Saint Mari �ܳܐܪܝ̣ also known as Mares or Maris �αρις and originally named Palut �ܳܠܘ̣ܛ is a saint of the

Church of the East The Church of the East ( ) or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church, the Chaldean Church or the Nestorian Church, is one of three major branches o ...

. He was converted by

Thaddeus of Edessa According to Eastern Christian tradition, Addai of Edessa ( Syriac: ܡܪܝ ܐܕܝ, Mar Addai or Mor Aday sometimes Latinized Addeus) or Thaddeus of Edessa was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus. Life Based on various Eastern Christian ...

, also known as "Addai"), and is said to have had as his

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divinity, divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters ...

Mar Aggai Aggai was a 1st-century primate of the Church of the East, and a disciple of Mar Addai, who is believed to have sat from 66 to 81. It was said that Aggai was one of the seventy apostles, and was assigned the East as far as the border of India as h ...

Missionary work

He is identified as St. Mari of the

seventy disciples The seventy disciples (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές, ''hebdomikonta mathetes''), known in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκον� ...

with whom the Apocryphal ''

Acts of Mar Mari The ''Acts of Mar Mari'' �ܪܲܟܣܝ̣ܣ ܕܡܳܪܝ ܡܳܐܪܝ̣is a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian New_Testament_apocrypha#Acts, apocryphal acts. It pertains to the introduction of Christianity in northern and southern Mesopotamia by ...

'' are connected. According to the ''Acts of Mari'', Addai sent him to convert the area south and east of Edessa. Mari is believed to have done missionary work around

Nineveh Nineveh ( ; , ''URUNI.NU.A, Ninua''; , ''Nīnəwē''; , ''Nīnawā''; , ''Nīnwē''), was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul (itself built out of the Assyrian town of Mepsila) in northern ...

Nisibis Nusaybin () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Mardin Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,079 km2, and its population is 115,586 (2022). The city is populated by Kurds of different tribal affiliation. Nusaybin is separated ...

, and along the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

, and is said to have been one of the great apostles to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. He performs a number of miracles as proof of his holiness. He and Thaddeus are credited with the ''

Liturgy of Addai and Mari The Liturgy of Addai and Mari (or the ''Holy Qurbana of Mar Addai and Mar Mari'') is the Eucharistic liturgy belonging to the East Syriac Rite and was historically used in the Church of the East of the Sasanian (Persian) Empire. This liturgy ...

''.Goggin, John. "Liturgy of Addeus and Maris." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907 Mari was buried in Dayr-Kuni.

Veneration

Mari is venerated as a saint by the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

, the

Chaldean Catholic Church The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, particular church (''sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is ...

, and the

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a '' sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Cathol ...

. His feast day is 5 August in the Christian calendar.

References

Bibliography

* Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. ''The Penguin Dictionary of Saints''. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. * ''Aux origines de l'eglise de Perse: les Actes de Mar Mari''. Еd. par Jullien C., Jullien F. Leuven, Peeters, 2003, VIII-137 p. (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, 604). * Jullien C., Jullien F. ''Les Actes de Mar Mari''. Leuven, Peeters, 2003, VIII, 50 p. (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, 602). * ''The Acts of Mar Mari the Apostle''. Ed. by Amir Harrak. Atlanta (GA), Society of Biblical Literature, 2005, 134 pp. (Writings from the Greco-Roman World, 11). * ''Atti di Mar Mari''. Ed.

Ilaria Ramelli Ilaria L. E. Ramelli (born 1973) is an Italian-born historian, academic author, and university professor who specializes in ancient, late antique, and early mediaeval philosophy and theology. Life Ilaria Ramelli was born in Piacenza in 1973. ...

. Brescia: Paideia, 2008. 234 p. (Testi del Vicino Oriente antico 7, Letteratura della Siria cristiana, 2). {{DEFAULTSORT:Mari, Saint Syrian Christian saints Converts to Christianity Assyrian Church of the East saints Patriarchs of the Church of the East 120 deaths Year of birth unknown 1st-century bishops 2nd-century bishops Christian missionaries in Asia Christian miracle workers Bishops of Edessa