Our Lady of Lebanon

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Our Lady of Lebanon
Shrine at night

The Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon (Arabic,سيدة لبنان), also known as Notre Dame du Liban, is a marian shrine and a pilgrimage site, honoring the patron saint of the Mediterranean country of Lebanon.

It is a key Christian pilgrimage site with a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon. The shrine belongs to the Maronite Patriarchate who entrusted its administration to the Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries since its foundation in 1904. It is one of the most important shrines in the world honoring the Virgin Mary. The shrine is highlighted by a huge, 15-ton bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of God. It is 8.5 m high, and has a diameter of five meters. The Virgin Mary stretches her hands towards Beirut. The Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon draws millions of faithful both Christians and Muslims from all over the world. The 50th jubilee in 1954 was also the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the Immaculate Conception. During these Jubilee celebrations, Pope Pius XII sent his representative, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli to Lebanon, the later Pope John XXIII. Pope John Paul II visited Our Lady of Lebanon in 1997. The Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries, responsible for the administration, works at reinforcing relations among all local Churches, Christian communities and apostolic movements.

The Lebanese Christians as well as the Druze and Muslims have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch named her the "Queen of Lebanon" in 1908 upon completion of the shrine.[1] Overlooking the bay of Jounieh, the shrine has become a major tourist attraction where tourists take the gondola lift, the Téléphérique, from the city of Jounieh to Harissa.

History

The Statue of Our Lady of Lebanon is a French-made, 13-ton statue, made of bronze and painted white,[2] of the Virgin Mary. It was erected in 1907 on top of a hill, 650 meters above sea level, in the village of Harissa, 20 km north of Beirut in honor of Our Lady of Lebanon. The land was donated by Cheikh Yousef, of the noble Khazen family.[3] It was made up of seven sections that were assembled on top of the stone base, which had a bottom perimeter of 64m, an upper perimeter of 12m and with an overall height of 20m. The height of the statue is 8.50m while its perimeter is 5.50m. The statue and the shrine were inaugurated in 1908, and it has become a major pilgrimage destination.

Papal Visit

Pope John Paul II visited the shrine when he made an official visit to Lebanon on May 10, 1997. He conducted a mass in the modern Basilica. On December 8, 1998, the Vatican announced that the World Day of the Sick would be celebrated on February 11, 1999 at Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.[4] Pope John Paul II prayed that Our Lady of Lebanon who had watched over the agonizing suffering of the Lebanese people could help all those who were suffering in the world.[4]

Pope Benedict XVI launched an appeal for peace in Lebanon and Gaza by invoking the protection of Our Lady of Lebanon on January 28, 2007. He said, "To Christians in Lebanon, I repeat the exhortation to be promoters of real dialogue between the various communities, and upon everyone I invoke the protection of Our Lady of Lebanon."

The Papal Embassy as well as the residences of four Eastern Rite cardinals of the Roman Catholic church are in the vicinity of Harissa and Our Lady of Lebanon.[5]

Churches, schools, and shrines dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon

Argentina

  • Instituto Nuestra Señora del Libano, San Martin, Mendoza, Argentina
  • Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Libano, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Australia

  • Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Melbourne VIC
  • Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Harris Park, Sydney, NSW
  • Our Lady of Lebanon College, Harris Park, Sydney, NSW
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, West Wollongong NSW

Brazil

File:Nslibano.jpg
Melkite Church of Our Lady of Lebanon in Fortaleza, Brazil
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Melkite Church, Fortaleza
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Square, Visconde do Rio Branco, Minas Gerais
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral, São Paulo, SP
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Parish, Porto Alegre, RS
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Canada

  • Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Toronto, Ontario
  • Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church and Shrine, Leamington, Ontario

France

Mexico

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Mexico City

Philippines

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Parish Church, Quezon City, Metro Manila
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Pasay City, Metro Manila
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Cebu City, Cebu
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Parish, Davao City
  • National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, Cotabato City
  • Parish Church of Our Lady of Lebanon, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Church, General Santos City, South Cotabato
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Parish, Zamboanga City
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Parish, Sultan Kudarat
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Dipolog City
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Iligan City
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Isabela City, Basilan

South Africa

  • Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon, Woodmead, Johannesburg
  • The Maronite Catholic Church, Mulbarton, Johannesburg

UK

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Parish - London

USA

Brooklyn cathedral

California

  • Mariam Mother of Life Shrine (replica of Our Lady of Lebanon) at St. Ephrem's Maronite Catholic Church - El Cajon, California
  • Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon - Los Angeles, California
  • Our Lady of Mount Lebanon - Los Angeles, California
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Antiochene Catholic Church - Millbrae, California

Connecticut

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Waterbury, Connecticut

District of Columbia

Florida

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Miami, Florida

Illinois

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Lombard, Illinois

Massachusetts

  • Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon, Boston, Massachusetts

Michigan

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Flint, Michigan

Missouri

  • Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, Saint Louis, Missouri

New York

Ohio

Oklahoma

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Catholic Church, Norman, Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Easton, Pennsylvania

Texas

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Austin, Texas
  • Our Lady of the Cedars Maronite Catholic Church, Houston, Texas
  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Lewisville, Texas

West Virginia

  • Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Wheeling, West Virginia

Uruguay

References

  1. Lebanon
  2. Jousiffe, Ann. Lebanon, page 146
  3. "Cheikh Francis Abee Nader and his son Yousef". Khazen.org.
  4. 4.0 4.1 VII World Day of the Sick, 1999
  5. Profile

External links

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