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About Us
e FAQs
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The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of
Lebanon (Psalm 92:12)
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Frequently Asked Questions?
Try our FAQ Search!
- Who are the Maronites?
- Are Maronites Roman Catholics?
- How do these churches develop?
- Does attending
mass at Eastern Catholic Church fulfill my Sunday Obligation?
- What differences might I see between
the Roman and Maronite Mass?
- Can I receive Holy Communion at an
Eastern Catholic Church?
Maronites are
members of an Eastern Catholic Church who practice their truly
Catholic faith in the West Syriac Antiochene
Tradition,
a Tradition that is as ancient as Christianity itself. TheChurch
takes its name from St. Maron, a Syrian hermit who lived in the 4th
Century. His simple life of prayer and fasting plus his miraculous
ability to heal illnesses inspired many disciples. Not long after
his death, a monastery was founded in the valley of the Orontes
River which soon developed into a booming religious center of
substantial magnitude and affluence. During the
Council of
Chalcedon
(451) the Syriac Church along with the Alexandrian (Coptic) and
Armenian Churches disagreed with the decisions of the Council
Fathers and broke communion with the Great Church. Those monks along
with many of their followers refused to follow the Syriac Church
into heresy and remained loyal to the Catholic faith. In time they
became known as the Maronites. The Maronites have never in
their history broken communion with the Pope and the Church of Rome.
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The simple
answer to that question is no. Maronites are not Roman
Catholic but Maronite Catholic. The Catholic Church to which we all
belong is actually a communion of 22 autonomous or self-governing
churches. We say self-governing (sui iuris)
because while remaining in communion with the Pope of Rome, each
Catholic Church has its own hierarchy and clergy, generally headed
by a patriarch or metropolitan, and separate ecclesiastical
jurisdictions called eparchies (dioceses) headed by an eparch
(bishop). All Catholics share the same faith, partake of the same
Eucharist, and receive the same seven Sacraments (Holy Mysteries).
No Catholic is more Catholic than another and it cannot be stressed
too highly that all Catholic Churches are of equal rank and dignity.
Roman Catholics comprise the largest of these churches now numbering
over one billion members, but like the Maronites there are some 20
million other Christians worldwide who live out their faith as
Eastern Catholics
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The Early Church was centered in Jerusalem and
since the first followers of Our Lord were Jewish, the liturgical
practices and pious customs of the Jerusalem Church were patterned
after those found in the Temple and synagogues. But in an effort to
bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, the Apostles and Evangelists left
Jerusalem and journeyed to the principal cities of the Roman Empire,
Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch. Each metropolitan area developed its
own unique way of liturgical worship and of expressing its own
theological ideas. We call these Traditions. While there are several
accepted ways of naming them, the most common is the Roman (Latin)
also erroneously called by some Western, Byzantine
(Constantinopolitan), Alexandrian, Armenian, Antiochene (West Syriac),
and Chaldean (East Syriac). Roman Catholics come from the Roman or
Latin Tradition. Maronites come from the West Syriac Tradition.
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All Catholics may fulfill their obligation at
any Catholic Church or register in any parish be it Eastern or
Western. Maronites generally refer to the Mass as the Qoorbono which
means offering in Syriac. Syriac is the liturgical language of the
Maronite Church, much like Latin is for the Roman Church. You will
also hear the Qoorbono referred to as the Divine Liturgy.
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A careful viewer will notice that Maronites do
not genuflect but like all Eastern Christians bow profoundly to the
Tabernacle when entering or leaving the church. Every Sunday incense
is used extensively throughout the service. The Sign of Peace is
exchanged prior to the start of the Anaphora (Eucharist Prayer) so
that we may be reconciled with our brothers and sisters before we
approach the Altar of our Lord. The vestments of the priest are in
the Eastern, Syriac fashion and a small hand cross is carried by the
celebrant which is used in blessing the congregation. At the Words
of Institution the priest sings in West Syriac a dialect of Aramaic,
the language Our Lord, thus recreating closely the Last Supper.
During this time we do not kneel but stand ready to greet our Savior
when He comes again. We kneel only on Pentecost Sunday during the
Kneeling Ritual and at the Great Matany on Great Friday. Holy
Communion is distributed by intinction meaning that the Sacred Host
is dipped into the Precious Blood and given to the communicant on
the tongue, never in the hand.
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To receive Holy Communion you must be in the
state of grace (free from serious sin), have the right intention,
and observe the Communion fast
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