Maronite tradition traces its lineage to the church that St. Peter and St. Paul founded in Antioch before their journey to Rome.  St. Maron was one of the early Antiochean Christians, a monk and hermit in Northern Syria, who was revered for his humility and piety.  His disciples, who founded a monastery in his honor, came to be known as Maronites.  Their loyalty to the church and to the Pope led to persecutions over the centuries, and the Maronites eventually moved to Lebanon.  The Maronite Catholic Church preserves the one, holy, catholic and apostolic faith, administers the seven sacraments, adheres to all Papal rulings and is characterized by devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary, the Blessed Mother.                     (Lourice Thomas II)

In the Maronite Church the Scriptures are read and prayed all throughout the day in Divine Liturgy and in the Prayer of the Faithful (Divine Office).  This podcast concentrates on the Scripture readings from the Divine Liturgy.  You will notice that the Divine Liturgy readings are almost exclusively New Testament.  The Old Testament readings are found in the Prayer of the Faithful.  Fr. Armando Elkhoury and Chris Pond, OCDS have a beautiful podcast called The Hidden Pearl. We encourage you to listen and pray with them the Ramsho (evening prayers) and Safro (morning prayers) along with the Divine Liturgy readings here. 

Join us as we read and pray the weeks and seasons of the Maronite Lectionary.  We hope the yearly cycle of Maronite Scripture readings will be a blessing to you.  Peace be with you!