Sister Marana Saad is the founder, president and music instructor at the Philokalia Institute, known until 2018 as the Saint Rafqa Music Institute. In addition to teaching at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) and Notre Dame University (NDU), she is a member of the Maronite Patriarchal Committee for Liturgy (Music Committee).

Sr. Marana holds a PhD in Monastic Theology from the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm in Rome and a PhD in Sacred Music from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK).

Having studied choral conducting with Maestro Walter Marzilli at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, she founded in 2010 the Saint Rafqa Institute and Choir (youth and children) where she is currently teaching and conducting the Philokalia Choir.

Under her direction, the Philokalia Choir has established its reputation as one of the leading choirs in Lebanon, as she directed several liturgical and musical celebrations, masses and concerts at various churches and theatres in Lebanon and abroad. Sr. Marana and the choir performed in concerts and operettas where she directed prominent orchestras and other leading choirs, receiving many invitations to international festivals and honoring ceremonies and events in France, Cyprus, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the United States. She also conducted the choir in recording several soundtracks for television and movies. In the summer of 2014, she organized the “Friendship between Choirs” Festival in Lebanon, hosting musical and choral workshops with the participation of leading choirs in Lebanon.

Besides her participation in various conferences and workshops (Rome, Estonia, USA, Cyprus, etc.), Sr. Marana has published several articles about sacred music, choir management and leadership, not to mention her contributions to many TV programs as administrator, writer and director. She is also the author of theological and musical texts, in addition to composing and directing six albums and a series of religious hymns.