Holy Qurobo

The Holy Qurobo (Classical Syriac: ܩܘܽܪܳܒܳܐ ܩܰܕܝܫܳܐ, romanized: Qūrōbō Qādīśō) or Holy Qurbono (Classical Syriac: ܩܘܽܪܒܳܢܳܐ ܩܰܕܝܫܳܐ, romanized: Qurbōnō Qādīśō, the "Holy Offering" or "Holy Sacrifice" in English) refers to the Eucharist as celebrated in the Syro-Antiochene Rite (West Syriac Rite) and the liturgical books containing rubrics for its celebration. West Syriac Rite includes various descendants of the Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches. It consists of two distinct liturgical traditions: the Maronite Rite, and the Jacobite Rite. The major Anaphora of both the traditions is the Divine Liturgy of Saint James in Syriac language. The Churches are primarily based in the Middle East and India.

The Maronite tradition is employed solely in the Maronite Church originating from the region of modern-day Lebanon.

The Jacobite tradition is employed in the Syriac Orthodox Church based in Syria and its Maphrianate in India known as Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, the Syriac Catholic Church based in Lebanon, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Malabar Independent Syrian Church and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church based in India.

A reformed variant of the latter tradition without intercession to saints and prayers for the departed, is used by the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, a Reformed Oriental Church.

The Syriac word qurobo is derived from the Aramaic term qurbana (ܩܘܪܒܢܐ). When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, and sacrifices were offered, "qorban" was a technical Hebrew term for some of the offerings that were brought there. It comes from a Hebrew root, "qarab", meaning "to draw close or 'near'". A required korban was offered morning and evening daily and on holidays (at certain times, additional 'korbanot' were offered), in addition to which individuals could bring an optional personal Korban.

The Holy Qurobo is referred to as "complete" worship, since it is performed for the benefit of all members of the Church. The other sacraments are celebrated for individual members. Thus the Holy Qurobo is believed to be the sacrament that completes all the others. Hence it is called the "sacrament of perfection" or the "queen of sacraments".

A similar term Holy Qurbana is used to denote the eucharistic celebration in the East Syriac Rite also. Although the term Holy Qurbana is generally associated with the Eucharistic celebration in the East Syriac Rite, the Divine Liturgy in the West Syriac Churches based out of Kerala, in India is popularly referred to as Holy Qurbana and rarely, Holy Qurbono, due to their historical ties with the East Syriac Church which lasted until the sixteenth century.

West Syriac liturgical rite is developed out of the ancient Antiochene Rite of the Patriarchate of Antioch, adapting the old Greek liturgy into Syriac, the language of the Syrian countryside. West Syriac liturgies thus represent one of the major families in Syriac Christianity, the other being the Edessan Rite (East Syriac Rite), the liturgy of the Church of the East and its descendants.