Fr. Michael Shami was ordained a priest in 2020 for the (Maronite) Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon. He has a license (SEOL) summa cum laude from the Pontifical Oriental Institute, in which his thesis titled The Development of Variations in the Syriac Anaphora of Saint James in the Maronite Missals explored the particular Maronite liturgical recension and its diachronic changes. Fr. Michael is currently pursuing his PhD at Notre Dame in Liturgical Studies. He holds an STB from the Pontifical Gregorian University, and a BA in History from NYU.

He taught Classical Syriac as an instructor for the classical language organization, the Paideia Institute. As Director of Liturgy for the Maronite Eparchy, he has also taught and continues to offer Syriac courses, and adult mystagogy and ongoing catechesis sessions at Maronite parishes.