Saint of the Day: St. Maron

Monk (350-433)

His life

+ Maron (or Maro) was born in Syria and became a hermit, living near the Orontes River.

+ When he found a pagan temple, he dedicated it to God and made it into a shrine.

+ Ordained a priest in 405, he spent his days and nights in prayer, and was known for the many miracles attributed to his intercession.

+ Maron founded several monasteries throughout Syria and was a spiritual teacher of Saint Limnaeus.

+ He established the spiritual and liturgical tradition which would later come to be known as the Maronite Rite of the Catholic Church.

+ Saint Maron died in 433 and is honored as the patron saint of Lebanon.

Worth knowing

In 2011, to mark the 16^th centenary of the birth of Saint Maron, an 18-foot tall statue of the saint was placed in a niche on the exterior of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

For prayer and reflection

“Let my mouth be filled with your praise, that I may sing aloud; my lips shall shout for joy, when I sing to you.”—Psalm 71:8, 23

Prayer

O God, who in your kindness called your servant blessed Maron to the following of Christ, grant, we pray, through his intercession, that, denying ourselves, we may hold fast to you with all our heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Common of Holy Men and Women—For a Monk)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.