A rite embodies a church, its traditions and the way in which the sacraments are performed and celebrated. There are four main locations of rites, namely Roman, Alexandrian, Byzantine and Antiochian. More than 20 liturgical rites present today come from these four major groups. The rites are distinct communities of faith with their own tradition, theology, liturgy, spirituality, law and hierarchy. However, all the rites of the Catholic Church are one spirit in the same profession of belief, in the same hierarchical conjunction and in the same celebration of the 7 sacraments. The Church of Antioch originated in Syria and is therefore considered an Apostolic See. being founded by Saint Peter (the first pope). The Maronite rite comes from the Antiochian tradition. The ancient Maronites were direct relatives of the humans who received the faith from the Apostle Peter. Around 400 AD, a group of Christians gathered around Maron, a hermit monk, on the slopes of Cyr Mountain, near Antioch, Syria. Little is known about Maron aside from knowledge of Hi...