Family of St. Sharbel USA

The Third Anniversary of Saint Sharbel's Shrine

10/13/2020

On the 10th of October 2020, “The Family of Saint Sharbel” in the US celebrated the third anniversary of St. Sharbel's Shrine at the National Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

The Anniversary coincided this year, with the forty-third anniversary of the declaration of the Lebanese Maronite monk Sharbel Makhlouf a saint in the universal Catholic Church.

On this occasion, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Monsignor Peter Azar (Rector of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary). “The Family of Saint Sharbel” participated in the celebration along with the Lebanese community in the area, as well as other pilgrims.

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After the Holy Gospel, Monsignor Azar said in his Homily that three years ago he was privileged to preside and preach at the special liturgy consecrating and dedicating the Statue of Saint Sharbel; it is with deep joy that he join with all of us, people of good will in this wonderful celebration of the third anniversary of the dedication, in this Holy location honoring a star of the East, from Lebanon, Saint Sharbel Makhlouf.

Monsignor Azar added that it is a historic gathering that we give thanks to God for the deep fidelity of the Maronites to their rich heritage and their Catholic faith and as we ask Saint Sharbel and Our Lady of Lebanon to continue to give guidance and protection to those who seek it. Many details to share surrounding the miraculous works of God through the intercession of Saint Sharbel, but the most profound miracle of all is the restored faith of the people who are learning again to give thanks to God.

Monsignor Azar also added about the Lebanese faithful that they rekindled a brave and courageous faith which would face many persecutions; and many regimes attempted without success to stomp out that deep faith which was restored in Jesus Christ and in the Catholic Church.

Monsignor Azar concluded his Homily by saying: "May God through the intercession of Saint Sharbel grant us to have deep faith to stand firm especially in this difficult time of persecution of Catholicism and of the pain and the suffering of those who stand firm protecting the faith in Jesus Christ and dying for it, we all heard what happened in Iraq, what happens in all the world when you profess Jesus Christ as your Lord, you may die, but death my brothers and sisters is not the end; it is the beginning of the new life with God almighty. Amen.”

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After the Mass, Fr. Azar led a procession with the relic of Saint Sharbel (placed in a cedar-shape reliquary) while the faithful followed singing Maronite hymns. At the shrine, they gathered for the final blessing with the relic. In conclusion of the celebration, the faithful approached to venerate Saint Charbel’s relic placed in front of the statue.

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The Miraculous Healing of Miriam Awad from Throat Cancer in 1967

10/8/2020

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The miraculous healing of Miriam Awad from throat cancer in 1967 was accepted as the official miracle for canonization.

Mariam Assaf Awad was daughter to Lulu and Assaf, wife to Ibrahim Awad. Mariam was born in Shakra, Izra (in Syria) and lived in Hammana, Lebanon. Her husband had died 19 years previously. She had a son called Georgios, who is married and who is a Roman Catholic. He is illiterate, but he practices his religious duties in Hammana.

Mariam underwent three surgeries between 1963 and 1965. She was operated on once in the stomach and the second time in the intestine. The third one was on the right side of the neck.

The third was in the tonsils. All these cases were cancerous. The first was of Caccum cancer, which was removed. The second was cancer in the stomach, which started to spread according to the medical report.

The doctor X-Rayed her whole mouth and took a sample for biopsy. He didn’t prescribe any treatment for this last disease. In this case, Mariam was doubtful of the nature of the disease. Since then, Mariam had started to pray to St Charbel.

The two tonsils were struck with cancer, which resulted in unbearable pain and difficulty in swallowing. In addition to this, her voice started to weaken. There was also redness in the tonsils, which grew to the size of walnuts. Mariam refused any treatment, including radiotherapy. Instead, she always asked St Charbel for either the cure for what she had been suffering from or the power to bear this disease. One day, while sitting in her bed, she prayed the following to St Charbel: “Provide me with the cure to this disease. You are the great saint who has cured the blind and the lame. When I recover from this illness, I’ll go to thank you in your shrine.” She asked for recovery in the evening and before retiring to bed. Next day, she was completely cured. When the lump started to disappear completely on the fourth day she was astonished with St Charbel. Not to mention the growths on her neck. The affected parts of her body no longer suffered pain. She became fully strong and sound. Then, Mariam came to pay her vow in the St Maron monastery, the tomb of St Charbel, thanking him for the cure he blessed her with.

Original article: Official website of the monastery Saint Maron - Sanctuary of Saint Charbel.

The Tomb of saint Sharbel in Annaya-Lebanon. Image by Naanouh Productions

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Invitation to the celebration of the third Anniversary of the Shrine of St. Sharbel

9/21/2020

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The Family of Saint Sharbel would like to invite you to the celebration of the third Anniversary of the Shrine of St. Sharbel on Saturday October 10, 2020 at the National Shrine Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes.

The program is as follows:

Reconciliation, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Divine Liturgy (Holy Mass), 2 p.m.

Location: The Grotto Cave, weather permitting, or else in St. Mary's Chapel

Please check HERE for updates on COVID-19 restrictions.

Click HERE to learn more about the Saint Sharbel's Shrine Annual Endowment and HERE for more about the Shrine.

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St. Charbel, A Role Model About Preparation for Eucharist

7/22/2020

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By Fr. Richard Kunst

When Pope John Paul the Great was criticized for canonizing so many saints, he acknowledged that he did, indeed, deliberately raise more saints to the altar than any of his predecessors, because he believed we are living in a time that needs saints as witnesses more than ever. There have been books written about the people he canonized and beatified, and it is quite refreshing to read about many of them, because we can identify with people from our own era who lived a heroic faith life.

As much as I like hagiography, the study of the saints, I have to admit that many of them, living in a different era, seem to be a bit untouchable, or even unreal. In many cases they became “kitsch,” entering so much into the piety of worldwide Catholicism that they became little more than statues. I am reminded of St. Therese of Lisieux who has rightly been called the greatest saint of modern times. Her statue seems to be in a majority of churches, but I’d like to know how many people in the pews actually know anything about her life.

I very much enjoy reading about those who lived seemingly normal yet holy lives. They were simply examples of the Gospel, lived. However, we can also learn something from the “untouchable” saints, those who for whatever reason seem otherworldly to us. In the month of July we have one such saint. On October 9th, 1977, Pope Paul VI canonized a Lebanese Maronite Rite monk, Charbel (or Sharbel)) Makhlouf. While very few saints are honored with a place on the universal liturgical calendar, St. Charbel is one who is so revered that he does, indeed, have a feast day, which we celebrate on July 24th.

St. Charbel was born in 1828 in Northern Lebanon. In 1859 he became a priest with particularly strong devotions, both to the Blessed Mother and even more so for the Eucharist. For the last decades of his life, he was a hermit, living in the mountains in complete poverty. This austere behavior is one of the reasons he seems to be untouchable: how many of us can identify with a Lebanese Maronite monk, living in complete solitude, eating hardly anything, and all the while performing miracles? Probably not many of us. Yet it is St. Charbel’s prayer practice that makes him even more unique, while at the same time giving us an incredibly relevant example.

St. Charbel’s life was centered on the Eucharist and the celebration of Mass, and this devotion intensified in his last twenty years. He would regularly celebrate Mass at noon, but he would awaken eight to ten hours beforehand to pray continuously in preparation for receiving Christ in the Eucharist. Imagine! Ten hours of prayer in preparation to receive Communion! But it doesn’t end there. Afterwards, he would spend another eight to ten hours in a prayer of thanksgiving for having received the Eucharist!

The Eucharist was literally the center of his life, and everything else revolved around it. This seems to add to his otherworldly status; who among us could do something like that, day in and day out for decades? Who among us would want to? And yet, what a beautiful example!

Image by Fr. Shadi Beshara

Reflecting on the life of St. Charbel calls to mind a common frustration among my brother priests and me. On a regular basis, many people come into Mass late. Often they are so late they miss one or two of the readings. It is even more common for whole portions of the church to be empty after communion. While we are happy that these people at least come to Mass, think of the contrast between our experience and that of St. Charbel, who would spend hours in prayer both before and after receiving communion.

We would never go to a movie late, or leave before the story was over. Why in the world, then, would we do that with the Divine Liturgy where heaven and earth meet?

St. Alphonsus de’ Liguori (1696-1787), born 130 years before St. Charbel, believed that if we didn’t receive our first communion until we turned 100, we would still not have sufficient time to prepare. At another time, he said that once we receive communion, twelve angels surround us, worshiping what we just consumed. Obviously, that is not dogma, but it is food for thought if we are tempted to leave Mass early.

The saints are always icons of having lived the Gospels, including those who seem to be so different from us. St. Charbel is a great example of this. I pray to him that through his intercession more people will grow in awe and reverence for Christ’s Eucharistic presence. —Father Rich

St. Charbel, pray for us!

Blessed Pope Paul VI canonized Charbel Makhluf on October 9, 1977.

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Celebration of the Feast of Saint Sharbel, 2020

7/20/2020

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On the 18th of July 2020, “The Family of Saint Sharbel” in the US celebrated the Feast of Saint Sharbel at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, in Emmitsburg, Maryland, one of the most prominent Catholic shrines in the US

The Divine Liturgy for this feast was celebrated by Father Theodore Trinko (Institute of the Incarnate Word). “The Family of Saint Sharbel” participated in the celebration along with the Lebanese community in the area, as well as other pilgrims of the National Shrine.

After the Holy Gospel, Father Trinko, indicated in his Homily, that Saint Sharbel spent 23 years as monk and priest in the monastery and the last 23 years of his life as a hermit; He lived the monastic virtues of poverty, chastity and obedience; He spent hours adoring the Blessed Sacrament and showed a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin; He was venerated and loved by people in Middle East and around the world.

Father Trinko pointed out to the multitude of miracles and favors the saint offers to those who ask with faith from all over the world.

Father Trinko concluded: “Everything in him was God’s and because of his generosity he received the promise of our Lord, a hundred times more than he gave up in his life, and eternal life and in the age to come. We can imitate Saint Sharbel’s generosity, and all of us can say yes to God no matter what He asks and no matter what He expects from us. Cheap souls will never make it to Heaven, and we will never save ourselves if you continue to put limits on what we will give to God.

After the Mass, the priest carried the Relic of Saint Sharbel, processing with it among the faithful and blessing them as he went by. Meanwhile the choir director chanted in English and Arabic the proper traditional Maronite hymns. At the end, the priest returned to the altar and gave the final blessing with the Relic of Saint Sharbel.