Maronite Church: Culture, Traditions, Rite, Way of Life

[LumenGent]

Harpazo,

After reading some of your earlier posts, you were pretty keen on becoming a Maronite. Are you being serious that you are an orthodox catechumen?

 

[Harpazo]

Just curious, but coming from a Maronite background, how did you come to Eastern Orthodox Church, instead of an Oriental Orthodox Church (e.g. Syriac Orthodox)?

Glory to Jesus Christ,

There are not any active Oriental Orthodox churches in my area, although there is a Coptic Church and a Syriac Church, but sometimes they meet once a month, other times it’s longer than that. I did not find there to be anything different theologically between the two. In fact, there is intercommunion in many cases on the local level in Orthodoxy between the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Churches. So I found a nice little growing Orthodox mission in my town and have been going since December.

Harpazo,

After reading some of your earlier posts, you were pretty keen on becoming a Maronite. Are you being serious that you are an orthodox catechumen?

Hello LumenGent,

I like your name by the way, very creative. After much discernment and prayer, I could not reconcile being Eastern with being in communion with Rome. It was certainly not an easy decision to make, but it’s eventually a choice that many Eastern Catholics have to make one way or another. So, to answer your question, I am an Orthodox catechumen.

In Christ,
Andrew

 

[LumenGent]

Harpazo:

Hello LumenGent,

I like your name by the way, very creative. After much discernment and prayer, I could not reconcile being Eastern with being in communion with Rome. It was certainly not an easy decision to make, but it’s eventually a choice that many Eastern Catholics have to make one way or another. So, to answer your question, I am an Orthodox catechumen.

Thanks for the complement.

You are right we all have to eventually decide whether we are obedient to the Pope or not. I’m sure you have thought about it extensively, The thing to keep in mind is that the Maronite Church from it’s origin was Catholic and founded upon Obedience to the Pope. This is it’s essence. Other Eastern catholic Churches have also been able to recognise a compatible communion with Rome while being eastern at the same time.

In any case i wish you all the best.

 

[SyroMalankara]

Glory to Jesus Christ,

There are not any active Oriental Orthodox churches in my area, although there is a Coptic Church and a Syriac Church, but sometimes they meet once a month, other times it’s longer than that. I did not find there to be anything different theologically between the two. In fact, there is intercommunion in many cases on the local level in Orthodoxy between the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Churches. So I found a nice little growing Orthodox mission in my town and have been going since December.

Would you expand on your thought process further - I find personal stories to be much more beautiful than abstract ideas… How did you discern between the Eastern Orthodox Communion and the Oriental Orthodox Communion while at the same time you found Eastern / Oriental in union with Rome not an option (for you)?

p.s. Being lactose intolerant I drink almond milk almost every day… Trader Joe’s has it for $1.70