Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya

We may have accidentally baptized Jane into the Maronite faith. Either that, or a very nice monk in the Qadisha Valley gave a very enthusiastic blessing.

The road to Jane's Maronite blessing began when we decided to take an overnight getaway to Ehden. It was our first overnight trip as a family. We rented a car and arrived late on a Friday night, stopping along the way for scenic photographs and diaper changes.

Jane and Wade at the beginning of the Qadisha Valley.

Wade was changing Jane's diaper next to a small store in the countryside, when all of the sudden, this lady appeared. She was worked up about something, most likely about babies and cold weather (we get this a lot). She invited us in for coffee or tea, of course.

And yes, she was about 4 feet tall.

A wonderfully awkward photo of Wade, Jane, and someone's grandma.

In a country with some spectacularly dramatic gorges and valleys, the Qadisha Valley is Lebanon's finest. So after a night in Ehden, we dedicated our Saturday to exploring the Valley floor. We pulled out our map of trails, noticed a few landmarks, and were on our way.

The Qadisha has been a stronghold of the Maronites for centuries. It's a natural fortress for religious minorities. So we were expecting to bump into a few monasteries.

The one we stumbled upon was quite famous: the Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya. Carved out from a few original caves, the Monastery dates back to at least the 12th century and became the seat of the Maronite patriarch in the 18th century.

So Qozhaya is kind of a big deal. We didn't know that.

And bringing a baby all the way there, usually means that you want a special blessing. Wade and Megan, however, were just dumb tourists getting lost.

Jane's first church.

After just a few minutes of wondering around the sanctuary an energetic monk approached us, excited to see a baby that came all this way. He introduced himself, asked where we were from, inquired about Jane, and then got down to the business of blessing our infant.

Then it happened. Four quick gestures with his right hand placed on Jane's forehead. Kind of like paper-rock-scissors, minus the scissors. A rock, then a paper, then a rock, then a paper. The papers were making the sign of the cross.

It was pretty cool. Jane has been blessed by a Maronite monk living in one of the holiest places in their faith.

Eat your heart out Episcopalians...

Megan and Jane with the monk.