Maronite Nuns in North Dartmouth Expand Religious Community in Southeastern Massachusetts

Mother Marla Marie Lucas has grown accustomed to being approached at the grocery store or gas station. People notice the gray habit she wears and often ask for prayers or share personal struggles. For Mother Marla Marie and the two other Maronite Servants of Christ the Light sisters, these interactions are part of their ministry at the first Maronite convent in the United States, a growing presence within the Eastern Catholic Church in communion with the pope.

Mother Marla Marie’s journey to religious life was not straightforward. She grew up in New York in the 1960s, studied journalism and political science at George Washington University, and worked as an editorial research assistant at The Washington Post. She had plans for graduate school, marriage, and a family. “I wanted to go to grad school eventually. I wanted to get married. I wanted to have kids. I had a career,” she recalled.

A chance encounter in Georgetown changed her path. While shopping with her younger siblings, she met two Catholic nuns who invited her to a retreat and asked if she had ever considered becoming a nun. “Oh no, Sister,” she said at the time. “Not me.” When she expressed doubt about her worthiness, one nun responded simply: “Oh Marla, no one is worthy.” The conversation stayed with her. “I wanted to help others,” she said. “I wanted to spread the truth through journalism, but this is even better.”

She entered religious life as a Parish Visitor of Mary Immaculate in 1983. “I willingly offered my hopes and dreams,” she said. Reflecting on her decision years later, she affirmed: “I wouldn’t trade it. I wouldn’t trade it.”

The Maronite Church, from which Mother Marla Marie’s community is drawn, traces its origins to St. Maron, a Syrian monk of the fourth century. His followers formed a religious community that eventually became the Maronite Church. Throughout its history, the church has remained in full communion with Rome while preserving its own identity and customs. It recognizes the authority of the pope and shares the same Catholic faith, but maintains its own liturgy, traditions, and spirituality rooted in the West Syriac tradition.

The Maronite Church is most closely associated with Lebanon, and Mother Marla Marie is of Lebanese descent. Her grandparents emigrated from Lebanon in 1905, just after the Maronite Church first established itself in the United States during a wave of Lebanese migration in the late 19th century. This historical connection underscores the church’s enduring presence in the region and its role in preserving cultural and spiritual heritage.

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