Territory East USA Churches 13 Bishop Francis Y. Kalabat Church 13 Cathedral Mother of God Cathedral | Population
- Catholics (as of 2016)
130,000 Rite Chaldean Rite Country United States of America Patron saint Thomas the Apostle Emeritus bishop Ibrahim Namo Ibrahim | |
Ecclesiastical province Eastern Catholic Eparchies Immediately Subject to the Holy See Denomination Chaldean Catholic Church | ||
The Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Detroit (Latin: Eparchia Sancti Thomas Apostoli Detroitensis Chaldaeorum) is the sole eparchy (Eastern Catholic diocese) of the Chaldean Catholic Church sui iuris (Syro-Oriental Rite in Syriac/Aramaic languages) for half of the United States and is exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See, not part of an ecclesiastical province.
Contents
Its cathedral episcopal see is Our Lady of Chaldeans Cathedral, located in Southfield, Michigan, United States.
History
It was created by Pope John Paul II on January 11, 1982 as the Apostolic Exarchate of United States of America for the Chaldeans, covering the entire United States.
It was elevated to an eparchy, an Eastern-rite Catholic diocese, led by an eparch (bishop) on August 3, 1985.
On 21 May 2002 it lost vast territory to establish the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Saint Peter the Apostle of San Diego.
Episcopal Ordinaries
(all Chaldean Rite)
Description
The eparchy still governs thirteen parishes, ten of which are located in Michigan and two that are located in Illinois. On Saturday, May 3, 2014, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Ibrahim Namo Ibrahim as Eparch of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Detroit, and appointed the Reverend Father Francis Y. Kalabat as Eparch-elect. Eparch-elect Kalabat was born in Kuwait, on May 13, 1970. In 1989, he began undergraduate (philosophy) studies at the Seminary of Saint Francis, in San Diego, California. Subsequently, he began the requisite graduate theological training for the Chaldean Catholic priesthood at the Major seminary of the Sacred Heart, in Detroit, Michigan. Ordained a priest on July 5, 1995, he was appointed Parochial Vicar (Associate Pastor) of Mother of God Church in Southfield, Michigan, the city where the Eparchy has its Cathedral. Since 2001, Eparch Kalabat has been Pastor of Saint Thomas Church in Detroit, Director of Vocations for the Eparchy, and has been involved with the Center for Re-Evangelization. He speaks Arabic, English and Chaldean, and knows Spanish and Aramaic. He received his episcopal ordination and was installed as Eparch on June 14, 2014.