​The Catholic Church held its sixteenth ordinary general assembly during the month of October 2023 with cardinals and bishops from all over the world participating. This time, the Pope also invited ten representatives from each continent – priests, consecrated persons, and laypeople – to participate in the discussions with the right to vote. Among the representatives from Europe, as one of the five laypeople, was Mr. Alexander Banka, the head of the Family of Saint Sharbel in Poland.

​On Saturday, April 13, 2024, in the presence of His Excellency Bishop Gregory J. Mansour, Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, and with many clergy in attendance, including Bishop David Zubik (Roman Catholic Bishop of Pittsburgh) and Chorbishop Anthony Spinoza (representing Bishop A. Elias Zaidan), the new Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center was dedicated. A group from the Family of Saint Sharbel USA also participated in the event

Dr. Anne Borik, Executive Director, offered insight to the attendees of this momentous occasion on the mission and vision of the St. Sharbel Spiritual Center. Along with Dr. Borik, Subdeacon Vincent Michael (Assistant Director) takes care of the center and communicates with center visitors.

The Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center also offers a special day in honor of St. Sharbel on the 22nd of each month unless otherwise specified.

Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center
820 Crane Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15216, USA
Email: [email protected]

Mr. Raymond Nader, president of the Family of Saint Sharbel, visited Poland for the fourth time between June 4th and 15th, 2023. The visit included tours to various parishes.  There, after the Divine Liturgy, Mr. Nader spoke about Saint Sharbel, his mystical experience with him, and the Family of Saint Sharbel.  Afterwards, the parishioners were blessed with Saint Sharbel's oil. The dense attendance across various parishes was noteworthy.
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After these celebrations, Mr. Nader met with groups interested in establishing a Family of Saint Sharbel in their parishes, explaining to them the spiritual rules of Family of Saint Sharbel, how the meetings are conducted, and some of the qualifications that individuals interested in joining should possess. It is worth mentioning that the obligatory prayer of Saint Sharbel has become available in Polish, due to the previous establishment of Family of Saint Sharbel groups in several parishes in a previous period.

​This visit also included a Mass on June 14th at the Church of St. Carolina, presided over by the bishop of the archdiocese, where an altar of Saint Sharbel was consecrated and his relics were received and exposed.