The Maronite Catholic Church...
is an Eastern Catholic Church in the West Syriac Antiochene Tradition, a tradition as ancient as Christianity itself.
Maronites have remained loyal to the Catholic faith since their inception in the Fourth Century, and have never broken communication with the Pope and the Church of Rome. Certain Prayers in the Maronite Catholic Liturgy are said in Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ.
The Maronite Church takes its name from St. Maron, a Syrian herimt who lived in the fourth century. During the Council of Chalcedon in 451 the Syriac Church, along with the Alexandrian (Coptic) and Armenian Churches disagreed with the decision of the Council of Fathers and broke the union with the Great Church. Those who refused to follow the Syriac Church into heresy and remained loyal to the Catholic faith became known as the "Maronites".
The Maronites are one of 22 autonomous, or self-governing churches, which form the Catholic Church. While remaining in communication with the Pope, each Catholic Church has its own hierarhcy and clergy, generally headed by a patriarch or metropolitan, and separate ecclesiastical jurisdictions, called eparchies (dioceses) headed by an eparch (bishop). There are over 20 million Christians worldwide who live out their faith as Eastern Catholics.