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The Ninth Anniversary of the Dedication of Saint Sharbel's Shrine, September 2026

9/30/2026

On Saturday, September 26, 2026, the Family of Saint Sharbel, USA, celebrated the ninth anniversary of the dedication of Saint Sharbel's Shrine at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

The day began at St. Mary's Glass Chapel with Eucharistic Adoration and confessions. Father Theodore Trinko of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) then celebrated the Holy Mass, as the choir chanted the proper traditional Maronite hymns in English, Syriac, and Arabic.

After the Holy Mass, the first-class relic of Saint Sharbel, placed in a cedar-shaped reliquary, was carried in procession along the wooded path to his shrine. The faithful followed, singing traditional Maronite hymns.

Gathered before the white statue of Saint Sharbel beneath the trees, the faithful received the blessing with the oil of Saint Sharbel and came forward, one by one, to venerate his relic, concluding the celebration. Along the path, a table offered pilgrims prayer cards and pamphlets on Saint Sharbel, along with pastries.

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Family of Saint Sharbel USA Summer 2026 Retreat

9/15/2026

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From September 3 to 6, 2026, members of the Family of Saint Sharbel USA gathered at Most Holy Trinity Monastery, home to the Maronite Monks of Adoration, in Petersham, Massachusetts, for "The Saints," a summer retreat centered on prayer, reflection, and the example of holy men and women throughout church history.

The retreat combined daily liturgical prayer, private meditation, and confession with a series of talks exploring sanctity in the Christian life. Fr. Robert opened with a reflection on the role of the cult of the saints in spiritual life, followed the next day by a talk on the nature of holiness and the universal call to sanctity.

Fr. Maron addressed practical means of growing in sanctity, and Abbot Patrick closed the weekend with a Q&A session addressing participants' questions.

The days followed the monks' own rhythm of prayer, with retreatants joining Morning Prayers (Safro), Midday Prayers, Evening Prayers (Ramsho), Night Prayers (Sotooro), and the Divine Liturgy, along with set periods for Confessions and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

The gathering concluded on Sunday, September 6, with a closing Divine Liturgy and a blessing from the monks before members returned home.

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Fr. Michael Sliney Discovers Lebanon’s Living Faith Along Darb Mar Charbel

8/29/2026

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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.”

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Raymond Nader Addresses Utica Parish on Saint Sharbel’s Message, 2026

7/31/2026

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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.

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Raymond Nader Featured on Radio Maria's Sacred Treasures, 2026

7/30/2026

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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.

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The Ninth Anniversary of the Dedication of Saint Sharbel's Shrine, September 2026

Family of Saint Sharbel USA Summer 2026 Retreat

Fr. Michael Sliney Discovers Lebanon’s Living Faith Along Darb Mar Charbel

Raymond Nader Addresses Utica Parish on Saint Sharbel’s Message, 2026

Raymond Nader Featured on Radio Maria's Sacred Treasures, 2026

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