Ignatius Ghattas, BS (25 December 1920 — 11 October 1992) was a Palestinian Catholic prelate who served as Eparch of Newton in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1990 to 1992.Catholic Hierarchy website, retrieved 5 November 2007 He was a member of the Basilian Salvatorian Order.
Biography Ghattas was born in Nazareth in 1920 and raised in Maaloul.Memorial tribute to Bishop Ghattas , retrieved 30 March 2008 He entered Holy Saviour monastery in Saida, Lebanon following his primary education and professed his religious vows in 1939. He was ordained a priest of the Basilian Salvatorian Order in 1946. Following his ordination he taught Greek, Latin, English, French and mathematics."Archbishop Ignatius Ghattas, 71; spiritual leader of Melkites in US". The Boston Globe, 16 October 1992
In 1952, he went to the United States to serve as assistant pastor of St. Elias parish in Cleveland, Ohio, and was appointed pastor in 1955.St. Elias Church website , retrieved 5 November 2007 Later he was elected bishop by the Holy Synod of the Melkite Church in July 1989 and approved by the Holy See on December 11. He was consecrated bishop on February 23, 1990, succeeding Archbishop Joseph Tawil as eparch.Catholic Near East Welfare Association news item, "New Melkite Eparch", 1 April 1990. Note that the Eparch of Newton normally holds the title of Bishop; Abp. Tawil had had the personal title of Archbishop due to his prior service in another position.
Ghattas founded the Order of Saint Nicholas in 1991, a regional lay order attached to the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton.
He died in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1992, aged 71.
See also Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton Melkite Greek Catholic Church
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