Archbishop Francis Zayek commissioned the late Chorbishop John Trad to start the Houston Mission, and later, in October 1990, he appointed then Father, now Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan, MLM (Maronite Lebanese Missionary), to administer to the Houston Mission while on pastoral duties at St. George Maronite Church in San Antonio, TX. The community chose to place the new mission under the patronage o
f the Virgin Mary with the name of Our Lady of the Cedars. Yaghi, MLM, arrived in Texas in 1991 and was assigned as administrator of the Houston mission first, then later as Pastor of Our Lady of the Cedars parish. Until a permanent site could be secured, weekly liturgy was celebrated at St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church each Sunday. In December 1992, Our Lady of the Cedars purchased 5.176 acres on Bellfort Village Drive, the current location of the parish campus. In April 1996, construction on the parish hall began. Eight months later, the community of Our Lady of the Cedars celebrated the Christmas Midnight Mass at its new site. The new church building was the next construction project, and after delays, was finally dedicated in March 2003. A rectory, the Georges Mouawad Pastoral Center, and an annex building have since been built on the campus of the Houston Maronite parish. Over the years, many missionary fathers assisted Father Yaghi in administering to the parish, all of whom are priests belonging to the Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries.The following are their names in the order of their arrival to Houston; Fadi Tabet, Ghassan Mattar, Andre Estephan, Sami Chaaya, Pierre El Khoury, George Bouchaaya, and Fr. Edward Hanna who is currently the associate pastor.
