Faith of the Mountain in the Digital Age
The mountains have always played a significant role in Judeo-Christian tradition. From Mount Sinai to Mount Tabor, God encounters his people, reveals himself to them and commissions them to do good work. The mountains are particularly important to the Maronites. It is on a mountain, in the region of Apameus, Syria, that the “open air” hermit and priest Saint Maron lived and died. Subsequently, it is in the mountains of Lebanon that the early Maronite monks and hermits took refuge to encounter the Divine in their ascetic lives.
It is, therefore, appropriate that our Maronite religious education program is named Faith of the Mountain. The elementary and middle school series began in the 1980’s with the initiative of Chorbishop Dominic Ashkar and with the guidance of the late Archbishop Francis M. Zayek. The series was published and became the official religious education text for Maronites in the United States. Subsequently, it received two more revisions in 2000 and in 2010. The high-school series was developed by Chorbishop Seely Beggiani in 1993. Once again, this high school series is ready for renewal. As we enter the digital age, there is an imperative to not only preserve this rich heritage, but also to make it accessible to a world-wide English-speaking audience.
In a groundbreaking initiative, the Eparchies of the United States, Canada, and Australia have together embarked on a journey to review and digitize the Faith of the Mountain Maronite Catholic Catechism. This ambitious project aims to seamlessly blend traditional teaching with technology, ensuring that the teaching endures and resonates with a new generation. The new revision will ensure that the material developed over the years is edited to be age appropriate and able to reach the mind and heart.
The design aims to include more affective materials, as well as audio-visual clips, and interactive activities. The content will be our Catholic Faith (i.e. Theology, Spirituality, Liturgical practices, Sacred Arts…etc. specific to the Maronite Church). The revised Faith of the Mountain series will also highlight the three transcendentals: Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, as well as Catholic Social Teaching and Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. The learner and the teacher both will have the opportunity to dive deeper into various topics pertinent to the lesson. This series can also be used to share the Maronite Catholic Faith with parents and guardians as they see fit in anchoring their children in the Faith.
At the forefront of this venture is a collaboration of all four Eparchies with Fuzati, a leading expert in digital preservation and dissemination of cultural treasures. Fuzati, renowned for its expertise in digital solutions, has been enlisted by the Maronite Eparchies to bring a harmonious digitalization of tradition and technology to the elementary, middle school and high-school Faith of the Mountain series. However, Fuzati will not be developing the Faith of the Mountain series anew. Rather, they will use our existing material for level 1-8 and for high school as a basis, and improve on it, and bring it into a digital format. Their expertise will not only facilitate the seamless transition into the digital realm, but also enhance accessibility through user-friendly interfaces and interactive features as well as a print format for those who wish to use such medium.
Furthermore, Fuzati is not alone in this venture. We are asking each participating Eparchy to form their own editorial team that will review and provide feedback on the work of Fuzati so we can better understand their respective needs and cultural ethos. Subsequently, one or two representatives from each Eparchy will join the Inter-Eparchial Editorial Board that works closely with Fuzati.
The Faith of the Mountain Maronite Catechism is key, alongside the Liturgy, to help us understand the Maronite Church's distinctive theology, doctrine, and profound spirituality handed down throughout the ages. By harnessing the power of digital platforms, we hope to offer to everyone, beyond geographical barriers a virtual pilgrimage of Faith for the believers and the curious alike. May the prayers of our Father, Saint Maron, be with us.
Welcome to the Office of Religious Education/Faith Formation!
The mission of the Office is to support, assist and guide the catechetical apostolate carried out in the faith formation programs of the parishes of the Eparchy of Saint Maron Brooklyn. Through the work of catechesis, the Catholic Church hands on the faith that she believes, celebrates, and lives to every generation so that people can enter into communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ.
This Office supports and provides Maronite Catholic resources for parishes as they accompany adults, youth and children on the journey from an initial encounter with Christ to forming them as disciples to bring the light of Christ to the world.
These are some links to help you in your mission and more will be posted.
““Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” ”
Faith Formation Resources
Resources, articles and up-dates for Maronite parish programs | Maronite Faith Formation
Formation for Catechists & Adults
Catechetical Workshops | Franciscan at Home
Maronite Textbook Book Series K - High School | Faith of the Mountain
Adult Faith Enrichment
God is With Us A resource of talks on faith topics
Catechetical Sunday Materials from the USCCB
On-Going Faith Formation | Workshops on faith and spirituality for individual and/or parish study formats. These one-hour workshops do not require you to do the assignments and are rich in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Contact Us
Director
Msgr. Georges El-Khalli, Ph.D., Pastor
Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon Church
61 Rockwood Street | Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
T: 617.522.0225 | E: pastor@ourladyofthecedars.org
Assistant Director
Sister Marla Marie Lucas
Maronite Servants of Christ the Light
856 Tucker Road, Dartmouth, MA
W: Maroniteservants.org
E: sister@maroniteservants.org | T: 202.213.7700
