Source: The Seattle Times

On October 26, 2002 The Seattle Times reported that "after a decade of futility, the prayers of Seattle's Christian Arabs were answered, and now the Maronite Catholic Mission is celebrating its one-year anniversary in Pinehurst near Lake City... Seattle's Arab Americans tried to lure a Maronite Catholic priest to town -- a pastor who could recite prayers in English, Arabic and Syriac, a dialect of the Semitic language Jesus Christ is believed to have spoken. Today, under the direction of the Rev. Peter Karam, who was raised in Lebanon, the Maronite congregation in Seattle has doubled over the span of a year, to roughly 100 regular members. The Maronite Catholic Mission also serves as a social gathering spot for people from the various Middle Eastern countries, regardless of their religious orientation."