Our Lady of the Cedar of Lebanon
The monastery chose the name Beit Maroun “Servants of the Cedar of Lebanon” to serve Our Mother who instructed us at the wedding feast of Cana, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5), directing all hearts toward obedience to her Son. Just as the mighty cedars of Lebanon stand resilient and majestic upon the mountain heights, so too does the Blessed Virgin Mary stand as the spiritual strength and beauty of this monastic family, serving as the primary patroness of the entire congregation. The monks express a special veneration to Our Lady by placing her sacred image upon their hearts—sewn directly onto their monastic habit over the chest—which they reverently kiss each day before wearing their habit, renewing their filial devotion and consecration to her maternal protection. The monks entrust themselves to her maternal intercession, seeking her guidance as they ascend the steep path of contemplative life and eremitical solitude. As Mother of the Church, she nurtures her monastic sons with tender care, leading them ever closer to her Divine Son and sustaining them through the challenges of their wilderness formation and communal life, so that in all things they may faithfully do whatever He tells them.
Saint Maroun
Saint Maroun, the great Syrian hermit of the fifth century who lived in radical solitude upon the mountains, is honored as the patron saint of the eremitical vocation within Beit Maroun. His life of extreme asceticism, unceasing prayer, and complete abandonment to God in the wilderness serves as the model and inspiration for all monks who aspire to the calling of the permanent hermit. Saint Maroun’s example illuminates the path for those undergoing progressive wilderness formation, teaching them to embrace silence, fasting, and solitary communion with God. Through his powerful intercession, the monks receive the grace and fortitude necessary to persevere in their demanding ascetic practices and to discern authentically whether God is calling them to embrace the fullness of hermit life in imitation of this holy father of the desert.
Saint John Chrysostom
Saint John Chrysostom, the eloquent Archbishop of Constantinople, known as the “Golden-Mouthed” preacher and fearless defender of truth, stands as patron of the missionary dimension of Beit Maroun’s vocation. Though deeply formed by monastic solitude and contemplative prayer during his years as a hermit in the mountains near Antioch, Saint John Chrysostom powerfully demonstrated how the fruits of contemplation must overflow into apostolic action and prophetic witness. His life teaches the monks that authentic eremitical spirituality is never escapism, but rather a preparation for the bold proclamation of the Gospel and courageous service to the Church. Under his patronage, the community learns to balance its rigorous life of prayer, asceticism, and wilderness formation with its calling to missionary work, pastoral ministry, and evangelization, drawing from the deep wells of contemplation to bring Christ’s transforming love to a world in desperate need.