“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace Where there is darkness, let me sow light"
Saint Francis of Assisi

The Maronite Research Institute (MARI) is a private non-membership research organization, founded in April 1996 by Ms. Guita Hourani, Father Marwan Tabet and Father Karam Rizk. It is registered in the United States of America as a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non-profit tax exempt organization.

MARI's mission is to serve as witness to Jesus Christ and His teachings and to support the Maronite Church, notably the Patriarch in Lebanon, and the Catholic Church, notably the Pope.

It works actively to strengthen ties between the Maronites abroad and the Maronites in Lebanon.

It supports Lebanon as a free, plural and sovereign country and promotes conviviality among people in the Middle East and around the world.

In its concern to broaden understanding of the Maronites internationally, it maintains a web site on the World Wide Web through which it disseminates information on the history and culture of the Maronite people and church.

One of MARI’s main activities is the production and publication of The Journal of Maronite Studies – the only professional, intellectual English publication on the Maronites in the world. This Journal effectively promotes the Maronite Catholic presence in and through the Internet, an important instrument of current mass media. It conducts original research on Maronite communities, history, liturgy, migration, culture, relations, etc. One aspect of MARI's interests in Syriac-Maronite music is shown by its partnership with the "As Sawt Al’Ati’" ensemble of religious and lay musicians and singers to produce Syro-Maronite CDs. MARI hosts scholars who come to Lebanon to do research on the Maronites and other Christians; and it also facilitates their access to otherwise restricted archives, libraries and people. It sends experts on Eastern Christianity and the Maronites to address audiences all over the world. So far, lectures have been given in the USA, South Africa, Chile, and Lebanon. MARI assists numerous researchers and the general public, from Japan to Canada and from Russia to Argentina, by responding to their E-Mail inquiries on the Maronites and Eastern Christians. It also provides specialty books and dictionaries, especially of the Syriac language and the history of the Maronite Church, to universities, researchers, and interested individuals all over the world. On the charitable side, MARI helps pay tuition of a Maronite child at a Catholic school and aids in the rebuilding of Maronite Churches and parochial schools destroyed in the war.

MARI'S ADVISORY BOARD

His Excellency Archbishop Boutros Gemayel, Maronite Bishopric of Cyprus, Cyprus.
His Excellency Abbot Paul Naaman, Vice President for International Relations, Holy Spirit University, Lebanon.
Father Elias Khalife, Theologian and Superior of the Monastery of Our Lady of Victory, Lebanon.
Honorable Judge Joe Ashmore (Retired), United States of America.
Mr. Ricard Karam, Legal Counsel, United States of America.
Mr. Farid El Khazen, Ph.D., Professor at the American University of Beirut.

MARI ON LINE

MARI publishes the Journal of Maronite Studies (JMS), a web site that provides an on-going written record popularizing the rich liturgical, theological, historical, artistic and social patrimony of the Maronites. It is accessed on Internet free of theological, historical, artistic and social patrimony of the Maronites. It is accessed on Internet free of charge. The Journal is copyrighted at the Library of Congress and is catalogued under the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) 1526-5145.

Among the regular features that appear in the Journal:

• Religious and civil history of the Maronites including the history of Maronite communities abroad
• Maronite family migration history
• Travelogues of Lebanon and the Middle East, both historical andcontemporary
• Hagiography of the saints revered by the Maronite Church
• Reports on current events of cultural and other interest to the community
• Book and CD reviews.

MARI's audience is as diverse as the users of the Internet. Our readers -- Maronites and non-Maronites, Christians and non-Christians -- write to us from the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Columbia, Panama, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Dubai, the Holy Land, Russia, Yugoslavia, Sarajevo, Romania, Cyprus, Malta, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Holland, The Czech Republic, Honduras, and South Africa, and other countries.

COMMENTS ABOUT MARI AND THE JOURNAL

"I would like to share with you my enthusiasm and feelings when I first visited your web site. We no longer feel alone here in Cyprus since the moment we realized that Maronites of the world could communicate via your site irrespective of place, time and living conditions."
A professor from Nicosia, Cyprus.

“… I would recommend readers to spend some time at this web site. It was especially fascinating since I was so unfamiliar with the richness and depth of the Maronite tradition. A greater appreciation of the universality of the Catholic Church can be the end result of time spent here.”
A Monsignor from the Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, New York, USA.

"Thank you so much for your Journal of Maronite Studies. It is helping us know who the Maronites are. There are only two pages written about the Maronites in Russian. Your work has made it possible to learn about your heritage in a language known to us more than Arabic. St. Sharbel is becoming more and more famous in Russia: A Lebanese Saint who cures Russian Orthodox people! Keep up the good work."
A student from Lipetsk, Russia.

"MARI's work is of historic significance; probably the most important in the history of Maronite migration. We are very proud and happy that some of our dreams have come true."
A professor from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

"Pleased to know that such in-depth study is taking place and being presented to the world.”
A businessman from Johannesburg, South Africa.

"I would like to express my appreciation of your site and the resources it makes available to the wider public."
A Benedictine Monk from Toronto, Canada.

“The editorial about God's plan really hit hard and impacted me. Not only this article but also all the articles in MARI have made me bond more with my Christianity. I am Roman Catholic, but the closest Maronite church is 50 miles from me. I am learning a lot from the articles. Religion has taken on a new meaning for me. Just knowing that I am descended from the first converts to Christianity makes me proud of my heritage. Something keeps drawing me to Lebanon. My grandparents came over close to 100 years ago but I keep having a feeling that I have to visit. There is a bond. I feel that my religion is being revitalized. I look forward to the articles. It is also a learning experience for me. I am always looking for more information on my religion and heritage and I feel that MARI has filled that need. God Bless You.”
A Latin Catholic lady from Pennsylvania, USA.

“The Journal of Maronites Studies tuvo un gran impacto sobre mi. Nosotros somos descendiente de emigrantes, y ustedes deben trabajar duro para que nosotros nunca perdamos nuestras tradiciones. Hay que tratar de evangelizar "libanizar" siempre, de este modo mis descendientes siempre sabran que son maronitas y que su origen esta en el Líbano. Realmente es una revista de investigación, donde yo estoy aprendiendo mucho. Si no sería por ustedes y por San Marón Church, ya no seríamos más "libaneses". Los armenios y los judíos nunca pierden su identidad, pero los maronitas por lo general, cuando migran la pierden, por eso, Ianlla!!”
A Maronite from Argentina.

“Je me permets de vous féliciter de tout Coeur pour votre admirable travail pour mieux faire connaitre et aimer l’Eglise Maronite Catholique notre Mère. Je me sens très uni à vous et je vous assure de ma sympathie. Je suis plein d'admiration en apprenant que vous êtes des volontaires non-payés. Je ne sais trouver les mots pour vous encourager encore dans votre mission au service de l'Eglise et des hommes de bonne volonté.”
A monk from the Ordre Cistercien de la Stricte Observance, Jerusalem, the Holy Land.