ST. ANTHONY •  ST. GEORGE
Maronite Church

The Maronite community of Wilkes-Barre traces its remarkable beginnings to 1887 with the arrival of our first two pioneers, George Bechir Raad and Mansour Dagher, who courageously journeyed from Lebanon to the Georgetown section of Wilkes-Barre Township.

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Guided by the Fayour brothers—merchants and bankers from New York City who themselves had migrated from Hadeth El-Jebbe during the American Civil War—these early settlers chose Wilkes-Barre during its economic boom fueled by the anthracite coal industry.

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During the early years, without a Maronite church, our community found spiritual nourishment at St. Mary's Church of the Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph's Monastery, and St. Boniface Church, while visiting Maronite priests maintained our sacred traditions.

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With industrious Lebanese spirit, they began as door-to-door peddlers and quickly prospered, becoming prominent merchants while preserving their Maronite faith and traditions for future generations.