A Christian community originating in Syria in the 7th-c, claiming origin from St Maro (d.407). Condemned for its Monothelite beliefs in 680, the Church survived in Syria and elsewhere, and since 1182 has been in communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
The first Maronite patriarch, John Maron, was appointed in the late 7th century. Maronites were originally Aramaic-speaking people.Maron, a contemporary and friend of St. John Chrysostom, was a monk in the fourth century who left Antioch for the Orontes River to lead an ascetic life, following the traditions of Anthony the Great of the Desert and Pachomius. Following the death of Maron in 410, his disciples built a monastery in his memory and formed the nucleus of the Maronite Church.
The Maronites held fast to the beliefs of the Council of Chalcedon in 451. When 350 monks were slain by the Monophysites of Antioch, the Maronites sought refuge in the mountains of Lebanon. Correspondence concerning the event brought papal recognition of the Maronites by Pope Hormisdas on February 10, 518.
The martyrdom of the Patriarch of Antioch in 602 left the Maronites without a leader, and led them to elect their first Maronite Patriarch, John Maron, in 685. The Maronites constantly struggled to retain their independence from the Byzantine and the Muslim empires. After the Muslim conquest of Syria, the Maronites gained some military help from Constantine IV and often led raids on Muslim forces. Some of the Maronites relocated to Mount Lebanon at this time and formed several communities that became known as the Marada. In 685 the Maronites found themselves isolated from the Byzantine Empire and decided to appoint their own Patriarch, John Maron, who had been a bishop of Batroun, Mount Lebanon.
A source of controversy surrounds the Maronites, as they have been accused of having fully adopted and embraced the Monothelite heresy. Maronites themselves insist that they have "never been out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church."
Little was heard from the Maronites for 400 years, as they quietly escaped the Muslim invasions in the mountains of Lebanon, until the Crusader Raymond of Toulouse discovered the Maronites in the mountains near Tripoli, Lebanon on his way to conquer Jerusalem. (Raymond returned to besiege Tripoli after his conquest of Jerusalem.)
During the Crusades in the 12th century, Maronites assisted the Crusaders and reaffirmed their affiliation with Catholicism and loyalty to the Pope in 1182. From this point onwards, the Maronites have upheld an unbroken orthodoxy and unity with Rome; For example, in 1100 Maronite Patriarch Youseff Al Jirjisi received the crown and staff from Pope Paschal II. In 1131 Maronite Patriarch Gregorious Al Halati received letters from Pope Innocent II.The Roman affiliation was to cost the Maronites dearly after Muslim rule returned. Connection to Rome was arduously maintained and a Maronite College established at Rome on July 5, 1584.
At first, the Ottoman Empire left Maronites to their own devices in their mountain strongholds.
In 1610, the Maronite monks of the Monastery of Saint Anthony of Quzhayya imported one of the first printing presses in the Arabic-speaking world.
In 1638, France declared that it would protect the Catholics within the Ottoman Empire, including the Maronites. In 1860 Maronites clashed with Druze until French intervention and Ottoman diplomacy stopped that. In 1866 Youssef Karam led a Maronite uprising in Mount Lebanon against governor Dawood Pasha.
The Maronites, because of their monastic origin, were able to withstand intense pressure and even persecution to preserve their Church, not just by the Muslims, but also by separated brethren such as the Orthodox and Churches of the East, as well as efforts at Latinization from Rome.
Maronites gained self-rule under the French Mandate of Lebanon in 1920 and secured their position in the independent Lebanon in 1943.
Organization
The head of the Maronite Church is the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, who is elected by the bishops of the Maronite church and now resides in Bkirki, north of Beirut (the Maronite Patriarch resides in the northern town of Dimane during the summer months).
They share with other Catholics the same doctrine, but Maronites retain their own liturgy and hierarchy. Strictly speaking, the Maronite church belongs to the Antiochene Tradition and is a West Syro-Antiochene Rite.
Cardinal Sfeir's personal commitment accelerated liturgical reforms in the 1980s and 1990s, bearing fruit in 1992 with the publication of a new Maronite Missal.
Famous Maronites
Government and politics
Spencer Abraham, politician Steve Bracks, politician Philip Habib, diplomat Ralph Nader, politician, lobbyist James Zogby, activistArts, culture, and entertainment
Amin al-Rihani, poet Najwa Karam, famous Lebanese singer. Moussallem, physicianDioceses and archdioceses
ArchdiocesesArcheparchy of Alep Archeparchy of Damas Archeparchy of Lattaquié Arceparchy of Cipro Archeparchy of Haifa e Terra Santa Archeparchy of Antélias Archdiocese of Antiochia (Antioch) Archeparchy of Beirut Archeparchy of Tripoli del Libano (Tarabulus)DiocesesEparchy of Saint-Maron de Montréal Eparchy of Nuestra Señora de los Mártires del Libano en Mexico Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn Eparchy of San Charbel en Buenos Aires Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Líbano em São Paulo Eparchy of Notre-Dame du Liban in Paris Eparchy of Saint Maron of Sydney Eparchy of Le Caire (Cairo) Eparchy of Baalbek-Deir El-Ahmar Eparchy of Batrun Eparchy of Jbeil (Byblos) Eparchy of Joubbé, Sarba e Jounieh Eparchy of Saïda Eparchy of Tyr Eparchy of Zahleh |
Population
The exact worldwide Maronite population is not known, although it is at least 15 million, according to the Catholic Church. According to a Lebanese agreement celebrated among the various religious leaders, the president must be a Maronite. Syrian Maronites total 40,000 and they follow the archdioceses of Aleppo and Damascus and the Diocese of Latakia. There is also a Maronite community in Cyprus which speaks Cypriot Maronite Arabic. They are probably descended from those Maronites who accompanied the crusaders there.
In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Ottoman persecution led many Maronites to emigrate to Latin America, as well as North America, Europe and Australia, where they founded Maronite parishes.
The two residing eparchies in the United States have issued their own "Maronite Census". The Census is designed to estimate approximately how many Maronites reside in the United States due to their emigrations to that country. Many Maronites have been assimilated into American culture, often taking on Roman Catholicism as there were no Maronite parishes or priests available.
Modern Maronites, like other Christians in the Levant, often adopt French or other Western European given names for their children like "Michel", "Georges", "Carole", "Charles", "Antoine", and "Pierre". Many are also named after Maronite saints, including the Aramaic names "Maroun" (after their patron saint, Maron), "Sharbel", or "Charbel", or "Rafqa" (Rebecca). Father AJ Salim - Captivated by Your Teachings - A Resource Book for Adult Maronite Catholics (ET Nedder Publishing, Tucson, Arizona, 2002) Maronite Church.
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