Maronite Christian Beliefs

What Maronites believe and how they live it: a fully Catholic faith in the Syriac-Antiochene way

Maronite Christian beliefs are the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Maronites profess the Nicene Creed, celebrate seven sacraments, which they call the holy mysteries, and are in full communion with the Pope. What is distinct is the way the faith is prayed: Syriac chant, a monastic spirituality and a deep love of Mary and the saints.

This page is about what Maronites believe and practise. If you want to know who the Maronites are and where they come from, start with What Is a Maronite Catholic?. If you want to know how they differ from the Latin Church, see Maronite vs Roman Catholic.

One Faith, the Catholic Faith

Anyone searching for the "Maronite religion" is often surprised by the answer. There is no separate Maronite doctrine. The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church, and it teaches what the whole Catholic Church teaches, on God, Christ, the Church, the sacraments and the life to come.

A "Christian Maronite" and a "Maronite Catholic" are the same person described in two ways. The Church has been united with Rome for centuries, and its members recognise the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter. What Maronites add is an Antiochene voice: the faith was first handed to them in Syriac, the language family of Jesus.

What Maronites Profess: The Creed

Every Sunday Maronites stand and profess the Nicene Creed in the Qurbono. In it they confess one God, the Father almighty; one Lord Jesus Christ, true God from true God, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, risen and ascended; and the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life.

They believe in the Church as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and in the resurrection of the dead. Nothing in this list separates Maronites from other Catholics. It is the shared centre of the faith.

Maronite hymnody keeps returning to the Incarnation and to Christ's victory over death. Syriac Fathers such as Saint Ephrem taught the faith in verse, and much Maronite theology still arrives as poetry rather than argument.

The Holy Mysteries: Sacraments

In the Syriac tradition the sacraments are called mysteries, because through visible signs God acts in ways that exceed what the senses can grasp. Maronites celebrate the same seven as the rest of the Catholic Church: Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), the Holy Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony.

The Maronite practice has its own texture. In the ancient Eastern practice, an infant is baptised, anointed with chrism and given Holy Communion in a single celebration, though some parishes defer First Communion. Marriage is celebrated with the Rite of Crowning. You can read how the first of these is lived in Maronite baptism traditions and the second in Maronite wedding traditions.

The Eucharist stands at the centre. Maronites believe that in the Qurbono the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, the same belief held by every Catholic. The structure and prayers of the Mass are set out in the Maronite Divine Liturgy.

Worship in the Language of Jesus

Maronites pray in Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, together with Arabic in Lebanon and the Middle East and the local language in the diaspora, whether English, French, Portuguese or Spanish. The words of consecration are traditionally chanted in Syriac, which links the Maronite altar to the language Jesus spoke.

Worship is sung, incensed and slow. Prayer is meant to form the whole person through ear, voice and gesture, not only the mind. To explore the Syriac heritage, see the Aramaic language of Jesus and the Peshitta, the Syriac Bible.

Mary, Mother of God

Marian devotion runs through Maronite life. Maronites honour Mary as the Mother of God, the first disciple and a model of faith. Syriac hymns to her are among the most beloved parts of the liturgical year, and the Rosary is prayed in Maronite homes and parishes alike.

In Lebanon the centre of this devotion is Our Lady of Lebanon at Harissa, a pilgrimage site visited by Christians and Muslims. You can learn how Maronites pray it in the Maronite Rosary.

The Saints Who Show the Faith

Maronites believe the saints are living friends in Christ who intercede for the Church. Four names carry special weight. Saint Maron, the fourth-century hermit, gave the Church its name and its love of prayerful solitude.

Saint Charbel (1828 to 1898), a hermit monk, is the best known Maronite saint worldwide. Saint Rafqa (1832 to 1914), a nun, offered years of blindness and pain in union with Christ. Saint Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini (1808 to 1858), a monk and teacher, helped form Charbel himself. More are gathered in Maronite saints.

Monastic and Ascetic Roots

The Maronite way begins with a hermit. Saint Maron sought God through silence, prayer and simple living, and the monasteries of the Qadisha Valley carried that ideal for generations. Many Maronite lay people grew up near a monastery, and the monk's life shaped the faith of ordinary families.

This is why Maronite spirituality values quiet, repentance, hospitality and perseverance in trial. It is also why the most admired Maronite saints are hidden figures. The fuller history is in the Maronite tradition and the story of the Lebanese Maronite Order.

The best known Maronite sign of this faith is the three-barred cross, explained in the Maronite cross.

The Liturgical Year and Fasting

Maronites live inside a liturgical year of their own, which begins in November with the Sunday of the Consecration of the Church, rather than in Advent. It moves through the Glorious Birth cycle, Epiphany, Great Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Each season has its own hymns and readings, set out in the Maronite liturgical calendar.

Great Lent begins on Ash Monday and is marked by fasting and abstinence from meat on appointed days, with Ash Monday and Great Friday the strictest. The exact rules depend on the eparchy and on a person's health and age, so the safest guide is your own parish. Our guides to Maronite fasting rules and Maronite Great Lent explain the customs in detail.

Clergy and Church Life

The Maronite Church is led by its Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, whose seat is at Bkerke, and is organised into eparchies, the Eastern term for dioceses. Parish life revolves around the Qurbono, feast days and family sacraments.

Like other Eastern Churches, the Maronite tradition has allowed married men to become priests, though a priest may not marry after ordination and bishops are celibate. The rules in practice have varied by country and era, so check with the local eparchy. Read about the Patriarch in the Maronite Patriarch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Maronite Christians believe?

Maronite Christians hold the full Catholic faith. They profess the Nicene Creed, believe in one God in three Persons, in Jesus Christ as true God and true man, and celebrate the seven sacraments, which they call the holy mysteries. They are in full communion with the Pope and express the same faith through the Syriac-Antiochene tradition.

Is the Maronite religion different from Catholicism?

No. The Maronite Church is one of the Eastern Catholic Churches and teaches the same doctrine as the Latin Church. What differs is the manner of worship, prayer, chant and spiritual language, not the content of the faith. For a side-by-side comparison, see Maronite vs Roman Catholic.

What is a Maronite Christian?

A Maronite Christian is a baptized member of the Maronite Church, the Catholic Church that grew from the followers of Saint Maron and is rooted in Lebanon. The phrase "Christian Maronite" and "Maronite Catholic" refer to the same people. The Church's identity and origins are explained in What Is a Maronite Catholic?

Do Maronites believe in the Trinity and in Mary?

Yes to both. Maronites profess one God in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They honour Mary as the Mother of God, sing her praises in the liturgy and the Rosary, and hold devotion to Our Lady of Lebanon at Harissa.

Can Maronite priests marry?

The Maronite tradition has long allowed married men to be ordained priests, as in other Eastern Churches, but a priest cannot marry after ordination and bishops are celibate. How this has been applied outside the Middle East has varied over the last century, so the practice in a given country depends on the eparchy and current Church law.

How do Maronites pray and fast?

Maronites pray the Divine Liturgy (Qurbono), the Rosary, the Hours and personal devotions to Mary and the saints. They observe Great Lent, which begins on Ash Monday, with fasting and abstinence from meat on set days. Details are in our guide to Maronite fasting rules.