Maronite Church


Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church
Seat of the patriarchate in Bkerké, Lebanon
ClassificationEastern Catholic
OrientationSyriac
ScripturePeshitta[1][2]
TheologyCatholic theology
PolityEpiscopal
GovernanceHoly Synod of the Maronite Church[3]
PopeFrancis
Patriarch[4][5]Bechara Boutros al-Rahi
RegionLebanon (approximately one third), Syria, Israel, Cyprus, Jordan, Palestine and diaspora
LanguageArabic,[6][7] Aramaic (Classical Syriac)
LiturgyWest Syriac Rite
HeadquartersBkerké, Lebanon
FounderMaron; John Maron
Origin410 AD
Monastery of Saint Maron, Phoenicia, Roman Empire
Members3,498,707[8]
Logo

The Maronite Church (Arabic: لكنيسة المارونية‎; Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܡܪܘܢܝܬܐ) is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.[9] The head of the Maronite Church is Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, who was elected in March 2011 following the resignation of Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir. The seat of the Maronite Patriarchate is in Bkerke, northeast of Beirut, Lebanon. Officially known as the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church (Arabic: الكنيسة الأنطاكية السريانية المارونية; Syriac: ܥܹܕܬܵܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܡܪܘܝܝܐ ܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ), it is part of Syriac Christianity by liturgy and heritage.[10]

The early development of the Maronite Church can be divided into three periods, from the 4th to the 7th centuries. A congregation movement, with Saint Maron from the Taurus Mountains as an inspirational leader and patron saint, marked the first period. The second began with the establishment of the Monastery of Saint Maroun on the Orontes, built after the Council of Chalcedon to defend the doctrines of the council.[11] This monastery was described as the "greatest monastery" in the region of Syria Secunda, with more than 300 hermitages around it, according to ancient records.[12] After 518, the monastery de facto administered many parishes in Syria Prima, Cole Syria and Phoenicia. The third period was when Sede Vacante followed the Islamic conquest of the region and bishops of the Saint Maron Monastery elected John Maron as Patriarch circa 685 AD, according to Maronite tradition. The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch reestablished their patriarchate in 751 AD.[13] Other centers of historical importance include Kfarhay, Yanouh, Mayfouq, and the Qadisha Valley.

Although reduced in numbers today, the distinct but related Maronite ethno-religious group remains a principal grouping in Lebanon,[14] with smaller minorities of Maronites in Syria, Cyprus, Israel, and Jordan. Emigration since the 19th century means that about two-thirds of the Maronite Church's roughly 3.5 million members in 2017[15] were located outside "The Antiochian's Range", where they are part of the worldwide Lebanese diaspora.

  1. ^ Assemani, Maronite Light from the East for the Church and the World
  2. ^ Studia Humana Volume 2:3 (2013), pp. 53—55
  3. ^ Synod of the Maronite Church Patriarchal Synod
  4. ^ Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, head of the Maronite Church who steered a difficult course between factions in the Middle East – obituary
  5. ^ Maronite patriarch elevates St. Maron pastor to chorbishop during Detroit visit
  6. ^ Maronite liturgy draws from Eastern and Western traditions, Catholics and cultures
  7. ^ The Maronite Divine Liturgy, By Dr Margaret Ghosn, Our Lady of Lebanon parish Australia
  8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ Richard P. Mc Brien, The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism (New York: Harper One, 2008), 450. O'Brien notes: The Vatican II document, Orientalium Ecclesiarum, "acknowledged that the Eastern Catholic communities are true Churches and not just rites within the Catholic Church."
  10. ^ Book of Offering: According to the Rite of the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church. Bkerke, Lebanon: Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East. 2012.
  11. ^ History of the Maronites, Maronite Heritage.com, 13 April 2016.
  12. ^ Beggiani, Seely. "Aspects of Maronite History—Monastery of St. Maron". Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. Archived from the original on 2 March 2001. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  13. ^ No'man 1996, p. 22.
  14. ^ Reyes, Adelaida (2014). Music and Minorities from Around the World: Research, Documentation and Interdisciplinary Study. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 9781443870948. The Maronites are an ethnoreligious group in the Levant.
  15. ^ "Eastern Catholic Churches Worldwide 2017" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2021.

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