At left; The Exarch’s Coat of Anns
The upper section of the diag
onal division is the coat of arms
for the Maronite Exarchate in the
United States, the lower section is
the personal symbol of the Apos
tolic Exarch.
The Cedar of Lebanon recalls
the privilege of the Maronite Rite
to add this title to the Litany of
Our Lady. It is also the emblem
on the Lebanese flag. The lower
section bears a Phoenician ship
as an attestation of the origins of
Bishop Zayek’s people and a cross,
the symbol of the Christian Faith
which the Maronites have pre
served for centuries.
The motto is in the Syrian lan
guage and liturgical language of
the Maronites; translated it is
“Faith and Labor.” The external
ornaments are composed of a mi
tre above the shield between a
patriarchal cross and a crozier,
their staffs crossed behind the
shield.
At right;
The Most Reverend
FRANCIS ZAYEK, S.T.D., J.C.D.
First Maronite Exarch in U.S.
r -——■
VUe Want 411 Do Be Catholics Bat fjot Do Be JlalinS — Pope Jleo XIII
Excerpts from The Decree on Churches of Eastern Rite - II Vatican Council
Preamble
The Catholic Church holds in
high esteem the institutions, lit
urgical rites, ecclesiastical tradi
tions and the established stand
ards of the Christian life of the
Eastern Churches, for in them,
distinguished as they are for their
venerable antiquity, there remains
conspicuous the tradition that has
been handed down from the Apos
tles through the Fathers and that
forms part of the divinely re
vealed and undivided heritage of
the universal Church.
* * *
Individual Rites
The Holy Catholic Church, which
is the Mystical Body of Christ, is
made up of the faithful who are
organically united in the Holy
Spirit by the same faith, the same
sacraments and the same govern
ment and who, combining together
into various groups which are held
together by a hierarchy, form sep
arate Churches or Rites. Between
these there exists an admirable
bond of union, such that the va
riety within the Church in no way
harms its unity; rather it mani
fests it, for it is the mind of the
Catholic Church that each indi
vidual Church or Rite should re
tain its traditions whole and en
tire and likewise that it should
adapt its way of life to the dif
ferent needs of time and place.
They are consequently of equal
dignity, so that none of them is
superior to the others as regards
rite and they enjoy the same
rights and are under the same ob
ligations, also in respect of
preaching the Gospel to the whole
world (cf. Mark 16, IS) under the
guidance of the Roman Pontiff.
Means should be taken therefore
in every part of the world for the
protection and advancement of all
the individual Churches and, to
this end, there should be estab
lished parishes and a special hier
archy where the spiritual good of
the faithful demands it. The hier
archs of the different individual
Churches with jurisdiction in one
and the same territory should, by
taking common counsel in regular
meetings, strive to promote unity
of action and with common endea
vor to sustain common tasks, so
as better to further the good of
religion and to safeguard more ef
fectively the ordered way of life
of the clergy.
The laity, too, should be taught
as part of its catechetical educa
tion about rites and their rules.
Finally, each and every Catho
lic, as also the baptized of every
non-Catholic church or denomin
ation who enters into the fullness
of the Catholic communion, must
retain his own rite wherever he
is, must cherish it and observe it
to the best of his ability.
• * *
Spiritual Heritage of
Eastern Churches
For this reason it solemnly de
clares that the Churches of the
East, as much as those of the West
have a full right and are in duty
bound to rule themselves, each in
accordance with its own estab
lished disciplines, since all these
are praiseworthy by reason of
their venerable antiquity, more
harmonious with the character of
their faithful and more suited to
the promotion of the good of
souls.
All members of the Eastern Rite
should know and be convinced
that they can and should always
preserve their legitimate liturgi
cal rite and their established way
of life, and that these may not be
altered except to obtain for them
selves an organic improvement.
All these, then, must be observed
by the members of the Eastern
rite themselves. Besides, they
should attain to an ever great
er knowldege and a more
exact use of them, and, if
in their regard they have fallen
short owing to contingencies of
times and persons, they should
take steps to return to their an
cestral traditions.
* * *
Eastern Rite Patriarchs
By the name Eastern patriarch,
is meant the bishop to whom be
longs jurisdiction over all bish
ops, not excepting metropolitans,
clergy and people of his own ter
ritory or rite, in accordance with
canon law and without prejudice
to the primacy of the Roman Pon
tiff.
Wherever an hierarch of any
rite is appointed outside the ter
ritorial bounds of the patriarch
ate, he remains attached to the
hierarchy of the patriarchate of
that rite, in accordance with can
on law.
The patriarchs with their synods
are the highest authority for all
business of the patriarchate, in
cluding the right of establishing
new eparchies and of nominating
bishops of their rite within the
territorial bounds of the pa
triarchate, without prejudice to
the inalienable right of the Roman
Pontiff to intervene in individual
cases.
* * *
Sacraments
The Sacred Ecumenical Council
confirms and approves the ancient
discipline of the sacraments ex
isting in the Oriental Churches, as
also the ritual practices connected
with their celebration and admin
istration and ardently desires that
this should be re-established if cir
cumstances warrant it.
The established practice in re
spect of the minister of Confirm
ation that has obtained from most
early times in the Eastern Church
should be fully restored. There
fore, priests validly confer this
sacrament, using chrism blessed
by a patriarch or a bishop.
In order that the ancient estab
lished practice of the Sacrament
of Orders in the Eastern Churches
may flourish again, this Sacred
Council ardently desires that the
office of the permanent diaconate
should, where it has fallen into
disuse, be restored.
To obviate invalid marriages
when Eastern Catholics marry
baptized Eastern non-Catholics and
in order to promote fidelity in]
and the sanctity of marriage, as
well as peace within the family,
the Sacred Council determines
that the canonical “form” for the
celebration of these marriages is
of obligation only for liceity; for
their validity the presence of a
sacred minister is sufficient, pro
vided that other prescriptions of
law are observed.
• * *
Divine Worship
Individual faithful dwelling out
side the area or territory of their
own rite may follow completely
the established custom of the
place where they live as regards
the law of the sacred seasons. In
families of mixed rite it is permis
sible to observe this law accord
ing to one and the same rite.
It belongs to the patriarch with
his synod, or to the supreme au
thority of each church with the
council of the hierarchs, to regu
late the use of languages in the
sacred liturgical functions and, af
ter reference to the Apostolic See,
of approving translations of texts
into the vernacular.
* * *
Relations With The
Separated Churches
The Eastern Churches in com
munion with the Apostolic See of
Rome have a special duty of pro
moting the unity of all Christians,
especially Eastern Christians in ac
cordance with the principles of
the decree, “About Ecumenism, of
this Sacred Council, by prayer in
the first place, and by the exam
ple of their lives, by religious fi
delity to the ancient Eastern tradi
tions, by a greater knowledge of
each other, by collaboration and a
brotherly regard for objects and
feelings.
If any separated Eastern Chris
tain should, under the guidance
of the grace of the Holy Spirit,
join himself to the unity of Catho
lics, no more should be required
of him than what a bare profes
sion of the Catholic faith demands.
Eastern clerics, seeing that a valid
priesthood is preserved among
them, are permitted to exercise
to Orders they possess on joining
the unity of the Catholic Church,
in accordance with the regulations
established by the competent au
thority.
Eastern Christians who are in
fact separated in good faith from
the Catholic Church, if they ask
of their own accord and have the
right dispositions, may be admit
ted to the sacraments of Penance,
the Eucharist and the Anointing
of the Sick. Further, Catholics may
ask for these same sacraments
from those non-Catholic ministers
whose chinches possess valid sac
raments, as often as necessity or
a geniune spiritual benefit rec
ommends such a course and ac
cess to a Catholic priest is physic
ally or morally impossible.
Further, given the same prin
ciples, common participation by
Catholics with their Eastern separ
ated brethren in sacred functions,
things and places is allowed for a
just case.
This conciliatory policy with re
gard to “communicatio in
(participation in things sacred)]
with the brethren of the
ated Eastern Churches is put bl
the care and control of the lo:
hierarchs, in order that, by
bined counsel among then
and, if need be, after consults
also with the hierarchs of the s
arated churches, they may
timely and effective regulatioi
and norms direct the relatioi
among Christians.
Conclusion
Meanwhile, however, all Chris-i
tians, Eastern as well as Western, ]
are earnestly asked to pray to f
fervently and assiduously, nay, »
deed daily, that, with the aid o!
the most holy Mother of God, all!
may become one. Let them pray 1
also that the strength and the con
solation of the Holy Spirit may
descend copiously upon all those j
many Christians of whatsoever
church they be who endure suffer-1
ing and deprivations for their U9t*|
wavering avowal of the name
Christ.
Each and all these matters j
which are set forth in this decree!
have been favorably voted on by J
the Fathers of the Council. And!
we, by the apostolic authority givj
en us by Christ and in union witt
the Fathers, approve, decree aim
establish them in the Holy Spintl
and command that they be promJ
iilgated for the glory of God. J
Given in Rome a t St Peter a
November 21, 1964. 1
Pope Paul V]
It is the fervent hope of B
Paters that Bishop Zayek will w
ble to provide a Maronite pr«*
» serve the many Lebanese P*®’
te in the Diocese of
The same perseverance and
tancy in the Catholic FailhfW®
as distinguished the Maronito«
ie only Eastern Church WW“
as never suffered schism has p*®' M
as never suiiereu avu*"
ailed among the Lebanese Pe0*v~'p
rho came to North Carolina o*r
alf a century ago. . . j*.
In anticipation of the revival-?
be Maronite Rite within <»r »
cese we will provide any M
eaders with a free full tod
be Conciliar Decree on Eastern
hurcbes. Just forward your,
uest on a postcard to: N.C. »»
lie, Box 9803, Raleigh, N.C.