Mar Francis!
Fr. Frank Kalabat is our Bishop
By Vanessa Denha Garmo
After more than a year of speculation, the word came out on May 3 — Fr. Frank will be the new Bishop.
Headlines from Catholic news agencies, Middle Eastern news and from the Vatican press spread around the globe via social media: “The Chaldean Catholic Diocese of the Eastern United States will soon have a new leader. Rev. Frank Kalabat has been named the new religious leader for the growing Chaldean population in the United States.”
The news flashed through Facebook, it was trendy on Twitter and photos were on Instagram in an instant.
Although everyone has certainly heard the news by now, it will become official on Saturday, June 14 when Fr. Frank is ordained at Mother of God Cathedral in Southfield. He will take the name Bishop Francis.
With the church unable to accommodate the entire community, the service will be broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite television. Details will be posted on Chaldean News Facebook, tweeted on Twitter and uploaded on the website as they become available.
Ave Maria Catholic Radio is set to record the ordination with commentary from Fr. Matthew Zetouna, assistant pastor at St. George Church. The broadcast will air at a later date and the Chaldean News will publish details when announced.
“In my own personal way, I take great pride that my former pastor is now going to be pastor of the eparchy,” said Fr. Matthew. “My prayers and all of our prayers should be going his way so that the Holy Spirit can direct us through him.”
“When I heard that Fr. Frank was soon to be Bishop Frank, I gave a short hop,” said Al Kresta, author, syndicated talk show host and general manager of Ave Maria Radio. “He was doing the Eastern Catholic Re-evangelization Center before many of us had learned to pronounce the New Evangelization. The New Evangelization is Re-evangelization. What’s new about the New Evangelization is that it targets the baptized. Fr. Frank knows that without that initial encounter with Christ, hearing him say ‘Follow me’ and then following with a life of discipleship, the Christian community is not much more than a social service agency or an ethnic club. That the Eparchy realizes the paramount need for evangelization is a great encouragement to all of us.”
As most community members know, St. Thomas the Apostle Diocese is based in Southfield and has been led by His Excellency Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim, 76, for the last 32 years.
“I am honored to have served our community for more than three decades,” said Bishop Ibrahim. “I have faith that Fr. Frank will continue to move our Diocese forward as a true servant leader of Christ. We, as religious leaders, are called to serve and I am proud of all our clergy who serve in faith every day.”
Born in Iraq, Bishop Ibrahim was named by Pope John Paul II in 1982 to head the American eparchy (diocese) for Chaldeans. It is separate from the Archdiocese of Detroit but still has allegiance to the Pope. Known as the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle, it once covered the entire United States.
In 2002, the diocese was split into two for the Western and Eastern halves of the U.S. There are 105,000 Catholics who are members of the Eastern diocese. Metro Detroit has the highest concentration of Chaldeans in the U.S, which makes this event all that more significant.
Bishop Francis (Rev. Frank Kalabat) was born in 1970 in Kuwait and entered St. Francis Seminary of San Diego, California in 1989. In 1992, he continued his studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. In July 1995, shortly after graduation he was ordained a priest by Bishop Ibrahim.
His first assignment was at Mother of God Cathedral in Southfield where he served for half a decade. In 2001, Fr. Kalabat was elected to serve as pastor of St. Tomas Parish in West Bloomfield.
Cameras will not be permitted inside Mother of God during the ordination on June 14.
There’s More to ‘Mar’ Than You Think
Mar, from Syriac and Aramaic languages, is written with a yodh and is pronounced in eastern and western dialects alike with an extended vowel sound such as Maa-ar. It is a title of respect in the Syriac culture, literally meaning “my lord.” It is given to all saints and is also used in Christianity for bishop. The female origins of the word come from the names Martha and Mary. Derivatives in both Hebrew and Aramaic imply “majesty.”
The variant Maran or Moran meaning “Our Lord,” is a particular title given to Jesus, either alone or in combination with other names and titles. Likewise, Martan or Mortan means “Our Lady” and is a title of Mary.
Occasionally, the term Maran or Moran has been used of various Christian patriarchs. According to Wikipedia, the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, the Malankara Orthodox Catholics and the Syro-Malankara Major Archbishop all use the title Moran Mor. Sometimes the Indian bearers of this title are called Moran Mar, using a hybrid style from both Syriac dialects that reflects somewhat the history of Syrian Christians in Kerala. The Pope of Rome is referred to as Mar Papa by the Nasranis (Saint Thomas Christians) of India. And we Chaldeans, of course, use it fondly when describing Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim and, undoubtedly in the future, new Bishop Francis.