About Our Parish

 Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral is the spiritual and cultural heart of the Maronite Catholic community in Sydney and across Australia. Its story began on January 12, 1968, when Monsignor Peter Amin Ziade returned from Lebanon with a vision: to build a Church, presbytery, school, and hall to serve the growing Maronite migrant community. After searching for a suitable site, the Church Committee acquired a piece of elevated land in Harris Park, providing a commanding view for the future parish.

Construction began in 1970, generating overwhelming enthusiasm among Maronite faithful. On Palm Sunday, March 22, 1970, more than 10,000 people gathered at the site to welcome Cardinal Gilroy and witness the blessing and laying of the foundation stone by Monsignor Ziade and the Cardinal. The hall and school were officially opened and blessed on December 10, 1972, and served as a temporary place of worship while the Church complex continued to take shape.

The striking blue and white statue, originally 7 meters high, was installed on April 28, 1976, but later replaced in 1980 with the current 5-meter bronze statue that continues to grace the top of the Church. On August 6, 1978, the Church was officially opened and blessed by Archbishop Abdo Khalifé, marking a milestone in the growth of the parish.

Over the decades, Our Lady of Lebanon has grown to become the largest Maronite Catholic parish in Australia, serving over 40,000 parishioners. In recognition of its significance, the Vatican elevated the Church to Co-Cathedral status on October 11, 2014, in the presence of Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Apostolic Nuncio to Australia.

In 2012, the Community, Youth, and Pastoral Centre was blessed and opened by Rev AD Abikaram, Maronite Bishop of Australia, and Barry O’Farrell, providing programs and facilities to serve all generations of the Maronite and wider community. The Co-Cathedral celebrates more than 23 Masses each week, drawing around 10,000 attendees, and hosts baptisms, weddings, funerals, and all major sacraments and feasts of the Maronite calendar.

The parish precinct also includes a café, gift shop, childcare centre, residential aged care facility, and is adjacent to the Maronite College of the Holy Family, an independent co-educational K–12 school. Supported by nearly 30 active committees and ministry groups, Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral fosters faith formation, language preservation, cultural engagement, and community outreach.

From its humble beginnings on a hilltop in Harris Park to its present role as a thriving Co-Cathedral, Our Lady of Lebanon remains a place of prayer, belonging, tradition, and hope, continuing to serve the spiritual, educational, and social needs of all generations of the Maronite community in Australia.