Maronite Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church |
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Seat of the patriarchate in Bkerké, Lebanon
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| Classification | Eastern Catholic |
| Orientation | Syriac |
| Scripture | Peshitta |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Governance | Holy Synod of the Maronite Church |
| Pope | Francis |
| Patriarch | Bechara Boutros al-Rahi |
| Region | Lebanon (approximately one third), Syria, Israel, Cyprus, Jordan, Palestine and diaspora |
| Headquarters | Bkerké, Lebanon |
| Founder | Maron; John Maron |
| Origin | 410 AD Monastery of Saint Maron, Phoenicia, Roman Empire |
| Separated from | The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in 685 AD |
| Members | 3,498,707 |
The Maronite Church is a special Christian church that is part of the larger Catholic Church. It is led by its own leader, called the Patriarch, who is currently Bechara Boutros al-Rahi. The main office of the Maronite Church is in Bkerké, Lebanon. This church is officially known as the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church. It follows ancient Christian traditions from the Middle East.
The Maronite Church started a long time ago, between the 4th and 7th centuries. It began as a group of followers of Saint Maron, who was a spiritual leader. Later, a big monastery was built for Saint Maron. This monastery became very important in the region. After some time, the leaders of this monastery chose John Maron as their Patriarch around 685 AD.
Today, many Maronites live in Lebanon. There are also smaller groups in Syria, Cyprus, Israel, and Jordan. Many Maronites have moved to other countries since the 1800s. About two-thirds of the church's 3.5 million members now live outside the Middle East.
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The Maronite Church: An Overview
The Catholic Church has different traditions, like Alexandrian, Antiochene, and Latin. The Maronite Church follows the Antiochene tradition. All Catholics can attend any Catholic church service and receive sacraments from any Catholic priest. Maronites who live far from a Maronite church can attend other Catholic churches.
The Maronite Church has five main features that make it special:
- It follows the Antiochene tradition.
- It strongly supported the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.
- It has a Patriarch and a strong monastic (monk) tradition.
- It is loyal to the Pope in Rome.
- It has strong connections to Lebanon.
A Look at Maronite History
Saint Maron and Early Days
Maron was a monk who lived in the 300s AD. He was a friend of John Chrysostom. Maron moved to the Orontes River area in what is now Syria. He lived a simple, spiritual life, like other desert monks. Many people followed him and also lived as monks. Saint Maron is seen as the founder of the spiritual movement that became the Maronite Church.
Maronite Christianity has had a big impact on Lebanon, and also on Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. Saint Maron lived on a mountain in Syria, which is now part of Turkey. This area became the starting point for the Maronite movement.
After Saint Maron died in 410 AD, his followers built the Beth-Maron monastery. This monastery became the center of the Maronite Church. In 452 AD, the Byzantine emperor helped expand the monastery.
Saint Maron's first follower, Abraham of Cyrrhus, traveled to Lebanon. He helped introduce Saint Maron's teachings to people there. The Maronites believed in the decisions made at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.
Challenges and New Leaders
In the 600s AD, there was a lot of conflict in the region. The Patriarch of Antioch, Anastasius II, was killed in 609 AD. This left the Maronites without a leader for some time.
Later, the Byzantine Emperor tried to unite different Christian groups. He suggested a new idea about Jesus Christ. This idea caused more problems and was later declared a wrong teaching. Some people thought the Maronites supported this idea, but the Maronite Church says they never did.
First Maronite Patriarch
In 685 AD, the Maronites chose Bishop John Maron as their Patriarch. He became the first Maronite Patriarch of Antioch. John Maron settled in the Qadisha Valley in Lebanon. In 694 AD, the emperor tried to capture him, but failed. John Maron died in 707 AD.
Islamic Rule
After the Arab conquest of Syria in the 600s AD, more Maronites moved to Lebanon. This movement increased under the Abbasid ruler al-Ma'mun (813–833 AD). Later, in the late 1200s, Egyptian Mamluk troops attacked Mount Lebanon. They destroyed forts and monasteries.
Maronites and the Crusaders
For about 400 years, not much was heard about the Maronites. They lived safely in their mountain areas. During the Crusades (around 1096–1099 AD), European Crusaders found the Maronites near Tripoli, Lebanon. This helped the Maronites reconnect with European Christianity.
The Maronites helped the Crusaders. In 1182, they confirmed their connection with the Holy See in Rome. To show this, Maronite Patriarch Youseff Al Jirjisi received a special crown and staff from Pope Paschal II in 1100 AD. In 1131, Pope Innocent II recognized the authority of the Maronite Patriarch. Patriarch Jeremias II Al-Amshitti was the first Maronite Patriarch to visit Rome in 1215.
Life Under Ottoman Rule
Under the Ottoman Empire, non-Muslims usually had to pay a special tax. However, Maronite monks and clergy were sometimes excused from this tax.
The Maronites and the Druze, another religious group, worked together in Mount Lebanon. This partnership helped both groups. In 1649, the Maronite Patriarch asked for French protection. France then opened a consulate in Beirut. This helped the Maronite Church grow.
The Maronite Catholics and the Druze helped create modern Lebanon in the 1700s. They developed a system of shared rule in the Mount Lebanon area.
Modern Changes and Traditions
In 1736, a special meeting called the Synod of Mount Lebanon took place. It created rules for the Maronite Church and set up a proper system of dioceses (church areas). This helped the church become more organized.
Latinization
Because of their close ties with the Latin Church (the main Roman Catholic Church), the Maronite Church adopted some Western practices. For example, they started using the rosary and the Stations of the Cross. In the late 1500s, Pope Gregory XIII sent Jesuits to Lebanese monasteries. He wanted to make sure their practices matched the decisions of the Council of Trent. The Maronite College in Rome was also started in 1584.
Patriarch Stephan al-Duwayhî (1670–1704) helped balance old Maronite traditions with new changes. He made the Maronite worship traditions stronger.
The Synod of Mount Lebanon tried to combine both traditions. It made some Latin practices official but also tried to keep old Maronite worship traditions. For example, it changed how the oil for baptism was blessed. Also, unlike some Eastern churches, Maronites started giving Holy Communion only to children who understood what it meant, not to infants.
Pope John Paul II said that Eastern Catholic Churches should keep their own unique traditions. Cardinal Sfeir worked to update Maronite worship in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1992, he published a new Maronite prayer book. This book aimed to bring back the original Antiochene worship style, removing some of the Latin influences from past centuries.
How the Maronite Church is Organized
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The Patriarch and Bishops
The leader of the Maronite Church is the Patriarch of Antioch and the Whole Levant. Maronite bishops elect him. He lives in Bkerké, near Jounieh, Lebanon. In the summer, he moves to Dimane.
There are other Christian leaders who also claim the title of Patriarch of Antioch. These include leaders from other Eastern Catholic Churches and Orthodox Churches.
Maronite priests in parishes outside North America can be married. However, monks and bishops must remain unmarried. About half of Maronite priests in the Middle East are married. In North America, Maronite priests have traditionally been unmarried. But in 2014, the first married man was ordained as a Maronite priest in North America.
Maronite Communities Worldwide
The Maronite Church has twenty-six eparchies (like dioceses) and patriarchal areas. These are spread across the world.
Middle East
- Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch (main office)
- In Lebanon: Many Maronite eparchies, including Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Antelias, Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Baalbek-Deir El Ahmar, Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Batroun, Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut, Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Jbeil, Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Joubbé, Sarba and Jounieh, Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Sidon, Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tripoli, Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre, and Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Zahleh.
- In the Holy Land: Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land in Israel. This leader also oversees Maronites in the Palestinian Territories and Jordan.
- In Syria: Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Damascus, Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo, and Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Latakia.
- In Cyprus: Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Cyprus in Nicosia.
- In Egypt: Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Cairo.
Elsewhere
- In Africa: Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Annunciation of Ibadan in Nigeria.
- In South America: Maronite Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia.
- In Europe: Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Paris in France.
- In North and Central America: Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron of Montreal in Canada, Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles (Western US), Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn (Eastern US), and Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of the Martyrs of Lebanon in Mexico in Mexico.
- In Oceania: Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron of Sydney in Australia.
- In South America: Maronite Catholic Eparchy of San Charbel in Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of São Paulo in Brazil.
The Maronite Church also has several religious orders, or groups of monks and nuns. These include the Lebanese Maronite Order, the Antonin Maronite Order, and the Mariamite Maronite Order.
Where Maronites Live Today
In the 1100s, about 40,000 Maronites lived near Antioch and in modern-day Lebanon. By the 21st century, the number of Maronites living outside their traditional homelands is more than double the 2 million in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.
According to the Maronite Church, about 1,062,000 Maronites live in Lebanon. They make up about 22-23 percent of the population there. In Syria, there are about 51,000 Maronites. A community of about 10,000 Maronites lives in Cyprus. There is also a noticeable Maronite community of about 7,500 people in northern Israel.
Diaspora
Maronites started moving from the Middle East to the United States in the late 1800s. When they had a priest, they formed communities. In 1966, Pope Paul VI created a special church area for Maronites in the United States. This area was later made into an Eparchy, first in Detroit, then in Brooklyn, New York.
In 1994, another Eparchy was created in Los Angeles, California. Eparchies also exist in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Australia, South Africa, Canada, and Argentina.
Former Brazilian president Michel Temer was the son of two Maronite Catholic Lebanese immigrants.
Other
- The Maronite Church gives out special awards, like medals and the Golden Order of the Maronite General Council.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia católica maronita para niños
- Charbel Makhlouf
- Cross of All Nations
- Kitab al-Huda
- Our Lady of Lebanon
- Phoenicianism
- Saint George in devotions, traditions and prayers
- St Thomas Christians
