<![CDATA[FAMILY OF ST. SHARBEL USA

<![CDATA[FAMILY OF ST. SHARBEL USA - Our News]]>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 01:11:15 -0400EditMySite<![CDATA[Fr. Michael Sliney Discovers Lebanon’s Living Faith Along Darb Mar Charbel]]>Sat, 29 Aug 2026 07:04:34 GMThttps://www.familyofsaintsharbel.org/our-news/fr-michael-sliney-discovers-lebanons-living-faith-along-darb-mar-charbel

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC, visited Lebanon from July 10 to 19, 2026, at the invitation of five Family of Saint Sharbel USA board members who are also members of the Lumen Institute.

As chaplain to Lumen’s Virginia Chapter, Fr. Sliney provides spiritual guidance to members, encouraging them to deepen their faith and place Jesus Christ first in their daily lives.

Members of the Family of Saint Sharbel USA

After visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa on July 11, Fr. Sliney joined the group on a pilgrimage through northern Lebanon, including the Qadeesha Valley and sections of Darb Mar Charbel, the developing 130-kilometer pilgrimage trail dedicated to Saint Charbel.

The pilgrims stayed at the Monastery of Saint Anthony – Qozhaya, Saint Anthony the Great Monastery at Wata Houb, and the Monastery of Saint Joseph – Tomb of Saint Rafqa in Jrabta. Their journey also brought them to Bkaakafra, Saint Sharbel’s birthplace, sites connected to his early life, and the Saint Maron Monastery and Shrine of Saint Sharbel in Annaya.

Speaking afterward on Radio Maria’s Vigilant Heart, Fr. Sliney described Lebanon as “a beautiful country” with “beautiful people” and “beautiful saints.” What struck him especially, he said, was the Valley of the Saints, its monasteries, silence and landscape: “So peaceful, so quiet, so majestic, and it’s so easy to feel God there.”

That silence became one of the defining experiences of the pilgrimage. “God doesn’t shout, he whispers,” Fr. Sliney reflected. “Going to Lebanon, going to the Valley of the Saints, I think it’s one of the few places in the world where you really can’t hear anything but God’s whisper.”

The journey also allowed him to encounter Lebanon’s Christian heritage not simply as history, but as a living faith. “In Lebanon, the people are living it,” he said. “You’re touching something that’s real, not something that used to be.”

Among the moments that particularly moved him was visiting a cave associated with Saint Sharbel’s youth and vocational discernment. Sitting there, he recalled thinking: “This is where St. Sharbel discovered his vocation. This is where he talked to God.”

Saint Sharbel's Grotto in Bekaakafra-Lebanon

For Fr. Sliney, Darb Mar Charbel was therefore much more than a hiking trail. “The whole trail is to have a spiritual experience,” he said, describing it as “almost a conversion experience.”

His assessment of the pilgrimage was emphatic. “This was my favorite pilgrimage. It was my favorite trip,” he said. “This was the most powerful trip I’ve had.”

Fr. Sliney now hopes more people, particularly Lebanese and Lebanese Americans, will rediscover this spiritual inheritance. “I feel very, very strongly about this mission to promote St. Sharbel’s Trail,” he said, adding that Darb Mar Charbel deserves to stand “on the same level of Santiago in Spain.”

]]><![CDATA[Raymond Nader Addresses Utica Parish on Saint Sharbel’s Message, 2026]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:46:01 GMThttps://www.familyofsaintsharbel.org/our-news/raymond-nader-addresses-utica-parish-on-saint-sharbels-message-2026

UTICA, New York — St. Louis Gonzaga Church welcomed parishioners and visitors on Thursday, July 16, 2026, for an evening dedicated to Saint Sharbel. The gathering included Mass, a special blessing with the saint’s relic, and an address by Raymond Nader, President of the Family of Saint Sharbel.

The church’s pews were filled for the occasion. Near the sanctuary, a large portrait of Saint Sharbel overlooked the gathering as Mr. Nader spoke about the Lebanese saint and the meaning of his witness for Christians today.

Mr. Nader presented Saint Sharbel as a man whose entire life was formed by prayer. He spoke about his early devotion, his decision to enter monastic life, and the demanding years he spent in solitude at the hermitage in Annaya. The account emphasized the saint’s silence, discipline, and unwavering attention to God rather than simply recounting the familiar events of his biography.

Raymond then connected Saint Sharbel’s example with his own search for answers. He also shared the spiritual experience he had at Saint Sharbel’s hermitage in 1994, which led him to leave his professional work and dedicate his life to Christian media and evangelization.

Mr. Nader described Saint Sharbel’s message as a reminder that earthly life is not humanity’s final destination. He encouraged those present to renew their relationship with Christ through Scripture, the Eucharist, prayer, and devotion to the Virgin Mary.

His address placed a clear question before the Utica congregation: where is each person’s life directed? Saint Sharbel’s response, as presented by Mr. Nader, was a call to return to faith, live the sacraments, and remain focused on one's journey toward God.

Click HERE to read Raymond Nader’s full address.

]]><![CDATA[Raymond Nader Featured on Radio Maria's Sacred Treasures, 2026]]>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:43:30 GMThttps://www.familyofsaintsharbel.org/our-news/raymond-nader-featured-on-radio-marias-sacred-treasures-2026

Raymond Nader, President of the Family of Saint Sharbel (FSS), joined Sacred Treasures with Kathie Duggan on Radio Maria for a two-part conversation airing June 29 and July 6, 2026. The episodes covered the life of Saint Sharbel, the Maronite monk and hermit whose sanctity draws pilgrims and devotees worldwide, alongside Nader's personal encounter with the saint and the impact it has had on his own faith. Discussion also touched on Saint Sharbel's presence in the lives of the faithful today, including the healings and graces many attribute to his intercession, as well as the work of the Family of Saint Sharbel in keeping devotion to the saint alive across the world.

Radio Maria began as a small parish radio station in Italy in 1983 and has grown into an international Catholic network dedicated to prayer, evangelization, and Catholic formation, now reaching listeners across dozens of countries, including the United States. Programming centers on the Rosary, the Mass, and the lives of the saints and is delivered through both traditional radio and podcast platforms like Sacred Treasures with Kathie Duggan.

]]><![CDATA[An Evening with Raymond Nader Draws Full House to FSS Home, 2026]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:59:47 GMThttps://www.familyofsaintsharbel.org/our-news/an-evening-with-raymond-nader-draws-full-house-to-fss-home-2026

On Sunday, July 19, 2026, members of the Family of Saint Sharbel (FSS) and invited friends gathered at the FSS Home for "An Evening with Raymond Nader," the first public gathering held at the newly established location. The event, which began at 7:00 PM, drew a full house, including many young attendees. Among those present was Rev. Charles Wilton, invited by an FSS member from his parish.

The evening took the form of an informal conversation, with Mr. Nader, President of FSS, engaging attendees in an extended open question and answer session. As part of the discussion, Raymond shared elements of his personal testimony, offering attendees insight into his own faith journey alongside reflections on the mission and work of FSS. The gathering lasted approximately two hours, with conversation continuing well past its scheduled end.

The Family of Saint Sharbel Home reflected the welcoming, family-oriented spirit it is intended to foster, bringing together Maronite faithful in a setting built for exactly this kind of gathering. FSS looks forward to hosting many more such evenings at the Home in the months ahead.

]]><![CDATA[Feast of Saint Sharbel Celebrated at National Shrine Grotto in Emmitsburg, 2026]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 05:41:58 GMThttps://www.familyofsaintsharbel.org/our-news/feast-of-saint-sharbel-celebrated-at-national-shrine-grotto-in-emmitsburg-2026

On Saturday, July 25th, 2026, the Family of Saint Sharbel USA gathered with pilgrims at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Maryland, to celebrate the Feast of Saint Sharbel. Fr. Frank and parishioners from St. John Newman Parish in Philadelphia, as well as members of the Legion of Mary from Sacred Heart Parish in Glyndon, Maryland, joined the Family of Saint Sharbel and members of the local Lebanese-American community for the celebration.

The day began at 10:45 AM with Eucharistic Adoration in St. Mary's Chapel, offered in preparation for the Holy Mass that followed at noon. The Mass was celebrated by Fr. Theodore Trinko (IVE).

In his homily, Fr. Trinko reflected on the day's Gospel account of the apostles James and John asking to sit at Christ's right and left hand, contrasting worldly authority with the call to serve.

He turned to the example of Saint Sharbel, who throughout his monastic life sought out the lowliest tasks and avoided any outward sign of honor, recalling an episode in which the saint gently rebuked a visiting priest for wearing an ostentatious fur coat over his cassock. Fr. Trinko closed by inviting the faithful to consider, on this feast of St. James, how they might follow Saint Sharbel's example of humble service to their neighbor. Read the full homily HERE.

Following the Holy Mass, Fr. Trinko led a procession with a first-class relic of Saint Sharbel to his shrine at the Grotto. There, the faithful venerated the relic and received individual blessings with Saint Sharbel's holy oil.

The celebration concluded with the distribution of prayer cards and traditional Lebanese sweets to those in attendance.

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