His Eminence Metropolitan Saba is our Metropolitan. He leads the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America from the headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey.
Metropolitan Saba was elected on October 31, 2022, and enthroned at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn on December 28 of that year. He succeeded Metropolitan Joseph, who retired after years of faithful service to the Archdiocese.
What does a Metropolitan do?
Think of the Metropolitan as our chief shepherd. He’s the primate of our Archdiocese, which means he oversees all the Antiochian parishes in North America. That includes St. Michael’s here in Beaumont, parishes in California and Michigan, missions in small towns, and established churches in major cities. He ordains priests and deacons. He consecrates churches. He settles disputes and provides pastoral guidance to clergy and laity alike.
But he doesn’t operate independently. The Metropolitan serves under the authority of His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, who leads the worldwide Antiochian Orthodox Church from Damascus. We’re part of something ancient and global, not just a regional denomination.
Who is Metropolitan Saba?
He was born in Latakia, Syria, in 1959. Before entering seminary, he studied civil engineering at Tishreen University. Then he attended St. John of Damascus Institute at Balamand University, earning his theology degree in 1990. He was ordained a priest in 1988.
For nearly a decade, he served as pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Latakia. During that time, he edited a magazine called Farah for Orthodox children and families. In 1999, the Holy Synod of Antioch elected him Metropolitan of Bosra-Hauran in southern Syria, where he served for over two decades.
His ministry in Syria wasn’t easy. He led a revival in a challenging region, establishing chanting choirs and study groups, restoring ancient churches (including the 1500-year-old Church of St. George), and founding a publishing house that produced books and a children’s magazine in both Arabic and English. He also created a documentary called The Forgotten Church about Orthodox Christians in the Middle East.
When the Archdiocese needed a new Metropolitan in 2022, the Holy Synod elected him. He speaks fluent English and Arabic, writes theological articles, and brings decades of pastoral experience to his role.
Why this matters to us
You might wonder why a parish in Southeast Texas needs to know about a Metropolitan in New Jersey who was born in Syria. Here’s why: we’re not congregationalists. We don’t hire and fire our priest based on whether we like his sermons. We’re not independent. We’re part of the Body of Christ that stretches across continents and centuries.
Metropolitan Saba is our father in the faith. When someone here in Beaumont has a serious pastoral issue that can’t be resolved locally, it goes to him. When we need a new priest, he’s the one who assigns or approves that assignment. When questions arise about how we practice the faith, his guidance matters.
This isn’t about bureaucracy. It’s about unity. The same faith celebrated at St. Michael’s on Sunday morning is celebrated in New Jersey, in California, in Syria, in Lebanon. We’re not making it up as we go. We’re receiving what’s been handed down, and the Metropolitan is one of the key figures who ensures that happens faithfully.
You’ll see his name commemorated during the Divine Liturgy. The deacon or priest will say, “For our father among the saints, John, Patriarch of Antioch, and our father among the saints, Saba, our Metropolitan…” That’s not just a formality. We’re naming our connection to the wider Church, acknowledging that we’re part of something bigger than our parish, bigger than Texas, bigger than America.
If you’re coming from a Baptist or non-denominational background, this structure might feel foreign. You’re used to local church autonomy. But there’s something freeing about knowing you’re not alone, that your parish isn’t inventing Christianity from scratch. There’s a shepherd watching over the shepherds, all the way back to the Apostles.
