For over five years now, Lebanon has been going through a profound crisis. Many people have become impoverished and are experiencing feelings of anger, helplessness, and despair. Many families are suffering great tensions, and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has only brought them greater fears. People are leaving the country whenever they can, and sadly, the suicide rate has also increased. Mother Maguy Adabashy, the general superior of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Blessed Sacrament, has written to us: “The people are despairing and looking for meaning. They are hungering for hope and peace.” 

The sisters want to help by organizing retreats, training courses, workshops, and other activities, especially for youth groups and couples, but also for other religious, so that they too can bring new strength and hope to others. The activities will be held in the Saint John Paul II Center in Ehmej, around 35 miles from the capital, Beirut. The idea is for the participants to stay there for a day or two, in order to recharge their spiritual batteries and be given support in their search for stability and meaning. Altogether, some 3,000 people are expected to benefit from the offer.  

The center in Ehmej is a quiet, peaceful place in the mountains, just a few miles from the monastery of St. Maron Annaya, where Saint Charbel is buried. Saint Charbel lived here as a hermit in the 19th century and is renowned worldwide for the miracles attributed to him. Thousands of remarkable healings and other miracles and graces are attributed to his intercession. The monastery where he is buried is one of the most important pilgrimage centers in Lebanon today, and so staying at the centre in Ehmej can easily be combined with a pilgrimage to his tomb.  

We are offering to support this excellent initiative with $10,596, so that fresh hope can be born again in as many human hearts as possible, and so that families may find the strength to tackle the challenges in their lives with confidence.