Saint Joseph Monastery (Shrine of Saint Rafqa)

Saint Joseph Monastery (also known as Saint Joseph al-Dahr) was founded in Jrabta in 1897 by the Lebanese Maronite Order, and Saint Rafqa was among the first six nuns assigned to the monastery. Born Boutroussieh Choboq Ar-Rayès in Himlaya in 1832, she prayed in 1885 to share in Christ's sufferings. Soon afterward, her health declined, leaving her blind and increasingly paralyzed for nearly thirty years, although she continued knitting socks for the other sisters until her death on March 23, 1914. According to tradition, a light appeared above her grave for three consecutive nights, and when her body was exhumed for transfer to the monastery church, it was found remarkably well preserved. She was declared Venerable in 1982, beatified in 1985, and canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 10, 2001. Today, she is honored as one of Lebanon's canonized saints, and her tomb, now part of Saint Rafqa's Basilica within the monastery, continues to attract pilgrims seeking prayer and spiritual consolation.