This week Patriarch Elias Howayek will be beatified in the Patriarchal Residence in Diman, Lebanon. There is something special about our Maronite Patriarchs. In particular, Blessed Estephan Douaihy and soon-to-be Blessed Elias Howayek.
July 31, 2025: The Feast of the Three Hundred and Fifty Maronite Martyrs
While on the road, not far from home, the three hundred and fifty monks were martyred for their steadfast faith. These faithful sons defended truth and gave their lives so willingly for love of Christ, true God and man.
Today we commemorate the announcement to Mary that she is to be the Mother of God. The feast actually recalls two aspects of the same salvific mystery: the incarnation of the divine Word and the motherhood of Mary. With time, the incarnation of the Son of God was stressed on the feast of the Birth of Our Lord and today’s feast became a Marian feast.
Jesus Christ our Lord, by your coming you perfected the Old Covenant and inaugurated the New Covenant. In your love, you betrothed the Church of all nations, and by your grace you built her foundation on Peter and the twelve apostles. Now make us worthy, on this feast of the Consecration and Renewal of the Church, to raise a hymn of praise and thanks to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, for ever.
Amen.
Rise up, and be adorned with light, O holy Church, because the wise Architect has placed your foundations on his rock and has reinforced your gates by his right hand.
Rise up and be adorned with light, because the Savior of the world has gathered all your children within your walls. the mighty One has chosen you for his dwelling place.
Rise up and be adorned with light, because the holy Lord has poured his holiness upon you and has chosen saints from among your children.
Rise up and be adorned with light, because the powerful Lord has exalted you and made you victorious over your enemies.
You pardoned, O Lord, the woman who sinned and gave the good thief the keys to new life. Protect and defend the Church by your cross. We sing and proclaim and praise you, O God.
We take refuge, Lord, in your saving cross. Keep evil away and spare us from sin. O Savior, we pray that you guard our souls. We call on your name, Christ Jesus our Lord.
O Mary, we pray to you, blessed and purest One, help us in our need; you are always there for us.
We, poor sinners, turn to you, now and at the hour of death. You are free from sin; Holy Mary, full of grace.
Intercede and pray for us; Virgin Mother, show us love. May your Son, our Lord, grant us mercy, through your prayers.
O Mary, you who are called the Cedar of Lebanon, look down upon your children who today and always beg your guiding hand. Grant us the faith to withstand the sweeping blows of life as the cedar stands strong against the wind. Develop in us the hope of the resurrection. Dear Mother, increase our love: the love we should have for the Blessed Trinity, our filial love for you, and the love for our neighbor: not in theory, but in solid prayer and practice. We now kneel at your feet, dear Lady, begging for your blessing and beseeching your intercession to your Divine Son for all our church and government authorities, for ourselves, all our relatives and friends, and especially for peace in Lebanon and throughout the world.
Our Lady, Queen of Lebanon, America, and the Universe, pray for us.
Rouhanna was born at Corinth 446AD and became a monk in Palestine under the direction of Saint Euthymus. He became the superior of his monastery and was a model for all because of his piety, wisdom and exhortations. He died at the age of 107. Many churches and monasteries in Lebanon are dedicated to him. May his prayers protect us. Amen.
September 26: Feast of St. John the Evangelist
John began as a disciple of John the Baptizer. Later he became a follower of Jesus and his beloved disciple. During the Last Supper it was John who rested his head on the chest of the Lord and followed him up to the cross. May his prayers be with us. Amen.
From the Synaxarion for John the Apostle, Maronite Prayer of the Faithful
September 14, 2023: The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Blessed are you, O hold wood of the cross, symbol of power and honor;
Blessed are you, O cross of Christ, raised in our churches and at the head of our processions as a sign of victory.
Proclamation from the Exaltation of the Cross morning prayer, Maronite Divine Office
September 8: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
O Lord, through the prayers of your Mother, keep away from the earth and its people the devastation of wrath and all dangers, dissension, war, famine, and epidemics. Have compassion on us, heal the sick, help the poor, save the oppressed, grant rest to the faithful departed who have left us and gone to you, and make us worthy of a safe and peaceful death, that we may raise glory to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, for ever.
September 1, 2024: Saint Simeon the Stylite
When Simeon set to work on his pillar, he dug deep foundations; for the deeper the foundations, the higher the building will rise. Simeon’s foundation was prayer, austerity and constant penance. Unbelievers were converted by his preaching. A monastery and city grew up around his pillar. What was once a desert wasteland became a sanctuary of prayer and devotion for multitudes. He healed the sick, reconciled the angry, brought peace to the troubled and demanded justice for the poor and imprisoned. When he was censured for his extravagant way of life, he pointed to the praying crowds below and said “God has put to use even my foolish extravagance.”
From the Sedro of the Feast of Saint Simeon, the Younger, Fenquitho.
Glory to the one descended and settled upon the upper room; he gave learning to the ignorant and wisdom to simple hearts.
Come, let us praise the Lord who descended upon the upper room, let us sing to God our Savior who gave wisdom to simple hearts.
Glory be to the Shepherd who enriched his flock with priests and bishops, with altars and offerings.
August 15: The Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin
Ancient tradition tells us and our own faith assures us of what the Church has solemnly proclaimed: the Virgin Mary has entered, body and soul, into heaven. After her death the Virgin Mother of God, without undergoing corruption, has entered heaven, by a special privilege of God, with her body glorified as was her Son’s. As God had preserved her from the stain of original sin, made her a mother and yet preserved her as a virgin, so also has he brought her to himself in her integral human nature of body and soul.
May our Virgin Mother intercede for us and may her prayers protect us. Amen.
From the Synaxarion for the Assumption of the Virgin, Maronite Divine Office.
August 6, 2024: The Transfiguration of Our Lord
May we be worthy to praise, confess and glorify the bright Light of the eternal Father Who made known to us the triune mystery of divinity. Today He reveals Himself on Mount Tabor and shows His disciples the glory that was His from the beginning. Let us worship and bless Him, one holy God, Father, Son and Spirit, now and forever.
Amen.
“In a time when the region is enduring immense suffering, the words and actions of Blessed Estephan Douaihy offer a profound message to his homeland. As a patriarch during a delicate period of persecution, he experienced the pain of being forced to flee repeatedly, and even endured disrespect and physical assault. Despite these hardships, he stood as a beacon of resilience and faith, embodying the endurance and suffering of Christ.”
