[24] Father Michel Awit wrote in his book The Maronite Patriarchate, History & Mission (p. 59, 61):
“On July 5th, 1584, Pope Gregory inaugurated the Maronite College in Rome, satisfying the aspirations of the community and
opening to its students the way to success. In his bull the Pope declared: “We hope that the students of this college during the
days ahead, after being formed in piety and the true religion, which are of the tree of Sion and of the teaching of the Roman
Church, head of all the Churches, will return home to the cedars of Lebanon to serve their community, renewing in their country
faith in God. “This is why, with full knowledge of the facts and by virtue of our apostolic authority, we establish the Maronite
College, where the students of this community may learn good behavior, devotion, the true doctrine, and all the virtues which
every Christian must have.” With the arrival of the first students in Rome, the dreams of the Pope became a reality, and the whole
Maronite community began to emerge from the shadows. More than that, the Maronite community now had means of access to
Europe and to the world beyond, and was able to play its role as an intermediary between East and West. Many eminent clerics
were trained in the Maronite College, the most famous being Patriarch Dwaihy, “who visited every diocese to choose holy and
educated priests. He examined the liturgical books, corrected the errors introduced into them by the copyists, read and adapted
the works of historians, both eastern and western, and wrote books some of which are still unpublished.” (Patriarch Jacob Awad)
Others worthy of note include Joseph Assemani, appointed archivist in the Vatican Library, Gabriel Sionite, professor first in Rome
and then in Paris in the Royal College as well as interpreter to King Louis XIII, Echellensis, whose career exactly paralleled that of
Gabriel Sionite, and Merhej Ben Namroun, also professor and interpreter.
Antoine Khoury Harb wrote in his book The Maronites History and Constants (p. 102,104):
“The foundation of the Maronite School of Rome was followed by the establishment of the first printing press in the Levant in 1610
in the monastery of Qozhaya, Lebanon. This press published Arabic books in the Syriac script (Karshuni)… The cultural peculiarity
of the Maronite School had its impact in Europe, where the saying “Knowledgeable like a Maronite” was very much in use.”
Father Michel Awit wrote in his book The Maronite Patriarchate, History & Mission (p. 63-67):
“The Patriarchs were now in a position to encourage the education of their people. As the famous Lebanese Synod said:
“In the name of Jesus Christ we urge you all, the ordinaries of the dioceses, of the towns, villages and hamlets, and of the
convents, to work together to encourage this undertaking, which will bear much fruit. The chiefs of the people must find teachers
wherever they can, and take the names of all the children able to learn, and order the parents to bring their children to school
even against their will. If they are orphans or if they are poor, let the church or the monastery feed them, and if it cannot, let
it contribute one half of the cost and the parents the other.” (The Lebanese Synod, 529) Now western religious communities
began to settle in Lebanon. The Capuchins were the first in 1626, followed in 1635 by the Carmelites and in 1656 by the Jesuits.
The process went steadily ahead. These religious orders came in order to serve the Lebanese. They opened schools in which the
youth of the country were formed, schools whose academic level was on a par with those of Europe itself. Schools were opened
one after the other, until there was one adjoining every Maronite Church. Some, such as those of Ain Warka, Mar Abda, and
Haouka, flourished and gained a reputation for themselves. Once the Lebanese, at that time mostly Maronites, had acquired a
good education, they were at the forefront of Arab intellectual progress, and played a leading role in the cultural Renaissance of
the Middle East. “In 1694, Gabriel Hawa, Abdallah Ben Abdel-Ahad Qara’li, and Youssef Ben Albeten, approached Patriarch Dwaihy
to request his permission to establish a religious community that follows a religious rule and constitutions under the authority of
superiors who would be under a superior general. The members would take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, under the
patronage of St Anthony, the father of hermits. The Patriarch looked favorably on their demand, thanked them, and blessed
their enterprise.” (Debs, 253)
[25] Luke 4:18-19
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