Maronite Brainstorming

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Phillip_Rolfes

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In another thread @Salibi and I began discussing how Maronites can seriously evangelize outside of Lebanon.

Too often it feels like the task of evangelization is left to our “big Sister” (the Roman Church), and we Eastern Churches are little more than ethnic and cultural “ghettos,” havens for “liturgical refugees,” or “botanical garden”-type Catholicism when others want to get a taste of the “exotic” and/or “esoteric” (all words and phrases I’ve heard others [including other Eastern Catholics] use when speaking about Eastern Catholicism).

So here’s the question I’d like to discuss: How can we Eastern Catholics - and we Maronites in particular - seriously begin evanglizing the people and culture around us? What are the unique perspectives on the Faith and approach to life that you think might be appealing to the people and culture around us?

I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts.
 
I posted an answer on the other thread! Please quote it on here in your reply.

Finally…an interesting thread. 😏:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes::grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
 
I’m going to have to reply later because I’m at my day-job now. But I’m certainly looking forward to the discussion. 😃
 
Festivals involving food, crafts, entertainment are an excellent way to bring all kinds of people to your door.
The Romanian Orthodox cathedral in my old neighborhood was a whiz at this. They also run a catering business.

Edited to add, it would also help if people just knew you were there and that outsiders were welcome. If you don’t have big Welcome signs outside or some event going on that draws people, and you don’t have a large congregation visible in the community, then psople aren’t sure if they will be welcome when they attend your church, especially if they aren’t of the same ethnic background as most of the parishioners.
 
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Phillip_Rolfes said:
Eastern Catholics - and we Maronites in particular
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As a Western Catholic with a longstanding interest in Syriac theological traditions, I think one significant barrier is the lack of English language literature: scholarly and lay, online and print. It’s especially disadvantageous in the digital information era where online portals are an important first step in answering an inquirer’s most basic questions.

The solution probably isn’t simple nor can it be realised over the short term. There was an utter dearth of English language Eastern Orthodox literature in 1950: it took 2 generations to nurture inquiring and enterprising minds to undertake the massive task of translating their tradition’s literature.
 
Bithynian said:
I think one significant barrier is the lack of English language literature: scholarly and lay, online and print.
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This is certainly true. Most of the Syriac literature that I’ve found translated into English was translated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s very archaic and sometimes difficult to read. For example, I’m currently reading Wensinck’s translation of Mar Isaac’s Mystic Treatise. There are portions of it that I can’t make heads or tails of, so I have to then compare it to the translation done by Holy Transfiguration Monastery.

Perhaps a big part of the problem is that the translated literature that is available is often seen as the domain of scholars and those with an esoteric bent. Unfortunate as it may be, your average lay person isn’t going to pick up Mar Isaac, Philoxenus of Mabbug, or the Book of Steps for devotional reading.

Maybe a Maronite video/podcast along the lines of “Bee the Bee” is called for? 😁
 
I’d probably be susceptible to such evangelizing as I hunger for a more traditional liturgy and the East fascinates me. I just feel like if I went to an Eastern liturgy around here I’d be the weird pasty white person who is looking to his neighbors to copy their actions. We have Byzantine, Chaldean, Malabar, Maronite and Melkite parishes in metro Detroit.
 
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Phillip_Rolfes said:
So here’s the question I’d like to discuss: How can we Eastern Catholics - and we Maronites in particular - seriously begin evanglizing the people and culture around us? What are the unique perspectives on the Faith and approach to life that you think might be appealing to the people and culture around us?
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As a Latin white dude, my hesitation in going to a Maronite parish would be that i might be out of place. Probably a silly fear since I’m sure people would be very welcoming, but I think there’s a fear of looking awkward.
 
RolandThompsonGunner said:
As a Latin white dude, my hesitation in going to a Maronite parish would be that i might be out of place. Probably a silly fear since I’m sure people would be very welcoming, but I think there’s a fear of looking awkward.
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Dude me too! I’d probably go once and not receive the Eucharist just to see how people do it all. Like my first trip would be just to study the basics, how to receive, etc. Almost like a scientific investigation.
 
I did go to the Maronite church here once. Everybody was very nice and I thought the service was nice. It was not my cultural tradition so I wasn’t planning to join up or anything.

To be honest, the statement about “liturgical refugees” and “botanical garden” makes me now feel like people must have looked at “pasty white” me and wondered if I was there because I disliked my own liturgy or was looking for something exotic. Couldn’t it just be a case of somebody wanted to see how the Maronites did things? I have been to Syro-Malabar and Byzantine liturgies too. It would be nice if we were all encouraged to visit each others’ churches and actually did so. “Visit” doesn’t mean you have to change rites and join up at the other parish though.
 
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Check out Sacred Heart Byzantine Catholic Church on Six Mile. Fr. Joseph Marquis is an amazing priest. And you’ll fit right in as far as skin tone goes. But the reality is, I’ve never been to a Melkite or Maronite parish that wasn’t welcoming. I imagine the Chaldeans will be equally excited to see you.
 
Hey thanks. I’ve driven by that one before and wanted to attend. Also I see there’s a Maronite parish in Livonia as well.
 
RolandThompsonGunner said:
As a Latin white dude, my hesitation in going to a Maronite parish would be that i might be out of place. Probably a silly fear since I’m sure people would be very welcoming, but I think there’s a fear of looking awkward.
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As a German-Irish Maronite without a drop of Lebanese blood in me (and I’m as pasty white as they come), I can tell you you’ll be very welcomed at the Maronite parish. I knew several Maronite priests when I lived in Michigan, and they were always after me to come visit their parish (never did, sadly).
 
Reception of the Eucharist is done standing, on the tongue, and by intinction. Standing is the traditional posture for the Liturgy and the reception of the Eucharist in the East.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
To be honest, the statement about “liturgical refugees” and “botanical garden” makes me now feel like people must have looked at “pasty white” me and wondered if I was there because I disliked my own liturgy or was looking for something exotic. Couldn’t it just be a case of somebody wanted to see how the Maronites did things? I have been to Syro-Malabar and Byzantine liturgies too. It would be nice if we were all encouraged to visit each others’ churches and actually did so. “Visit” doesn’t mean you have to change rites and join up at the other parish though.
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We are absolutely encouraged to get to know one another’s traditions, and Easterners welcome Roman Catholics who are interested in learning more (if that weren’t the case, I never would’ve become a Maronite!).

The issue comes when Roman Catholics try to enforce Roman Catholic thinking and practice into the Eastern traditions. But that’s a subject for another thread. 🙂
 
You jogged my memory. IIRC, in either the Maronite or Melkite church the priest uses a pair of golden tongs to administer Holy Communion. Am I right?
 
Margaret_Ann said:
You jogged my memory. IIRC, in either the Maronite or Melkite church the priest uses a pair of golden tongs to administer Holy Communion. Am I right?
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A friend told me about a spoon they use but he was Latin rite and kind of mocking the Eastern Catholics while doing so. I found it disrespectful of him but he made me think they used a spoon.
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
The issue comes when Roman Catholics try to enforce Roman Catholic thinking and practice into the Eastern traditions.
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I posted a thread here once asking for information on Eastern theology and when someone recommended the Philokalia I thought but that’s Orthodox! I have a lot to learn. 😁
 
The Melkites sometimes use the liturgical spoon, but I’ve not seen them do it first-hand. Neither use golden tongs as far as I know.
 
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