Our Lady of Lebanon of Ohio

North Jackson Marian Advocation (Ohio)

La devoción a Our Lady of Lebanon born in Lebanon, especially in the shrine of Harissa, where from the beginning of the 20th century Mary was venerated as the country's patron, with the title of Our Lady of Lebanon or Queen of Lebanon. This deep Marian devotion, shared by Christians from the country and the diaspora, was taken to the United States by Lebanese and Maronite immigrants, who sought their own spiritual center.

Main data

Origin and history

La devoción a Our Lady of Lebanon born in Lebanon, especially in the shrine of Harissa, where from the beginning of the 20th century Mary was venerated as the country's patron, with the title of Our Lady of Lebanon or Queen of Lebanon. This deep Marian devotion, shared by Christians from the country and the diaspora, was taken to the United States by Lebanese and Maronite immigrants, who sought their own spiritual center.

According to the documented historythe first proposal to establish a sanctuary to Our Lady of Lebanon in the United States has emerged in 1960among the Maronite priests of the country. The chosen place was North Jackson, Ohiowhere a national sanctuary under the jurisdiction of the Maronite Catholic Eparoch of Our Lady of Lebanon. In time, the temple received the title of Minor Basilica and was recognized as Basilica and National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon, consolidating itself as the main center of this Maronite devotion in the United States.

There is no specific foundational tradition or legend in the sources consulted (apparitions, concrete initial miracles, etc.) linked to the origin of the North Jackson shrine; the motivation appears as pastoral and devotional of the Maronite community and the Lebanese diaspora.

The image and the sanctuary

The invocation is represented in North Jackson by a great statue of the Virgin on a towerwhich dominates the whole of the sanctuary. This configuration explicitly recalls the model of Harissa (Lebanon), where a great statue of the Virgin rises on a basis and has become a symbol of Marian protection over the country. No precise data on the material of the statue of North Jackson nor a detailed description of its iconography (exact posture, attributes, inscription), beyond its monumental character and high location.

The place of worship is officially called "The Basilica and National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon" (Basílica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon). Es una Minor Basilica of the Catholic Church of Rite maronita, situada en North Jackson, Ohio, United Statesand is under the jurisdiction of the Eparoch of Our Lady of Lebanon. The sanctuary includes the basilica itself, areas of pilgrimage in the open air and the tower with the great Marian image, setting up a space designed for prayer, recollection and multitudinary celebrations.

Sponsorship and coronation

The sanctuary is recognized as National sanctuary Maronite in the United States, especially linked to the Maronite Catholics of Lebanese origin and the Maronite epoch of Our Lady of Lebanon, which brings these faithful together in the country. The invocation expresses in particular the protection of the Virgin on the Lebanese community and on the Maronites of the diaspora, in continuity with the patronage of Our Lady of Lebanon on the country of Lebanon itself.

As regards a canonical coronation specific to the image of the North Jackson shrine, there is no clear reference in the sources consulted to an act of canonical coronation decreed by the Holy See or to a precise date. Therefore, according to the information available, does not contain a documented canonical coronation This is a North Jackson.

Party and devotion

In Lebanon, the Our Lady of Lebanon is celebrated around the month of May, linked to the Marian solemnity established in 1908 and very rooted in the country. For the North Jackson shrine, the Spanish sources do not indicate a Fecha liturgica propia specific other than the general feast of Our Lady of Lebanon; it does not record the exact date of a main celebration of the sanctuary in the documentation consulted.

The place has become a spiritual and cultural destiny of relevance, to whom pilgrims come to pray before the Virgin, to participate in celebrations and to strengthen the Maronite and Lebanese identity in the United States. It is a centre of pilgrimage especially significant for Lebanese Christians and their descendants, who find in this sanctuary a reference to their spiritual and national roots. There are no official figures of inflow in Spanish, although it is presented as a place of great peace and beauty, with a constant flow of visitors.

Link to the Rosary

The specific sources on the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon in North Jackson do not specify an exclusive or particular practice of Rosary attached to this advocation (e.g., an own Rosary fellowship or a watered prayer with unique characteristics); therefore, no consta a precise and differentiated documentary link on the Rosary in this sanctuary.

However, in the Maronite tradition and the Lebanese Marian piety, the prayer of the Rosary It is an important place as a meditative prayer of the mysteries of Christ in the company of Mary, especially in the strong times of the liturgical year and in the pilgrimages. It can be said, in the key of general Marian reflection, that in a sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon - patron of a people marked by the trial and the desire for peace - the Rosary is presented in a natural way as "chain" of supplication for peace, unity and the preservation of faith, accompanying the pilgrims in their daily life and in their visits to the sanctuary. Although no unique use is described, the Rosary is organically integrated into devotion to Our Lady of Lebanon of Ohio as one of the usual ways of honoring the Virgin and meditating on the mystery of Christ next to her.