Photos of Saint Raymond's Maronite Cathedral, in Saint Louis, Missouri

Here are photos of Saint Raymond's Maronite Cathedral, located on the southern edge of downtown Saint Louis. This is the Cathedral for the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of the Maronite Catholic Church, and has authority over Maronites in 38 western U.S. states. The Eparchy was founded in 1994 in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Saint Louis in 2001. The Maronite Church is one of the 23 Churches sui iuris (that is, self-governing) that make up the Catholic Church.

Last Friday, February 9^th, the Cathedral celebrated the feast day of Saint John Maron; he became Bishop in A.D. 676, and with the approval of Pope Sergius I, was appointed Patriarch of Antioch and all of the East in about A.D. 685. John took the name 'Maron' from the hermit-priest Saint Maron (died A.D. 410) who founded a community that eventually became known as the Maronites. Eventually in conflict with the Byzantine emperor, John and the Maronites fled Syria and settled in the stronghold of Mount Lebanon, where they formed into a distinctive nation and Church. In other calendars, the feast of Saint John Maron is March 2^nd and formerly was March 9^th.



The church was built in 1975, and became a Cathedral in 2001.



Shrine of Saint Raymond (Mar Romanus). His feast day is November 18^th, he was martyred in Syria in A.D. 304.



The altar.



The tabernacle.



Holy oils and a relic.



Saint Charbel (1828-1898), hermit in the mountains of Lebanon. He died on Christmas Eve after reciting the Father of Truth prayer, from the Maronite liturgy.



THE MARONITE LITURGY
according to the
Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church

See also this link to Maronite music.



The Maronite pastoral center dates from 2002, and contains the offices of the Eparchy. The Cathedral also features The Cedars banquet hall, which hosts an excellent buffet on Wednesdays.

Address:
939 Lebanon Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63104