The year 2006 has seen turmoil and conflict in the nation of Lebanon as assassinations, a catastrophic war between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, and an ongoing political crisis have destroyed the country's economy and caused mass suffering among its people. Lebanon, a nation with a rich and ancient Christian heritage, now sees its Christian population threatened with extinction due to emigration and impoverishment.

Over the past decade, the Maronite Outreach, a volunteer-based charity founded at St. John Maron Maronite Catholic Church in Anaheim, has established several charitable projects intended to aid Christian families and children in Lebanon. The preservation of Christianity in Lebanon serves as the charity's ultimate goal. The Maronite Outreach is dedicated to relieving some of the hardships Christians face in Lebanon that lead them to emigrate or hinder their ability to be witnesses to Christ.

Most recently, the Maronite Outreach launched its Christian Solidarity and Relief Campaign to alleviate the suffering of Christian families devastated by the 2006 war.

The Maronite Catholic Church and Lebanon
Maronites are members of the Maronite Catholic Church, an Eastern Rite Catholic Church in communion with the Pope. Maronites take their name from the 5th century priest St. Maron, a zealous missionary who converted pagans to Christians in Syria, and whose disciples spread Christianity throughout Lebanon.

Throughout their history, Maronites sought refuge from a series of invasions in the rugged mountains of Lebanon. Despite enduring several periods of persecution, Christians in Lebanon remained staunch defenders of Lebanon's independence and humanitarian values, including: freedom of speech, religious tolerance, and respect for individual rights.

Maronites have faced significant challenges since Lebanon's independence in 1943, including diminishing political power due to rapidly changing demographics, continued emigration, devastation of Maronite villages and churches during the 15-year civil war (1975-1990), and progressive impoverishment of the population.

Today, the population of Lebanon exceeds 4 million and consists of 17 different religious groups, including Christians and Muslims. Maronite Catholics are estimated at roughly 25 percent of the population, with the total Christian population in Lebanon estimated at between 35 percent to 40 percent.

Since the late 19th century, Maronites have emigrated all over the world. Today, close to 1 million Maronites and other Lebanese Christians live in the United States, with well over 100,000 in California alone. In California, Maronite parishes can be found in Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, and San Francisco, with active missions in the San Fernando Valley, Covina, Riverside, and Stockton.

Maronite Outreach projects
The Maronite Outreach is a parish-based charity working from within the Catholic Church in light of directives issued by Pope John Paul II for ensuring the survival of Christian faith, heritage and values in Lebanon. The Maronite Outreach thrives on volunteers and operates with the blessing of the two Maronite Catholic Bishops in the USA, their Excellencies Robert Shaheen and Gregory Mansour. At this time, the Maronite Outreach has established chapters in seven Maronite Catholic parishes in the USA and is actively expanding to others.

The Maronite Outreach's core projects include:

---Scholarship Program. After years of economic difficulty, growing numbers of Christians in Lebanon are unable to provide adequate education for their children. The objective of the Maronite Outreach scholarship program is to help families in need fund their children's school tuition. Individual scholarships range between $200 and $1,000. To date, the Maronite Outreach has offered more than 100 scholarships.

---Child Sponsorship Program. This program enables a family or individual in the United States to sponsor a child in need in Lebanon and establish a personal bond with the child, providing regular financial support directed towards food, health, and education. The program offers flexible payment plans with four different levels of sponsorship ranging from $37 to $112 per month. To date, the Maronite Outreach has facilitated the sponsorship of over 120 children who were facing the risk of being pulled out of school or being placed in an orphanage.

---Church Rebuilding Program. The church in a Lebanese village is more than a place of worship; it is the center of community gatherings. Once rebuilt, the church plays a substantial role in bringing the displaced back. The objective of this project is to help rebuild churches demolished during the Lebanese Civil War, or demolished or damaged more recently during the latest war. To date, the Maronite Outreach has contributed to rebuilding six churches devastated during the Lebanese Civil War.

Christian Relief and Solidarity Campaign
The Summer 2006 war between Israel and the Hezbollah militia has devastated Lebanon through a humanitarian and economic crisis. The war caused many Christians, particularly in South Lebanon, to suffer immensely, losing their family members, houses, sources of income, and churches.

In addition to damage to Catholic schools and churches estimated in the millions of dollars, thousands of acres of agricultural land were destroyed. The manufacturing sector was hit especially hard by the direct bombing of factories, bridges, and roads as well as the displacement of laborers.

The war also devastated Lebanese Christians outside of South Lebanon by turning the summer tourism season into a series of forced evacuations of foreign nationals, effectively driving away a major source of Lebanon's revenue. The socioeconomic devastation is of gigantic proportions.

The world community, the United Nations and many non-governmental organizations have provided much needed immediate relief with temporary housing, medical care and food. However, the consequences of this war will last beyond the acute period and may lead to further emigration and displacement.

The Maronite Outreach's Christian Relief and Solidarity Campaign consists of two core programs aimed at alleviating the suffering the neediest of these Christians continue to endure.

---First, the Campaign seeks to provide emergency relief grants to families in dire need. The emergency relief grants may be used to rebuild homes damaged during the conflict and to meet other urgent daily needs.

---Second, the Campaign will further support those families through the direct sponsorship of their children. Sponsorship will ensure their children can stay in school, have sufficient food, and receive medical treatment. Sponsorship will continue until those families are able to support themselves.

Ultimately, the Campaign seeks to preserve Christianity in Lebanon and send a message of hope, solidarity and charity to suffering Christians.

For more information about the Maronite Outreach and to contribute to its projects during this Christmas season, visit www.maroniteoutreach.org or call (213) 458-0580.

Michael Alti is a parishioner of St. John Maron Maronite Catholic Church in Anaheim. A land use/environmental attorney with law firm of Jackson, DeMarco, Tidus & Peckenpaugh in Irvine, he is an alumnus of Corpus Christi School in Pacific Palisades and Loyola High School in Los Angeles.