 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
SHRINES TO MARY
Throughout the world, there are many Shrines. Shrines to
Jesus, to Mary, to Saints and Martyrs. All afford wonderful
opportunities to honor these Saints and give glory to God. Yet
they are much more; These consecrated Shrines are man's
Sanctuary in a world besieged by violence and wars, sickness
and death, immorality and Godlessness. It is my belief that
certain Shrines provide specific and differing graces.
However, I believe that Shrines to the Blessed Virgin Mary
provide all graces, since there was never a time when she
ceased to be full of grace and God's favor. All graces come
from God, but just as it pleased Him to give us the infinite
grace through Mary, (namely Jesus Christ), so it pleases Him
still, to continue dispensing all graces through Mary!
Whatever our needs or the needs of our loved ones, we can
confidently call on our mother Mary. Be it the healing of
body, mind or soul, the calming of our fears and anxieties, the
reparation of relations with family or friends, consolation in
time of tragedy, or the safe, peaceful passage from this life, she
is our greatest benefactor, next to Jesus.
Recalling the wedding at Cana, when they ran out of wine;
Of all the problems man could face, running out of wine seems
so trivial,... not worthy of a miraculous favor from God! Yet
Mary did not consider this too minor a problem to present to
her Son; and since it was His mother presenting this problem,
Jesus did not consider it too minor a problem either, and so
He granted this favor by changing water into the best wine!
Of all the favors Jesus granted by way of His divine power,
this was one of the rare occasions that did not involve a
physical or spiritual healing! And what's more, Jesus did
many other great things that did not make it into print or the
Canon of Scripture, yet He made sure this incident made it,
and for good reason; He wants us to know that we can go to
His mother Mary for everything, great and small. No doubt,
our needs are much greater than "wine" ! How much more
readily will He grant His mother's requests when our needs
are so much greater!?
The Blessed Virgin Mary answers to many names and titles;
but the one I like the most is simply, "MOM". To me, theses
three letters say a lot:
Mother Of Mercy; Since Jesus Christ is Mercy itself, and she
is His mother!
Mother Of Mourners; She, who lost her only Son, a Son pure
and innocent, at the hands of sinful men. ("and a sword shall
pierce your heart"). Who better to relate to our pain at the
loss of our loved ones? Who better to comfort us and be there
to receive those we love?
Mother Of Mine; Personally mine!
Mother Of Millions; Since she intercedes for the world!
It is with the above thoughts in mind and on Mary's behalf,
that I invite everyone in need, or in thanksgiving, to go to
MOM, speak to MOM and ask of her what you will. I invite
you to visit her Shrines throughout the world for special
blessings. I invite you to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of
Lebanon in North Jackson, Ohio; to come on a Spiritual
Pilgrimage or Retreat; To stay a while, to pray a while and
say, "Thanks Mom!"
For care givers in the ministry of providing for the sick, the
dying or the lonely; I invite you to bring all those who suffer,
to our Mother Mary. You too, care givers, need strength and
comfort; come!
THE MEMOIR
Throughout the world, there are many Shrines. Shrines to
Jesus, to Mary, to Saints and Martyrs. All afford wonderful
opportunities to honor these Saints and give glory to God. Yet
they are much more; These consecrated Shrines are man's
Sanctuary in a world besieged by violence and wars, sickness
and death, immorality and Godlessness. It is my belief that
certain Shrines provide specific and differing graces.
However, I believe that Shrines to the Blessed Virgin Mary
provide all graces, since there was never a time when she
ceased to be full of grace and God's favor. All graces come
from God, but just as it pleased Him to give us the infinite
grace through Mary, (namely Jesus Christ), so it pleases Him
still, to continue dispensing all graces through Mary!
Whatever our needs or the needs of our loved ones, we can
confidently call on our mother Mary. Be it the healing of
body, mind or soul, the calming of our fears and anxieties, the
reparation of relations with family or friends, consolation in
time of tragedy, or the safe, peaceful passage from this life, she
is our greatest benefactor, next to Jesus.
Recalling the wedding at Cana, when they ran out of wine;
Of all the problems man could face, running out of wine seems
so trivial,... not worthy of a miraculous favor from God! Yet
Mary did not consider this too minor a problem to present to
her Son; and since it was His mother presenting this problem,
Jesus did not consider it too minor a problem either, and so
He granted this favor by changing water into the best wine!
Of all the favors Jesus granted by way of His divine power,
this was one of the rare occasions that did not involve a
physical or spiritual healing! And what's more, Jesus did
many other great things that did not make it into print or the
Canon of Scripture, yet He made sure this incident made it,
and for good reason; He wants us to know that we can go to
His mother Mary for everything, great and small. No doubt,
our needs are much greater than "wine" ! How much more
readily will He grant His mother's requests when our needs
are so much greater!?
The Blessed Virgin Mary answers to many names and titles;
but the one I like the most is simply, "MOM". To me, theses
three letters say a lot:
Mother Of Mercy; Since Jesus Christ is Mercy itself, and she
is His mother!
Mother Of Mourners; She, who lost her only Son, a Son pure
and innocent, at the hands of sinful men. ("and a sword shall
pierce your heart"). Who better to relate to our pain at the
loss of our loved ones? Who better to comfort us and be there
to receive those we love?
Mother Of Mine; Personally mine!
Mother Of Millions; Since she intercedes for the world!
It is with the above thoughts in mind and on Mary's behalf,
that I invite everyone in need, or in thanksgiving, to go to
MOM, speak to MOM and ask of her what you will. I invite
you to visit her Shrines throughout the world for special
blessings. I invite you to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of
Lebanon in North Jackson, Ohio; to come on a Spiritual
Pilgrimage or Retreat; To stay a while, to pray a while and
say, "Thanks Mom!"
For care givers in the ministry of providing for the sick, the
dying or the lonely; I invite you to bring all those who suffer,
to our Mother Mary. You too, care givers, need strength and
comfort; come!
THE MEMOIR
- Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it
known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your
help, or sought your intercesssion, was left unaided. Inspired
by this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my
mother; To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and
sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my
petitons, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
- Welcome Visitors
may your visit to this very special place of peace and blessings be
satisfying, fulfilling and rewarding in every way. Please know that our
Blessed and Holy Mother welcomes everyone here.
Please be informed about these few but important points about our
Shrine:
* Our Shrine is open year round to all visitors.
All groups wishing to make a special day of prayer, conference, retreat
or day of recollection may contact our office at 330-538-3351 for all
details.
* Please know that your visit here is a very important one. May I
please assure you of our prayers for all your intentions and needs and
those of your loved ones. May we also ask for your prayers. When you
pray, please remember in a special way, the intentions of this Shrine.
God bless you.
Monsignor Anthony Spinosa (Rector)
Email: info@ourladyoflebanonshrine.org
| ||||||||||||
| About Us |
Jurisdiction The National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Bishop Robert J. Shaheen of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in St. Louis, Missouri. Gift Shop The Shrine has always had a gift shop of some sort. It has grown to be one of the largest religious gift shops between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Click here for more information.
In 1982 Cedars Hall was dedicated as the Shrine's banquet hall. It is used for large gatherings, parties, receptions, etc. It seats up to 500 guests. It is now called The Cedars Reception Center. Visit our link for more information on rentals. From the beginning, adequate space in which pilgrims could worship was of paramount importance. From the humble beginnings of the glass-enclosed chapel attached to the Shrine tower, plans for a larger facility were decisively set in motion in 1983 with the approval of Archbishop Francis. He suggested that the new chapel be named in honor of Christ, the Prince of Peace. By the summer of 1985 plans had progressed. On August 15th, Archbishop Francis Zayek and Archbishop Pio Laghi, Papal Pro- Nuncio to the U.S., blessed the site of the new chapel. On December 8, 1987, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Chapel to Christ the Prince of Peace, was solemnly dedicated by Archbishop Zayek. On that Wednesday evening, the chapel overflowed with about 800 visitors. Also a special blessing for this occasion was the fact that this was a Jubilee Year in honor of Our Lady. This was like another heavenly approval for this great addition. Patriarchal Visits On June 28, 1988 our Maronite Patriarch, Nesrallah Peter Sfeir, made a visit to the Shrine. He celebrated a Pontifical Liturgy for all the public followed by a reception. He also made a visit to the Shrine on February 22, 2001 for the consecration of Bishop Shaheen to the episcopate. Administration of the Shrine There have been three Administrators since the Shrine was founded: Msgr. Peter Eid from 1965 to 1969, Msgr. Peter Tayah from 1971 to 1973 and Msgr. Dominic Ashkar from 1975 to 1983. Directors included the Rev. Ronald Zidian, 1965 to 1969 and 1972 to 1974, Msgr. George Webby, from 1969 to 1972 with Father Joseph Thomas as his assistant, Msgr. Michael Kail from 1974 to 1976, Msgr. William Bonczewski from 1976 to 1978 and 1980 to 2003, Father William Decker from 1978 to 1980 and Msgr. Anthony Spinosa from 2003 to the present. 25 Club The 25 Club is a group of people who initially purchased tickets for $25.00 which entitled them to a weekly prize drawing for a period of six months. At the end of these six months, a banquet was held where larger money prizes were given. This fund raiser first started in 1968 and continues to be a really successful program. It was only recently that the price was raised to $35.00 due to the increased cost of food. The first couple of years these funds from the 25 Club were used to pay all the utilities. Contact us for information on becoming a member. Rosary Group The Rosary Group at the National Shrine was formed in 1980 to pray for vocations. It is also responsible for planning and working the many shrine fund raisers. The Rosary Group helps wherever there is a need. To become a member of the Rosary Group, please email the Shrine |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Music Control For Ave Maria By Mary Jo Spletzer Stetson |