Church Melkite Greek Catholic | Name John Elya | |
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See Eparchy of Newton, Massachusetts In office 25 November 1993—22 June 2004 Predecessor Bishop Ignatius Ghattas Successor Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros | ||
John Adel Elya (born 16 September 1928) is a bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. From 1993 to 2004, he served as Eparch of Newton, with jurisdiction over Melkite churches in the United States.
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Biography
Bishop Elya, a native of Maghdouché, Lebanon, entered the Melkite Basilian Salvatorian Order, where he professed his solemn vows in 1949. After completing his philosophical and theological studies, Elya was ordained a priest on 17 February 1952. He later obtained a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and taught moral theology and philosophy in the Monastery of Saint Savior in Lebanon and served as rector of the seminary of Saint Basil in Methuen, Massachusetts.
Elya went on to serve as a parish priest in Zerka, Jordan. He also served as the pastor of churches in Manchester, New Hampshire, Toronto, Ontario, and Lawrence, Massachusetts, and as rector of the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral in Roslindale, Massachusetts. While a priest in the United States he earned a master's degree from Boston College.
In 1977 Elya was named an archimandrite. He was appointed titular Bishop of Abilene of Lysanias and auxiliary to the Eparch of Newton. On 25 November 1993 he was appointed Eparch of Newton, succeeding the deceased Bishop Ignatius Ghattas. Elya was installed 25 January 1994, serving as eparch until his retirement on 22 June 2004. He was succeeded as eparch by Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros.