The Catholics of Lebanon who prayed to Our Lady Queen of Peace, for the gift of peace for their country

Approximately fifty planes, each one full of pilgrims,take off from Lebanon to visit Međugorje each year. Originally, these pilgrims had to go to Jordan to obtain visas, which caused many problems. Nowdays it is different, as the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ambassador or Chargé d'Affaires goes to the pilgrims to deal with their visas

Several thousand Lebanese Christians prove that faith knows no boundaries, as they pray in the Croatian language each first Saturday of the month, worshipping the Međugorje Queen of Peace in the Church of St Elias in the city of Intelyas . They do it just as it is done on that day in the Church of St James in Međugorje. And each September 24th in the Marian Shrine in Harissa, under the rich canopy of cedar trees, numerous Christians of Lebanon spend seven days and seven nights in tireless fasting and praying, honouring the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

The Experience of an Atheist

Once it was just a few, but nowdays numerous Christians of Lebanon (certainly exceeding 15,000) have become, through their own spiritual experiences, faithful pilgrims and witnesses of this Hercegovinian phenomenon. Due to the cruel civil war on one hand, and the resistance of the Lebanon Catholic Church on the other as it opposed anything that the Vatican does not yet officially recognise, the lasting dream of Lebanese Christians only began to come true in 1985. That was when their countrywoman, Sana Nassar, returned from Medjugorje full of wonderful impressions.

The Lebanese woman, who had been living in Paris until then as a convinced atheist, eager adventurer and ambitious businesswoman - and whose way of living was far from that of the Catholic Church - upon returning from Međugorje and the events she experienced there became a missionary of the Queen of Peace in Lebanon. She has become, she says, a different and better person. Her experience and belief has became an inspiration for many, including the clergy of Lebanon . She herself became the a foundation stone of the Faith, and is also the President of the Queen of Peace Association in Lebanon .

“My friends from France often used to talk about Međugorje phenomenon, but I mostly made a mockery of this. My life was occupied with earthly things and I did not give any significance to anything called a “miracle”. Anyhow, in 1985 these friends succeeded in persuading me to go with them to Medugorje. I now regard this decision as Providence .

“What I experienced there I consider the gift of life, which I have stored within myself forever. I am grateful to Our Lady for all that she has done for me, and mostly for making me a better person and a humanist” Sana says.

Shortly after the civil war in Lebanon had ended, Sana returned to her native Beirut full of strong emotions following her visit to Međugorje, and spurred on by the wish to give the message of the Queen of Peace to others.

“My return to Beirut in 1996 was extremely shocking for my family and close friends, who could not understand from where this change had come. I could understand that, since now from this point of view I can see the vanity of the life I led, the rush for ambition, money and other material things.

“It was my goal to persuade my brother and my parents to visit Međugorje, but some friends who had noticed the changes in me asked me to take them along also.So on that occasion about forty of us took the trip to Međugorje.

“Although I had no idea in which way I should organise the trip for so many who, among other things, needed visas, all went incredibly smoothly and without any problems. I knew that Our Lady was with us, and all of the forty people on that pilgrimage to Međugorje converted, and became the missionaries of the Queen of Peace in Lebanon.

The full article can be found on pages 44-49 of Vol 2
2007 issue.