Three Hierarchs Melkite Catholic Church

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History of our Community

Beginning around 2011 a small group of Eastern Catholic faithful gathered and started worshiping in San Antonio being served by Fr. Ramon Gonzalez, a Dominican priest who had bi-ritual faculties through the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Eparchy of Pittsburgh. The community held its first Liturgy (the Eastern Catholic word for Mass) in the Chapel at Oblate Renewal Center on March 27, 2011. Over the next few years, they worshiped wherever they could; St Anne’s on Fredericksburg Road, UTSA’s Student Center, St Brigid’s, a small storefront on Judson Road and St. Alphonsus and St Stephen’s on S Zarzamora. When Fr. Ramon was moved out of state by his order, the community was left without a priest to serve them. For a period of time the community was graciously served by the Ruthenian Catholic Priest from Houston, Fr. Elias Rafaj. However, having his own community responsibilities in Houston it was not always easy to minister to the San Antonio community especially during Holy Week. When it became known that Fr. John Mefrige, a Melkite Catholic priest was received by Bishop Nicholas Samra of the Eparchy of Newton and who actually lived in San Antonio, it seemed like a good fit for both the community and the Priest. The community was also given the opportunity to use the former St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church on South Zarzamora by the generosity of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. So they now found themselves in a safe space with a Priest who was available on Sunday mornings, some would say that this was a match made in heaven. Officially the community is under the jurisdiction of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton but the experience is pan-byzantine, meaning the liturgical traditions of all Byzantine Rite Churches, i.e. Melkite, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, etc, are all embraced as they share the same liturgical tradition. While the Outreach is sponsored by the Melkite Eparchy of Newton this is done in complete harmony with the territorial Roman Catholic Archdiocese. Recently there was an historic meeting between Bishop Nicholas Samra and Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of the Archdiocese in San Antonio at the Pastoral Center. At this meeting the continued support and collaboration for the community and the clergy was discussed. The Outreach’s mission is to serve all Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholics in the greater San Antonio area in the liturgical tradition they are accustomed to, but everyone is welcome to visit and experience a liturgy which has not changed in over a millennium. For more information, you can visit www.melkitecatholicSA.com