St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church is throwing open its doors this weekend for its fourth annual Lebanese Festival, offering two days of shawarma, grape leaves, live music and dancing at its Thorn Avenue home in El Paso. The celebration runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
The festival takes place Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4, at the Saint Sharbel Maronite Catholic Mission, located at 851 Thorn Avenue, according to KTSM 9 News. Admission costs $5 per person, though attendees can also opt for a $25 food plate that covers the entrance fee, and children 12 and under get in free, according to the church's own website, stsharbelelpaso.org.
Beyond the shawarma and grape leaves, the church's site lists Lebanese desserts, a hookah lounge and a Lebanese bar among the weekend's offerings. Attendees can also expect live music and dancing throughout both days, per the same KTSM report.
A Church That Keeps Filling Up
KTSM reported that church representative Sebastian Salgado described rapid growth since the congregation moved to the Thorn Avenue site. Fellow representative Rima Joukhadar told the station that the parish is drawing people from different backgrounds and cultures.
Joukhadar said she has noticed attendance increasing from Sunday to Sunday. She and Salgado discussed the festival and the church's growth on KTSM+’s Second Cup with Mike and Tricia Martinez this past Wednesday morning, according to the station. Salgado also noted that Maronite communities exist in the United States and around the world.
Roots in a Centuries-Old Eastern Rite Tradition
St. Sharbel identifies itself as an Eastern Rite Catholic Church that professes the same Apostolic Faith as the wider Catholic Church and remains united with the pope, according to its website. Nationally, the Maronite Church's history stretches back over a century in the United States, with the CNEWA noting that at least 22 permanent Maronite parishes existed in the country by the start of World War I, a number that climbed to 37 churches and 46 priests within a decade.
In recent years, some non-Maronites have joined the church, drawn to what stmaron.org describes as the appeal of Maronite spirituality and liturgy.
Not the Only Middle Eastern Festival in Town
El Paso's Lebanese Festival is not the only Middle Eastern cultural gathering on the borderland calendar. Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church holds an annual Feast of the Middle East. KFOX14 reports that the event features traditional dishes, dancing and art at 120 N. Festival Dr., near the Alamo Drafthouse on Montecillo.
KFOX14 reported that the Feast of the Middle East runs from noon to 10 p.m. on a Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. the following Sunday. It takes place on a separate weekend from St. Sharbel's festival, offering another opportunity to experience Middle Eastern food and culture in El Paso.
A Separate Parish With Its Own History
Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church is a separate parish from St. Sharbel. According to Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church, its parish history began in October 1947, when local Orthodox Christians of Arabic descent sought to establish a parish for the surrounding Arab Orthodox community. The two events have distinct identities and schedules: St. Sharbel's is a Lebanese Festival, while Saint George's Feast of the Middle East has its own weekend program of food, dancing and art, as described above.
