Compiled by Sarah Gabriel, Assistant Archivist at the Eparchy

Bishop John George Chedid, first Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, served important roles in the Maronite Church in the U.S. during the majority of his career. Quiet and reflective by nature, Bishop Chedid commanded respect from his parishioners and fellow clergy, alike. His work at Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon Church in Los Angeles, as well as his role as the first Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Los Angeles, has earned him an enduring legacy within the Maronite Church.

Bishop John Chedid was born on July 4, 1923 to George and Hannah Chedid. The second-youngest of five children, he was born and raised in the small village of Edde, Batroun, in Lebanon.  Bishop Chedid began his journey to the priesthood at the minor seminary of St. Maron in Ghazir, Lebanon, under the direction of the Jesuit Fathers. He continued his studies at the Seminary of the University of Saint Joseph in Beirut. After his university studies, Bishop Chedid was sent to the Propaganda Fide in Rome in 1946. He stayed in Rome until 1956, during which time he earned a Baccalaureate in Philosophy, a Licentiate in Theology and a Doctorate in Canon Law. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on December 21, 1951 by Cardinal Fumasoni Biondi at the Propaganda Fide.

Bishop Chedid was assigned to Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St. Peter in Los Angeles, California, by the late Maronite Patriarch Paul Cardinal Meouchi. He arrived in Los Angeles on September 1, 1956 and served the Church there all the time until his elevation to Eparchial Bishop. He was elevated to the honor of Monsignor in 1969 and ordained a Chorbishop in 1978. In 1980, he was appointed an auxiliary Bishop to Archbishop Francis M. Zayek of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, New York.  On January 25, 1981, he was consecrated Bishop by the late Patriarch, Cardinal Antonius Peter Khoreiche. When Pope St. John Paul II created the new Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles on March 1, 1994, he named Bishop John Chedid its first Eparchial Bishop. Bishop Chedid was enthroned as Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles on June 23, 1994. His motto was: “Your grace is enough for me.”

Over the years, Bishop John Chedid served the Maronite faithful of the United States in a number of important roles. He was the Judicial Vicar, Vicar General and Moderator of the Intereparchial Marriage Tribunal. Moreover, he served on the Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. In 1966, he helped relocate the Maronite Church in Los Angeles from its Brooklyn Avenue location to its present location on South San Vicente Boulevard. He was also a representative of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to the Inter-Religious Ecumenical Council. Bishop Chedid officiated at confirmations for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, became a hospital chaplain at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, and served in a variety of ministries for Catholic (Eastern and Latin rite) Churches in the United States and abroad.

After his age-related retirement from the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon on December 5, 2000, Bishop Chedid remained in Los Angeles but eventually returned to Lebanon, where he spent the last years of his life in the care of his family and the Sisters of the Cross. He died on March 21, 2012, and his funeral was held in Bkerke, Lebanon. Bishop John Chedid is remembered for his prudence, his respect for clergy and laity alike and his dedication to the Church.