Novena to Our Lady of Lebanon
The novena to Our Lady of Lebanon is a nine-day prayer to the Virgin Mary under the title she carries at Harissa, where her white statue has stood above the bay of Jounieh since 1908. Lebanese families pray it in the nine days leading up to her feast on the first Sunday of May, and in any season when a need presses on the heart: an illness, a family in trouble, a loved one far away, or the country itself.
There is no single official text of the Our Lady of Lebanon novena. Several versions circulate among parishes and families in Lebanon and across the diaspora. The novena on this page was composed in the tradition of the shrine: nine days of short meditations and prayers drawn from Lebanon's Marian identity, from the cedar the Scriptures compare her to, to the scattered children who carry her name around the world.
If you prefer to pray on paper, Download the full novena as a free printable PDF. It contains all nine days, formatted for printing, so you can keep it in your Bible or share it with your family and parish.
How to Pray This Novena
Each day of the novena has the same simple shape, and it takes about five minutes.
- Begin with the Sign of the Cross and name your intention. Hold the same intention through all nine days.
- Read the short meditation for the day. Let it settle for a moment before you pray.
- Pray the prayer of the day. Slowly, aloud or in silence.
- Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us. If you wish, add the ancient prayer Sub Tuum Praesidium: "We fly to your protection, O holy Mother of God."
Pray at the same time each day if you can; a steady rhythm helps the novena take root. If you miss a day, simply pray twice the next day and continue. God sees the sincerity of your heart, not the perfection of your schedule.
To end the novena on the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon, count back nine days from the first Sunday of May and begin on the Saturday of the week before. But no calendar is required. If a need is on your heart today, today is the right day to begin this Our Lady of Lebanon prayer of 9 days.
The Nine Days of the Novena to Our Lady of Lebanon
Day 1: The Cedar of Lebanon
Scripture gives the cedar of Lebanon as an image of what grows tall and unbroken in God: "I was raised up like a cedar in Lebanon" (Sirach 24:13), words the Church has long placed on the lips of Mary. The cedar's roots go deep before its branches spread wide. Mary grew in hidden faithfulness before God made her the mother of his Son.
Our Lady of Lebanon, cedar of God's planting, you stood firm when the angel's word turned your life upside down. Root me deeply in God, so that no wind of fear or trouble can break me. Teach me your quiet strength, and carry my intention to your Son. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
Day 2: The Visitation
As soon as Mary learned she carried the Lord, she set out in haste into the hill country to serve her cousin Elizabeth. She did not wait to be asked. The mountain shrine at Harissa echoes that scene: Mary standing on the heights, arms open, already on her way toward those who need her.
Our Lady of Lebanon, mother who goes in haste, come quickly to me as you went to Elizabeth. Visit my home, my worries, and the intention I carry through these nine days. And make me like you: quick to notice a need, quick to rise, quick to serve. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
Day 3: The Wedding at Cana
At Cana, Mary noticed what was missing before anyone else did, and she brought it to Jesus with five simple words: "They have no wine." Then she told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Her intercession is not loud; it is attentive, confident, and always turned toward her Son.
Our Lady of Lebanon, mother of Cana, you see what has run out in my life before I find the words for it. Bring my need to Jesus as you brought the need of that young family. And give me the grace to do whatever he tells me, even when I do not yet understand. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
Day 4: Mother of Families
Mary kept a home in Nazareth: ordinary days, shared bread, worry and joy under one roof. Lebanese families have always placed their homes under her protection, from the icon in the kitchen to the statue on the dashboard. She understands what a family costs, and what it is worth.
Our Lady of Lebanon, mother of the home of Nazareth, gather my family under your veil. Heal what is strained between us, guard our children, strengthen every marriage in our house, and keep our table a place of peace. Where distance or hurt has divided us, draw us gently back together. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
Day 5: Health of the Sick
Generations of pilgrims have climbed the hill of Harissa carrying the names of their sick. Mary stood at the foot of the Cross and did not look away from suffering; she stayed. She is called Health of the Sick because she brings the suffering to the Healer.
Our Lady of Lebanon, health of the sick, I bring you the ones who are ill: their names, their pain, their fear of the night. Present them to Jesus, who healed all who were brought to him. Obtain healing if it is God's will, and in every case obtain patience, courage, and peace. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
Day 6: Mother of the Diaspora
More Lebanese live outside Lebanon than within it, and wherever they have settled they have built churches named for Our Lady of Lebanon, from Sydney to São Paulo to Detroit. She is the mother who emigrated too, carrying her child to Egypt by night. No one who leaves home is far from her.
Our Lady of Lebanon, mother of the scattered, watch over all who have left the mountains for far countries, and over the families who wait for their voices. Keep our roots alive in us: the faith, the language of prayer, the love of the land. And bring us together again, in this life or in your Son's kingdom. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
Day 7: Mother of Vocations
Lebanon's holiest sons and daughters grew up under Mary's care: Saint Charbel, Saint Rafqa, and Saint Nimatullah all belonged to her before they belonged to their monasteries. Every vocation begins the way hers did, with a quiet yes spoken to God in an ordinary place.
Our Lady of Lebanon, mother of monks and hermits, raise up from our families priests, monks, and nuns with hearts like the saints of our mountains. Give the young the courage to say yes as you said yes. And whatever my own calling is, help me live it faithfully, one day at a time. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
Day 8: Queen of Peace
Lebanon has known war, loss, and long uncertainty, and through all of it the hill of Harissa has remained a place where Christians and Muslims alike come to ask Mary's help. To pray for peace in Lebanon is not politics; it is a child asking a mother to calm the house.
Our Lady of Lebanon, queen of peace, look on the country entrusted to your care. Quiet every hand raised to harm, comfort all who have buried their dead, and give the weary hope that does not disappoint. Make Lebanon again what your shrine has always been: a place where neighbors meet in peace. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
Day 9: The Feast of Our Lady of Lebanon
On the first Sunday of May, crowds climb to Harissa on foot to crown the month of Mary at her statue. The ninth day of a novena is not an ending but a handing over: nine days of prayer placed finally and completely in her hands. Whatever comes next, you do not wait for it alone.
Our Lady of Lebanon, on this last day I place my intention in your hands as pilgrims place their candles at your feet. I consecrate to you myself, my family, and all I cannot control. Obtain for me what your Son knows I need, and keep me faithful when the nine days are over. Our Lady of Lebanon, my mother and my queen, I am yours. Amen.
Close with one Hail Mary and the invocation: Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us.
About Our Lady of Lebanon
The devotion behind this novena is anchored at Harissa, a hilltop village about 650 meters above the bay of Jounieh, north of Beirut. In 1904, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception, Maronite Patriarch Elias Hoyek and the Apostolic Nuncio launched the project of a great statue of the Virgin overlooking the sea.
The statue, bronze painted white, about 8.5 meters tall and weighing some 15 tons, was inaugurated in 1908, and the first Sunday of May was set as the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon. Pilgrims of every community climb the spiral ramp around her pedestal, and Pope John Paul II prayed there in 1997, calling Lebanon more than a country, a message.
Mary's bond with Lebanon is older than the statue. Scripture sings of the beauty of Lebanon and its cedars, and the Maronite liturgy has always honored her under that image. You can read the shorter daily prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon, and discover how Lebanese villages celebrate her in the Assumption of Mary in Lebanon.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon?
The feast of Our Lady of Lebanon is celebrated on the first Sunday of May. The date recalls the inauguration of the statue at Harissa on the first Sunday of May 1908. Because the feast follows the Sunday rather than a fixed date, it moves each year, so count back nine days from that Sunday if you want your novena to end on the feast.
How do I pray a novena?
A novena is simply the same prayer offered for nine days in a row for one intention. Each day of this novena, find a quiet moment, make the Sign of the Cross, name your intention, read the short meditation, pray the prayer of the day, and close with one Hail Mary and the invocation Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us. If you miss a day, pray twice the next day and continue; you do not need to start over.
Can I pray this novena for a specific intention?
Yes. That is how most people pray it. Name your intention on the first day, whether healing, a marriage, a child, work, a safe journey, or peace in Lebanon, and hold the same intention through all nine days. The daily themes do not replace your intention; they carry it, the way the same road can carry many travelers.
Is there an official novena to Our Lady of Lebanon?
No single official text has been published by the shrine at Harissa. Several versions circulate among Lebanese parishes, families, and diaspora churches. The novena on this page was composed in the tradition of the shrine: nine days of meditation and prayer rooted in Scripture and in Lebanon's Marian devotion, ending with the invocation used by pilgrims at Harissa.
Is there an Our Lady of Lebanon novena PDF?
Yes. You can download the full novena as a free printable PDF from this page. It contains all nine days with their meditations and prayers, formatted for printing, so you can pray it away from a screen or share it with your parish or family.
See also: Our Lady of Lebanon at Harissa, shrine and pilgrimage guide. Prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon. Novena to Saint Charbel. Novena to Saint Rafqa. Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral in Harris Park, Sydney. The Assumption of Mary in Lebanon.