The Family of Saint Sharbel USA was honored to be among the participating organizations this year. Mr. Raymond Nader, President of the Family of Saint Sharbel, was also present at the convention during his stay in the U.S. FSS hosted a lively booth, managed by a group of volunteers, which offered informational materials, devotional items such as novena booklets, prayer cards, and religious art from Lebanon, as well as books about Saint Sharbel’s life and spirituality. The booth served as a welcoming space to share the mission and work of FSS through personal encounters and engaging conversations with convention attendees. The National Apostolate of Maronites (NAM) is the official lay apostolate of the Maronite Church of the USA. Each year, it brings together Maronite clergy and laity from across the country for Divine Liturgies, the Liturgy of the Hours, conferences, youth and adult programs, and joyful community celebrations. In attendance this year were both Maronite bishops in the U.S.: Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn and Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles.  The event was a powerful reminder of the growing faith and unity among Maronites in the United States.
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 This July, our President, Mr. Raymond Nader, plans to talk about St. Sharbel at three Catholic Churches in the US! All are welcome and encouraged to attend these events. In Easton, PA Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church (July 9-10th) 55 S. Fourth St. Easton, PA 18042 On July 9th, the following events for young adults have been scheduled: 6:00 PM – Evening Prayer 6:30 PM – Mr. Nader's Talk 7:30 PM – Reception On July 10th, the following events open to all ages have been scheduled: 9:00 AM – Divine Liturgy 6:00 PM – Mr. Nader's Talk 7:30 PM – Eucharistic Adoration In Northern Virginia
Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church (July 13th) 46639 Algonkian Parkway Potomac Falls, VA 20165 6:00-6:30 PM Reception 6:45-8:00 PM Talk followed by Q&A St. Lawrence Catholic Church (July 21st) 6222 Franconia Road Alexandria, VA 22310 6:00-6:30 PM Reception 6:45-8:00 PM Talk followed by Q&A  As part of his tour of the Family of Saint Sharbel branches in Europe, the President of the Family of Saint Sharbel, Mr. Raymond Nader, visited the Czech Republic accompanied by a delegation of Family officials on May 5th and 6th, 2025. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the spiritual ties between the Family of Saint Sharbel in Lebanon and its newly established branch in the Czech Republic. The delegation participated in Divine Liturgies and spiritual gatherings held in the Dobratice area. During these gatherings, Mr. Nader also shared his personal spiritual testimony, recounting the impact of Saint Sharbel on his own life and his widespread influence throughout the world. In addition, a Lebanese cedar tree was planted in the garden of one of the churches.  As part of his tour of the Family of Saint Sharbel branches in Europe, the President of the Family of Saint Sharbel, Mr. Raymond Nader, visited Croatia accompanied by a delegation of Family officials from May 10th to May 15th, 2025. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the spiritual ties between the Family of Saint Sharbel in Lebanon and its newly established branch in Croatia. The delegation met with several leaders of the Family of Saint Sharbel in Croatia. During these meetings, spiritual experiences were exchanged between both parties. The delegation also provided updates on the spiritual activities and mission carried out by the Family of Saint Sharbel in Lebanon and around the world.
The delegation participated in Divine Liturgies and spiritual gatherings held in the churches and parishes listed below. During these gatherings, Mr. Raymond Nader also shared his personal spiritual testimony, recounting the impact of Saint Sharbel on his own life and his widespread influence throughout the world. Spiritual Visit Stops:
 As part of his tour of the Family of Saint Sharbel branches in Europe, the President of the Family of Saint Sharbel, Mr. Raymond Nader, visited Poland accompanied by a delegation of Family officials from April 24th to May 10th, 2025. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the spiritual ties between the Family of Saint Sharbel in Lebanon and its branch in Poland. The delegation met with several leaders of the Family of Saint Sharbel in Poland, during which spiritual experiences were exchanged between both parties. The delegation also provided updates on the spiritual activities and mission carried out by the Family of Saint Sharbel in Lebanon and around the world. The delegation participated in Divine Liturgies and spiritual gatherings held in the churches and parishes listed below. During these gatherings, Mr. Nader also shared his personal spiritual testimony, recounting the impact of Saint Sharbel on his own life and his widespread influence around the world. In addition, Mr. Raymond Nader led a four-day spiritual retreat titled “The Qadisha Valley” during which he delivered spiritual talks about the lives of the Maronite hermits, Saint Sharbel, and how their spirituality has touched the lives of many believers worldwide. Spiritual Visit Stops:
On Saturday, May 10th, the Family of Saint Sharbel USA celebrated St. Sharbel’s birthday at the National Shrine Grotto in Emmitsburg, MD! Participants gathered for adoration, confession, and a Divine Liturgy, in St. Mary's Chapel, celebrated in honor of both St. Sharbel and Pope Leo XIV, who was elected to the papacy on St. Sharbel's birthday (May 8th). During his homily, Fr. Trinko highlighted the presence of Catholics from both Eastern and Western rites at the liturgy, and he emphasized that our unity comes from being under one Pope. When presenting prayer intentions, he prayed for unity of all Christians under Pope Leo XIV.
Following the liturgy, which included St. Sharbel hymns, Fr. Trinko led a procession with Saint Sharbel’s Relic while the faithful followed singing Maronite hymns. At the shrine, they gathered for the final blessing with the relic and individual blessing with the Holy oil of Saint Sharbel.  From Thursday, March 27 to Sunday, March 30, 2025, members of the Family of Saint Sharbel, USA, participated in a Lenten retreat with the Maronite Monks of Adoration at Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Massachusetts.
Throughout the retreat, Fr. Robert and Fr. Maron offered the following four insightful talks about: Overview and Considerations for our Journey to Contemplative Prayer; The 3 Stages of the Spiritual Life (Purgative, Illuminative, Unitive); Protecting your Spiritual Life; The Illuminative Stage. The series concluded with a Q&A session led by Abbot Patrick. 
 A group from the Family of Saint Sharbel, USA, attended a Christmas retreat from December 12 to 15, 2024, at Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Petersham, Massachusetts, home to the Maronite Monks of Adoration. The retreat offered participants a chance to deepen their faith through prayer, meditation, and enlightening talks.
The retreat schedule included silent group adoration, confessions, spiritual direction and opportunities for private prayer and meditation. Attendees participated in the liturgy of the hours for the Morning, Midday, Evening and Night. On Sunday, the retreatants joined the monks for the Divine Liturgy, received their blessings for the journey, and then returned home.   On October 26th, 2024, the Family of Saint Sharbel was blessed with the opportunity to deliver a first-class relic of St. Sharbel to Fr. Sean Donovan, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Tulsa, OK. The relic was set in the church during the Traditional Latin Mass at Fr. Sean's parish, which is under Bishop David Konderla's patronage as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, OK. During the liturgy, Fr. Sean gave a homily in which he remarked that, "we don't just pick Saints for devotions; oftentimes, Saints pick us," noting that this relic's presence signifies a divinely initiated relationship between St. Sharbel and Tulsa residents. You can read Fr. Donovan's homily HERE. After Mass, those present processed with the relic to the sound of Maronite hymns, stopping for veneration and a blessing with the holy oil of St. Sharbel. We are hopeful that the presence of this relic will enrich the lives of the faithful who encounter it and that devotion to Our Lord through St. Sharbel will be strengthened! Procession Blessing with St. Sharbel's oil On Saturday September 28th, 2024, the Family of Saint Sharbel, USA, celebrated the seventh anniversary of the dedication of Saint Sharbel's Shrine at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes (Emmitsburg, MD). At St. Mary's Glass Chapel, the celebration started with Eucharistic Adoration and confession, after which Father Cesar Ramirez (Institute of the Incarnate Word, IVE) celebrated the Holy Mass. The choir chanted in English, Syriac and Arabic the proper traditional Maronite hymns for parts of the liturgies. After the Holy Mass, the priest led a procession with the relic of Saint Sharbel (placed in a cedar-shape reliquary) while the faithful followed singing the traditional Maronite hymns. At the Shrine, the celebration concluded with the blessing with the oil of Saint Sharbel and the veneration of his relic. |
Publishing DepartmentThe Family of Saint Sharbel has established a new Publishing Department. More
ProjectsLearn about our ongoing projects to help introduce Saint Sharbel and the Maronite spirituality to the English speaking communities. Check out our YouTube Channels
Saint Sharbel's Miracles & Healings .
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