A Syrian hermit who became a figurehead of Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic Church is being celebrated, amid hopes of political stability in the country with the appointment of the first fixed government in three years.
Maron or Maroun, who the church is named after, was a Syriac-speaking Christian ascetic who lived an austere life in the Taurus Mountains, devoted to fasting and prayer, where he gained a loyal following.
After his death in 410 CE,. his followers began a movement venerating the figure, which became the Maronite Church, one of the dominant faiths in Lebanon.
On Sunday, masses were held across the country and among the Lebanese diaspora to mark the saint’s feast day focused on the Mar Maroun Monastery in Annaya.
The church has features of both Eastern Christianity and the Western Catholic Church, which Maronites are in communion with, with millions of adherents in Lebanon, Syria, and across the world.
In Australia, the country’s sizable Lebanese diaspora celebrated Mar Maroun’s feast day in churches across the country.
“As we celebrate this Year of Hope with joy and anticipation, we are reminded that our Maronite Church is not only rooted in history but alive in the present, vibrant with faith, and full of hope for the future,” wrote Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, the 4th Maronite Bishop of Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania.
“May this Jubilee be a time of spiritual growth, renewal, and commitment for us all. Let us grow in holiness and, through our lives, bring hope to the world around us.”
The feast day coincided with the appointment of the first permanent government in Beirut since May 2022, with hopes that President Joseph Aoun, himself a Maronite Christian, can guide the country toward stability following a brutal 15-month assault by Israel in the south.
“President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have arrived at the Maronite Cathedral of St. George in downtown Beirut to celebrate the feast of St. Maroun, after an absence of two years due to the presidential vacuum,” Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.
Newspapers in Lebanon suspended publication to mark the feast day, while public institutions also closed.
The celebrations also coincide with a truce in southern Lebanon, where an Israel assault had killed at least 4,047 people and injured another 16,638, causing immense damage across the country.
