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Maronite Catholic Church

Description of the symbols of the order

Description of the symbols of the order

The Head of the Maronite Church, subject only to the Pope, is the Patriarch of Antioch (note that there are two individuals with this title; the Melkite Christians are also headed by a separate Patriarch of Antioch).

The Maronite Cross is a cruciform device, a three barred cross which is the symbol of the Maronite Patriarchal Synod, the regular assembly of Maronite Patriarchs, Eparchs, and other high Maronite ecclesiastical figures. I am given to understand that there is a banner containing these arms, but I have been unable to find out any details about its colors, the occasions when it is flown or displayed, or even when it is flown indoors or out.

The administrative unit in the Maronite Catholic Church corresponding to the Diocese in Latin Catholicism is the Eparchy, likewise headed by a Bishop. These Eparchies generally have a banner of their own arms in the form used by the Eparchate of St. Maron of Brooklyn, as shown at http://www.stmaron.org/. The Maronite Eparchy of Australia uses a similar banner in crimson with a gold device and the motto 'At the Service of the Gospel' inscribed in gold block lettering around the upper portion of the coat of arms (see http://www.maronite.org.au/)

The Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, based in St. Louis, Missouri, uses a somewhat different form of banner: http://www.usamaronite.org/index2.cfm.

The Eparchy of Saint Thérese of the Child Jesus is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma USA. It does not seem to have a banner as such, apparently using a golden three-barred Maronite Cross as a flagoid: http://www.saintherese.org/main.html.

Finally, there is the Maronitische Christliche Union Deutschlands e.V, or Maronite Christian Union of Germany. Although technically this body is not a formal Eparchy, due apparently to a
lengthy and ongoing dispute between the Maronites and the German Latin Rite hierarchy, it would appear to function in that capacity for all practical purposes. The arms can be seen at http://www.maroniten.de/ and are presumably displayed in the manner of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn.

Ron Lahav, 5 December 2008

Actually there are five individuals, including three who are subject to the Roman Pontiff:
- Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, who heads the Syriac Orthodox Church (non-Chalcedonian, sometimes called "Jacobite" or monophysite)
- Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, head of the Antiochene Orthodox Church (in communion with Constantinople)
- Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Maronites (Maronite Catholic, in union with Rome)
- Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Alexandria, and Jerusalem of the Melkites (Greek Catholic, in union with Rome)
- Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Syrians (Syrian Catholic, in union with Rome)
Joe McMillan, 5 December 2008