I am very pleased that Pope Francis has canonised Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the seers of Fatima. After the apparitions of 1917, both died of influenza: Francisco on […]

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Part Three: Matti Moosa on St Maroun  In The Maronites in History, Matti Moosa argues that we know nothing of any “Maroun” who was related, in any way, to what […]

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The Maronites in History: A Reply Part Two: A Discussion of the texts concerning St Maroun  There is no figure in history quite like the elusive figure which is Mar […]

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Part One: The texts concerning St Maroun In Part One, I set out the two ancient texts which disclose what is known of St Maroun. In Part Two, I discuss […]

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The bottom line is that we can be satisfied that the tradition of the Maronite Church is genuine. There was a tragic slaying of more than 350 monks in 517, […]

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The Venerable Patriarch Douaihy, the “Memory of the Maronites”, accepted the historicity of the letters and the events described. The Maronite Church has long celebrated their feast on 31 July […]

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The 350 Martyrs: Part 1 (The Holy Martyrs) On 31 July each year, the Maronite Church remembers the 350 Maronite monks who were martyred in the year 517. Together with […]

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 I have spent some time enjoying the great stock of new volumes on the shelves of the much beloved Fisher Library: it is one of the great innocent delights of […]

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We are still in chapter 6 of Abbot William’s autobiography. It is 1951, and he is a Trappist monk in the USA. We have been speaking of the wisdom inherent […]

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The Season of Christmas is precious, and it grows more precious for us, as each year imperceptibly but surely ages us. We sense that our time on earth is limited, […]

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