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iiiMarch 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com
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MARONITE CATHOLICS: ‘Lebanon is more than a country, it is a message.’ — Pope John Paul II, during his 1997 visit to Lebanon
Who are the Maronite Catholics? The Maronite Catholic Church, one of 23 rites in the universal Church, was founded by disciples of St. Maron, an ascetic hermit who lived between the fourth and the fifth centuries A.D. near Antioch. It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). St. Peter fled to Antioch when a persecution broke out in Jerusalem, and according to tradition, St. Peter founded the Church at Antioch and became its first bishop. St. Maron was a contemporary and friend of St. John Chrysostom, a Father and Doctor of the Church. Leaving Antioch to live as a hermit, he attracted many followers because of his holiness. After he died in 410 A.D., his disciples built a monastery in his memory. Maronites soon came under threat from the rise of Islam and the power of the Byzantine Empire throughout the region now known as Lebanon and Syria. Amid the political, social and religious chaos, the Maronites elected Maron their first patriarch, St. John Maron, in 687 A.D., setting themselves up as a distinct rite within the Church that recognized the authority of the pope. When Muslim invaders stormed through, they fled to safety in the mountains of Lebanon. There they remained – at first living and worshipping in caves and grottos and later in small churches and monasteries – cut off from the rest of the Christian world for about 400 years. During the Crusades, Christians from the West reconnected with the Maronites. Rome, previously unaware that the Maronites still existed, reached out to help them, and in turn the Maronites provided aid to the crusaders. After the Ottoman Empire rose from the remnants of the Byzantine Empire in the mid1400s, its Muslim rulers set up an alliance with the Maronites to govern together in Lebanon – forming the basis of the modern Lebanese republic, in which Christians and Muslims share the top positions in government. Maronite Catholics profess the same apostolic faith and celebrate the same sacraments as Roman Catholics, but retain a distinct liturgy, hierarchy and code of canon law. In the Maronite Church, the celebration of the Eucharist is also called Qurbono (Syriac), Quddas (Arabic) and Divine Liturgy. The liturgical language is Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic – the language of Jesus. Aramaic is still used in the Divine Liturgy, notably during the Consecration. Many of the prayers are also derived from the Liturgy of St. James and the writings of ancient Eastern Fathers, especially St. Ephrem, a Doctor of the Church. The Maronite Catholic Church is led worldwide by Patriarch Bechara Peter Rai, who was also named a cardinal in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. The See is in Bkerke, Lebanon. The Maronite population is estimated at more than 3 million, including 1 million in Lebanon and more than 200,000 in the United States. Besides the growing community in Charlotte, there is St. Sharbel Maronite Rai Mission in Raleigh, a church in Fayetteville, and a mission in Greenville, S.C.
Notable Maronites of today n Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa: Priest with bi-ritual (Roman rite, Maronite rite) faculties, renowned Scripture scholar, author, speaker, and TV and radio host on EWTN n Tony Shalhoub, three-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe-winning TV and film actor n Danny Thomas, actor and founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital n Jamie Farr, actor n John Abizaid, former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command n Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation (whose son was recently detained in Egypt) n George Mitchell, former U.S. Senate majority leader, peace negotiator, and U.S. envoy to the Middle East n Donna Shalala, former U.S. Secretary of Health — Sources: From the Maronite League website, Catholic Near East Welfare Association, www.maronitemonks.org, www.usmaronites.com, Wikipedia, and Our Lady of Purgatory Maronite Eastern Catholic Church in New Bedford, Mass.
More online On Facebook: Learn more about the Maronite Mission of Charlotte. (Search their name to find their page.) On YouTube: Listen to the Consecration chanted in ancient Aramaic during a Maronite Catholic Mass, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mn6Ltcv978
CHARLOTTE — Maronite Catholics first came to North Carolina from Lebanon 120 years ago, seeking a better future for their families – like so many immigrants in America’s history. Even as they have blended into their adopted homeland, though, their abiding and ancient faith has sustained the Church in North Carolina. Many Catholics do not know about the Maronite rite and its history. Lebanese Catholics in Charlotte and Raleigh are working to change that. HISTORY
Since 1890, more than 16,000 Lebanese immigrants have settled in North Carolina. These early Lebanese settlers came to America looking for a better life. Some were fleeing the upheavals wrought by World War I, many others were escaping the collapsed Lebanese economy. America was a land of promise, where anyone could get ahead if they worked hard. They adopted American lifestyles, prospering even though they were sometimes discriminated
against in the South because they had darke they were Catholic, and they were foreigner They became successful entrepreneurs ac state – Mt. Olive Pickles was started by a Le American, for example – but their Catholic remained at the center of their lives. In the years, there were no Maronite Catholic chu in North Carolina, so they joined in worship Roman Catholics in Greensboro, North Wilk Charlotte, Raleigh, Fayetteville and other pl Monsignor Joseph Showfety, one of the fi native priests in the Charlotte diocese and i chancellor (1972-1979), is one example. The s Lebanese immigrants, he grew up in Green and his family attended St. Benedict Church More recent immigrants have joined the Lebanese American community in the area well. They were part of the wave of an estim million who fled during the 1975 civil war an subsequent Israeli invasion and 18-year occ Charlotte Catholics may recall the assistan the late Mercy Sister Mary Michel Boulus, h Lebanese-American, provided to Lebanese c students in the late 1970s and early 1980s – ar scholarships for them to come to Sacred Hea College in Belmont and continue their studie One of those scholarship recipients, Walid M now a U.S. citizen, philanthropist and diploma has served with the U.S. government and at th Nations, spoke often of Sister Michel’s influen young Lebanese who came to North Carolina