St. Maron

Again, a joyous feast! St. Maron is usually associated with the Maronite Catholic Church in Lebanon, which views him as its founder, but is in fact also a saint in our Orthodox Churches for and against Chalcedon. He lived as a hermit in the mountains near Antioch where he was renowned for his asceticism and holiness and even met with St. John Chrysostom, who asked for his prayers.

St. Maron's disciples were initially centered in northern Syria, but came to be concentrated on and around Mount Lebanon. Today the Maronite Catholic Church claims to have always been in communion with Rome, but in reality it is more likely that St. Maron's followers either went into schism or heresy, electing their own patriarchs of Antioch until submitting to Rome during the Crusades.

More on St. Maron's life can be found here. May his blessing and prayers be with us all!