Saint John Maron
First Patriarch of the Maronite Church
Feast Day March 2nd
Introduction [*]
The Maronite Church was organized in the late seventh and early eighth centuries, with Saint John Maron (Youhana Maron) as the first patriarch of the Maronite Church. He was a preacher, teacher, apostle, great shepherd as a spiritual and military leader, and a significant civilian and administrative figure who supported his people in their tribulations.
References about him are few, and historians differ greatly on him, making it difficult to know his exact biography.
References about him are few, and historians differ greatly on him, making it difficult to know his exact biography.
Biography
Saint John Maron is said to have been born in Sarum, a village near Antioch, in the first quarter of the seventh century during the war between the Romans and the Persians. His family lineage is connected to the kings of France, as one of its members came to Syria to serve the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, married in Antioch, and had several children, including John.
John received his early education in Antioch before pursuing advanced studies at the Monastery of St. Maron, which is located in the Apamea in Northern Syria, near present-day Qala’at-Al-Modeeq, northwest of Hama. Here, he mastered various subjects including mathematics, philosophy, theology, linguistics, and Sacred Scripture. The Monastery of St. Maron, known as "Beit Maron" in Aramaic, which means the "house of Maron", served as the center for Catholic Church teachings in the region. From the fifth to the tenth centuries, Beit Maron played a crucial role in defending, promoting, and disseminating the dogma of the Council of Chalcedon amidst the challenges posed by the Jacobites (the non-Chalcedonian followers of the Church of Antioch), and the Monophysite (one nature) and Monothelite (one will) heresies. Over fifty monasteries in Syria and Antioch looked to Beit Maron for leadership and direction. It was here that John took his monastic vows and was ordained as a priest, adopting the monastic name John Maron. He traveled all over Syria and around Antioch where he lectured and defended the Chalcedonian Dogma.
At the end of the seventh century, the Church of Antioch was in great turmoil, especially after the wars between Byzantium and the Muslims, which left the patriarchal see in Antioch vacant. Due to persecution, John Maron left Antioch for the Monastery of Saint Maron al-Aassi, and from there to the village of Kfarhay near the Lebanese city of Batroun, where he established the Monastery of "Reesh Moran," meaning "Head of Maron." In this monastery, the skull of the founder of the Maronite Church, Saint Maron, is preserved, which tradition says the Maronites carried with them from Syria to Lebanon during times of persecution. In the year 676, he was appointed bishop over the Batroun region.
In these turbulent political and social circumstances, the Maronite community took the initiative in the year 685 and elected John Maron as their patriarch to fill the vacant See of Antioch. Their organized church around their monasteries and priests helped them make this decision. By this, the Maronite Community became established as an organized church and Lebanon became a geographical center of influence for Maron's family of faith.
Being the remarkable shepherd and leader he was, John Maron, the first patriarch of the Maronite Church, undertook the task of organizing the Maronite Church, appointing bishops and priests and establishing churches and monasteries. This endeavor continued until his passing in 707 when he was laid to rest in the monastery of Kfarhay, which had assumed the role of a patriarchal seat by then and is presently recognized as the Monastery of Saint John Maron.
John received his early education in Antioch before pursuing advanced studies at the Monastery of St. Maron, which is located in the Apamea in Northern Syria, near present-day Qala’at-Al-Modeeq, northwest of Hama. Here, he mastered various subjects including mathematics, philosophy, theology, linguistics, and Sacred Scripture. The Monastery of St. Maron, known as "Beit Maron" in Aramaic, which means the "house of Maron", served as the center for Catholic Church teachings in the region. From the fifth to the tenth centuries, Beit Maron played a crucial role in defending, promoting, and disseminating the dogma of the Council of Chalcedon amidst the challenges posed by the Jacobites (the non-Chalcedonian followers of the Church of Antioch), and the Monophysite (one nature) and Monothelite (one will) heresies. Over fifty monasteries in Syria and Antioch looked to Beit Maron for leadership and direction. It was here that John took his monastic vows and was ordained as a priest, adopting the monastic name John Maron. He traveled all over Syria and around Antioch where he lectured and defended the Chalcedonian Dogma.
At the end of the seventh century, the Church of Antioch was in great turmoil, especially after the wars between Byzantium and the Muslims, which left the patriarchal see in Antioch vacant. Due to persecution, John Maron left Antioch for the Monastery of Saint Maron al-Aassi, and from there to the village of Kfarhay near the Lebanese city of Batroun, where he established the Monastery of "Reesh Moran," meaning "Head of Maron." In this monastery, the skull of the founder of the Maronite Church, Saint Maron, is preserved, which tradition says the Maronites carried with them from Syria to Lebanon during times of persecution. In the year 676, he was appointed bishop over the Batroun region.
In these turbulent political and social circumstances, the Maronite community took the initiative in the year 685 and elected John Maron as their patriarch to fill the vacant See of Antioch. Their organized church around their monasteries and priests helped them make this decision. By this, the Maronite Community became established as an organized church and Lebanon became a geographical center of influence for Maron's family of faith.
Being the remarkable shepherd and leader he was, John Maron, the first patriarch of the Maronite Church, undertook the task of organizing the Maronite Church, appointing bishops and priests and establishing churches and monasteries. This endeavor continued until his passing in 707 when he was laid to rest in the monastery of Kfarhay, which had assumed the role of a patriarchal seat by then and is presently recognized as the Monastery of Saint John Maron.
Prayer of Forgiveness
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From The Book of Offering, Saint John Maron (March 2)
O Christ our God, Sun of Justice and Light of the Father, in your humility you taught us and gave us a perfect example of service. As we celebrate today the feast of our father, Saint John Maron, by meditating on his way of life and following his example, we cry out, proclaiming: Blessed are you, Saint John Maron, for you began a blessed era in the history of our Church when you became our first patriarch. Blessed are you, for you inspired hearts and minds, by your teaching and example, and confirmed believers in the true faith. Blessed are you, for you were pleased to go to Lebanon to serve and guide your people. Blessed are you, for you fought the good fight for your people: you cared for the sick and the poor, and you established churches and monasteries, strengthening the holy Catholic faith, until God called you, in the state of holiness, to his heavenly kingdom. |
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Now, O Christ our God, we ask you, through the intercession of our father Saint John Maron, and with the fragrance of this incense, to confirm the children of your holy Church in the true faith and to keep away all divisions and strife from her.
With your Mother Mary, our father Saint John Maron, and all our holy fathers, make us worthy to meet you in your heavenly kingdom, that we may raise glory and thanks to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.
With your Mother Mary, our father Saint John Maron, and all our holy fathers, make us worthy to meet you in your heavenly kingdom, that we may raise glory and thanks to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.
