Yousif Behnam Habash (Arabic: يوسف بهنام حبش; born 1 June 1951) is an Iraqi-born Syriac Catholic prelate who has served as Eparch of Our Lady of Deliverance in the United States since 2010.


Yousif Behnam Habash
Eparch of Newark
ChurchSyriac Catholic Church
DioceseEparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark
Appointed12 April 2010
Installed31 July 2010
PredecessorEphrem Joseph Yonan
Orders
Ordination31 August 1975
by Cyrille Emmanuel Benni
Consecration11 July 2010
by Ephrem Joseph Yonan, Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, Denys Raboula Antoine Beylouni, Basile Georges Casmoussa and Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka
Personal details
Born (1951-06-01) 1 June 1951 (age 73)
MottoJesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever
Styles of
Yousif Behnam Habash
Reference style
Spoken styleHis Grace
Religious styleEparch

Biography

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Early life and education

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Born 1 June 1951 in Bakhdida, Iraq,[1] Yousif Behnam Habash entered St. John's Seminary in Mosul in 1965 at the age of 14. From 1970 to 1972 he performed military service in Iraq. Thereafter, when the Mosul seminary closed, he completed his seminary studies at Charfet, Lebanon, studying at the Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik.[2]

Ordination and ministry

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Habash was ordained a priest for the Archeparchy of Mosul on 31 August 1975[1] after which time he was assigned to a parish in his home town of Bakhdida and worked in youth ministry. He later served as vicar and then pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, in Basra.[2]

In 1994, he was assigned to the Syriac Catholic Mission of North America, serving first in Newark, New Jersey and, from 2001 on, at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in West Hollywood, California.[3][4]

Eparch of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark

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In April 2010, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the second eparch of the Syrian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark.[3] He was consecrated a bishop on 11 July 2010 by his predecessor Ephrem Joseph Younan, who had been elected Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syrians.

Eparch Habash's territory includes the United States, and 16,000 Syriac Catholics.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Bishop Yousif Behnam Habash". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Pope names L.A. priest bishop for Syrian Catholics". Catholic News Service (reprinted in The Tidings, Los Angeles, CA). 16 April 2010.
  3. ^ a b Mitchell Landsberg (13 April 2010). "Iraqi-born L.A. priest to head U.S. Syrian Catholic Church". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Pope Names Los Angeles Pastor As Bishop of Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark For Syrian Catholics". USCCB Office of Media Relations. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
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Episcopal succession

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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Eparch of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark
2010–Present
Succeeded by
Incumbent