Born in the mountain village of Himlaya, Lebanon, in 1832, Rafqa entered religious life as a young woman, eventually joining the Lebanese Maronite Order and later a Baladite community near Jbeil. She spent her life as a teacher and community member known for quiet devotion.
In her later years she was struck by a severe and progressive illness that left her completely blind and largely paralyzed. Rather than seeking to be freed from this suffering, she is remembered for having asked instead to share more fully in the sufferings of Christ, and for bearing her decades of illness with striking patience until her death in 1914. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
Saint Rafqa
Lebanese Maronite Nun
A Lebanese Maronite nun known for accepting decades of blindness and physical suffering with patience, offered in union with the sufferings of Christ.
- Born
- 1832
- Died
- 1914
- Birthplace
- Himlaya, Lebanon
- Died in
- Jrabta, Lebanon
- Country
- Lebanon
- Canonised
- 2001-06-10
- Century
- 19th century
- Invoked for
- Strength in Suffering
Why People Pray to Saint Rafqa
Saint Rafqa is invoked by those enduring chronic illness or prolonged suffering, and is especially venerated in Lebanon as one of its own.
