Pope Sergius I

On 23 January in the Maronite calendar we remember Pope Sergius I. He was Pope from 687AD to 701AD.

He has a particular significance for Maronites. He was originally from Antioch. He was chosen as Pope at a time when there was division about who should be Pope.

His Antiochene roots probably influenced his focus on Marian devotion and throughout his Papacy he instituted certain Marian feasts and processions.

Patriarch Estephan Douehi claims that Pope Sergius approved the appointment of the first Patriarch of the Maronites, St John Maron. At the time the Maronites were fighting the Arab expansion and the oppressive rule of the Emperor Justinian. Pope Sergius also opposed the Emperor Justinian. Through this appointment, St John Maron became the first Maronite Patriarch of the oldest see in Christianity, Antioch. This united and strengthened the Maronites and his appointment as Patriarch led to a golden period for the Maronites and they flourished. The approval of St John Maron’s appointment as Patriarch by the  Pope of the time also highlights that the Maronites have always been in communion with Rome.

Many Popes have praised the Maronites. Referring to the Maronite’s, Pope Hormisdas stated “I praise God that he preserves the faith of his soldiers in the midst of adversities.” Pope Leo X described the Maronites as a “rose among thorns”

We thank Lord for everything he has given us, a Church, a Patriarch, the mountains of Lebanon and a Maronite Church for us and our children here in Australia.