Issued by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media - Jordan. Editor-in-chief Fr. Rif'at Bader - موقع أبونا abouna.org

Published on Sunday, 21 April 2024
Jordan: Prince Ghazi visits the shrine of Our Lady of the Mount in Anjara

By Munir Bayouk/ en.abouna.org :

On Friday April 19, 2024 His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi Ibn Muhammad, Chief Advisor to King Abdullah II for Religious and Cultural Affairs and Personal Envoy of King Abdullah II,  accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Miriam Ghazi, visited the Latin parish and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Mount in Anjara.

 

Upon arrival he was welcomed by parish priest Fr. Yousef Francis, and Mother Maria de la Cantebloción.

 

During a tour of the monastery's facilities, Fr. Yousef presented a briefing of the history of the monastery and its mission. The tour included a visit to the center for the orphaned children and underprivileged youth, which was established in 2006 by the priests and nuns of the Order of the Incarnate Word to serve as a religious, spiritual and social center.

 

The Order of the Incarnate Word stated that the visit was “characterized by simplicity and great humility, and this is what distinguishes the Hashemites,” noting that "it coincided with the silver jubilee of His Majesty King Abdullah II's assumption of his constitutional powers, as Jordan is considered a model of common living, a haven, and an oasis of security and stability."

 

On behalf of the Order of the Incarnate Word, Fr. Yousef Francis extended “thanks and appreciation for the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi Ibn Muhammad to the parish of the Latin Monastery in  Anjara, and pleaded with God to overwhelm Jordan and the entire Middle East region with peace and stability, as well as to provide His Majesty King Abdullah II with wisdom, strength and patience, to engulf the Hashemite family and the extended Jordanian family with love and harmony."

 

It is noteworthy that the Anjara is an agglomeration located in the neighborhood of Ajloun. It hosts the catholic monastery of the "Lady of the Mount", where miraculous healing cases have been reported. The sanctuary shelters a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, and the chapel exposes beautiful biblical frescos in an modern orthodox painting style.

 

It is worthy to note that Lord Jesus Christ, his disciples, and Blessed Mary passed through Anjara in the hills of Gilead once and rested in a cave there during a journey between the Sea of Galilee, the Decapolis Cities, Bethany Beyond the Jordan and Jerusalem. The cave in Anjara has long been a holy place for pilgrims and has now been commemorated with a modern shrine, the Church of Our Lady of the Mount. The cave was also designated by the Catholic Churches of the Middle East as one of the five pilgrimage sites for the year 2000.