A Case Study of the Maronite in San Antonio, Texas
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University of the Incarnate Word The Athenaeum Theses & Dissertations 5-2021 Belief and Belonging: A Case Study of the Maronite in San Antonio, Texas Rose Karam University of the Incarnate Word, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds Part of the Catholic Studies Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, Organization Development Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, and the Sociology of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Karam, Rose, "Belief and Belonging: A Case Study of the Maronite in San Antonio, Texas" (2021). Theses & Dissertations. 384. https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds/384 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Athenaeum. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Athenaeum. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BELIEF AND BELONGING: A CASE STUDY OF THE MARONITES IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS by ROSE BASHARA KARAM A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the University of the Incarnate Word in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD May 2021 ii Copyright by Rose Bashara Karam 2021 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to begin this work with a brief statement of my place within this study. I identify as a third-generation Lebanese American Catholic. I am married to a second-generation Lebanese American Catholic. I was born in Austin to a Maronite Lebanese father and non- Lebanese mother. Although this study has participants from the San Antonio Maronite Church, I do not identify with any particular Maronite parish or its membership. The stories I will report are not my stories, and although my position might suggest otherwise, I do not speak for them. The experiences participants share are their own, and the analysis is based on their stories, not mine. As a Lebanese American, I feel the need to start a conversation on the value of this ethnic church and other similar churches that add to our multicultural society’s history and formation. I would like to thank my family for their continued support and encouragement. I would like to express appreciation to Dr. Alfredo Ortiz-Aragon, Dr. Scott Roberts, and Dr. Sharon Herbers for the valuable and supportive suggestions throughout the research process. And finally, I would like to thank the participants of this study for their contributions of time and the sharing their stories that made this study notable. To all those who have been alongside of me during this process I am deeply appreciative and thankful. Rose Bashara Karam iv DEDICATION To my parents Joseph and Myrtle Bashara My husband J. Raymond Karam And my children Myrtle, Frances, Martha, Elias and Kathleen Without their encouragement and support this work would not have been possible. v BELIEF AND BELONGING: A CASE STUDY OF THE MARONITES IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS Rose Bashara Karam, PhD University of the Incarnate Word, 2021 This study focuses on a religious group in America and how it has managed to engage the third and fourth generations who have assimilated into the American cultural milieu while maintaining allegiance to the Church of Lebanon-the Maronite Catholic church. Most of these individuals in this study are the descendants of the early Lebanese Christian immigrants who arrived in America nearly a century ago. The first wave of these immigrants came at the turn of the 20th century as a result of religious persecution, economic stagnation, and regional discrimination against the Christians in Lebanon during the Ottoman regime. As a means of preserving their cherished religious beliefs in America, Maronite Catholic Churches established to provide both a place for spiritual worship and secular culture renewal for the Lebanese communities across America. The Maronite Church struggles with providing a place of prayer and renewal through the celebration of the Eucharist and with the image of being merely a secular institution of heritage. This study examines the relationship between the Maronite Church as an ethnic Eastern-rite Church and the identity formation and maintenance of Lebanese Americans affiliated with the Maronite Church in San Antonio, Texas. The study offers a greater understanding of the Maronite rite and its role in the Lebanese communities and adds to the body of knowledge in this field of study. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I: A STUDY OF THE MARONITE RITE AND ITS FOLLOWERS .........................2 Sociohistorical Background .................................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study ..........................................................................................................11 Research Questions ............................................................................................................17 Methodology ......................................................................................................................17 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................20 Chapter Summary ..............................................................................................................23 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................................................25 Contextual Background of the Lebanese Maronite ...........................................................26 Maronite Rite Sacred Identity ............................................................................................40 Maronite Rite Church Expansion .......................................................................................50 Ethnic Churches in the United States .................................................................................57 CHAPTER III: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .........................................................................67 Assimilation .......................................................................................................................69 Identity Development: Religious, Ethnic, And Social Identity .........................................79 Capacity and Sustainability ................................................................................................86 Chapter Summary ..............................................................................................................92 vii Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER IV: METHODOLOGY ...............................................................................................94 Research Design .................................................................................................................94 Constructivist Grounded Theory ........................................................................................99 Research Tools and Instruments ......................................................................................102 Data Analysis Process ......................................................................................................113 Ethical Considerations .....................................................................................................119 Validity and Trustworthiness ...........................................................................................120 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................120 CHAPTER V: DATA ANALYSIS .............................................................................................122 Discussion of Data Analysis ............................................................................................122 Belonging: Elements of Social Identity ...........................................................................124 Believing: Elements of the Maronite Identity ..................................................................147 Becoming: Elements of the Process of Assimilation .......................................................161 Summary of Data Analysis ..............................................................................................172 CHAPTER VI: RESULTS AND SUMMARY ...........................................................................175 Findings Discussion .........................................................................................................176 Being: Ethnic Identity Development ...............................................................................180 Belonging: Social Identity ...............................................................................................190 Believing: Maronite Rite’s Identity Objective .................................................................200 Becoming: Elements of Internal/External Process of Adaptation ...................................211 Contextual and Affective Stimuli Model .........................................................................219 viii Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER VI: RESULTS AND SUMMARY Summary of Findings .......................................................................................................222 CHAPTER VII: SUSTAINABILITY DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..............224 Sustainability as Related to the Maronite Church ............................................................224