Q1. Who are the Maronites?

 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. The Church takes its name from St. Maron, a Syrian hermit who lived in the 4^th 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.

Q2. Are Maronites Roman Catholic?

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. 

Q3. How did these churches develop?

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. 

Q4. Does attending Mass at an Eastern Catholic Church fulfill my Sunday obligation and may I receive Holy Communion?

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 Qurbono 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. 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.

Q5. If I am a Roman Catholic what differences might I see between the Roman and the Maronite Mass?

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.

For more information and a fuller explanation please refer to Appendix One: Our Maronite Customs in  Fr. Anthony Salim's Captivated By Your Teaching: A Resource Book For Adult Maronite Catholics. Fr. Salim's catechism is truly unmatched by any on the market today.

Sources

Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church.  New York: Image  Books, 1966.

Dau, Butros. Religious, Cultural and Political History of the Maronites. Lebanaon, 1984.

Did, Pierre. History of the Maronite Church. Seely Beggiani, trans. Detroit: Maronite Apostolic Exarchate, 1971.

Faris, John D. Eastern Catholic Churches: Constitution and Governance. New York: St. Maron Press, 1992.

Salim, Anthony J. Captivated By Your Teaching: A Resource Book For Adult Maronite Catholics. Tucson: E.T. Nedder Publishing, 2002.

Ware, Timothy. The Orthodox Church. New York: Penguin Books, 1963.