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July 9, 2025On June 19, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church in Norman held a groundbreaking ceremony for its long-awaited new Mary Our Lady of Mercy Shrine.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place outside on the east side of the parish’s parking lot, the location of the future shrine, with members of Our Lady of Lebanon and other Catholic parishes in attendance.
Priests and deacons from local Catholic communities participated in the ceremony, reading the Solemn Blessing of a Foundation Stone. Blessed Stanley Rother’s relic was present during the blessing of the grounds. Women from the parish sang a hymn in Arabic, “Khallis Sha'baka” (translated as “Save Your People”), and prayer cards were passed out to attendees, with the architectural rendering of the shrine on one side and Hail Holy Queen (Salve Regina) on the other.
Father Nabil Mouannes arrived at Our Lady of Lebanon in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic impacted daily life. Despite frequent struggles during that period, he never gave up on his vision for a shrine in Norman. All the planning, preparation and prayers to bring the shrine to fruition was “for the Glory of God,” said Father Mouannes. From the Foundation Stone blessing, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1).
On the significance of the shrine, Father Mouannes said: “Why mercy? We are in a terrible time, wars all over, and the whole world is in unrest. The world needs the mercy, the graces of Mary to find its peace. Peace in the soil, peace in the womb, peace in the heart, peace in the land, and healing for the wounds in the world. God chose this little community to raise up a shrine for Mother Mercy. It is continuing the message of mercy, the divine mercy.”
Father Mouannes has a track record of initiating and overseeing the development of shrines, with Our Lady of Mercy his fourth such project. This shrine is designed to evoke the architectural style and spiritual essence of the original Our Lady of Mercy shrine in Lebanon.
The shrine is a pyramid structure with a large statue of Mary “exactly on the top where heaven and earth meet, they are joined," said Father Mouannes.
Uniquely, this shrine is the first one started by Father Mouannes where Mary is not holding the Infant Jesus, but instead has her arms outstretched toward people, channeling God's mercy.
Our Lady of Lebanon embodies a spirit of family, evident in its origins and continued community involvement. This year marks its 15th anniversary, having begun with 17 families back in 2010.
Rudy Khouri is one of the founders of Our Lady of Lebanon, president of their parish council, and the owner of La Baguette. His mother, Mantoura Khoury, was the motivation to establish a Maronite church in Norman, so she could attend Mass in her native language.
Gerard Jazzar, a member of the original parish family and an architect, designed the shrine. A Lebanon-based artist, Toni Awad, was commissioned to create the 11.5-foot statue of Mary. Windstone Construction, the general contractor overseeing the project from excavation to delivery, had members of its team present at the groundbreaking.
“As a lifelong Normanite and Catholic, a 45-foot structure honoring the Virgin Mary, looking over OU's campus is something I couldn't be more proud to play a small part in,” said Windstone's president and CEO, Joey M. Wishnuck.
Phase 1 of construction, which includes the foundation, main structure, statue and fencing, is expected to be completed in four-six months.
The shrine will contain a small chapel to celebrate and honor loved ones, as well as a columbarium for interring the remains of loved ones' while their souls live on in eternal life.
Khouri suggested including a columbarium in the shrine “to keep our faithful close to Mother Mary.”
The columbarium will have many niches to house the ashes. It will be open to all Catholic faithful. For inquiries about the columbarium, contact Khouri at [email protected].
Other opportunities to be involved in the shrine's creation, including donation tiers with engraving options, are also available. Those interested in contributing can e-mail [email protected] for more information.
Olivia Dailey is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
