Prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon
Above the Bay of Jounieh, a white statue of the Virgin Mary stands with her arms open toward the sea. For more than a century she has watched over a people who love her with the tenderness a child gives a mother. Maronites call her Sayyidat Lubnan, Our Lady of Lebanon, and they turn to her in joy and in sorrow, in wedding seasons and in war.
To pray to Our Lady of Lebanon is to place yourself, your family, and your homeland into gentle and trustworthy hands. On this page you will find a prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon, an act of consecration, a simple novena, and a few words on praying the rosary in her honor. Pray them slowly. She is never in a hurry with her children.
Who Is Our Lady of Lebanon
Our Lady of Lebanon is not a different Mary. She is the one Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, honored under a title dear to the Lebanese people. The title belongs above all to her shrine at Harissa, on a hill overlooking the Bay of Jounieh, north of Beirut, where a large white statue of Mary stands with open arms above the coastline.
The statue was inaugurated in 1908, and in the years since it has become the most recognizable symbol of Maronite faith. Pilgrims climb the hill on foot, often praying the rosary as they ascend, and arrive at the feet of their mother both tired and at peace. You can read more about the statue and the pilgrimage on our page dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon at Harissa.
The devotion is deeply Marian and deeply Maronite. Mary is honored here not as a power of her own but as the mother who always leads her children to her Son. When Lebanon suffers, her people gather beneath her outstretched arms and ask her to carry their prayers to Jesus. When they rejoice, they come to thank her. She belongs to the whole nation.
Prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon
This prayer can be said at any time, alone or with your family, before an image of Our Lady of Lebanon or simply from the heart. It is a good prayer to begin or end the day, and a natural one to pray at the close of the rosary.
O Mary, Our Lady of Lebanon,
Mother of Jesus and our mother,
from your hill above the sea you open your arms to us,
and we come to you as your children.Watch over Lebanon, the land of the cedars,
and over every home that calls upon your name.
Guard our families, our sick, and our young,
and gather those who are far away under your mantle.Teach us to trust as you trusted,
to say yes to God as you said yes,
and to carry our crosses with quiet love.
In our fears, be our peace.
In our sorrows, be our comfort.
In our joys, be our thanksgiving.Lead us always to your Son, Jesus,
for you never keep anything for yourself,
but give everything to him.
O Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for us. Amen.
You may close by praying a single Hail Mary, entrusting to her the one intention weighing most on your heart.
Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Lebanon
To consecrate yourself to Our Lady of Lebanon is to make a loving decision: to give your whole life to Jesus through the hands of his mother, and to let her care for you. It is not the worship due to God alone. It is the trust of a child who hands everything to a mother, sure that she will bring it safely to her Son.
Consecration is best made after prayer, and if possible after confession and Communion. Many families pray it on the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon, or at the end of the novena below, and then renew it each year.
O Our Lady of Lebanon, my mother,
today I place myself entirely in your hands.I give you my heart, my body, and my soul,
my family, my home, and all that I love.
I give you my past with its wounds,
my present with its cares,
and my future with its hopes and its fears.Take all of it and offer it to your Son.
Keep me close to Jesus.
Teach me to pray, to forgive, and to love.
Make my life a small yes to God,
joined to your own great yes.Queen and Mother of Lebanon,
I consecrate myself to you.
Do with me whatever draws me nearer to your Son,
and hold me under your mantle until the end. Amen.
A Simple Novena to Our Lady of Lebanon
A novena is a prayer repeated over several days with one intention. The word comes from the Latin for nine, and the fullest form lasts nine days. Below is a shorter three-day form that a family can pray together, easy to keep and easy to return to. You may pray it in the days before her feast, before a pilgrimage, or whenever you carry a heavy need.
Each day, find a quiet moment. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, name your intention, and then pray the day's theme, followed by the Prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon above and one decade of the rosary.
Day One — Entrusting
Our Lady of Lebanon, today I bring you this intention, and I place it in your hands with trust. You said yes to God without knowing all that would follow. Teach me to entrust to you what I cannot carry alone, sure that you will bring it to your Son. Pray for me, Mother.
Day Two — Protection
Our Lady of Lebanon, you spread your mantle over the land of the cedars and over all your children. Guard my family and everyone I love. Keep away from us all that harms the soul, and give us peace in our home. Under your arms we find shelter. Pray for us, Mother.
Day Three — Thanksgiving and Consecration
Our Lady of Lebanon, before I have even seen the answer, I thank you for your care. Whatever God grants, I trust that you have carried my prayer to him. Today I give myself to you again, and I ask you to lead me always to Jesus. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death. Amen.
If you prefer the traditional nine days, simply pray the Prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon and one decade of the rosary each day for nine days, holding to the same intention throughout, and make the Act of Consecration on the final day.
Praying the Rosary in Her Honor
There is no devotion to Mary more beloved among Maronites than the rosary. In many Lebanese homes the family gathers each evening, and the Hail Mary in Arabic becomes the soundtrack of home. To pray the rosary in honor of Our Lady of Lebanon is simply to pray it with her before your eyes, offering each decade for Lebanon, for your family, and for the intention on your heart.
The Hail Mary itself is drawn from Scripture. It joins the greeting of the angel Gabriel to Mary with the words of her cousin Elizabeth, and then asks for her prayers: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." Prayed slowly, again and again, it becomes a quiet rhythm of love.
If you would like a full guide to the mysteries and the Maronite way of praying, see our article on the Maronite Rosary. During the month of May, and on her feast, praying at least one decade a day in her honor is a beautiful way to stay close to her.
The Feast of Our Lady of Lebanon
The feast of Our Lady of Lebanon is kept on the first Sunday of May. On that day the shrine at Harissa fills with pilgrims, and Maronite parishes in Lebanon and across the diaspora hold Masses, processions, and rosaries in her honor. Families make the climb to the statue, light candles, and renew their trust in her.
The whole month of May is dedicated to the Virgin Mary throughout the Catholic world, so the feast opens a season rather than a single day. It is a natural time to begin the novena above, to make or renew your consecration, and to bring your children to know the mother their grandparents loved. However far from Lebanon a family lives, the first Sunday of May draws them home to her.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon?
The prayer to Our Lady of Lebanon is a Marian prayer that entrusts a person, a family, or the whole nation of Lebanon to the protection of the Virgin Mary under her title as Our Lady of Lebanon, honored at the shrine of Harissa above the Bay of Jounieh. It asks Mary, the mother of Jesus, to intercede for peace, protection, and a deeper faith. There is no single fixed text; Maronites pray it in their own words, and the prayer, act of consecration, and novena on this page are offered as reverent forms devotees may use.
How do you consecrate yourself to Our Lady of Lebanon?
To consecrate yourself to Our Lady of Lebanon is to entrust your whole life to Jesus through the hands of his mother. You do it by praying an act of consecration, ideally after prayer, confession, and Communion, giving Mary your heart, your family, and your intentions and asking her to lead you to her Son. Consecration is not worship of Mary; it is a loving decision to let her care for you and bring you closer to Christ. Many renew it on her feast, the first Sunday of May, or after a novena.
When is the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon?
The feast of Our Lady of Lebanon is celebrated on the first Sunday of May. On that day the shrine of Harissa fills with pilgrims, and Maronite parishes in Lebanon and across the diaspora hold Masses, processions, and rosaries in her honor. The month of May is dedicated to the Virgin Mary throughout the Catholic world, so the whole month carries a Marian spirit for Maronite families.
Where is the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon?
The shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon is at Harissa, on a hill above the Bay of Jounieh, north of Beirut. A large white statue of the Virgin Mary stands with her arms open over the coastline. It was inaugurated in 1908 and has become the most recognizable symbol of Maronite faith and a major pilgrimage site, drawing visitors of many faiths from Lebanon and around the world.
How do Maronites honor the Virgin Mary?
Maronites honor the Virgin Mary with deep tenderness. They pray the rosary at home, often in Arabic and often as a family; they keep May as her month; they make pilgrimage to Harissa; and they call on her as Sayyidat Lubnan, Our Lady of Lebanon, and affectionately as Yamma, my mother. Marian devotion is woven through Maronite life, and Mary is honored as the one who always leads the faithful to her Son, Jesus.
See also: Our Lady of Lebanon at Harissa. The shrine of Harissa. The Maronite Rosary. The Maronite saints. Novena to Saint Charbel.