Interview: Seminarian Charbel on All Things Maronite

Charbel* is a Maronite seminarian currently studying in Lebanon. Having lived extensively in both North America and Lebanon, he is well experienced in the various aspects of the Maronite Church across cultures. Here are his thoughts on some of the topics we brought up.

1-What is it like living in Lebanon as a seminarian, especially with the economic crisis and war.

You know, after everything the Lebanese people went through in the past years (civil war, political corruption, garbage crisis, 2019-2020 revolution, COVID-19, Beirut blast, economic collapse, ongoing war with Israe l, etc.), it is impressive to see them still standing strong. Their capacity to adapt to any change, their ability to respond to any disaster, and their resilience to face any difficulty are truly outstanding.

That being said, we cannot deny the fact that many people today find themselves with little to no hope, and without a clear vision for their lives and for the future of their country. Many have lost their life's work in recent years and have had their dreams shattered. The few opportunities available today seem out of reach for the vast majority. As a result, many have lost their ambitions, being conditioned to merely existing rather than living.

The challenge now for the Church is to help them articulate a new path forward, guided by the Holy Spirit, in order to help our people find spiritual solutions in the midst of the apparent aggregation of crises and difficulties they are faced with. People today need to see that the Lord still has a great plan for their lives, despite what they went and are still going through!

Many people also have deep existential questions. Others are losing trust in God, and many, especially the youth, have to deal with secular and post-modern ideologies entering Lebanon and leading our people astray.

As seminarians, the challenge is to form ourselves in such a way that we can embody and reflect the light to restore the fire of faith, hope and charity in people's heart; provide wise, convincing and compelling answers to their questions; and properly help them grow in their relation with Christ and the Church.

2 -What are some cultural differences between a parish in North America and one in Lebanon, especially in the expression of the faith?

Mostly the languages. North America is mostly English, French and Spanish, while Lebanon is mostly Arabic. Tremendous translation and education efforts had and still have to be deployed in order to provide the richness of the Church to its faithful living outside of Lebanon.

3-What is the Maronite seminarian's formation like? The theological, social, psychological, etc. aspects.

It lasts 7 years and it covers all aspects of life: spiritual, pastoral, human, intellectual, psychological, and emotional.

It starts by a preparation year where seminarians get more familiar with the Bible, the Catechism, the Councils, Maronite Church History, the Liturgy, the Interior Life, etc. It is then followed by:

- 2 years of philosophical studies,

- 3 years of theological studies

- 1 pastoral year

Throughout the process, the seminarians are closely accompanied by a formator, a spiritual director and a psychologist to help them further discern their calling and work on themselves in every possible way.

A rich prayer, sacramental, and dynamic social life with other seminarians is ensured. Sports are also encouraged to stay in shape.

4-Are seminarians formed and prepared differently for Lebanon vs other countries, or are they all formed the same without taking their future placement into consideration?

They usually all receive the same standard formation, and then the local diocese can add to it whatever training they judge necessary to meet the local demand.

5-What are some of the strengths of the Maronite formation and church in general?

Maronite formation:

The prayer life at the seminary is very solid. The spiritual, psychological and human follow-ups are also excellent. We also learn multiple languages: Arabic, French, English, Syriac, Greek, and Hebrew, and there are even options to learn Latin and Italian. Sacred music is also taught. We also get missionary formation by being exposed to different difficult environments.

Maronite Church:

Centuries of persecution and struggle to survive in difficult conditions formed the Maronites into a mighty people, with strong personalities and multiple abilities. Everywhere they go in the world, they land on their feet, succeed at what they do, and tend to leave a positive mark on their entourage.

They are considerably devoted to the Virgin Mary and to their Saints (St Maron, St Charbel, St Rafqa, St Nemtallah El-Hardini and Blessed Estephan Nehme).

On every mountain in Lebanon, you can find Crosses. In every christian neighbourhood, you can find amazing statues and shrines honouring the saints. The religious sites are abundant for such a small country.

St Charbel, a Maronite Saint, is currently the saint with the most recorded miracles in whole world.

The Maronite Patriarch is an important public figure in the Middle East. His word has both religious and political weight, and he is usually highly respected by people of all religions.

6-What are some of the weaknesses or points that require further development?

As of now, most vocations in the Maronite eparchies outside of Lebanon come from Lebanon. In order to better serve the new Maronite generations being born and raised outside Lebanon, more local vocations will be needed. We are optimistic, as God has already started to provide many!

7-Are there abundant vocations to the Maronite priesthood? What can be done to encourage them more?

It is stronger than Western countries for sure! Prayers are needed to not only have abundant vocations, but also saintly ones! We need solid, faithful, generous, knowledgeable and gifted people to keep getting involved with the youth to help them experience Christ, get to know Him more fully, and be for them amazing role-models!

8-Can one truly be Maronite and live the full tradition, without being ethnically and culturally Lebanese? What more can the Hierarchy do to make the Maronite Church a truly universal one?

Of course! Maronite spiritually transcends ethnicity. First of all, Saint Maron wasn't even Lebanese! He lived in Syria. Secondly, the Maronite Church is now spread everywhere in the world (Brazil, Australia, USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Africa, Europe, Middle-East, etc). A Maronite church even recently opened in Cuba! You have today more Maronites outside of Lebanon than within!

Furthermore, the Maronite liturgy is now available in multiple languages such as French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek. You can also expect it to further develop in the near future.

Take for example the Maronite monks of Adoration monastery in Petersham, USA, near Boston. The vast majority of the monks over there are currently Americans born and raised in the USA, have no Lebanese ancestry, and don't really speak Arabic. Yet, they are living every aspect of the beautiful Maronite spirituality! I highly recommend those who can to pay them a visit.

That being said, the vast majority of Maronite history happened in Lebanon, and in order to fully appreciate it, a trip there would definitely be highly inspiring in my opinion!

9-You have worked extensively with both Maronites and Melkites. What are some differences you find between the two Churches: Hierarchy, Leadership, Theology, Culture, Openness to non-Levantines, Laity, Formation, Vocations, Youths, Etc.?

Both Churches are beautiful and have incredible, dedicated, faithful and loving people, on fire for Christ, evangelisation and the salvation of souls. Hierarchy, leadership and general theology are similar in both Churches.

The Melkite Divine Liturgy is in Greek and uses Byzantine hymns accompanied purely by the human voice, while the Maronite Qurbono is Syriac, with Syro-Maronite hymns, and often uses the electric keyboard, as well as oriental instruments such as the Oud and the Kanoun.

Melkite churches generally tend to have a more diverse Middle Eastern population (Lebanese, Syrians, Iraqis, Egyptians, Jordanians, Palestinians, etc.), while the Maronites, though many of them come from these mentioned countries as well, tend to have a stronger Lebanese concentration. Depending on where you go in the world, you will find some churches with more non-Levantine participants than others.

10-Any final reflections you would like to share with our readers?

I want to say a few words about the Cedar of Lebanon, as it is one of the most popular symbols in the Maronite Church:

It is a majestic tree that can be found high in the mountains of Lebanon. It is mentioned 103 times in the Bible, including the famous verse: "the righteous shall [...] grow like a cedar of Lebanon" (Ps 92:12).

This tree is tall and noble, known for its longevity and resistance to decay.

In the same way, a righteous person who follows the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength shall grow like the majestic Cedar of Lebanon. They shall inspire all to look high towards the heavens. Being deeply rooted in God, their soul, just like the Cedar's wood, will resist rot, as evil, sin and death shall not prevail against it.

Such will be the righteous who grow like a Cedar of Lebanon, deeply rooted in the full Maronite Spirituality!

May God bless you, and thank you for the interview.

(Credits: Special thanks to Pere Shadi Beshara Photography for the permission to use their pictures.)

(Seminarian Charbel is an alias, given that our interviewee is giving his personal views rather than expressing the formal position of the Maronite Church.)