The Lady of Palestine
Deir Rafat
35 kilometers
East of Jerusalem
A Sanctuary
80 years
Have passed
Since its foundation
An extended hand
To bless the land
The Queen of Palestine
the earthly homeland of Jesus
and his mother Mary
Walls and ceiling
decorated with the first words
of the Ave Maria.
Hail Mary
Full of Grace
Cherubs bearing ribbons
on which are written in 280 languages,
the words of Gabriels greeting
A prayer
O Mary Immaculate,
gracious Queen of Heaven and of Earth,
behold us prostrate before thy exalted throne.
Full of confidence in thy goodness and in thy boundless power,
we beseech thee to turn a pitying glance upon Palestine,
which, more than any other country, belongs to thee,
since thou hast graced it with thy birth,
thy virtues and thy sorrows,
and from there hast given the Redeemer to the world.
Remember that there especially
thou wast constituted our tender Mother,
the dispenser of graces.
Watch, therefore, with special protection
over thy native country,
dispel from it the shades of error,
for it was there that the Son of Eternal Justice shone.
Bring about the speedy fulfillment of the promise,
which issued from the lips of thy Divine Son,
that there should be one fold and one Shepherd.
Obtain for us all that we may serve the Lord
in sanctity and justice during all the days of our life,
so that, by the merits of Jesus and with thy motherly aid,
we may pass at last from this earthly Jerusalem
to the splendors of the heavenly one.
Amen.
Read more:
The latin patriarchate of Jerusalem
