochene-Syriac Maronite heritage, liturgy, and traditions. As Catholics, we enjoy communion with the Church all around the world. We submit to the leadership of Pope Francis and our Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi.

We are community-focused.

We welcome everyone into our community with the very love of God and recognize the light of Christ in everyone we meet. We strive to become a spiritual home to our parishioners and a beacon of hope to all we encounter. We take special care to welcome those new to the area.

Our History

December 5. The first Divine Liturgy is held at St. Francis Cabrini Church, celebrated by Abouna Nabil Mouannes from Oklahoma. Over 30 people attend and agree to hold a second Liturgy.
January 23. The Second Divine Liturgy is celebrated by Abouna Mouannes. A group Rosary and Scripture study is held. The Parish Council forms.
February 1. The Parish Council meets with Bishop A. Elias Zaidan. The official launch of St. Sharbel Mission in Nashville.
February 27. First Divine Liturgy is celebrated as St. Sharbel Mission.
April. The first Palm Sunday and Easter Liturgies are celebrated at the Catholic Church of the Korean Martyrs.
May 29. Divine Liturgy and the first Healing Mass is celebrated by Abouna Mouannes.
December. The first-anniversary Liturgy and Christmas party are held at the Church of the Korean Martyrs. Bishops Spalding and Zaidan co-celebrate Liturgy.
June 11. Abouna Peter and Abouna Charles Khachan concelebrate Divine Liturgy.
July 1. Abouna Peter Raad joins our community as the new administrator.
September. Our first Ladies’ gathering was a success!
September 17. Our mission begins celebrating bi-monthly Divine Liturgies.
December 2. The first annual Christmas Gala is held. We had a wonderful time!
January 7. The first baby born to our parish is baptized!
March 2-3. Bishop Zaidan’s second pastoral visit to our community.
March. We celebrate Hosanna Sunday, Passion Week, and Easter together.
August 10. Our first annual picnic is held at Warren Park, in Franklin. We enjoy great food, Tarneeb, and Backgammon.
August 18. We begin celebrating Liturgy at the St. Phillip Catholic Church Chapel.
May 5. Abouna Peter celebrates his first anniversary of priesthood.
December 7. We celebrate our second annual fundraising gala. Over 200 people attended and we exceeded our fundraising goals.
December 21. The children put on their first Nativity play!
February 16. We begin celebrating Liturgy at the Aquinas Center.
April. We celebrate a prayerful Holy Week together.
May 18. Our first group of children celebrate their First Holy Communions!
August 9-10. Bishop Zaidan’s third pastoral visit to our community.

See the pictures!

Our Church Leaders

Pope Leo XIV

HEAD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH
Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi

HEAD OF MARONITE CHURCH
His Excellency A. Elias Zaidan

BISHOPE OF EPARCHY OF OUR LADY OF LEBANON OF LOS ANGELES
Abouna Peter Raad

ADMINISTRATOR OF MARONITE MISSION
Subdeacon Doug Leonard

SERVANT OF MARONITE MISSION