His Holiness, our Maronite Patriarch was born on May 15, 1920 in the Maronite town of Rayfoun in Kesserwan. His Holiness was educated in Beirut, and Mar Abda School in Harharaya where he completed his primary and complementary studies, and Ghazir where he completed his secondary studies at St. Maron seminary. He completed training in philosophy and theology in 1950 at Saint Joseph's university.

His Holiness was ordained to the priesthood in the same year the 7th of May. From 1951 to 1955 he served as a priest to the Maronite town of Rayfoun. In 1956 he was appointed the secretary of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerké. In the same year he was the professor of translation in literature and philosophy at the Frères Maronite School in Jounieh. In June of 1961 he was appointed the titular bishop of Tarsus and Patriarchal vicar. In July of 1961 his Holiness became a Bishop after the Maronite bishops have elected him. From 1961 to 1986 his Holiness was the Patriarchal vicar and secretary of the Maronite Patriarchate. His Holiness was elected as the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and the whole East, in April 27, 1986. As the case with most Maronite Patriarchs and monks, his Holiness speaks fluently many languages: Lebanese, Syriac/Aramaic, French, Italian/Latin, English and also the Arabic language.

His Holiness wrote many books: The sources of the Gospel-Bkerké, 1975. Personalities that disappeared 1961-1974 - two volumes. Sunday sermons: spiritual reflections and stand of national positions, several volumes 1988. His Holiness is the head of our Maronite Church, a community of more than 1.500,000 adherents in Lebanon, and millions around the world.

Patriarch Khoraiche resigned his office in 1985 and was succeeded by Nasrallah Sfeir in April 1986.

Having been the Vicar for two previous patriarchs, Patriarch Sfeir was well experienced in the role of Bkerké in both the ecclesiastical and civil spheres. He became a strong voice for reason and sanity in the latter years of the Lebanese conflict. At the present time, he has become the conscience of the country, pointing to the injustices that exist in the social and political spheres, and speaking up for the poor and disenfranchised. In his writings and sermons he has been presenting an agenda of how Lebanon is to achieve a future based on freedom and human rights.

The works of liturgical reform bore fruit in 1992 with the publication of a new Maronite Missal. The Missal represents an attempt to return to the original form of the Antiochene Liturgy. Its Service of the Word is far more enriched than previous Missals, and it features six Anaphoras [Eucharistic Prayers]. At the present time, liturgical reform is continuing at an accelerated pace. The Maronites have existed largely exclusively in Lebanon for centuries and have formed a strong attachment to the region, seeing their identity and the nation's as intertwined. The traditional role Lebanon played as a gateway between East and West, plus their common Christian faith, saw the Maronites develop ties with European nations and leaders, and culminated in their prescribed role under the 1943 Constitution as President of independent Lebanon.