The Divine Liturgy

According to the Maronite Rite

Feast of St Maron

Special Occasion: Installation of the Relics of saints Charbel, Rafqa and Hardini
by his Excellency, archbishop Coakley.
Celebrant:

Father Abdallah Zaidan M.L.M.

This copy is for you to keep. Please take it home with you.

The Divine Liturgy, according to the Maronite Rite

Feast of St Maron
Entrance hymn:

Translation of hymn:
Christ, you came as light, as love as forgiveness to the world, in order to wipe away injustice
and in order for love to dwell within us. O Lord of heaven, you desired us to be a holy people, so
we were clothed in glory, the day you came as child to earth.
Entrance dialogue (In Syriac):
Celebrant:

Lbaytokh Aloho elet wakdom beem deelokh seghdet malko shmayono hasoulee khoolda
hteetlokh
(I have entered Your house, O Lord, and have worshipped before Your throne. O King of heaven, forgive
all my sins.)
Congregation: Malko shmayono hasou lan khool dahtaynan lokh.
(O King of heaven forgive all our sins.)

Cel: Salaw alay metool moran (Pray to the Lord for me.)
Cong: Alloho nqabel qurbonokh w net traham alayn baslootokh.
(May the Lord accept your offering and have mercy on us through your prayer.)

(Opening word from father Abdallah Zaidan, the superior of the Maronite Lebanese Missionaries in the
United States.)

Opening Prayers
Cel: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Cel: O Hope of the faithful and Strength of the weary, look kindly upon your Church which celebrates the
Feast of our Father, Maron. You chose him to be a hermit whose life would be a hymn of knowledge and
love. Make us worthy to fulfil your purpose as he did and to meet you when we enter your garden of
delights. There, with all your good and faithful servants, we will offer you praise, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
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Archbishop: Peace be with the Church and Her Children.

Cong:
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(Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and goodwill to all. Open O Lord my mouth to praise
You and let my heart always lean towards You).
Prayer of forgiveness (Hoosoyo)
(during this prayer, we remember our sins and present them on the altar of the Lord).
Archbishop: May we be worthy to praise, confess, and glorify the Lord, who called our Father Maron to
a heroic life of struggle and hardship. For this, he was granted merit and reward, and God welcomed him
into the dwellings of life and light. To the Good One are due glory and honor, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Cantor: Who can describe how God arrayed our Father Maron with the choicest blessings of creation and
with a holy life of service? He followed the way of Christ, abandoning all else for the one pearl of great
price. His days and nights were filled with prayer and penance:
In humility he carried his cross; in dedication he became a hermit in the world; and, in simplicity he
praised God on the mountain tops. The holy hermit took the words of Christ to heart: Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for the reign of God is theirs.
In this way, his life became a living sacrifice, breathing life upon his followers, seeking first the kingdom
of God and its truth. And, because God graced our Father Maron with power over body and soul, many
came to follow him and to be led by his pastors staff.
He was anointed as the Father of a great people, a nation gathered from nations. He was his Masters
plough in the garden of life, preparing hearts for the seed of truth. Praise and thanksgiving to the One who
chose him now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Please be seated.
Hymn: Ya Charbel saedna, Ya Charbel Hmina (Charbel help us, Charbel protect us)

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Incense prayer
Cel: O Lord, accept the incense we offer in memory of our father Maron. Bless and protect the people
who bear his name. Make us worthy of his holy legacy that we may carry the message of your gospel
throughout the world. Grant faithfulness to his people and courage to his inheritance. And we will praise
you, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Please stand.
Trisagion
(The celebrant and the congregation chant 3 times in Syriac saying)
Cel and Cong: Kadishat aloho; Kadishat Hayeltono; Kadishat lomoyouto.
(Holy are you O God, Holy are you O strong One, Holy are you O immortal One).
Cong: Etraham 3layn (Have mercy on us).
Cel: O Holy and immortal Lord, sanctify our minds and purify our consciences, that we may praise You
with pure hearts and listen to Your Holy Scriptures, To You be glory, forever.
Cong: Amen.

Please be seated.
The Readings
Psalm of readings:

Reader: A reading from the second letter of St Paul to his disciple Timothy
father;

3:10-17,

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with your blessing

Cel: Glory be to the Lord of Paul and the apostles, and may Gods mercy come upon the reader and the
listeners now and forever.
Reader: (after finishing the epistle proclaims: And praise be to God always.)

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Please stand
) (Alleluia Alleluia Cong:
(the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, he shall grow
Cantor:

)like a cedar tree. Psalm 92:12
: Cantor:
(Before the good news of our Savior, announcing life to us all, let us offer this incense. O Lord, we ask for
)your mercy
Cel: Peace be with you
Cong: And with your spirit
Deacon: Let us be attentive to the gospel of life and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded by the
apostle John 12:23-30

Cantor:

( Remain silent, O Listeners, for the holy gospel is about to be announced to you. Listen and give glory
)and thanks to the living Word of God.

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Deacon: (reads the gospel, and at the end the celebrant proclaims)
Cel: This is the Truth, peace be with you.
Cong:

)Praise and blessings to Jesus Christ for his living word to us.(
Please be seated
(His Excellency archbishop Paul Coakley will deliver the homily).
Hymn: ( Pray for us Rafqa)

Translation of hymn:

Pray for us our sister, you who are the daughter of our land and our cedars, you who are the
faithful bride of Christ, Pray for us Rafqa.
Pray for our families, for our elderly, our youths and our children. Pray for those who are
suffering, who are mourning and who are burdened, pray for us Rafqa.
My offering prayer
All: O Lord, our Loving Creator and Giver of Life and of all good gifts, bless our parish, enrich
our faith and grant us the spirit of Christian stewardship, so that we may give generously of our
time, talent and gifts to the spreading of your kingdom, here in our church and throughout the
world. Teach me to be generous and accept my gift of love to you as a sign of my love and
devotion in this time of worship. Amen.
(The collection takes place right after the offering prayer, while soft music plays)
Please Stand
Creed
Cel: Let us pray altogether and say:
All: We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
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true God from true God,

begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
He came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary
and became man.
For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
with the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified,
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Pre-Anaphora
Access to the Altar
Cel: Eetelwot madebhe daloho walwot Aloho damhadeh talyoot.
Weno bsougho dtaybootokh eaoul lbaytokh wesgood bhayeklo dkoodshokh.
(I will go to the altar of God, God who gives joy to my youth. In the abundance of your goodness,
I will enter your house, O Lord, and worship in your holy temple.)
Cong: Bdeheltokh moryo dabaryn Wabzadee kootokh alefayn.
(Guide me, O Lord, in your fear and instruct me in your justice. )
Cel: Salawo alay metool moran
(Pray to the Lord for me. )
Cong: Aloho nkabel kourbonokh Wnetraham alayn baslootokh.
(May the Lord accept your offering and have mercy on us through your prayer.)

Transfer of the Offerings and Their Offering

Cong:

The Lord reigns clothed in majesty. Alleluia! I am the Bread of Life said our Lord; from on high
I came to earth, so all might live in me. Pure word without flesh I was sent from the Father.
Marys womb received me like good earth a grain of wheat. Behold! The priest bears me aloft to
the altar. Alleluia! Accept our offerings.
Acceptance of the Offerings

Cel: Almighty God, as you accepted the offerings of the just of old, we ask you now to accept
these offerings, presented to you by your faithful people as a pledge of their love for you and
your holy name. Shower upon them your spiritual blessings, and, in exchange for their perishable
gifts, grant them the gift of life and entrance into your kingdom.
Cong: Amen.
Commemorations
Cel: Let us now remember our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ and his plan of salvation for us.
With these offerings placed before us let us remember all who pleased the Lord from Adam to
the present, especially the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God Saint Maron and saints Charbel,
Rafqa and Hardini. O Lord, remember our brothers and sisters, the living and the departed,
children of the holy Church, especially those for whom we present this offering. Remember also,
O Lord, all those who share with us today in this offering.
Cong: Amen.
Incensation and Hymn
The congregation sings the following hymn while the celebrant incenses:
Cong:

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Alleluia! We remember Mary, Mother of our God, and the prophets and apostles, martyrs too.
All the righteous and the just and all the priests, and the children of the Church forever more.

Anaphora of St Sixtus, Pope of Rome

Cel: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Prayer of Peace
Cel: O Lord, grant to your Church, the sheep of your flock and your holy people, everlasting
protection, peace, and love. We will glorify and thank you, O Father, your only Son, and your
Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Exchange of Peace
(The Peace in the Maronite rite, starts from the altar, the offerings on the altar, and then is
spread to the whole Church)
Cel: Peace to you, O holy Altar of God. Peace to the Holy mysteries placed upon you. Peace to
you, O minister of the Holy Spirit.
Cantor: Let each of us give the greeting of peace to our neighbor, with that charity and loyalty
which is pleasing to the Lord.
(The people exchange the greeting of peace with joined hands, while the choir sings the
following peace hymn)

(Blessed are those who seek peace, for they will be called the children of God.
May the peace of God overshadow your hearts and thoughts through Jesus Christ)
Prayer for the Imposition of the Hand

Cel: Send your blessing upon us, O Lord, that we may be worthy of the happy death reserved to
men and women of peace. We will glorify you, O God, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Prayer of the Veil
Cel: Through this prayer of offering, O lord, may these holy mysteries make us strangers to the
passions of sin and familiar with deeds of justice. We will glorify you, O Father, now and
forever.
Cong: Amen.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Please stand
Dialogue
Cel: May the love of God the + Father, the grace of the only-begotten + Son, and the unity and
indwelling of the + Holy Spirit be with you, forever
Cong: And with your spirit.
Cel: Let us lift up our thoughts, our minds, and our hearts.
Cong: They are raised to you, O God.
Cel: Let us thank the Lord with fear and worship him with humility.
Cong: It is right and proper.
Praise and Thanksgiving
Cel: With heart, mind, and tongue, we give you thanks, O Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
one true God. May your faithful people join in spirit with the invisible choirs and the countless
ranks of seraphim, who glorify you and three times proclaim:
Cong:

(Holy, Holy, Holy mighty Lord, God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your great glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who has come and will come in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.)
Cel: Holy are you, God the Father; holy is your Son; and holy is your Spirit. Through the
incarnation of Jesus Christ, your Son, you redeemed the world and freed it from all errors and
sin.

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Institution Narrative (In Syriac)

Cel:

Bywamo haw daqdom hacho dileh mabed hayeh

Nsab lahmo bidaw kadishoto
W barekh w kadesh
Wakso w yab ltalmidaw kad omar:
Sab akhoul meneh koulkhoun
Hono den itaw faghro deel
Dahlofaykoun wahlof saghieh metekseh w metiheb
Lhoussoyo dhawbeh wal hayeh
Dalolam olmeen

(On the day before his life-giving passion, Jesus took bread in his holy hands. He blessed,
sanctified, broke, and gave it to this disciples, saying: Take and eat it, all of you: This is my body
which is broken and delivered for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.)
Cong: Amen.
Cel:

Hokhano al kosso damsighwo men Hamro w men mayo

Barekh w kadesh, w yab ltalmidaw kad omar:
Sab eshtaw meneh koulkhoun
Hono den itaw dmo deel diyatiqi hdato
Dahlofaykoun wahlof saghieh meteshed w metiheb
Lhoussoyo dhawbeh wal hayeh
Dalolam olmeen.

(Likewise he blessed the cup of wine mixed with water, sanctified, and gave it to his disciples,
saying: Take and drink from it, all of you: This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed
and handed over for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.)
Cong: Amen.
Memorial of the Plan of the Son (Anamnesis)
Cel: He then added this instruction, saying: each time you partake of these Mysteries you will
recall my death, my burial, and my resurrection until I come again.
Cong: O Lord, we remember your death, we witness to your resurrection, we await your second
coming, we implore your compassion, and we ask for the forgiveness of our sins. May your
mercy come upon us all.
Cel: Indeed, O Lord, we do not forget the astonishing events of your plan of salvation and the
awesome signs of your second coming, when you shall reward all people according to their
deeds. For this reason, your Church, your people, implore you, and with you and through you,
implore your Father, saying:
Cong: Have mercy on us, Almighty Father, have mercy on us.

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Cel: We, your poor and sinful servants, O Lord, realize the graces we have received and thank
you for them and because of them.
Cong: We praise you; we bless you; we adore you; we acknowledge and ask you: have mercy on
us, O Lord, and hear us.
Invocation of the Holy Spirit (Epiclesis)
Cantor:

(How awesome is this moment, O my beloved. The Holy Spirit will descend from heaven and
overshadow this offering, prepared for our sanctification. With reverence let us stand and pray,
and three times proclaim)
Meanwhile, the celebrant bows and flutters his hands three times over the mysteries as he says
quietly:
Cel: Have mercy on us, O Lord, and on your inheritance. Be pleased with this offering by the
coming of your Holy Spirit, who proceeds eternally from you, O God the Father, and who, by
essence, is equal to your Son.
(In the Maronite Liturgy there is no kneeling for the faithful, only the priest kneels once during
the Invocation of the Holy Spirt on behalf of the whole congregation)
The celebrant, kneeling on both knees, extends his hands and sings or says:
Cel: Hear us, O Lord; hear us, O Lord; hear us, O Lord. May your holy and living Spirit descend
and overshadow us and our offering.
Cong: Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison
(Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.)
Cel: Through his overshadowing, may your Spirit make this bread + the body of Christ our God.
Cong: Amen.
Cel: And make the mixture in this cup + the blood of Christ our God.
Cong: Amen.
Cel: May these mysteries, O Lord, enable those who share in them to find joy in your company;
and we will glorify you, O Father, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.

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Intercessions
Please be seated.
Cel: O Lord God, at this moment in our sacrifice we remember all your holy churches and the
shepherds who dwell in them in true faith, especially, Benedict the Pope of Rome, Mar Bechara
Peter, our Patriarch of Antioch, the archbishop Paul and Shaheen our Bishop, and all bishops of
the true faith. Along with them, we also remember the priests, the deacons, and all in your
household, who observe your commandments. We pray to you, O Lord.
Cong: Lord, have mercy.
(The intercessions are now read. The response is: Lord, have mercy.)
Cel: O Lord, you are the give of rest and pardon to the faithful departed, who have been
redeemed by the death of your only Son. You have redeemed them from death, delivered them
from the nether world, and brushed off the dust of the grave. Increase in us and in them the grace
of your only son, with whom and through whom we hope to find compassion and forgiveness,
and we glorify you, and pray to you, O Lord.
Cong: Grant them rest, O Lord, and forgive all our sins and failings: those sins we have
committed knowingly and those things we have done without knowledge.
Cel: O Lord, on the great day of resurrection when life is renewed, make us worthy to share in
the joy of your blissful kingdom. Grant that in this service, as in all things, your blessed name, O
Father, may be glorified, exalted, and honored, with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and your
Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Cong: As it was, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.
COMMUNION RITE
Fraction, Consignation, Intinction, Commixture and Elevation
The Congregation stands the moment the celebrant elevates the Chalice.
Cantor:

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Translation of hymn:
Its a vow that the Lord took, to cure me through His Wounds, for I am the work of His Hands,
and a breath from His Spirit. You suffered for me, beloved Jesus, the price was high - Your
Blood on the Cross. Your Tears saved me long ago and moreover whenever I cry, You wipe away
my tears. I am as little as a letter from Your Psalms, yet I was so valuable that the Son of Man
sanctified me by dying on the Cross for me.
During the hymn, the celebrant prays silently the prayers of Fraction, Intinction, Consignation,
Commixture and Elevation.
Fraction
Cel: We have believed, and we have offered, and now we seal + and break this oblation, the
heavenly bread in living body of the Word of the living God.
Intinction
Cel: We sign this cup of salvation and thanksgiving with the purifying ember which glows with
the heavenly mysteries in the name of the + Father, life for all the living; in the name of the onlybegotten + Son, who proceeds from him, and, like him, is life for all the living; in the name of the
+ Holy Spirit, the beginning, the end, and the perfection of all that was and will be in heaven
and on earth, the one, true, blessed, and exalted God, without division, from whom comes life
forever.
Consignation
Cel: The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is sprinkled over his holy body, in the name of the +
Father, and of the + Son, and of the + Holy Spirit.
Commixture
Cel: You have united, O Lord, your divinity with our humanity and our humanity with your
divinity; your life with our mortality and our mortality with your life. You have assumed what is
ours, and you have given us what is your, for the life and salvation of our souls. To you, O Lord,
be glory forever.
Elevation
The congregation stands when the celebrant places the paten containing the host over the cup
and elevates them, saying silently:
Cel: You, O Lord, are the pleasing victim, who was offered for us; you are the forgiving
sacrifice, who offered yourself for us to your Father. You are the Lamb of sacrifice, and yet also
the priest who offered himself for us. May our prayers be like incense in your sight as we present
them through you and with you to your Father.

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The Lords Prayer

Cel: O Lord, open our mouths and lips, sanctify our souls and bodies, and free our minds and
consciences, so that we may call upon you, O God, Father of mercies, and implore you, saying:
The celebrant and congregation extend their hands and pray:
All: Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as
we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Cel: Hasten, O Lord, to change all that is detrimental and harmful into that which will help and
benefit us, and we will glorify you, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Penitential Rite
Cel: Peace be with you.
Cong: And with your spirit.
Cantor:
.
(Bow your heads before the merciful Lord, before his forgiving altar, and before the body and
blood of our Savior, who gives life to those who partake of him, and received the blessing of the
Lord.)
Cel: O Lord God, may your divine blessings, favors, and grace come and descend of your flock,
and we will glorify you, now and forever.
Cong: Amen.
Cel: May the grace of the most Holy Trinity + eternal and co-equal in essence, be with you, my
brothers and sisters, forever.
Cong: And with your spirit.
Cantor:

(Let us all look to God in awe and with reverence and ask him for mercy and compassion.)

Invitation to Communion
Cel: Holy Sacraments for the holy, with perfection, purity, and sanctity.
Cong: One Holy Father, one Holy Son, one Holy Spirit. Blessed be the name of the Lord for he
is one in heaven and on earth. To God be glory forever.
The celebrant and the congregation prepare for communion. They extend their hands in prayer
and say:
All: Make us worthy, O Lord God, to sanctify our bodies with your holy body and to purify our
souls with your forgiving blood. May our communion be for the forgiveness of our sins and for
eternal life. O Lord our God, to you be glory, forever.
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Communion
(The communion is given in the two forms by mouth (through intinction). If the faithful
wishes to receive the communion by hand, then it will be given under the one form only).
Hymn:

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Your Body is our food indeed, O Lord, Your Blood is our drink indeed, O Lord,
Blessed are they who partake of them both.
I am the vine, said the Son of God, You are the branches joined to Me.
Be as true branches and dwell in Me. That you still may fruitful be.
Like those who go through a desert place, looking for water everywhere
So does my heart also lean on You, You who watch with tender care.
(After the first hymn, the cantor will then start the litany of St Charbel, the response which is
repeated means: Guide us with your prayers O Charbel, when we go through difficult time)

(After communion, the celebrant blesses the congregation with the mysterie)
Cel: We render always glory and thanksgiving to you, O Lord, for giving us your body to eat
and your blood to drink. O Lover of all, have mercy on us.
Cong: O Lover of all, have mercy on us.
Thanksgiving hymn:

Translation of hymn: (St Hardinis name is Neemtallah, which literally means the Grace of
God).
O fragrance of sainthood that has overshadowed Lebanon, O lantern of faith that lit the dark
nights, here I come with all the people around me saying: your blessing is our shield, your
prayers are a testimony of love, you who were blessed with the grace of God, Neemtallah.
(when the thanksgiving hymn is over, father Sami will make some announcements before the
procession).
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Procession of the relics:

(The archbishop will leave the Church and the doors will be closed. Preceded by the candle
holders, he will then enter carrying the relics, then turn around the altar three times and then
will give the final blessing by the relics, before placing them on the left of the altar ).
Hymn: Ya sama Lebnan (skies of Lebanon)

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Translation of the hymn:

Charbel in his hermitage, calm and serene, with incense and the Eucharist,
Hardini was praying, to show everyone the way to Salvation,
Rafqa was blessed, that though she was blind, her faith shone from her eyes,
Our only glory O Lord, is that You have blessed us with saints that have taught us Your Way.
The image of Your Love, always reminds us to repent,
You who on the Cross changed the face of humanity,
You unite us all, through Your Spirit who dwells within us and is forever vigilant,
You are the refuge of all, You are the sea of grace, who fills the skies of Lebanon.

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Archbishop: O good and compassionate God, as you accepted the offerings and sacrifices of
Abel, the humble, Abraham, your beloved, Melchizedek, your servant, and all our ancestors in
faith; as you accepted the offerings of the apostles, fathers of the Church, martyrs, and all those
who believed in you; and as you accepted the prayers of Saints Charbel, Rafqa and Hardini,
whose relics now dwell in this holy place, in your merciful kindness, accept this holy sacrifice
which we have offered and grant:
forgiveness to sinners;
Cong: Amen.
Bread to the poor;
Cong: Amen.
Health to the sick;
Cong: Amen.
Hope to the broken hearted;
Cong: Amen.
Consolation to the depressed;
Cong: Amen.
Rest to the dead;
Cong: Amen.
Freedom to the imprisoned;
Cong: Amen.
Companionship to travelers;
Cong: Amen.
Guidance to those who are far away;
Cong: Amen.
And protection to those who are near;
Cong: Amen.
May your merciful right hand, O Lord, bless this country and this place and all who believe in
you. Remove difficult times and painful affliction from them. Protect them from deadly trials and
shield them from all that is harmful to their souls and bodies.
O Lord God, guide our civil leaders who believe in your name.
Forgive my own shortcomings and hose of this community, through the intercession of our Lady
of Lebanon, the Mother of Light, Saint John the Baptizer, and all the saints, O + Father, + Son,
and Holy + Spirit.
Cong: Amen.
Final hymn (Salam, salam laki ya Maryam Immaculate Mary)

Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing.

You reign now in Heaven with Jesus our King.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!
In Heaven the blessed your glory proclaim;
On earth we your children invoke your sweet name.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!
We pray for our Mother, the Church upon earth,
And bless, Holy Mary, the land of our birth.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!

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The six patriarchates and twenty two Churches of the Catholic Church
The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught that the primary subsistence (manifestation) of
the Church of Christ is in the Catholic Church. This Church is made up of The Roman or Latin
Rite, which also includes the Ambrosian and Mozarabic rites, and the 21 Eastern Rite Churches
which are in union with the Holy See. The three elements that make these Churches Catholic are:
1- One Faith Handed down by the Apostles
(All have the same creed)
2- Seven mysteries
(All have the same sacraments)
3- Unity with the Shepherd / Bishop of Rome (All under the Holy Father, the Pope)
The MARONITE Church, as one of these twenty-two churches, is one of the oldest traditions of
the Catholic Church. Many people when speaking of the Catholic Church are referring to
the Roman or Latin Rite of the Western branch of the Catholic Church. However, the Church is
not the same as a rite. Within the Catholic Church there are twenty-two autonomous
churches which evolved from Jerusalem and developed through one of the six major centers of
Christianity called Patriarchates.

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Autonomous Churches Have Unique Elements:

Each of the twenty-two Catholic Churches has four elements that make them unique Catholic
traditions. These are:
1. Liturgy
- the public prayer life and activity for accomplishing Gods work of divinization.
2. Theology - the study of the relationship between God and people in human language.
3. Spirituality - the way of life expressed in words and deeds reflecting awareness of God.
4. Law
- the guidelines for good order in church life and harmony among its members.
What is a RITE: It is a universal community of faith founded on or by an apostle and has its
own patriarch, bishops and clergy having unique spiritual and cultural traditions and way of life
which has converted an entire people to Jesus Christ.
Therefore, applying the preceding definitions, the Maronite Church is a universal community of
faith of the Antiochene-Edessan-Monastic tradition, founded by Peter and developed by Maron
and his disciples, which is guided by its Patriarch and bishops, who are shepherding people of
many different nations and cultures in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
THE MARONITES
The Maronite Catholic Church, sometimes called the Maronite Rite, had its beginning in the city
of Antioch, which was the first See of Saint Peter, where the disciples were first called
Christians (Acts 11:26).
From Antioch, Saint Peter went to Alexandria and then to Rome, where he was martyred and
then buried on the Vatican Hill.
The name Maronite points out a particular relationship with the saint monk whose name was
Maroun in Syriac and Maron in Greek and who died in the year 410. He is mentioned in a letter
written sometime before the year 407 by the powerful patriarch of Constantinople, St John
Chrysostom. He is also mentioned about thirty years later by Theodoret, Bishop of Cyr (d. 466),
who described the profound devotion which the monks of the monastery Beth-Maron had to their
departed spiritual father Maron. If it were not for these two references, the only indication of the
saint's existence would be the oral tradition of the Maronite community itself.
Maron was a contemporary of Saint Patrick. As with Patrick in Ireland, Saint Maron attracted
people from far and near who were drawn by his godliness and wisdom and who desired to live
under his spiritual guidance. Just as later in Europe the settlements that grew up around
monasteries became cities and nations, the monastery Beth-Maron built near Saint Maron's tomb
became the nucleus of a community where men and women, under the guidance of the monks,
could find material and spiritual happiness. This is the reason why the liturgy and the
organization of the Maronite community even today has monastic characteristics. It is also the
reason why for centuries the spiritual leaders of the Maronites have kept watch over the political
and social rights of their flocks.
From the early centuries of the Church, the Maronites abided by the precepts of the Holy
Ecumenical Councils. Many among them were martyred for defending the teachings of the
Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon and of Pope Saint Leo in the year 451. For many centuries the
Maronites were the only Christians in the East who were in full communion with our Holy
Father the Pope of Rome and have always maintained that unity.
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As the Arabization of the Middle East took place in the 7 th century, the Maronites took refuge in
Mount Lebanon, to preserve their identity and faith. For more than twelve centuries the
Maronites withstood the onslaught of several dynasties, including the Umayyades, Abbassides,
Mamelukes and the Ottomans. Lebanon became their homeland, which they defended fiercely
along with other persecuted minorities. The Maronites cherished their Church and spoke the
Syriac language, a dialect of Aramaic which was spoken by Jesus, His mother and His Apostles.
Syriac/Aramaic is still used in the Maronite Liturgy.
The mountains of Lebanon have provided the Maronites a place of refuge for centuries.
However, by the 19th century the mountains could no longer support the number of inhabitants.
Lebanese Maronites yearning for religious, political, and economic freedom began to leave the
shores of Lebanon. First traveling throughout the Middle East, most notably to Egypt, and
eventually to the America's. Antun al-Bish`alani of Salima is credited as the first Lebanese
Maronite to arrive in the New World. He landed in Boston in 1854 and died two years later in
New
York.
The wave of emigration increased steadily from the 1880's through 1914, the beginning of the
First World War. By one estimate, as much as one-fourth of the Maronite population emigrated
from Lebanon in the first 14 years of the 20th century. The Lebanese Maronites in the United
States maintained their ethnic culture initially through the formation of social clubs, and met
their spiritual needs by attending local Latin Churches. However, because they yearned for the
fullness of the Syriac-Maronite spirituality, priests from the home villages were sent for and the
sporadic establishment of Maronite parishes in the United States had begun. Several
communities lay claim to being the site of the first Maronite parish in the western hemisphere.
However, it is Our Lady of the Cedars in Boston, Massachusetts that is recognized as the oldest,
continually functioning Maronite parish in the United States, having been founded in 1893.
In 1966, Pope Paul VI appointed the first Maronite Bishop for the faithful of the United States.
Now there are two Maronite Dioceses, called Eparchies, in the States The Eparchy of Saint
Maron in Brooklyn (Eastern USA), and the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in St Louis
(Western USA). Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Norman Oklahoma, falls in the Eparchy of Our
Lady of Lebanon, whose mission statement is:
To proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
To collaborate in unity and in faith with the Maronite Church under the guidance of the
Maronite Patriarch and in communion with the Holy Father.
To preserve and strengthen Maronite parishes and missions and to establish new missions
within its jurisdiction.
To promote an understanding of the Maronite Church among its sister Catholic Churches
in the United States.
To serve as a bridge between East and West, working tirelessly for the full union of the
Church.
To respect and speak out for the dignity of human life while denouncing injustice and
violations of human rights and the dignity of the human person.

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The Second part of the Maronite Mass is called Anaphora, what does it mean?
The word "anaphora" comes from the Greek and means the repetition of words and deeds.
According to Maronite interpretation, the word has a dual meaning, the first pertains to a
repetition of Christ's words and deeds as they were uttered and performed by Him on the First
Holy Thursday at which time He commanded that the holy Sacrifice be repeated. He said: "do
this in commemoration of Me until I return."
By his use of these words, Christ intended that Christians should celebrate the Mass until His
return to this world.
The second meaning of "anaphora" is the Maronite tradition pertains to the repetition of words in
the same language and idiom that Christ Himself spoke when he lived on earth, and is taken to
refer to the words of Consecration and the institution of Holy Communion.

St Charbels hermitage

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Saints in the Maronite Tradition

By Dr Margaret Ghosn

The high esteem for asceticism and respect for hermits has always been part of the Maronite
peoples faith. To them, hermits attest to the spiritual life and message of Christ. The spiritual
life of the hermit according to Zayek involves a profound liturgical life; meditation upon Holy
Scriptures; adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; and devotion to the Mother of God.[1] Their life
of physical solitude is a life of love without consolation. St. Theodoret, the Bishop of Cyrus
described these hermits as true athletes of the spirit. Referred to as the Anchorites from the
East, or Fathers of the Desert, these were people of great holiness. The Eastern Churches today
still enumerate them, especially in Lebanon and Syria. Today in Lebanon there are numerous
shrines dedicated to saints. However five particular saints hold special admiration by the
Maronites. Mary the Mother of God is the Patroness of Lebanon and is highly esteemed. Saint
Maroun is considered the Founder of the Maronites. Three modern day saints who are well loved
include Saints Charbel, Hardini and Rafqa. There are also many earlier saints and there are
recent religious figures who have been raised to the blessed status by the Holy See.

Mother of our God

The Maronite Church has from the beginning, claimed a special devotion to the Mother of God.
In villages, homes, mountains and the streets of Lebanon, one finds shrines to Our Lady. On all
Marian feasts, particularly the feast of the Assumption, Maronites throughout the world gather in
prayer at Churches named in honour of her. Mary is often referred to as Our Lady of Lebanon.
Hymns, feast days and the liturgical life of the Maronite Church also express this devotion.
In the Anaphora of the Announcement to Mary it is written, O Mary, you are the pure one who
has scented the world with the fragrance of Christ. You are the cloud which has scattered dew
upon the universe. The Wednesday Divine Liturgy Anaphora also honours Mary. One of the
prayers reads, O Mary, Radiant Lily and Fragrant Rose, the aroma of your holiness fills the
whole universe. Pray for us, that we may be the sweet perfume of Christ, reaching throughout the
whole world.
Mary has a prominent role in the Maronite Church and she plays a role in the theology of
Salvation. Christ became human to make us divine. For Christ to become human Mary was
chosen. Mary is called blessed among women, because it was her yes in faith, which brought
forth Jesus, the Savior of the world.
Mary, being perfectly redeemed, has already attained perfection of soul and body and her
assumption into heaven assures us of our own bodily resurrection, our own journey of
divinization. Mary is the Cedar of Lebanon, a strong and firm believer and follower of Gods
loving transformation.

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Saint Maroun
Saint Maroun is considered the Father of the spiritual and monastic movement now called the
Maronite Church. Maroun, born in the middle of the 4th century was a priest who retired as a
hermit, to a mountain in the region of Cyrrhus in Syria. It is believed that the place was called
Kefar-Nabo on the mountain of Ol-Yambos, making it the cradle of the Maronite movement.
His holiness and miracles attracted many followers, and drew attention throughout the empire.
Maroun was able to convert a pagan temple into a Christian Church. This was to be the
beginning of the conversion of Paganism to Christianity in Syria which would then influence and
spread to Lebanon.
Reference to Saint Maroun are found in writings by Saint John of Chrysostom in a letter dated
406 CE. Theodoret of Cyr also refers to Saint Maroun:
After Akepsimas, I will call to mind Maroun, for he adorned the godly troop of the holy ones.
Maroun embraced life under the sky, taking for himself a certain hill-top which had long ago
been honored by the impious. And having dedicated to God the sacred precincts of the demons in
that place, he passed all of his time there, pitching a small tent, but making little use of it.
Maroun did not only employ the customary labours, but he conceived others also, gathering
together the wealth of wisdom.
Theodoret goes on to describe the physical and spiritual healing powers of Saint Maroun.
Saint Maroun was deeply monastic with emphasis on the spiritual and ascetic aspects of living.
He embraced the quiet solitude of the mountain life where he freed himself from the physical
world by his passion and fervor for prayer and entered into a mystical relationship of love with
God. Accompanying his deeply spiritual and ascetic life, he was a zealous missionary. After his
death in the year 410 CE, his spirit and teachings lived on through his disciples.

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Saint Charbel (1828-1898)

...hermit of the Lebanese mountain is inscribed in the number of
the blessed, a new eminent member of monastic sanctity is
enriching, by his example and his intercession, the entire
Christian people. May he make us understand, in a world largely
fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of
poverty, penance and asceticism,
to liberate the soul in its ascent

Pope Paul VI, October 9, 1977

Youssef Antoun Makhlouf was born in 1828, in Bekaa Kafra,
North Lebanon. The youngest of five children, he became a
shepherd. Since his father died early in life an uncle supported the
family. As a child Youssef was inspired by the life of two maternal
uncles, who were monks of the Maronite Lebanese Order, living in a hermitage only three miles
away. In 1851, at the age of 23 years, he left his family village for the Our Lady of Maifouk
monastery to spend his first monastic year. He then went to Saint Maron monastery in Annaya,
where he entered the Maronite Order, carrying the name Charbel, a name of one of the Antioch
church martyrs of the second century. The young monk was sent to prepare for the priesthood at
Saint Cyprian of Kfifan, where he was ordained six years later at the age of 31. He returned to
Annaya where for sixteen years he was a model of perfection. Charbel performed his priestly
ministry and his monastic duties in an edifying way.
On February 15th, 1875, Saint Charbel was granted permission to enter the Saint Peter and Paul
hermitage. His 23 years of solitary life were lived in a spirit of total abandonment to God. The
Eucharist became the centre of his life. Rarely did he leave the hermitage, following the way of
the saintly hermits in prayers, life and practice. He was offering Mass a week before Christmas,
when paralysis struck him as he elevated the host. Saint Charbel died quietly on the 24th of
December 1898, at the age of 70. He was buried in the St Maron monastery cemetery in Annaya.
A few months later, dazzling lights were seen around the grave. From there, his corpse, which
had been secreting sweat and blood, was transferred into a special coffin. In 1950, the grave was
opened in the presence of an official committee who verified the soundness of the body. After
the grave had been opened and inspected, the variety of healing incidents multiplied. Charbel
Mahklouf was canonized on October 9, 1977.
Although the events of Saint Charbels life are not extraordinary save by their heroic virtue, he
appeals to many generations of believers. Acts such as enduring the extreme cold of the
hermitage each winter, without adding additional garments to his very simple ones, indicate a
person of endurance. This appeals to young Maronite adults who rarely witness people of
solitude, internal prayer and contemplation. Furthermore, a great many miracles have occurred to
people of all creeds and nationalities, who have been healed either when people touched his body
or were anointed with the oily liquid that sweated miraculously from his remains, or when they
touched his clothes. Again miracles appeal to people and combined with Saint Charbels silence,
mortification, deprivation and total gift of self, he has become a universally accepted saint.

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Saint Nemetallah Hardini (1810-1858)

Father Nemetallah Kassab, the mentor of Saint Charbel, was born in 1808 in Hardine, North of
Lebanon. At the age of twenty, he joined the Lebanese Order of Monks in the monastery of
Saint Anthony, Kozhaya in North Lebanon. As a novitiate, his life was one of virtue, praying and
meditating. He adopted the name Nemetallah which means grace of God. After two years, he
received the monastic habit in 1830 and was sent to the monastery of Kfifane to prepare for
priesthood. In 1833, he was ordained.
Father Nemetallah became a member of the General Council of his Order for three terms, 18451848, 1850-1853 and 1856-1858. As a member of the Council he continued to bind books, a
technique he learnt at the monastery. He also taught in the schools.
Fr Nemetallah was above all a person of prayer. He spent days and nights in meditation, his arms
uplifted in prayer before the Eucharist. The Virgin Mary was his patron and he prayed the rosary
daily. He prayed the Divine Liturgy with great reverence. During his life he was often called
The Saint.
He died at the age of 48 on 14th December 1858, after struggling ten days with a high fever
contracted from the cold winter wind. Sometime later, the monks opened his tomb and found his
incorrupt body. It was examined and placed in a new coffin in 1996 in the Monastery of Kfifan.
Pope John Paul II beatified Fr Nemetallah on 10 May 1998. He was canonised on 16 May 2004.
The Maronite Church celebrates his feast-day on December 14.

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Saint Rafqa (1832-1914)

Saint Rafqa was born in Himlaya, Lebanon on June 29th 1832. She was an only child. Her
baptismal name was Boutroussieh. At the age of seven, her mother died. In 1843, her father
experienced financial difficulties and sent her to work as a servant for four years in Damascus. In
1847, she came back home to find that her father had remarried.
Rafqa felt drawn to religious life and so she joined the Congregation of the Mariamettes (1859 1871). She became a novice in 1861. Upon taking her vows she was sent to the Ghazir Seminary,
where in her free time she studied Arabic, calligraphy and arithmetic. In 1860, Rafqa was sent to
Deir El Qamar to teach. There, she witnessed the bloody clashes that occurred in Lebanon and on
one occasion risked her life by hiding a child under her robe. In 1863, she was sent to teach in a
school in Byblos. One year later, she was transferred to Maad. There in the village, with another
nun, she spent seven years establishing a new school for girls.
While living in Maad and following a crisis in her Congregation, Rafqa asked God to guide her
decision making. This led her to the Lebanese Maronite Order, to the Monastery of Saint Simon
El Qarn in Aito (1871-1897). There she wore the
novice robe in 1871 and pronounced her vows the
following year. She chose the name Rafqa, after her
mother. She spent 26 years in the monastery. She
was a role model to the other nuns. Her life was full
of prayer, sacrifice and austerity. Throughout her
life, Rafqa was the recipient of revelations by
voices, dreams, and visions.
On the first Sunday of October 1885, she entered the
monastery's church and asked Jesus to permit her to
experience some of his sufferings during his
Passion. Her prayer was immediately granted with
unbearable pain in her head and eyes. Her Superior
insisted that she undergo medical treatment. After
all local attempts to cure her failed, a doctor ordered
immediate surgery to her right eye. In the course of
the surgery, the doctor uprooted her eye which fell
on the floor. For the next 12 years Rafqa
experienced intense pain in her head.
In 1899 Rafqa lost sight in her left eye and became
paralysed. With this, a new stage of her suffering
began. She suffered for 17 years as a blind paralytic
and by 1907 was totally paralysed and in constant
pain. According to some doctors, Rafqa suffered
from osteo-articular tuberculosis. She spent the last seven years of her life lying in bed. However
she has use of her hands and would spend time weaving socks.
On the 23rd of March 1914, Rafqa rested in peace. A splendid light appeared on her grave for
three consecutive nights. On July 10th, 1927, her body was transferred to the monastery's church.

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Wadi Kadisha Lebanon (the holy valley)

Where Maronites found refuge from persecution for centuries

Marian theology sustains a balance

between the humanity and divinity of
Jesus. The divine One fashions, nurtures
and sustains the world, yet also as a human
is fashioned, nurtured and sustained by
Mary. The Maronite tradition has a deep
devotion to Mary, and never removes the
imagery of the child from her arms, as
seen in this icon of Our Lady of Ilije.
This Icon dates more than 1100 years ago,
and has traveled with the Patriarchs during
severe times of persecution.
It is considered highly sacred within the
Maronite
community,
because
it
symbolizes how Jesus and Mary
constantly interfere in time of need, to
save us from all harm. You can find a
photo reproduction of this Icon in most of
the Maronites churches, monasteries and
homes.

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