A story of conversion at the Lamb of God Shrine

Spiritual Friendship ^ | March 31, 2008 | Fr. Anthony Elfeghali

[NYer]

I don't know what Mary exactly wants from the Shrine on this mountain. All I know is that God put the desire in my heart to make this mountain of 200,000 m2 a place for prayer, an oasis of peace in this region of the Middle East, a place for reconciliation between all people.
This is my dream, to transform this mountain which was a source of death, to a mountain that radiates peace.

On Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, I had 3 Masses. On the third one, I put one intention "Lord, I need a big fish". Immediately after Mass, a young non-Christian girl came to see me.
- "I need to talk to you Father."
We sat down in the church and talked.
- "That was my second Mass in my life and I feel overwhelmed by a peaceful powerful presence."
Then, she told me her story with the first Mass she had in her life.
It was on March 19, 2008, when the Director of her school divided all classes between Christians and non-Christians. He sent the non-Christians home and he sent the Christians in a bus to the Lamb of God Shrine, to attend Mass before Easter.
This 18-year-old girl wanted to go to the Shrine. She succeeded through her wisdom to go with her Christian classmates. There, at the Shrine, we had Mass together. She felt the powerful Presence of Jesus for the first time in her life. She read the brochure of the shrine. It was a deep conversion for her.
When she was telling me her story, she cried. She told her parents about her feelings and convictions, but they forbid her to attend another Mass.
Now, she needs your prayers to be able to live her "new way" and find out the will of Christ in her life.

---

Some Background

Fr. Elfeghali was inspired by the Blessed Mother to build this shrine. He had no money and neither did the local residents. But with much prayer and hard physical work, items were donated and financiers, total strangers, would call Father and send him the money for one aspect of the shrine. On the evening before the Shrine was to be dedicated, he wrote:

We are ready for the big fishing day.

It was a long day of working. The benches are set up unexpectedly. One person showed up and offered his help to do this. At the end of the day, I went back home to bring money to pay for the Syrian workers + the small gate, lights, fence for the well, those who set up the benches, etc... I put the money in small envelopes. I paid everything. I checked my cashier, there was not one penny. This is because I finished everything. The Virgin Mary provided everything until the last penny. She never gave me a large amount of money to work with it, lest I feel OK. She just sent little money from here and there, day after day, until the last day, today.

Now, we are ready. It is the most beautiful feeling I have tonight. Extreme joy.

You cannot immagine how beautiful the site is at night with the lights I put in the forest and the grotto...

---

At 6:00 pm groups began to arrive to the Shrine. The Bishop arrived too. There were many priests from my Order. We had beautiful music, great Choir. People sat down on the benches.

At 6:15 pm Mass started. The Bishop blessed the altar with holy water & oil.

He made a long homily approving that this work was from God. I felt humbled and joyful.

Mass ended at 7:30 pm. There was dark. We lit candles outside. We had an evening with the Lord in the Eucharist.

---

One month after the Shrine was dedicated, a major catastrophe befell the town where Father serves as parish priest. And, it happened while Abouna was in the US.

It was a terrible day for my town and its inhabitants.

Today, October 2, the villagers woke up seeing their town surrounded by huge flames from every side. All people were panicked. People were confused. The whole town tried to protect their properties. The whole mountain where I built the Shrine was completely burnt.

Everything green was burnt down. Four homes were burnt.

I called my friends in Lebanon:

- Is there anyone hurt?

- No, thanks for God, but it was hell, hell on Earth. We've never seen like this before. Flames everywhere. Even the helicopter could not fly above to drop water. It was hell.

- What about your properties?

- We have four houses damaged, but everything green was gone. It is an ecological disaster.

- What about the mountain where I built the Shrine? Did you check this?

- Everybody in the town are talking about the Shrine. It is a miracle. You look at the mountain, you see it black but the Shrine was not touched. I went up to the Shrine after we controlled the fire. I saw the statue of the Virgin untouched. The chapel was not touched. The blue cross which was in the forest was not touched. Even the cistern you received which is up in the forest was not touched. The toilets between the trees were not touched. This is a miracle.

Mary has saved the town.

The whole mountain was engulfed by flames. But Mary was not touched.

Is that Satan's attack on my town? It could be. Since I came here in America and I've been telling the miracles that happened in this town to all, all the conversion stories. Now, the EWTN TV station wants me to tell the story. The Ave Maria Radio wants me to tell them.

My schedule became full in the morning. After that I received a phone call saying that my town is surrounded by flames. This is no coincidence.

Satan has a finger in this but I won't give up. He wants me to stop telling the stories of conversion. The first time he tried to stop me in a kind way saying: "Stop telling these real stories to others. Just keep them to yourself." I said: "I want Jesus to speak not anyone else."

Then, I prayed and said: "Lord Jesus, you speak to my heart not anyone else."

I opened the Bible and I got Acts 21:19: “Paul greeted James and all the presbyters, then proceeded to tell them in detail what God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry.”
I like this Lord: In Detail.

Then, the second time Satan tried to stop me was when I put the story of Ahmad on my Web Site. At the same moment I published the story, the whole data of my web site were lost. I could not even open it from my own web site. So, I had to re-do the whole web site from a hardware where all the information were backed up. It took me a few days to complete this work.

Now, the third time Satan is trying to stop me is the news of the flames in the town. It is like he is telling me: "If you tell this story of conversion, I will burn your town."

But Mary was there. She is a bright sign on the burnt mountain, as if she is saying: "I am with you, the gates of hell won't stop evangelization."

---

Once again, local citizens and people across the globe, sent Father the money to replace the trees. Today, not only is the Shrine attracting pilgrims but Father has constructed an underground grotto.

The Lamb of God underground Grotto

Tomorrow morning, we will build the roof of the grotto.
I discovered this place in November 17, 2007.
The iron bridges you see in the pictures were donated. They have a story I'll tell later.
We already put on our schedule an evening with the Lord in this grotto on Thursday December 27 and Friday December 28, 2007.
You are all invited my dear friends.
The Lord in the Blessed Sacrament will be with us.
There will be animals like cows and donkeys and lambs.
Take your coats, it is so cold on the mountains now.

Procession

On December 27, 2007, we began our service with a procession at 6:15 PM from the chapel to the grotto.

[NYer]

There is not enough space to print all of the remarkable events that are taking place at this shrine and the lives that have been changed by this holy priest. For those who wonder or doubt how conversons take place, they happen through the us. Magdi Christiano Allam confirmed that. Now Fr. Elfeghali has a need that does not require one penny.

She felt the powerful Presence of Jesus for the first time in her life. She read the brochure of the shrine. It was a deep conversion for her. When she was telling me her story, she cried. She told her parents about her feelings and convictions, but they forbid her to attend another Mass.

Now, she needs your prayers to be able to live her "new way" and find out the will of Christ in her life.

Nothing is more potent than the power of prayer! Please remember this girl in your prayers and also the work of Fr. Elfeghali at this beautiful Shrine. For those who wish to send a financial contribution to the work of Fr. Elfeghali, here is the contact information.

Donation to the Lamb of God Shrine:

• Bank Name: Byblos Bank SAL
• Branch: Deir El Kamar Branch
• Account no: 570-2501405
• Beneficiary Name: Ordre Maronite Mariamite Deir El Kamar
• Swift Code: BYBALBBX  

May God bless and abundantly reward you!

[Salvation]

Prayers for the girl in the first story. May she persist despite her parents and become Catholic.

[Salvation]

**- Everybody in the town are talking about the Shrine. It is a miracle. You look at the mountain, you see it black but the Shrine was not touched. I went up to the Shrine after we controlled the fire. I saw the statue of the Virgin untouched. The chapel was not touched. The blue cross which was in the forest was not touched. Even the cistern you received which is up in the forest was not touched. The toilets between the trees were not touched. This is a miracle.
Mary has saved the town.**

Wow! What a narrative!

[ArrogantBustard]

There, at the Shrine, we had Mass together. She felt the powerful Presence of Jesus for the first time in her life. She read the brochure of the shrine. It was a deep conversion for her.

Wonderful testimony. Thank you for posting.

[NYer]

Ping!

[annalex]

50 Days of Easter 2008 Celebration ping, dedicated to converts to the Catholic faith. If you want to be on the list but are not on it already, or if you are on it but do not want to be, let me know either publicly or privately.

Happy Easter. Christ is risen!

Alex.

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Previously posted conversion stories:

Anti-Catholicism, Hypocrisy and Double Standards
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part I: Darkness
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part II: Doubts
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part III: Tradition and Church
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part IV: Crucifix and Altar
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part V: The Catholics and the Pope
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part VI: The Biblical Reality
His Open Arms Welcomed Me
Catholic Conversion Stories & Resources
My Personal Conversion Story
My (Imminent) Reception into the Roman Catholic Church
Catholics Come Home
My Journey of Faith
LOGIC AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF PROTESTANTISM
"What is Truth?" An Examination of Sola Scriptura
"Have you not read?" The Authority behind Biblical Interpretation
The Crisis of Authority in the Reformation
Our Journey Home
Our Lady’s Gentle Call to Peace

[Always Right]

Mary has saved the town.

Mary did?

[HKMk23]

Great story, and fascinating account of the Divine preservation of the place.

People DO, however, very much need to get one critical point clearly fixed in mind: the power exerted to work this miraculous deliverance was NOT Mary’s power, for she has none of her own. What power was made manifest was SOLELY the power of God, Himself, and it is HE — not her — who needs to be the object of glorification and praise for preserving this place on behalf of the Blessed Virgin.

Our God is throughout Scripture described as jealous for the glory due His Name, and it is a firmly established point of Christian orthodoxy that God wills to share that glory with NOBODY, and with NOTHING, for ONLY He is worthy of it. So, we would do well to consider the wretched end of Herod, who usurped glory that was due God alone, and was immediately struck down dead and consumed by worms. The horror of that demise ought to be front-and-center in the mind of everyone whenever glory is due the Holy One, for He will not overlook non-payment of that debt, nor will He overlook payment of that debt to another.

Yes, be thankful for the preservation of the good Fr.’s work on the mountain, but do not dare to praise Mary. No, praise God, Himself, for He alone has done it by His own hand. In this way, Mary is actually even more honored, because since the miraculous preservation of the shrine was accomplished by the power of God Himself, it evidences Him expressing His own Divine honor for her. And that is a higher honor than all of us together can bestow.

So it is fine for us to honor Mary, but we should let her be glorified by God alone, as HE so desires. And let us reserve the giving of glory for God only, as the Scriptures prescribe, that we not provoke His jealousy.

[NYer]

An excellent point and thank you for making it.